Read out, Pig out!

Last summer a friend told me about something called "Read out, Pig out" that she did with her kids.  She let each child choose a snack to share with everyone, set out all the snacks buffet style, and then everyone got to read and snack.  I started doing it with my kiddos last year and they still get excited about their weekly "read out, pig out" parties.  Felicity asked if she could invite some friends to read out, pig out.  Of course, Kermit and Froggie wanted their friends to come as well.  I love my children's friends, so I agreed. 

First came the pigging out.  The "big kid" table.

The "little kid" table cleared out pretty fast.  Poor Froggie is a SLOW eater and was the last one at the table. 

He didn't seem to mind and wouldn't be rushed.

 

The allure of the swing set was too much for the little kids, so we let them play for a bit.

 

And then the reading started.  Sadly, it rained all morning, so laying on the grass wasn't an option.  Not to worry, these kids are creative.  The picnic table is a perfect place to read.

Although the lawn chair looked mighty comfy.

 

Two of the girls couldn't resist the trampoline.

Although that might have been a bit TOO comfy!

 This was the perfect place for this little guy.

All the little kids decided to lay out blankets in the front room and we read lots of stories here.

Last, but not least, Felicity and a friend found a quiet(ish) place in her room!

 

My little boys never read as long as Felicity does, so they choose a theme each week. I find some books to read that go with the theme and then I find a craft for them to do when they tire of reading.  This week our theme was Crocodiles.  After reading several crocodile books we went back outside to paint our own crocodiles. 

 

Kermit LOVES projects!

 Froggie worked very hard on his!

Eventually the big kids got tired of reading too.  This is how I found them.  Not sure what they were up to, but it looks like fun!

The kids were right.  Read out Pig out is more fun with friends. 

 

Dig in....to READING!

It was just me and the boys today!  Felicity was gone on a youth activity to Kings Island.  The boys and I took a trip up to the library to attend the summer reading program kick off party.  The theme this year is dig in.  The boys got to dig for a scavenger hunt clue which was to find a book with a plant on the cover.  After their hard work they were rewarded with a prize of their choice.  They each chose a stuffed animal.  Then they got to make a bracelet that says "read". 

 

After they finished their bracelets they each got a cookie and some lemonade.  Then the real fun began...choosing which books they got to take home with them.  These boys love the library, and look forward to our weekly trip there!

A little blood...

For the past week more often than not, this is how Froggie has looked. He has been having nosebleeds that last for hours. Packing it seems to help, and according to Froggie so do Popsicles. We ran out of Popsicles, mid nosebleed, this evening and there was no consoling the little guy. He boldly declared this to be "the WORST day ever". Up until tonight he had been handling it pretty well. I think he's just over it, as am I...

 

 

 

Can we go Camping?

All three of the kids love to go camping.  Kermit has been asking for weeks if we can go. This evening When I took dinner out to the picnic table I found him wearing this and spreading his sleeping bag out on the trampoline. I guess it's time to bring out the tent! 

 

 

 

Tuckered out!

Some of our friends from primary held a bake sale last Saturday morning to raise money for the people in Oklahoma. We decided to ride our bikes over. The kids had a blast riding bikes, playing with their friends, eating yummy treats, and stopping at every park we passed. Fourteen miles and tons of fun later I think someone was worn out!!!

 

 

Lawn Mowers

This morning the boys went to a kids workshop at the home depot.  They sanded, hammered, and painted.

 

The finished product?  Lawn mower pencil holders.

 

The home depot people were so impressed with their mad skills with the hammer, that they gave the boys certificates for successfully learning "safe do-it yourself skills"

 

Do you think that means they are qualified to hang a screen door for me?

 

After they finished their project the boys enjoyed juice and cookies.   They are so proud of themselves and are anxious to begin their next project.

The Amazing Race

My sweet Felicity turned 12. How did that happen??? To celebrate she invited a few of her friends on the Amazing Race! It was so much fun to plan and even more fun to watch the girls laugh their way through it. Here they are at the starting line! After a quick explanation and a rundown of the rules they were off. I decided to do only one team and have them race against the clock. That way they could all visit on our way to destinations. They were given 3 hours to get to the finish line!
Their first task was to find a puzzle piece hidden in an Easter Egg and give it to the owner of the house we were at. After finding lots of empty Easter Eggs, Success!! The owner of the house then gave the girls the rest of the puzzle which they had to put together and figure out that their next clue was on the BACK of the puzzle. They are too smart and figured it out right away.
This was a common scene throughout the race. All the girls huddled around the clue trying to figure out where they were headed next.

Our next stop was at Kermit's awesome primary teacher's house. We are so sad that they are moving soon.
 
Once the girls got inside they encountered their first road block. Several of the cups had a special marking inside. The challenge was for each girl to find a specially marked cup. The catch? The bottoms of the cups were covered in M&Ms and they had to eat the contents of each cup to see if it was one of the specially marked cups. They had to keep going until they each found one. This was fun to watch.
This was also a common scene throughout the race. All the girls chatting and laughing in the "taxi" as we made our way to the next destination.
 
Here the girls had to trade brownies for their next clue.
The firefighters were sure glad to see the girls....and the brownies!
Our next stop was at one of Felicity's amazing activity day leader's house. Here the girls had to unlock the clue. Four keyed locks and one combination lock with the clue: the days in February, one dwarf is missing, Felicity + Kit(One of Felicity's friends who was on the race, name changed for safety!!) This proved to be tricky, but they eventually figured it out. Did you? (28, 6, 25)
Before they could race any further the girls got to put together a dozen get well tote bags which they filled with things like crayons, coloring books, stickers, pencils, puzzles, etc. They were told to take the bags with them and continue racing.
  The next stop was at a friend's house where the girls were challenged to get crafty. Here they made get well soon cards to put in the bags they just made. They were then told to travel to the Golden Arches. The girls were excited about this one. They got their clue from the cashier and found another road block.

Each girl had to eat an ice cream cone without touching it. If they touched their cone, they had to purchase a new one and start over. They had $10 for this leg of the race! Here they are trying to work out a plan!

This one was also very fun to watch. While we were there a lady approached us and asked if we were part of the "real Amazing Race"!
 
The next stop was Felicity's Young Women's president's house. (How is my sweet girl in young womens?) Here the girls got to make two fleece blankets. It was a beautiful day so we sat on the front porch and did it!!!

Our next stop was the library. The girls were told to find a particular book to find their next clue. Can you spot it?
  Our next stop was at a church with the local chapter of Project Linus. The girls were told to ask the receptionist in the front office about project Linus. The representative happened to be there and told the girls the history of project Linus, who received the blankets, etc. She also told us that since the local chapter opened they have donated over 23,000 blankets. She told the girls she had some fleece if they were interested in making some and the girls proudly explained that they had already made some and would like to donate them.
 
One of the funniest parts of the day was watching the girls get out of the taxi! Graceful, right?
Our next stop was Shriner's hospital where the girls were able to donate the get well bags they had made.
  Finally they were told to head to the finish line, except on our way there we encountered a speed bump. They had to purchase two pizzas and they had $12. A quick stop at Little Caesar's and we made it to the finish line with 13 minutes to spare. We ate lunch on the back porch and then took everyone home.
 
It was a great birthday party that I wouldn't have been able to pull off without the help of lots of friends. To those who let us use your homes, your cars, your time, a huge thanks!! I am so grateful for the good friends Felicity has here. I love these girls! They are all so much fun!