Rainy Day Fun!

Well, we're in the home stretch of our fabulous Spring Break and it looks as though our final days will be filled with raindrops and puddle splashing. No need to skimp on the fun though...here are a couple of our favorite rainy day activities filled with smiles, giggles, and fun, fun, fun!

1. Take a Bath: Who says bath time has to come at the end of the day or after a particularly messy activity? In our house, water play is always a sure fire hit! Too rainy or cold to play in the hose or water table outside? No worries, fill the tub with some cool toys, old measuring cups, and whatever else you have on hand and let the fun begin! Throw in a little beet juice or other non-toxic coloring additive for an extra special touch ;)

2. Pull Out the Playdoh: Playdoh or modeling clay and a little imagination provide for loads of creative play. My little guys love to make artificial habitats and landscapes that they can stomp and demolish with their plethora of dinosaurs. The Ice Cream Shop and Burger Stand play sets we have also help make way for an unending array of yummy, and sometimes unusual, menu items! For added fun, try making your "doh" from scratch...here's a quick and easy recipe that is sticky-free and won't dry out:

1 c. flour
1 c. boiling water
2 tbsp. cream of tartar
1/2 c. salt
1 tbsp. oil
Non-toxic coloring

Mix and knead together...let the fun begin!

3. Hide-n-Seek: No explanation needed. Always a winner, distinguish rooms that are "off limits" and let the good times roll!

4. Movie in a Tent: An indoor twist on the classic "movie in the park", this is a fun-filled way to up the fun factor on program time. We have limited tv time in our household for obvious reasons, but I find this is also a nice way to reward the kiddos when they've been cooped up in the house and demonstrated lots of good cooperative play with each other. We like to make our tent big enough to accommodate all 4 munchkins and loads of pillows in case anyone wants to "rest their eyes". Even though Ellia has no real interest in tv at this age, she always likes to be around her big brothers, so we must have a spot for the princess as well!

Mama's New Babies

Check out our little baby seedlings...aren't they precious? The boys and I planted these about 10 days ago in preparation for our vegetable garden. Last summer, we were blessed to move into a home that already had a hearty garden under way and reaping the harvest was fabulous! Freshly picked, chemical-free veggies have a definite leg up on the competition when it comes to taste factor and I found myself longing for the garden all winter long. I try to buy organic in the grocery store whenever possible, but the supply in our area is very limited, which means less of a selection and even higher than normal prices for organic fare.

Anyone who knows me well knows that I do not have a green thumb...not even pale mint! But regardless, I've decided that we are going to give gardening a valiant effort this year. The boys and I sat down and came up with a list of veggies, herbs, and fruits that we would like to try. Many of the items we're planning on planting start outside straight from seeds and we may try a few starter plants, but I wanted to start some plants indoors so that the kids could see the process from seed to seedling to starter plant first hand. Each morning they rush downstairs to see how their baby plants are doing...very cute! So far, our roma tomatoes, beefsteak tomatoes, and basil are off and running. Rosemary is a little slower out of the gate and the lavender and jalapenos have yet to sprout. Hopefully we'll be out from under the threat of any last minute frost in the next week or so and begin staking out the garden!

Friday Food For Thought

All men dream, but not equally.
Those who dream by night in the dusty recesses of their minds,
wake in the day to find that it was vanity;
but the dreamers of the day are dangerous men,
for they may act on their dreams with open eyes, to make them possible.

~Thomas Edward Lawrence

Our Facebook Fans Rock!

This giveaway is now closed.

I must say (with absolutely no bias whatsoever *wink*), that our Facebook fans are the BEST! And to prove it, Ellia C. Naturals is having a Sa-weet little giveaway over at our spot (AKA: our fan page) at 8pm EST tonight. Head on over now for the details...you must be a fan to win, so make sure you get in on the action HERE!