Painting

So, I am a big time emotional eater. I stuff my feelings and then I stuff my face. :)

There has been a lot going on with my family recently that has caused me to bake cookies and brownies and cook dinners that I can just eat and eat and eat. And since my pants are getting tight and I know eating like this isn't healthy for me physically and emotionally, I decided to try something else.  Something that kept my hands busy so they couldn't be shoving food in my mouth and something that was slow enough and intentional enough that I can sit and process what is happening.

I have loved going to the painting classes at Paint the Towne, but since I don't want to be away from my family in the evenings all the time, and some of the paintings on the days I could go I don't really want, or whatever, I just decided to get some of my own supplies and see what I could create.  This is what I did this weekend.  One for each of the kid's rooms.  I like them.  I was obviously feeling polka dotty.

Orbeez

My sister, Kaylee, and I talk to each other pretty much every day, sometimes more than once.  :)  Well, the past couple days every time I talk to her she is talking about these orbeez that her kids got from some friends.  She sends me text messages with pictures of them, she talks about how she just likes to stick her hand in the bowl and play with them, how her kids are playing with them.  I don't get it, but if she thinks it fun, it must be.  So the kids and I had to go to Target to get some snacks for Jayden's class and I swung through the kids section and picked up a couple packages of orbeez.

Yesterday, the kids and I emptied these teeny tiny colored balls into a clear bowl, so we could watch what happened to them.



And what started out as this :



Became this :



And low and behold the kids love playing with them, and I do enjoy sticking my hand in the bowl and swirling them around.  :)

Kid Quote :: 13

The fam and I were racing through Target, picking up a few things, when Jayden and I walk past the women's section, which had a big fat display of bras all along the aisle.  I don't think anything of it really, but Jayden starts snickering.  When I ask him what is so funny....

Jayden :  That is so silly.  Tank tops....with boobs!

Wichita Thunder

My friend, Nicole, invited us to watch the Wichita Thunder hockey team tonite, her husband plays for the team.  I had forgotten how much I love watching hockey!  Both of the kids had a really good time.  Actually, because of all the ice we've had around here, Jayden has been talking about ice skating a lot - something we've never done with him, but something he says he wants to do, and Jayden has always loved watching football because the guys tackle each other.  So I thought he would love hockey, it's kinda like football on ice, with a stick, and a puck.  And I was right!
This is Nicole's husband, Andrew





Royal had never been to a hockey game before, so he was pretty excited about going.  Now he really wants to get together with Andrew so he can explain the ins and outs of hockey to him.  That way, next time, Royal will know what is going on a little better.



Jayden pretty much loved it.  He sat there almost the whole time and watched the game.  It was a high scoring game too, so I think that helped.  Wichita won 6-3.



Willow did really well too.



But then she got bored and colored on her face and her stomach with markers (while I sat right next to her, but was too interested in the hockey game to notice), and then sat on Nicole's lap and put on headbands and hats to pass the time.

Moonbirds

Last night I went to Paint the Towne, with some friends to drink some wine and paint some moon birds.



Whitney decided she was afraid of moons, so she went more for a sunny sky (and the fact it will match her daughters room).  :)



Robin got a little out of control with her red.  Good thing they provide aprons!:)



Here Nicole has hers almost finished



And then she managed to knock hers right over into her plate of paint, which made it look like her bird pooped.  :)  Don't worry she knew what she was doing and managed to fix the whole thing.



Here I am with my purple moon birds



And our whole group with our finished paintings!

Jayden Stories :: Too Fast for T-Rex

Jayden and I have been talking a lot about how just because a dinosaur is a meat eater, it doesn't necessarily mean that they were mean. They just had to kill another dinosaur to survive. So if they couldn't catch their dinner, they would go hungry. One of his dinosaur books said something about most likely a T-Rex missed catching a bunch of the dinosaurs they were chasing, just like today's animal predators out in the wild. And now, it is being brought to you in true Jayden story form!

Snowy Day

Yesterday we finally got a few inches of snow!  It was perfect for playing in right before lunch.  It was only like 26 degrees outside, no wind, sunny.  I got bundled up with the kids and we went stomping through the yard.  The roads were pretty clear, so we went and worked out in the morning, Jayden had school in the afternoon.  Royal decided to come home from work early to play with the kids in the snow, so he picked Jayden up from school and came home.  Unfortunately by then, the next cold front was coming in, so it was much colder, snowing little tiny frozen hard snow, and the wind was blowing. But we bundled them up anyway!






Willow lasted about 10 minutes, before she came in to do some cooking with me.  :)  Jayden and Royal and Sam went for a long walk around the neighborhood stomping in all the snow and came back looking like ice cubes!


Now today, it is sunny and clear, and thanks to the low last night of 0 (that would be zero!), all our activities for the day have been canceled - no Strollers in Motion, no school for Jayden, no swimming for Willow.  We are now all mostly healthy but still trapped in the house, this time due to ice and frozen temperatures.  Outside right now, it's 6, but really feels like -18 (that's in Fahrenheit, my friend!).   Brrrr.  I'm gonna go turn up the heat