Tip #74 From Mrs. Sunny

"Enjoy the special moments that winter brings with your children!"

I thought I would show a few pictures of what we've been up to this winter season already.

On the weekends my kids get pretty restless without my daycare kids around. Kristofer always asks, "My friends coming over today?" I have to say, "No, not on the weekend. We'll see them in a couple days on Monday!"

It takes some effort to keep them occupied and not fighting, but here are a few things we've been doing to keep busy!



Christmas cookies! I will always remember making Christmas cookies with my mom. I do have to admit I'm not a fan of how they taste, but the kids love them! We practiced "giving" this season by picking out cookies to give to their Uncle and his roommates!

We have also put up our Christmas tree and Nativity Scene. I love how Kristofer is at the perfect age for remembering traditions and understanding the meaning of Christmas. He was pretty hyped up about Santa and gifts and then I reminded him that it has to be Jesus' birthday party first. So he's excited about making a cake for Jesus!



Today was perfect for making our first snowman! We've been outside the past few weeks and Kristofer would get snow in his gloves and say, "It doesn't make a snowball!" Finally today it got warm enough to melt and here is our Mr. Snowman. I did most of the work as Kristofer was eating the snow, but he had fun putting the arms and face on him. And being pregnant I probably shouldn't have lifted that middle on the snowman, but Sunny was working and we had to get him done!

The kids love it outside and it brings back so many memories growing up on the farm in the winter. We would walk down the ditches to our creek and sled down the fields for hours. My parents sure trusted us!



And I end with a craft I found on another blog (I think "steadymom" - sorry about that and I don't know how to turn pictures...)

The kids enjoyed getting their foot tickled with white paint and gluing on all the pieces. I usually like crafts more hands-on for the kids, this was definitely a craft more for me since I had to do the cutting, but they were so cute I just had to. I'm planning on putting them in a frame and either giving them as a present or hanging them up in our house!

Merry Christmas to all and keep enjoying those memorable moments with your kids!

Tip #73 From Mrs. Sunny

My tip of the day is.... "Don't take advise from Mrs. Sunny on laundry!"



I don't have a good method of washing clothes. I'm not a "sorter" of colors that's for sure. I have one basket in the hallway where all clothes and towels go and in the laundry room there's 2 piles: 1 for towels and 1 for all other clothes. It just takes too much time sorting and I've had no problems with clothes running, so I don't sort. Not even the whites. Why do I need white socks in my shoes?

My ideas on laundry is of no fault to my mother who is very particular about sorting, washing, folding and putting away clothes nicely I must add!

I don't mind washing clothes, though, it's the folding of the clothes that never seems to get done fast enough. Right now there are about 3 baskets of clothes in our room and one in the dryer...not going to be a fun day tomorrow because that is my only goal to tackle (other than wipe noses, change diapers, feed mouths and play with kids all day!)

I don't have a good way of "folding" clothes either, mainly because I don't really fold. I dump all the clothes in a pile and make a pile for bathroom towels (those of which I fold and put in the linen closet...I do have a small basket for hand towels that I don't fold, though), kitchen towels (I just put in the drawer without folding), Kathryne's clothes, Kristofer's clothes (both of which I don't fold, I just put into the right drawers...on any given day Kristofer throws everything out of his drawers trying to find what to wear...no point in wasting my time!) my clothes (really don't fold, just put in the right drawers) and Josh's (which I do fold and hang up his nice shirts).

I sound really lazy about laundry and frankly I am. I can't stand folding clothes! In fact, when my mom comes over, if there's any spare moment she grabs a basket and folds for me. I tell her there's no need to fold the kids' clothes but she insists. I have taught Kristofer how to fold my hand towels in the small basket in our linen closet. I do think it's important to show your children how to do things the right way...slowly the kids can take over the folding when they learn how to keep their clothes in their dresser nicely! :)

I will take any advise on how to motivate myself to fold the clothes as soon as they come out of the dryer...I don't know if there's any advise other than just do it! I just don't like doing it and apparently Sunny doesn't like doing it, either! :)