Friday started pretty simply. Kaitlyn helped Gram update the calendar for the month and then had some Kaitlyn-Daddy play time over a game of Chutes and Ladders.
As you can see, it was a "leftovers" lunch date!
After the kids were all up for their nap, they were begging to go to the park. It was between the Airport Park and Century Park, but as I was not very impressed with Airport Park the last time we were there (before the expansion), Century Park won out. I love their massive, sprawling wooden structures. It was too cool of a day for their water sprayers, and the sandboxes were flooded from the rain, but the kids still managed to really enjoy themselves.
Kaitlyn had a slightly nervous moment when we realized that there are active train tracks very nearby. She was startled by the train blowing by, right on the other side of the playground! After a few seconds of nervousness, she became enraptured by the train, watching it the whole time as it passed through the trees!
Caleb had a hard time resisting eating the mulch, but he had a great time watching his siblings play!
We're still working on clearing out our fridge and pantry rather than shopping, so I scrounged around Friday night to find ingredients for makeshift "alfredo" to serve with pasta and broccoli, with pork chops. The sauce was made with none other than Happy Farms cheese wedges, parmesan, and garlic, and turned out wonderfully.
Saturday, we kept it simple. We stayed home except for a quick run for craft supplies for Sunday's project, and had some fun time with watercolors, fingerpaint, and crayons. I covered the table in paper for easy clean-up.
Kaitlyn was a big fan of painting, but Elias preferred to goof around!
Our project for Sunday came courtesy of a Pinterest search for "preschool sensory activities." After browsing through what seemed like thousands of options, we settled for having a "Slimy Sunday" and used this recipe. It involves about equal amounts of water, white school glue (like Elmer's), and liquid starch ($2 for a gallon, on the laundry aisle). We mixed up two batches -- one blue with glitter, and one that was meant to be purple but ended more like pink.
Elias was not wild about the slime at first, and took some time to warm up to it. Kaitlyn, naturally, could not get enough of squishing it, stretching it, and even burying crayons in it.
One lesson we learned: our usual method of covering the table in paper to keep it clean is a BAD idea when you're playing with slime. The slime simply sticks to the paper, whereas it's quite easy to pick up off of the wood table. Clean-up is pretty simple, though -- the mixture dissolves quickly in water, so it's just a warm-water rinse off for the furniture, kids, and clothes. Another lesson: don't forget to store this in an airtight container! I completely spaced and left it in bowls on the table overnight, and it formed a tough film on top. We were able to recover it by mixing it all together (film and all) in a bag, but I imagine if you aren't careful and leave it for too long, you might not be able to save it in the end. I highly recommend this activity!! One thing to keep in mind, the glue might be non-toxic but the liquid starch in it is not something kids should eat. Kaitlyn had no trouble resisting but I could tell Elias was fighting hard to resist the temptation to taste it!
And now, as I write this, the kids are outside with Chad drawing with chalk on the patio, eating popsicles. We'll be heading out in a bit for the park, which one, we are unsure of ..
Until then!
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