Shoe Tying Class at Nordstrom

 

What better place for a kid to learn how to tie their shoes other than at Nordstrom? Its our go to place for shoe fittings as well as most of our footwear- so why not learn how to tie shoes there as well?
 

Nordstrom offers such a class on certain Sundays each month. The class is free but you must sign up for it prior to attending. The age recommendation is 5 and up. We arrived at 9:45am Sunday morning and were greeted by Chris (pictured playing Simon says above!) Nordstrom along with the rest of the mall was closed so we had Nordstrom all to ourselves! 
 

Nordstrom provided shoes with laces for each child to work with. Chloe of course had to swap hers for pink ones.

         Chloe took a tying break, trying on Suri-esque shoes!
                      Ummm...I don't think so Chloe.

 

                                     
                          Back to work-with her pink pair!

 

The Nordstrom staff was awesome! So patient and great with the kids!

     
      Checking out the clubhouse in the children's section!

 

   Chloe and Natalie had a great time playing the game in the  clubhouse!

 

      When in Nordstrom...SHOP! Perfect time to shop for  holiday dresses- especially when your in there practically alone!

Chloe still needs lots of practice tying her shoes, but this was a great introduction to it. We will continue at home using the poem provided by Nordstrom and hopefully she will have it down in no time. She received a "real knotty behavior" certificate with her name on it upon her completion of the class. If you want to give it a go, try using the poem below to start.

                                      

Laces everyone-

ready, set, tie!

 

Calling all kids.

Check out these simple clues.

When one lace meets the other

You can tie your shoes.

 

First, make an x,

And hold it on top.

Put the right lace through the middle

 

 

Think of the bow

Just like a balloon,

Hold it at the bottom

Or it might go zoom!

 

Wrap the other lace around,

Use your finger like a spool.

Pull a loop through this hole,

You tied the bow- how cool!

 

 

 

Nashelle Designs Pay it forward bracelet

Hurricane Sandy kicked many of our East Coast assess. Still powerless, I had to leave my home to keep the kids warm and out of harms way. My house was flooded- fortunately not as bad as most of my neighbors. Some friends in my town lost their entire homes. Very sad and scary. I'm still waiting on an adjuster to come survey the damage before we can get started on gutting my first floor. As I read horror stories of children who died, I hold mine even tighter and realize just how lucky I am. Things are things that can be replaced...my children cannot. I can deal with anything as long as they are okay.

With that said, Nashelle jewelry (who I already loved) is selling a "pay it forward" bracelet -100% of its proceeds will be donated to the Hurricane Sandy Disaster Relief. It's just $10 and its super cute to boot. Wearing a cute bracelet for a great cause...who would be better than you?

The holidays are coming...this is a great stocking stuffer.

Hope everyone is safe and warm out there....if you are, pay it forward to someone not as fortunate. I ordered mine.

Click here to purchase Nashelle's "pay it forward" bracelet.

Mummy Dogs!

                                                 Mummy Dogs!

I'm not sure if I had more fun making these for Max or watching him eat them! I wouldn't dare offer one to Chloe because last time I tried to feed her a hot dog, she ran away screaming as if I were offering arsenic! She's not far off if using regular hot dogs! I opt for Trader Joe's chicken dogs- they have no nitrates and are much lower in fat and sodium than your average beef hot dog.

What you'll need

1 package of hot dogs of your choice (8)                                            1 Pillsbury crescent rolls
scissors
mustard

What you'll need to do

Preheat oven to 375
Line a cookie sheet with tin foil- do not use spray
Take crescent rolls out one at a time, cutting them into 1 inch strips
Wrap strips around hot dog...there's really no wrong way to wrap!
I kept mine in for about 20 minutes.

Once they come out- let them cool for about 5 minutes before dotting on mustard eyes.

       Your kids will love them- that is, if they don't run away first!

               Happy Halloween & enjoy these fun mummies!

 

Spooky snack for your lil ghouls and goblins!

                    Spooky Apple Mouth!

 

I cannot wait for Chloe to open up her bento box and see these bad boys at school today! I love getting in the spirit of Halloween and these zombie-esque teeth will surely do the trick!

Supplies:

Apples (the bigger the apples- the easier it will be to stick the almonds in) I had to go smaller so the apples would fit in her bento.

sliced almonds

Directions:

1. Cut apples into four

2. Make an inner slit in the skin side of the apple

3.Push the sliced almonds into the apple for teeth!

                 Happy Halloween!!!

10 Activities to Promote Letter/ Sound identification

Cutie match by Cutie Apps for Ipad/Iphone

 

 

         Activities to Promote Letter/ Sound Recognition

Kindergarten is the new first grade. Last year students were expected to leave kindergarten reading on a level B - this year its a D. The expectations and demands are increasing year after year. I'm happy that Chloe's school sends lots of ideas home to parents so we can help them at home as well. The latest handout that was sent home was filled with ideas to promote letter and sound recognition. For Chloe, these activities will help to reinforce what she already knows. I hope you find it as useful as I do.

1. Play concentration- Place matching pairs of letters face down on a table. Your child can turn over two cards at a time in order to find a matching pair. Once they find a match, encourage him/her to say the name of the letter and it's corresponding sound.

2. Play hopscotch- Place one set of a matching pair of letters in a paper bag and the other set on the floor. Tell your child to pull a letter out of the bag and then hop to the corresponding letter on the floor. Please encourage your child to say the name and corresponding sound of the letter each time he/she forms a match.

3. On a large piece of paper write an upper and lowercase letter (Bb). Next provide your child with a magazine or newspaper with large print. Have him/her look for examples of this letter within the magazine. Next tell him/her to glue the letters all around the letter written on the paper.

4. Cut out different shapes such as a triangle, a square, a rectangle and a circle out of construction paper. Start by using only one or two letters to play the following game. Provide oral directions such as: This is b, please put the b on the circle or find the b and put it on the red square. As your child becomes able to identify a few letters, increase the number of letters you use to play the game.

5. Place a tablespoon of pudding or whipped cream on a piece of waxed paper. Begin by telling your child "This is a Cc" as you show him/her a letter card having this letter on it. Next have him/her form the letter on the waxed paper using the whipped cream or pudding. Encourage your child to repeat the name of the letter. As he/she becomes more proficient with letter identification, you can simply name a letter that you want him/her to form on the waxed paper (without showing the letter). They will love the reward of eating the remains!

6. You can hide several cards having a specific letter or magnetic letters throughout the house. Have a treasure hunt by providing oral directions to help him/her find the letters. Each time a letter is found, have your child say the name of the letter. As a challenge, set a timer and see how many letters your child can collect before the bell rings. As your child becomes more confident with letter recognition you may want to hide three or four different letters during the game.

7. Draw a large square on a wipe-off board or chalkboard. Around each side of the square write a different letter. Let your child look carefully at the square for a few minutes. Then have him/her close his/her eyes while you erase a letter. See if he/she can identify the missing letter. If need be, you can prompt your child by asking if it's an Mm or Ss that's missing.

8. Write a given letter of your choice on a 5x8 piece of cardboard. Next, help your child trace over the letter with glue. Then place items that begin with that letter in the glue. For example: beans or button for Bb, cotton balls for Cc, foil for Ff, etc.

9. Letter toss game- You may play this game with a partner. Write letters on wooden clothespins. If your child can identify the name of the letter and its corresponding sound he/she may toss the clothespin into a bucket. the winner is the person with the most clothespins in the bucket!

10. On a large piece of poster board make an oval racetrack of non sequential alphabet letters. let your child race a toy car around the track while he/she names the letters. You can prompt younger children by asking them to look for specific letters while holding up a card with the letter on it.

Although this was given to my daughters kindergarten class to help reinforce letter and sound identification at home, I will  be using many of these ideas with my 3 year old son as well.

I'm buying the wax paper for #5 to do with them tomorrow. Learning and an after school snack combined! Pics to follow!

 

Easy to make Minestrone Soup

 

There's nothing like a warm bowl of soup on a chilly day. At 55 degrees here in New York today, I made my first fall vat of Minestrone. This is one of my go to recipes and a family favorite.

Chloe isn't much of a meat eater but she likes beans so I add cannellini and kidney which are both good sources of protein. There's a great mix of veggies so it's hearty and healthy.

This recipe makes enough soup for some leftovers which you will be thankful for the next day...it's super easy and so good! Pre- chop all the ingredients to make it even easier to follow.

Minestrone Soup

Ingredients

1tbsp. olive oil
1onion, finely chopped
1 leek halved lengthwise and thinly sliced
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
14 oz. can crushed tomatoes
1 carrot, finely diced
2 celery stalks, finely diced
1 yellow squash, finely diced
1 green zucchini, finely diced
14 oz. can of cannellini beans (do not drain)
14 oz. can of kidney beans (do not drain)
3 cups water
4 cups of chicken or veggie stock
3 oz of tubetti or pipette pasta
salt & pepper
Freshly grated Parmesan cheese, to serve


1. Heat the oil in a large pot over a medium heat. Add the onion, leek, and garlic and cook about 4-5 minutes until softened.

2. Add crushed tomatoes, carrot, squash, celery, zucchini, water and stock. Bring to boil, stirring occasionally.

3. Stir in beans. Season with salt and pepper. Reduce heat to a simmer, partially covered for 45 minutes.

4. Bring a salted pot of water to a boil for your pasta. Once cooked, drain and add to soup.

5. Add grated parm to soup once bowled.

I hope this soup warms your soul like it does my family!

ENJOY!