More January fun

We added some more activities into our routine. I love activities that can be adapted for Lydia easily. There are so many fun creative learning ideas out there. Last night I was planning some Valentine ones and am looking forward to all the fun we will have. I am always so excited September through April because there are so many holidays to help spice up our daily routine especially if you are a holiday nut like me and celebrate them all. I love how I can use the same basic game and adapt it year round.  I think my kids may be a little disappointed when they go to school because teachers sadly don't seem to have the time or resources to do learning things in the most fun ways. I know I don't really want to home school my kids.  There are so many fabulous teachers out there but we sure make learning fun at our house. I definitely plan on holding some kind of "after school learning time" so I can keep learning with Jared and Lydia and find fun ways to supplement what they have learned at school.  Fortunately I have over a year before school will be added to our life and things get a little crazier.

Last week we made a snow volcano.  It was the basic baking soda + vinegar + food coloring trick only so much cooler with snow.  Jared and Lydia had fun pouring in the vinegar than trying to back away fast enough to not get any on them.

We have learned with marshmallows and hot chocolate and made a snowman with M & M's.

Jared rolled the dice then added the two number together and filled in that many M & M's. Lydia filled in the circles, working on 1:1 correspondence. And we may have eaten one, two or five as we worked.

I have been trying to think of what to make for Lydia's cake next week. It's crazy how fast this past year went by. She has learned so much and is so fun to be around.  I was planning on making a Cinderella cake with a pair of dress up shoes on it for her (the whole glass slipper idea and she does love shoes) but last week we watched "Beauty and the Beast" for our family movie night and she seems to have moved on to Belle. I always liked Belle because she liked reading, had brown hair and a yellow dress which was my favorite color for a good long while. (I have now moved on to aqua) Maybe it will be a cake with lots of princess's on top. Or I may just attempt the castle cake with ice cream cones. We will see. It's fun to think about them but hard too because I am not skilled at frosting cakes and think fondant cakes look amazing but don't want to go down that street. I read the tricks online and talk to people but I always get crumbs in my frosting. I know she will love it though and it will taste good. I am thinking it may have lots of sprinkles to take the eye way from the crumbs. I'll figure it out.