Noe News is Good News

Noe Family Summer Fun List

I love lists and I love having something fun to do every day. Sitting at home is fun every once in a while, but most of the time I'd rather be out having fun! So inspired by friends and others in the blog world, I've put together our own summer fun list. Maybe we won't finish all of this stuff, but that's ok. At least it gives me a source of things to do when we're bored! Finished ones are linked to the post where we did them and are in BOLD.

If you want to access this list quickly (just in case you'd like some ideas) I've put the list under "meet the noe family" on the right. I also added a few other links to fun ideas on the left!

- Wash the Jeep together
- Blow giant bubbles!!
- Have a lemonade stand/bake sale (got the cutest lemonade stand stuff at Target this year!)
- Pick berries (there's a great place on the corner of Man O' War and Nicholasville Rd.)
- Make pancakes/waffles with the berries we picked
- Make Wind chimes
- Buy a Zoku and make our own frozen bars! (http://www.zokuhome.com/)
- Zoo (Louiville Zoo: http://www.louisvillezoo.org/, Cincinnati Zoo: http://cincinnatizoo.org/)
- Newport Aquarium (http://www.newportaquarium.com/)
- Cave Run Lake (http://www.caverun.org/)
- Sparklers
- 4th of July Party for church
- Bowling
- Bluegrass Railway Museum (http://www.bgrm.org/)
- Free Friday Flicks (http://www.lexingtonky.gov/index.aspx?page=241)
- Ice Cream Sundae bar with friends
- Visit a bakery and buy a treat
- Farmers Market
- Water Balloons
- Tie Dye Shirts
- Catch Fireflies
- Press Flowers
- Scavenger Hunt
- Collect Rocks and paint them
- Take Walks in the morning when it's still cool out
- Nicholasville swimming pool (the best ever!)
- Evan's Orchard (http://www.evansorchard.com/)
- Sweet Corn Festival at Evan's Orchard (July 16th 9:30-6 pm)
- Boyd Orchards
- Make fruit salsa and chips
- Draw Sidewalk Art
- Watch the sun set
- Carnival at Seton
- Feed ducks/fish
- Help sort the Laundry
- Go to the park in my parents' neighborhood and listen for bull frogs
- Father's Day gifts
- Make little boats and float them in water
- Take RCs to the park and race them
- Visit family in Corbin
- Visit KY Children's Garden often (http://www.ca.uky.edu/arboretum/KCG.php)
- On a cooler day go for a hike
- Build a bird house and watch the birds
- Carriage Ride
- Visit a horse farm
- Horse Park
- Louisville Science Museum  (http://www.louisvillescience.org/)
- The Aviation Museum (http://www.aviationky.org/)
- Cincinnati Museum (http://www.cincymuseum.org/)
- Cars 2
- Kung Fu Panda 2
- Keeneland (http://www.keeneland.com/visit/lists/copy/workouts.aspx)
- Visit the downtown fountains
- McConnel Springs (http://www.mcconnellsprings.org/, calendar of events)
- Old Kentucky Chocolates- see how chocolate is made
- Visit Downtown Library to see the world's largest ceiling clock
- Henry Clay Estate
- KY State Capitol Building
- Art Fair @ Woodland Park (August 20th)
- Plant flowers in a pot for front porch
-Trip to IKEA
- Hang Large Chalkboard in the backyard for kids to draw on (instructions here and here)
- Road trip to Florida, Chicago, Gatlinburg or some other fun place
- Play in the rain
- Walk to a gas station and get a popsicle
- paint something
- take the Jeep top off and go for a ride
- play in the sprinklers
- eat corn on the cob
- eat at a cafe with live music
- girls day with Joselyn- get nails done
- donate unwated things to charity
- build a sand castle


Noe Family Summer Get Done List

- Save money for a family vacation to New Mexico!!
- Finish decorating master bedroom
- Organize closets, kitchen cabinets, bathrooms etc
- Clean out garage and have a garage sale (build shelves for all the plastic boxes)
- Mark an art cabinet/shelves to keep all of kids art supplies
- Go through toys and purge/donate
- Finish blog books and print
- Buy patio furniture, umbrellas etc. to make our back yard nicer
- Finish landscaping front yard
- POTTY TRAIN LANDEN
- Keep a good calendar, get a good daily schedule down
- Set up a better budget
- Get Photography Business in order
- Organize old clothes, sort by size and season and label boxes

Should keep us pretty buzy don't you think? Any other fun ideas you'd like to share?

 

Bowling!!

In search of something different for the kids to do, Kasey suggested we try bowling with the kids. Nikki and her cute kids came along too... and the kids each took turns with the 6 pound ball. I was impressed at how well they did!

Admittedly you can't always get the best pictures in a bowling alley... not unless you have a camera that can handle the low lighting! (and I don't like flash) I'm saving!





Yes, we ended up using a ramp. Not only was it easier, but I think it was more interesting for the kids too.










They didn't quite have shoes small enough to fit Joselyn and Landen but we made it work. Landen is still in size 6 and Joselyn is in size 7... both of them got size 8 which was the smallest they had. LOVE the shoes- don't you?

It was a fairly inexpensive activity. $15 to rent the lane for an hour (for all of us) and I'm not sure if the cashier charged us for shoes because we only paid $16 something total. She kinda gave us a doubtful look when we walked in... gave us a long list of precautions and rules too. Don't know if I really blame her though. Joselyn was the first to lose interest... but a snack held her over for a little bit before she started running all over the bowling alley and then it was time to leave. That girl!

Play Dough

In an effort to give my kids more fun things to do, I bought them some play dough and a few fun play dough toys. With PJS and messy hair, their creativity blossomed. Joselyn made a little face.

Landen cut out sharks- which chased after me and growled at me and tried to bite me. 

What to do with a 1 year old and a 2 year old

Confession time again: I let my kids watch too much TV. They just love it and it keeps them happy! It came to a point where that's all they wanted to do. Joselyn would say "I want to watch TV" all day and I would usually oblige. I usually watched with them, and made sure that's not ALL they were doing, but it was getting out of hand.


(Yo Gabba Gabba- both Joselyn and Landen adore this show and even Landen tries to ask for it by name)

Remember when I complained that my children were misbehaved? I then read this on a blog that I read often:

"The demeanor of your child isn't simply the result of your parenting skills. In Parenting the Strong-Willed Child, Forehand and Long talk about the various factors that also influence your child's behavior. Here they are...

...problems with TV aren't all about what the child is watching, but what the child isn't doing while watching TV. This is something to consider. I know many parents closely monitor what their children watch on TV. I know I do. There are some great shows out there. But when your child is watching TV, your child isn't interacting or playing. I think we need to be mindful of the generation of children we are raising. I have noticed teenagers are becoming more isolated as Internet chatting and texting are becoming popular. I watch teenagers sit right by each other and text people rather than talk to each other. We need to make sure our children learn how to interact with other people face to face."

That kinda hit me hard. I think of myself as a pretty good mom, but I really want to raise a child who is well-rounded and well behaved and letting them watch TV all the time wasn't providing them the opportunity to learn how to master those skills.

So, I did something that I knew was going to be really hard. I limited TV time to 2 30 minute shows a day... one in the morning when they first wake up (to give ME time to wake up and get moving) and one in the evening.

Of course I had to start on the week where we have been stuck inside because of the weather. I would have taken the kids out to do fun things at the Library and such but Joselyn has a runny nose and is congested so I didn't think other people would appreciate me exposing her to their kids.

I have spent a lot of time trying to figure out something to do in our small town home that both of my kids will enjoy together. Crayons are out because Landen tried to eat them... that and any other craft related item.

Here are some things I came up with that keep them occupied for about 15 minutes (at least) at a time:

-Dancing: I created an awesome station on Pandora from the song "You are my Sunshine" by Elizabeth Mitchell. I love the folky vibe with music from Lisa Loeb and Jewel, and the kids love the upbeat tempos and familiar catchy songs. I put Joselyn in her ballet leotard and tutu and she dances her heart away. Landen tries too.
-Reading books: this is an easy one. Some of my kids' favorites:

Are You My Mother?


Blankie


The Gift of Nothing


In Grandma's Arms



-Hide and Seek
-Obstacle Courses: using blankets, pillows, chairs, the ottoman, couch etc. I create something for them to climb over and crawl under. They LOVE it.
-iphone games: both of my kids love Peekaboo Barn and Peekaboo Wild. Even Landen knows how to operate it.
-Singing time: I am in charge of singing time in the nurseries at church so I have ea few things up my sleeve. I try to recreate it at home.
-Pretend Play: Yesterday we had a tea party and made yummy stuff in Joselyn's play kitchen

Some suggestions that my mom gave me:
-Home Made Play Dough: I actually remember my mom making this stuff... it's "edible" (not tasty) so it would actually work for young kids!

    Recipe:

    2 cups Flour
    1 cup salt
    1 Tbs oil
    3/4 cup water (can be colored with food coloring)

    Mix dry ingredients. Add water and oil. Add more water if the mixture is dry and more flour if the
    the mixture is sticky. Store in a plastic bag in the refrigerator. 

-Let your children help with chores (make beds, sweep floors and give them rags to wipe things)

Just found a recipe for cooked finger paints too- not a bad idea!!

    2 cups flour
    2 tsp salt
    3 cups cold water
    2 cups hot water
    food coloring

    Combine flour and salt. Pour in cold water and beat mixture until smooth. Put mixture in large                saucepan. Add hot water. Boil until glossy. Beat until smooth. Mix in coloring until you reach the
    shade you like.

-Paint with pudding (there are lots of colors available)- I remember doing this once now that I think about it.

When kids are healthy, we like to:

-Go to the mall: let the kids ride in the stroller, get a pretzel and let them play in the play area (although they almost ALWAYS end of sick after this)
-Story time at the Libraries
-Pet Store: my kids LOVE looking at the fishes, birds, hamsters and other animals. This keeps theme occupied for a VERY long time!
-Play Dates: Joselyn does SO MUCH better when a friend is around. If any of you would like some time to yourself for a few hours, please bring them over  in the morning for a play date! This is seriously my

So now I need your help. I really want more ideas. PLEASE share what you do with your kids when TV is not the favorite option? Any favorite books or ipod apps?