Clean Clouds

This weekend,  we tried out the "clean clouds" sensory activity I've seen all over Pintrist recently.   I had two reasons for trying it.  First of all, it looked like something Ryan might enjoy.  Secondly, if Ryan enjoyed it, I might try it in therapy at my school. 

To make clean clouds: Microwave a bar of ivory soap. 

 Then shred a role of toilet paper and add it to the foamy mess you get after the soap is microwaved.

Lastly, add water and squish together until you get a concoction that looks like the picture above. 

This was not a sensation Ryan enjoyed. 

But he likes to stay very clean and he kept wanting to wash his hands.

Once we got our clouds to the table and I showed him how to use it like play-doh, molding and splatting and creating with it, he started to enjoy it.

He roll-patted a "treat" for Daddy.

He smooshed it.

And then we made mountains and snowmen. 

I'm not sure I'll duplicate this in therapy, mostly because I'm afraid my school kids might eat it.  That would be bad news.  But Ryan did enjoy it in the end!

Garage Sale Day!

Today was one of those achingly beautiful days.  The sky was deep blue with not a cloud in the sky, the trees were ablaze with yellows and reds (which sadly I did not get a picture of today), and the weather was actually warm.

This morning I did something I never really do.  I went garage sale-ing.  My neighborhood was having a neighborhood wide garage sale.  So, I set out this morning to see if I could find some deals for things I've had my eye on that someone might be giving away.   And behold.....

I did!  Since he has been small, whenever we would run into one of these at a friends house, Ryan would zone in on it and pretty much play with nothing else.  We had considered it for a Christmas present last year.  But we just were not willing to cough up the amount it would cost brand new.  So, when I saw this for three bucks, I considered it a deal!  Needless to say when I brought it home, Ryan spent most of the afternoon playing with it.

Although, I did get him to do a little side-walk chalk painting which we made together using the following recipe:
1/4 cup water.
1/4 cup corn starch
Add food coloring.

He got a little carried away....

But that's ok! I was just glad he was outside enjoying the beautiful day instead of inside begging to watch movies!

Glow stick....fun?

My little pride and joy....

His father taught him this. 

I blame him....

Four years ago....

Four years ago today we got married.  

We played this slide-show. 

And I still can't imagine my life without him in it. 

And now I have two mini-Josh's.

Seriously? Can my life get any better?

More Glow-in-the-dark fun

 So, for a while now I have been getting addicted to Pintrest.  It's a magical place of amazing creativity.   I have been gathering fun glow in the dark ideas to do with Ryan. Mostly because I think glow in the dark stuff is really fun.  Today was the perfect day to do them because it was cold and rainy.   We got a black light and some glow-sticks.    Then I set out play-doh and put some of the glow-sticks in the balloons.  

 The balloons glowed nicely but unfortunately all of my pictures of these events are blurry and hard to make out.  My camera apparently just isn't the best for taking pictures in this type of lighting.

Ryan and Josh decided in true "man" form to have a small war with the balloons.  This is what it looked like under the black-light. 

Pretty much it looked like something out of the Matrix.

But when I turned on the light, you could really see them "going to town."

The play-doh was a bit disappointing.  It did not really "glow" under the black light like I had hoped.  I think my black lights were a little "weak."  

But I still had one more idea up my sleeve thanks to Pintrist. I put some of the glow sticks in glasses containing different amounts of water and made a "Xylaphone."    We tapped on the glass to hear the different tones and made up little "songs."

They were three note songs though because I only had three clean glasses.

All in all, it was a fun evening!

Dylan: Almost 4 months!

Whoooose a big boy?

Dylan is!

Who, me?

Yes you.....

He is almost 4 months old.  Current milestones he is reaching include: sitting in his bumbo and playing the grab, mouth, and drop toys game.  

 He is also getting better at bearing weight supported.  He loves playing in his exer-saucer.

 I meant to start him on rice cereal this week because I think he could handle it.  He's showing signs of readiness.  But....I'm just not in a hurry for this one to grow up.

Oh and as a side note, the cold weather is finally starting to hit us. The only perk for me is how cute he looks all bundled up!

The One About Connor.....

Every day when I pick Ryan up from daycare, his teacher hands me a piece of paper detailing what he had to eat for breakfast, lunch and snack, the activities the class did, and even the times he napped and went to the bathroom. 

And every day when I pick Ryan up, I scan the sheet and then ask him about his day.  He's starting to provide me with some really reliable answers.  Often what he says matches up with the "cheat sheet" I'm given by the daycare.  He will usually tell me he played with ...." X"  He will tell me what he had to eat for snack. He does not usually talk about the kids in his class and I usually don't ask anything specific about them. 

So I was really surprised one day when I asked "What did you do today?"  he replied, "Connor hit me." I asked him "Where?"  And he pointed to his stomach and told me "It hurt.  Connor baaaad.  I no like Connor."   I figured surely Ryan was no angel himself and asked "What did you do to Connor?" Ryan told me he "Pushed him." So we talked about how he should talk to his teacher if another kid hurts him. 

A few days later when I picked him up, Ryan started talking about Connor again.  This time, Connor had kicked him in the leg.   We talked through it again.  Then I asked if they could be friends and Ryan told me "no." He still didn't like Connor.

This week the daycare held it's annual Open House.  I always go.  It's a great opportunity to talk to the kids' teacher and find out what they are working on, how they are doing and look at all the cute crafts they make.  And this year, I was dying to know what was up with this Connor kid.  

So I went and the first question I asked was, "What is going on with Ryan and Connor?"  Silence. Then the teacher asked "Who?" And I told him all the stories Ryan had told me about Connor.   

That's when they informed me that there was NO little  boy named Connor in Ryan's room.  

Or in any other room Ryan has ever been in. 

"Connor" does not exist.

And apparently, Ryan gets along very nicely with everyone in his room. 

I am still trying to make sense out of this.   Further investigation is needed.

Tomorrow when he goes to daycare, I'm hoping to ask him to point Connor out to me to clear this whole thing up.  And I'm really hoping he points to someone real and that "Connor" is not an imaginary "enemy" he's created for himself.

My little goof.