What we're reading

Before every nap time and bedtime, Hubs and I read books to the kids. The kiddo's can choose books from their personal collections or from the stacks of borrowed books we bring home from our local library. This past week, we have changed it up a bit.  Turner received his first Where's Waldo book for Christmas and Lauren received a new Look & Find book for toddlers. We have been looking and finding Waldo's and other characters all week. It's been a nice change for all of us and the kids are actually enthusiastic about the new routine.

Here is the Where's Waldo book Turner received:

And one of the several Look and Find books Lauren owns:

These books are great for traveling or for those doctor appointments where you know you will be having to wait for a while. If anything, they are a great 'busy book' to keep your child occupied outside of turning on the television. They also provide a nice activity for you and your child to do together if one-on-one time is what you are seeking.

I highly recommend getting one of these for your toddler or Pre-K kid. I know my two little ones love these fun books and it gives me one more excuse to snuggle close to them at bedtime.

Christmas Part IV

Today we celebrated Christmas, yet again! This time it was with Grandma and Grandpa Steinbauer.

The kiddo's got some really neat gifts as always. Our children are continuously spoiled by our amazing family. We are so blessed!

I made a small ham and a few other simple sides; mashed potatoes, baked beans, etc. We opened gifts and we had a nice lunch. There are not many things better than sitting around a table with the ones you love and sharing a meal.

After the festivities and food, my mother-in-law washed all of the dishes! She said that she appreciates a meal she didn't have to make and that washing the dishes was the least she could do. How sweet is that?  My father-in-law was brave and went up to the kids rooms to play. The kids weren't easy on him. They are constantly jumping on him and yelling and flailing around like a couple of loons. Today, they coaxed him up to Turner's top bunk and he played up there for a while. I don't think Grandpa Steinbauer is going to be able to move tomorrow.

As I type this, the kids are sleeping in their beds; with exception of Tyler who lays here beside me on the couch, submersed in a deep slumber. Hubs is watching The Avengers and I'm about to call it a day.

It's been another amazing day. I've once again been reminded of how much we are loved and how lucky we are to have our family.

Outside of the lines

Being a Mom of three and a housewife, a schedule is not only necessary, but it is a means of survival. Most of our days are scheduled so we all know what to expect. There is a small comfort in a schedule and having a plan. It can also be quite boring.

This evening, we were surprised by a visit from my friend and her daughters. They stopped by to see the newest addition to the Steinbauer household. It was just what we needed to jazz up our otherwise 'routine' evening.

Here is a pic I took today to record Tyler's 10th day of life.

How quickly I had forgotten how much a baby eats, sleeps, and poops! It seems Tyler is always sleeping. Not that I am complaining. It has made her presence in the home very subtle. Turner and Lauren don't even realize she's here most of the time. Oh, that will change soon!

Comforts of food and home

Yesterday, we received seven inches of snow.

Hubs has worked hard today shoveling our driveway and the kids were anxious to get out and play in it.

After nap this afternoon, we bundled Turner and Lauren up and took them out for some fun in the snow. They got to ride their new dune racer around and they tried out their new snow tubes. They had a blast!

When they came inside, I had their hot cocoa ready, loaded with plenty of marshmallows of course! Cold weather always makes me crave hearty comfort food and tonight was no exception. I decided to make a large dish of Homemade Macaroni and Cheese. Mac and Cheese is always a winner in this house! I searched my recipe card box, and couldn't find my usual recipe so I googled 'Velveeta Mac and Cheese'. I not only found a new delicious recipe, but Google images had this pic posted in the search results:

I couldn't resist making this hot dog octopus and putting on top of the kids' plate of food tonight! Turner wouldn't touch it and said, "I'm not eating that!!" but Lauren enjoyed it very much. In fact, she ate two of the octopus hot dogs and had fun swirling the tentacles around in her ketchup before she devoured them.

This evening, I allowed the kids to dine in the living room beside the Christmas tree. We moved Lauren's little table and chair set out there and they thought that the small gesture was so cool. (One point for Mom!!) It won't be long, and all of our Christmas decor will be packed away for another year. I hate to see it go. We've all enjoyed the presence of our lighted tree very much.

Homemade non-toxic paint

For today's craft, the kiddo's and I made our own paint. It was so easy!

Ingredients:

1 cup salt
1 cup flour
1 cup water
food coloring

Just pour the ingredients into a bowl, mix, and you've got paint!!

The kids really enjoyed mixing the paints together to make different colors. This craft was a huge success!

Top Five reasons I started this blog.

1. I have three blogs... yes, three. And I've been pretty crappy at keeping up with them. I'm hoping to wrap them all up into this one; resulting in more frequent posts.

2. I want to have an online scrapbook of sorts for my children. I'm not very good at getting pictures printed and put into books so, again, I hope this blog serves as a decent replacement.

3. I enjoy writing. I don't have much time for it, but I find it extremely therapeutic.

4. I want to share my experiences with all of you. I will be posting everything from recipes to some of the crazy things that occur in our household. This blog will definitely be a very mixed lot!

5. I want to hear feedback from all of you. Comments are appreciated! I'm always open to new ideas and suggestions and look forward what you have to say.

Thanks for reading and I look forward to posting more for you very soon!