Fun News! We're Having a Swap!

Another note - please let us know when you sign up if you'd be willing to have an international swap partner. Thanks!

Edited to add ~ if you sign up for the swap, we will send you an email confirming that we have you signed up! If you do not get an email from us within a day, please email me again :)

Have you been waiting anxiously for the big announcement from Christy from Superheroes and Princess and me? The wait is over. We are so excited to announce our plans to co-host the Super Summer Swap!

What is the Super Summer Swap you ask? It is a fun way for our children to make some friends this summer. The participants will put together little packages to exchange with other children of similar age.

Why should your child participate?
1. What child wouldn't like to get some mail?
2. It will be a fun summer project.
3. Your child can learn a little bit about another child from another state.
4. Pen pals are always a possibility if the children want to continue the friendship.
5. Why not?

So, here is how it works:
1. It is open to all children of bloggers through elementary age.
2. Sign up between June 15 and June 22.
3. We will match children based on age and partners will be notified by June 26.
4. All packages should be mailed by August 3.
5. When you receive your package, write a post about it and we will have a Mr. Linky party after the packages all have time to arrive!

Packages should include a minimum of three items from your child; here are some examples: 1.
A postcard or brochure from where you live, 2. a lapbook or scrapbook or something handmade, 3. a photograph or drawing of your child, 4. a special gift that will allow your child's new friend to experience a hobby or interest that your child has or enjoys.
You do not have to spend any money, but please DO NOT spend more than $15.00 on the items that will be exchanged.

You can sign up through comments or email on this blog or the Christy's blog. Please include the following information when you sign up: name(s) of child(ren), age(s) of child(ren), the state in which you live, and your email address. (If you're not comfortable posting any of that information, you may email me at dairyqueen03@gmail.com

Please feel free to ask questions, and PLEASE blog about this so that we can get a lot of people involved. This will be more fun if we have a lot of participants!

I'm busy busy busy this week! (And a teaser for you)

We are doing Vacation Bible School this week. The girls are having fun and so am I! I have also been keeping an extra child in the afternoons too.

Anyways, I've been working on plans for our pond unit that we plan to start next week...

So, I may be scarce around here this week, but you'll want to be here Monday because Christy from Superheros and Princesses and I have something fun to announce!

We have a lot of reading to do!

The Bookworm posted the top 30 Picture Books as taken from the Top 100 picture book poll of 2009. So, she asked that we highlight the ones we've read. I highlighted the ones we've read in red. I'm ashamed. It's not that we don't read, we just haven't read many of these! Anyways, I have some good books to add to our library list! Some of them I read while I was in college for early childhood, but realized that I haven't read them to my own kids!

I think it's so neat that so many of the top books were written so long ago!

#1: Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak (1963)
#2: Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown (1947)
#3: The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle (1979)
#4: The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats (1962)
#5: Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus by Mo Willems (2003)
#6: Make Way for Ducklings by Robert McCloskey (1941)
#7: Harold and the Purple Crayon by Crockett Johnson (1955)
#8: Madeline by Ludwig Bemelmans (1939)
#9: Millions of Cats by Wanda Gag (1928)
#10: Knuffle Bunny: A Cautionary Tale by Mo Willems (2004)
#11: The Story of Ferdinand by Monroe Leaf, ill. Robert Lawson (1936)
#12: Good Night Gorilla by Peggy Rathmann (1994)
#13: Blueberries for Sal by Robert McCloskey (1948)
#14: The True Story of the Three Little Pigs by Jon Scieszka, ill. Lane Smith(1989)
#15: Lilly's Purple Plastic Purse by Kevin Henkes (1996)
#16: Owl Moon by Jane Yolen (1987)
#17: Caps for Sale by Esphyr Slobodkina (1947)
#18: In the Night Kitchen by Maurice Sendak (1970)
#19: Miss Rumphius by Barbara Cooney (1982)
#20: George and Martha by James Marshall (1972)#
21: Bark, George by Jules Feiffer (1999)
#22: The Monster at the End of this Book by Jon Stone, ill. by Mike Smollin (1971)
#23: Bread and Jam for Frances by Russell Hoban, illustrated by Lillian Hoban (1964)
#24: Chicka Chicka Boom Boom by Bill Martin, Jr. and John Archambault, ill. Lois Ehlert (1989)#25: The Little House by Virginia Lee Burton (1942)
#26: Corduroy by Donald Freeman (1976)
#27: The Tale of Peter Rabbit by Beatrix Potter (1902)
#28: Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day by Judith Viorst, ill. Ray Cruz(1972)
#29: Sylvester and the Magic Pebble by William Steig (1969)
#30: Brown, Bear, Brown Bear, What do you See? by Bill Martin Jr., ill. Eric Carle (1967)

So, which ones have you read?

Beach Trip number 2!!

We had a great time on our second beach trip! We spent most of the time hanging out at the pools, and I think we all could have stayed another week!

They had a mini water park at the resort we stayed at, and Daisy must have gone down this slide no less than 250 times! She had the best time!

I have plenty more pictures that I'll probably be boring you all with, but you'll have to suffer through :)

We have Vacation Bible School this week, and I'm going to work on planning our next theme - pond theme! Be looking out for my ideas as I plan and then as we dig in!

Our First Beach Trip

We went on a short vacation last week with Joel's family. We had a lot of fun playing and visiting with the family. Daisy, at 4 years old is the oldest of 7 children that make up The Dairy King's parents' grandchildren; and they were all together at one time in one house!


We go to the same beach every year, and there is an awesome sweet shop there, so we go have ice cream every year. We also love to get fudge there, but I was very good and didn't get any this year. Here are some pictures of us enjoying our ice cream (Petunia's cone was seriously soggy by the time she got done!)

We had some family pictures made while we were there (I'll post some later), and when we finished, we took the girls out of their dresses and let them play in their underwear. Yep. I'm serious. And I'm not ashamed! See. We took pictures!

Don't you love backwards panties?

Quiet Time

A very important part of our day is what we call Quiet Time. Some days it turns to nap time, but we don't talk about that :) I have some activities that they are allowed to do during quiet time. The rule is that they are to stay on their bed and be quiet. I let them take milk in a sippy cup, because that often soothes them to sleep.

Other things I let them take along are...
puzzles
books
crayons w/paper, coloring books, or activity books (only Mary Helen since I don't trust Anna to not decorate the walls yet)
magna doodle


Things I plan to do this year. . .
Themed quiet time packs! I hope to include lacing cards, felt board activities, wipe off games, etc. to go with whatever theme we are doing. Should keep things interesting!

Do you do anything like this? What are some things you let your kiddos take for quiet time?

Themes we're planning for this year

I am working on a list of themes we want to cover this year. I don't know what order we will go in, or how long we will spend on each theme. As long as we have fun stuff to do with each unit, and they are learning and having fun, we will stick with it.

Insects and bugs (this will include worms, caterpillars, ants, etc.)

Farm animals (I wonder if we could find a dairy farm to visit?? LOL)

Zoo animals (probably include this with a jungle theme)

5 Senses (All about me - we will learn body parts as well as five senses)

Pond Life (frogs, ducks, geese, fish, snakes, etc)

Taking care of our bodies (hygiene, eating healthy, exercise, etc)