Heart food

I got these tiny little shape cutters from my mom for Christmas and I LOVE them!  I've mentioned before that A can be a very picky eater.  Well, maybe a year ago we were out with friends and the kids needed a snack.  She pulled out a baggie of tiny heart shaped peanut butter sandwiches and offered one to A.  You know what?  She ate it.  So when I got these shapes I knew exactly what to do with them!

Now, I must say, this is not something that works every time, and A still won't eat peanut butter or jelly or sandwiches...but she is way more likely to eat a turkey heart than just plain old turkey.  Thanks, Brooke!

Heart sticks

I found these glitter hearts on a stick at The Dollar Tree.  I put it on top of A's shelf and she simply takes all of the sticks out and puts them back in.  Many times, the hearts are at the bottom, rather than the top, but she enjoys arranging them.

heart ice cube tray

I got a set of heart shaped ice cube trays and little heart gems in the dollar section at Target.  A takes a heart, one by one, and places them into the tray.  This is one of the activities I keep closed and on a high shelf, so I can always supervise.  Those gems look too tasty not to try and eat!

Making Valentines

We made Valentines this week.  We used white cardstock cards, a bingo dotter, and sparkly puffy heart stickers. 

Crikey!

Here's the latest of my craft endeavors.  It's a little croc made especially for my nephew on his first birthday. 

It's a keeper!

We don't live in Florida

Snow has fallen in 49 of the 50 United Stated (well, at least it did last week.)  We took full advantage.  Although I'm not a fan of frigid temperatures, I'm a sucker for snow and blizzards.

A is a pretty big fan too.  We even slid down that little hill in front of the house a few times.

I hope everyone enjoyed their snow and stayed safe!

Giving Thanks

This week we made thank you cards for some friends and family who gave A Christmas gifts.  I had blank cards and just had A color on the front of them with two different colored markers.  She had a lot of fun, and  I think they turned out great!

"Monti-jar"

I love this can.  It's a baby oatmeal container that I wrapped scrapbooking paper around.  But it's not the outside that makes it wonderful, it's what is on the inside.

I really admire the Montessori method and how children are treated with respect and taught how to do things at a very young age.  I came across this blog recently and I love her idea of the "monti-jar."  (You MUST go visit for yourself!)

Inside are slips of paper...activities to do whenever you have a few extra minutes in the day and need something to do.  You just pull out an activity and do it!  

Some examples:

-handling a book

-puzzles

-using a zipper

-cleaning up spills with a sponge

-putting materials away neatly

I'm excited to start using this with A.  I think it will be a great way to teach her skills in a fun way.