melody*made

Merry Christmas from our family to yours!

Fascinating!

Happy 8th birthday, Mason!

He loved the big pom pom! I hope that it'll keep you warm this winter, sweetie:-)

 

Mason was so excited to get this surprise gift from me, and couldn't wait to open it!My hubby bought me flowers for the party when I forgot to ask him to. But, I was thinking it! I love it when when we're in sync:-) 

 My friend, Julie, brought over some fresh corn from the farm for the party. I collected the corn silk because I heard that the tea you make with it is really good for you. Shirley, could you elaborate? I can't quite remember:) Besides, it looked so pretty, I had yo snap a shot. It almost looks like a bowl full of yarn or wool... 

 Mason made these with his friends:-)   

 Here's Mason in action with the piñata! He requested a small intimate party at home, and we had a nice time. They played hide and seek, ran around, made caramel apples, and played & played:-) It's a good party when they don't want to leave! 

Found this penguin piñata for Mason's 8th birthday party. We wanted a pumpkin one but they didn't have it and he liked this one. Just not so sure about beating the cute little thing...

Rethinking Education Conference in Dallas, Texas

Mason shows how to needle felt an apple

Happy 7th birthday to Mason as he debuts his first youtube video! Mason demonstrates how to needle felt a granny smith apple in this video. 

~Enjoy!

How to needle felt a pumpkin

No More Sippy Cups

Ever since he showed interest in drinking cups around 9 months or so, I'd give him a tiny sip of water from a glass cup. At restaurant visits with the family, I'd sometimes give him a straw to play with. Then it progressed into a straw and a lid, then a cup with ice to jingle. But when he wanted a drink, we'd just use a straw as shown in the video. There's no need to fuss with plastic sippy cups nor metal ones with hard to clean spout, just teach your baby to drink from a cup. *Of course there's nothing wrong with using a sippy cup if you choose to do so. Please leave me a comment if you have questions or other suggestions!

Sign Language

Teaching "more" is one of the easiest sign languages to teach little babies. As soon as Ryker started eating around 7 months, I signed "more" to indicate giving him more. Knowing how to sign cuts down on frustration and tantrums in toddlers, and naturally lends itself to a joyful relationship.