Tot Spot: New Activity # 36 - Painting Houses

Hailey kind of came up with this activity on her own and I helped facilitate it and open it up for more exploration. I walked out back where Hailey and her daddy were playing and Hailey had a paintbrush in her hand. Well, I had a cup of water in my hand, which I intended to drink. Rather, I poured it in a plastic play cup and we proceeded to "paint" Hailey's chalkboard. I showed her how to dip the brush in the cup and paint the board. She did this for a little and really seemed to be enjoying herself. Then she had the brilliant idea to paint her playhouse! She walked over to the patio where he playhouse sits and started painting the outside like she was a housepainter! We never had our house painted, and I don't recall her seeing any neighbors paint their house, so this imaginative play floored me! I was so proud of her imagination!  It was just water, so no damage, but LOTS of fun! After we painted the house, we painted our motorcycle and we painted mommy too! She painted my hair and face and we laughed together the whole time! My little chicky is really the light of my life and she had so much fun with something so simple! What an awesome, impromptu, Hailey-driven activity! 

Flea Market Finds!

Well, I haven't been very bloggy this week because Monday is the start of the new school year and I am student teaching (my last step in getting my certification!) plus Monday is my grandmother's 80th birthday and we are having a surprise party for her on Saturday so it has been helping my coop teachers get their classrooms ready plus getting myself reading along with trying to help my mom with the party on top of all the other things a wife and momma needs to do! It has been kind of hectic!

Although we did not do any new activities, rather we stuck to some of the old favorites like painting, going for walks, and just having some fun...we did find some awesome things at the flea market! My mom got Hailey an easel, something I had on our list of things to buy for $5! It's a red Step Two and folds nicely. Then, we all went up to the flea market and found a Little Tikes Boat for $8 that rocks and Hailey can drive! She wore my dads old navy hat and had a blast on my moms patio all afternoon! It was funny because she would only go in the boat if she had on the hat, she is funny like that! We left it at my moms and were going to bring it home this weekend but we found another on craigslist for $5 and so she will have one here and one at her Mimi and Poppy's house too!

We were originally looking for a cozy coupe car, because she loves the grocery store cart and she has a mini-version for her dolls to go shopping in at home. Our only hesitation is that she won't be able to push it around and move. Maybe in a few more months... But this boat lets her steer, shift, and rock, so it is perfect!

I am very excited to do some easel painting this week! I hope to make it out to our local craft store for some no spill paint cups for the easel. I am just debating if I want to set it up out front or out back!


Anyhoo, I am going to do my best to keep blogging at least a couple times a week, but it won't be every day anymore. With student teaching, I am going to have a lot of work to do. I am going to keep doing my activities with Hailey and will try to post a couple at a time a couple times a week! I am definitely not going to be slacking on being a fun momma, but blogging might have to wait! I hope your enjoying everything I do with Hailey and I hope you are inspired to try new things with your toddlers too! Become a follower, join on facebook and twitter, and share my blog with your friends! The more followers and readers I have, the more the will blog!

Tot Spot: New activity # 35 - Mini Golf

Mini Golfing!!!

Tonight we went on a family date to the local putt putt course! Hailey got to play mini golf for the first time! She had her own special little club and a pink ball and she went around 19 holes with her daddy and I. It was a lot of fun and definitely an experience. She started out really fascinated with the balls. We would hit one and she would squeal with delight and chase it and throw it in the hole or just down the green. Her daddy tried to show her how to hit the ball with the club, but there was more fun to be had that that! The golf course we went to is actually 29 holes, but we only did the half because her attention span was not that long... which we expected. We were lucky that we didn't have to wait behind anyone or hold anyone up. She had fun exploring the course, she loves the hills and the cave. I think we will try it again in a a couple months and she how she does! The best part of the whole experience though was when she was eating dinner in the cafe and I said, "We are going to play putt putt golf" and she replied, "tap tap tap". I think she was watching Happy Gilmore, one of my favorite movies!!! She was going to "Tap it in..." LOL!!! Definitely a fun night and a great way to spend time with my family before all the hectic school stuff really kicks in!

Tot Spot: New activity # 34 - Nature Painting

Nature Painting

Getting ready

Painting

On our last nature walk, we collected different kinds of rocks from the stream. We also had some flowers at home and leaves so we decided to paint them! Hailey donned her new apron her Mimi bought her and we got to work with our new paint brushes! This is the first time we painted outside, well kind of, we painted her salt dough handprints outside. Anyhoo, I used a trash bag to cover my patio coffee table and some tape to secure it. Then I put 3 different color paints (red, yellow, and blue) in cupcake liners and gave Hailey two different kinds of paintbrushes. We use two because sometimes her daddy and I help paint with her. The cupcake liners weren't so successful. She just wanted to crumble them up. I think I am going to pick up the no-spill paint containers at ACMoore for her along with some tempera paints because we are almost out. Last time we used a paper plate as her palate, but she wanted to just paint the plate, lol.

Using flowers as brushes

Finished product! 

Well, to cut to the chase, she enjoyed painting the rocks and she used the flowers as paintbrushes on the rocks and on the bag I had down. We put the rocks in our garden, even though the paint is going to wash off in the rain. I figured we could just repaint them one day if we are looking for something to do. All these activities are a learning experience and I am learning new things to do and new things I need to buy! Toddlers are expensive, lol!

Tot Spot: New activity # 33 - Walking the stream & Skipping stones

Walking the trail

Skipping Stones

 Danny, Hailey, I decided to venture down to a stream where Danny grew up and I spent a couple picnics at durning our childhoods. Danny's family owned a bungelo and before we even knew each other, our families would get together for picnics and such in the summer. My parents were friends with his uncle, so without even knowing it, we were linked together as children! Anyhoo, we took Hailey to the river and stream down there and we went for a nature walk... nothing new there... BUT we walked the stream, gathered some rocks for painting (hopefully tomorrow) and Danny taught Hailey (and me) how to skip stones! AWESOME! Danny is like the stone skipping master! Anyways, Hailey had so much fun looking through the rocks and picking some out to collect and some to throw in the river. She was a little mud ball when we were done, but it was well worth it! She is in the bathtub now, Daddy is washing her up while I blog, so I better finish this up so I can join in the fun! We like to splash and play water games at bath time! I highly recommend you take advantage of the cool nights and muddy places with your little ones! These are the moments to savor!

Hailey skipping stones! 

Picking out our favorites rocks!

Tot Spot: New activity #32 - Washing windows

 This is the way we wash the windows, wash the windows, wash the windows. This is the way we wash the windows, till we get them clean!

Its funny how the other day I blogged about giving toddlers some chores to do and today had her help me wash some windows. Well, I didn't really have to ask... she was up all for volunteering! We have a big glass "screen" door and my dog was looking out the window and she got some of her nose art on it, so I wanted to clean it up. Hailey happily took some paper towels and cleaned the bottom while I cleaned the top on both inside and outside! Then she wanted to help with the windows, so even they got cleaned! What a BIG helper!! I am so proud of my little girl for wanting to help out. I really hope this stays with her as she gets older, I certainly wasn't like that when I was young. Most days I just hope to win the lottery so I can hire a maid! I am lucky though, I have a husband who splits the chores with me! He treats me too good! Anyhoo, this is about Hailey, my helper bean! I think tomorrow we will clean the back door, which is also glass (we would have done it today, but I had an appt I had to go to) and then maybe we will make a mess! I am thinking potato painting! Well, enough with that, good night all you awesome mommas out there! Daddy's too! :)

Can I clean more, momma??

Tot Spot: New activity # 31 - Baseball Game!

Arriving at the stadium

Hanging out with Quacks, one of the mascots

Learning about Maris, one of our favorite players of all time

Take me out to the ballgame, take me out to the park.... Hailey, her daddy, and I all hit the local ballpark for some good ole family fun! Our local team had fireworks last night and we had some tickets for a home game, so we decided to venture out to the ball park! We had a blast! Hailey had some chicken fingers and french fries (we shared a platter, since she ate her dinner at home before we went) and her favorite part of that was the "dippy fries" which is what we call something that can be dipped in ketchup or in this case, honey mustard! She kept the same fry for a long time, just redipping it, lol. It kinda grossed me out because I am a double dipping no-no person, but she is just a little girl, the love of my life, so I dealt with it! Anyhoo... she did really good considering the game took FOOOOOREVER!!! Our home team was losing, but they made a brilliant come back. Normally, it is the kind of game that baseball fanatic Danny and I would love to watch BUT with a toddler, it was kind of hard! We sat in the same seats for awhile, probably till about the 5th inning then we walked around the stadium, got a snow cone, and relaxed in the food court area before going back and finishing off the game (which when we came back, we had better seats!) Before Danny and I had Hailey, we always talked about how great it would be to take our kid to sports (especially baseball games) so this activity was something we have been waiting to do for a very long time! To us, this is what summer is about! A good game, a beer, and a hotdog (although this time it was water andchicken fingers!!!) Hoping to make one more game this summer before the season ends, then its hockey time at our local arena! I don't know if Hailey will be able to sit through that, but heres hoping!

Getting a lift from daddy while walking to the car

Giving Rollins a high five!