Spring Break ... So Far!

It's been so nice to not have to race off to school this week.  Unfortunately, poor Aubrey came down with a fever and yucky cough on Tuesday, so we really haven't been able to get outside much to play.  The weather is very cold here (for this wimpy So Cal girl) and the wind is brutal.  She seems fine when she's inside, but as soon as I take her out into the wind she starts to go downhill fast.  Aubrey has never been good in the wind.  As a baby she would cry and cry if she was outside in the wind and I had forgotten all about that memory until the other day when she looked so red and winded when we were outside playing.  Never fear, though!  I have lots of fun projects and activities planned indoors for us and Grandma and Uncle Mike are coming for a visit tomorrow.  That is ALWAYS a good time.  Grandma is bringing her garden gloves, so I will get a little help planting my garden.  I love all the hands that have come together to help me build my little greenhouse and garden in the back.  I love my unconventional family!  It's the best!

Here is a little picture diary of our Spring Fun so far:

I started out by making a huge batch of homemade pumpkin pancakes made with organic ingredients.  So yummy!!!  I froze the leftovers so I can pull them out and we can have an easy homemade breakfast every morning.  Along with my organic fruit from Farm Fresh To You.  Tomorrow I am making fresh squeezed orange juice from all my freshly delivered organic oranges!

We've been having fun watching our caterpillars grow.  Man they grow fast!  They have doubled in size since this picture taken a few days ago.

We made some thumbprint caterpillars.  Aubrey loved showing hers off to the caterpillars.  Bayne loved going overboard with the stamp pads. :)

Browsing through Pinterest I found this really cool idea from a great blog called Growing a Jeweled Rose.  She has lots of great ideas for sensory play and sensory baths.  Sensory play seems to be all the rage these days.  Even though my kids are getting a little older and aren't toddlers anymore, I still think they would enjoy some of these types of activities.  I decided to try out her Easter Bath idea.  I had all the stuff necessary.  I just had to pick up a few cheap toy prizes from the dollar store.  It was a HUGE hit!  I think they will always remember this and most likely ask for it again next year.

All you do is add a little food coloring to the water.  It doesn't dye your tub or your kid, I promise!  I added red to Aubrey's bath and blue to Bayne's bath.  Then dump a bunch of easter grass on top of the water.  I happened to have a ton that has probably been in my easter tote for years.  Then stuff prizes in plastic eggs and dump them in the tub.  I bought some beaded necklaces, little plastic bunnies, and those capsules that you put in water and they grow into little animal sponges.  

Aubrey discovering her treasure!  I couldn't get her out of the tub!

And if you think your 7 year old is too old for this ... think again!  

Pimp daddy Bayne sporting his jewels in the tub.  LOL

Ahhhhhh!!!  It's a Swamp MONSTER!

The Easter grass wasn't too hard to pick up.  Just use a big spaghetti strainer to scoop it up.  Bayne liked having the water being strained dumped on his head like a shower, too.  

I even tried out some of this homemade bath paint I found on the same blog.  It's just shaving cream mixed with non-toxic paint.  I noticed some of this stuck to my grout, so be warned.  I'm sure bleach will pull it right up, though.

Aubrey loves to decorate, so I let her decorate her room for Easter (and every holiday!)

Grammy gave us some easter egg lights, so I hung them from their bed.  I did this at Christmas, too, and they love it.

We attempted to go to the park the other day, but after seeing how bad the wind was affecting Aubrey I decided on heading to the mall to see the Easter Bunny instead.  Man do I miss the mall playground.  Would have come in handy this week, but I guess my kids are getting too big for those things.  Time sure does fly.  Luckily, they are not too old to visit the Easter Bunny.  

They don't allow you to take your own picture, (LAME!), but as you can see I am not very good at following the rules!

Bayne giving the EB a high five.

Aubrey giving EB a big hug!

Last night we did a really fun project.  I had a great idea to make sock puppets, but I took the idea a step farther and decided we would do a black light puppet show!  Super fun!  Last night after dark we turned on the black light and started decorating our socks and shirts, made accessories with pipe cleaners, and colored back drops with highlighter pens.  We are doing a little more work on our puppets and shirts this morning and tonight is the big show!

Here are some of the supplies we are working with.  

Stay tuned for some good old black light fun!  

Hope you all are having fun, too!