STU pics 2013

The sunflower seeds S:

The sticker S:

The seashell (and accompanying sand) S:

The toy truck T:

The towel T:

The toothbrush T:

The undies U:

We also wanted to take an umbrella U pic, but couldn't find our umbrellas that day... The undies had to suffice (they are my youngest's collection), which really made my older two children amused.

*For those new to my blog, check out the beginnings of ABC Summers here.*

V is for...

...Veronica, my beautiful niece. :) V is very vitalizing, but I'm no visionary, so this may be brief.

For those new to my blog, read the ABC summer story here.

Places to go that start with V:
*towns/cities (Vinton, anyone?) ;)
*Van Dee's Ice Cream Shoppe
*Village Inn
*Val Air Ballroom (there are concerts there regularly)
*Val Lanes Bowling Alley
*Valle Drive-In Theatre
*Valley Junction (great eclectic shopping neighborhood, also has a weekly farmer's market)
*Valley West Mall
*Varsity Theatre
*Village Park

Things to do that begin with V:
*play volleyball
*playdates with Veronica, Vera, Violet, or Vivian
*read Valentine's day books or The Very Hungry Caterpiller, The Very Busy Spider, and The Very Quiet Cricket
*watch videos like Valient
*look for Victorian houses
*find a vineyard and show your child(ren) how grapes are grown
*visit a veteran
*go to a visitor's center of your choosing
*take vitamins
*dance to "Vogue"
*listen to violin or viola music
*talk about VEISHA at ISU (look up what it means)
*wear vests, visors, or v-necks
*color pictures with vermilion or violet crayons

Foods that start with V:
V8
vanilla wafers (or pudding, ice cream, etc.)
vegetables
vegetable soup
Velveeta
(red) velvet cake
Vienna roll

Favorite V Bible verses:
"One who is faithful in very little is also faithful in much, and one who is dishonest in very little is a also dishonest in much." Luke 16:10
"The eye that mocks a father, that scorns obedience to a mother, will be pecked out by the ravens of the valley, will be eaten by vultures." Proverbs 30:17 (that's a fun one to read to the child with a bad attitude) ;)

During L's photography ABC summer, we found the two following V's. The first was the yarn from a craft he'd made and had hanging from a doorknob. The second was in the landscaping at Jester Park.

Four more letters to go! We'll be winding down with W next. 

Return to Pee Corner

This is completely unrelated to ABC summers... Sometimes I just feel a need to vent something that is too long to share on Facebook. Sorry moms (and dads?), but this is the perfect venue, so bear with me.

I've designated Thursdays as bathroom-cleaning-day in my house. As a result, I dread Thursday every week. It often seems that every other day is Thursday!

We have five toilets in our home. That is wonderful when we return from a long trip and all five of us need to use the bathroom immediately. It's about four toilets too many on Thursdays.

I can zip through most of our bathrooms pretty quickly. I love my Norwex cloths for the mirrors and shower doors. Easy-peasy. I use the Norwex toilet cleaning stuff, too. But... then I get to the dreaded boys' bathroom...

Keep in mind, my boys are almost 10 and nearly 3-1/2. My youngest still sits to go potty. My oldest also did this until he entered kindergarten and saw all the other boys standing. It was all downhill (or downstream?) from there. Every time I go to clean their toilet, it smells like pee. It's disgusting. It doesn't matter how hard I scrub the toilet, wipe down the outside of the bowl, or cleanse the surrounding floor, it smells strongly of pee.

My theory is that my oldest goes in to use the bathroom in the middle of the night (not every night, mind you, but enough to do pee damage). He doesn't turn on the light because it might wake his sleeping brother (they share a bathroom between their bedrooms). Now, I don't think he pees with his eyes closed, there is a nightlight in the room, and I've never found a puddle of pee on the floor near the toilet. However, I think it only takes a drip here or a drop there to cause that corner to stink. It seems to have seeped into the woodwork surrounding the area.

As I enter their bathroom to clean, the old Kenny Loggins song, "Return to Pooh Corner," enters my mind. Only with altered lyrics.

I am seriously considering the implementation of a "sit-only" rule while using toilets in our home. Until that takes effect, I'll be returning to Pee Corner every Thursday morning.

*For those new to my blog, check out the beginnings of ABC Summers here.*

U is for...

...utterly uneventful (which can be nice once in a while)!

If you've just found this blog, please check out the origin here.

Places to go that start with U:
*towns/cities
*Uncle Wendell's Bakery & BBQ
*Urban Grill
*the big umbrella sculpture downtown in Nollen Plaza
*University of Northern Iowa (!)
*University of Iowa
*Union Park (has the tallest rocket slide around, a free wading pool, and the Heritage Carousel)
*Union Railroad Bridge downtown (now a pedestrian bridge)
*Uptown Ankeny (restaurants, shops, Saturday Farmer's Market)
*Urbandale Public Library

Things to do that begin with U:
*talk/joke about UFOs
*draw an undecagon using the ultramarine crayon
*play UNO, United States games (there are many games out there that teach the names, shapes, facts, etc. about each state)
*use umbrellas (or just play with them if they're unnecessary)
*talk to all of the children's uncles (phone, email, etc.)
*go underwater
*buy new undies for everyone
*listen to music by U2 or Uncle Kracker or songs like "Use a Word," by Red Grammer, or "Up and Away," by Dave Matthews Band
*look for UPS trucks
*clean upstairs
*watch movies like Underdog or Up
*discuss body language that is universally understood

Foods that start with U:
ugli fruit (hybrid of grapefruit and mandarin oranges)
unshelled peanuts
upside down cake

Ugh, that was utterly uphill. Ultimately unyielding.

Favorite U Bible verses:
"Don't use bad language. Say only what is good and helpful to those you are talking to, and what will give them a blessing." Ephesians 4:29
"A truly wise person uses few words; a person with understanding is even-tempered." Proverbs 17:27

Not surprisingly (given the abruptness of this post), we only found one U during my son's ABC photography summer... It was in the stone on our front porch.

Upcoming post: letter V. It may be virtually the same length as this one!

PQR pics 2013

Nearing the end of the alphabet... not losing creativity (yet)!

The pepperoni P:

The puzzle pieces P (now, I would have just randomly selected puzzle pieces and laid them out to look like a P... My children, however, were creative enough to actually connect the pieces into a P!):

The queens Q:

The (baby) quilts Q:

The Q-Tips Q:

The raisins R:

And the rocks R:

I don't know about you, but we only have three more full weeks of summer break here. :( So, I'll be wrapping up E's alphabet photography summer sooner than I'd like. We're making S, T, and U this week. Next week will be V, W, & X. The final full week of summer break will be Y & Z. Where has the time gone?!? Wah, wah, wah.

*For those new to my blog, check out the beginnings of ABC Summers here.*

T is for...

Thursday! I promised I'd post this on Tuesday, but time got away from me. Truly. :)

If you just tripped onto this blog, read the origin story here.

Place to go that start with T:
*towns/cities starting with T
*Tasty Tacos (not my favorite place, but it beats fast food joints)
*TCBY
*Texas Roadhouse
*Tavern Pizza
*Topped Doughnuts
*Tumea & Sons
*Terrace Elementary playground
*Target (take your kiddos to the dollar section - they'll have a ball!)
*Temple for Performing Arts
*Terrace Hill (our governor's mansion)
*The Theatrical Shop (great for Halloween costumes)
*Toys R Us (if you are braver than I am)
*Trainland U.S.A. (toy train museum)
*Triad (local gymnastics/tumbling gym with open play time)

Things to do that begin with T:
*play table tennis, tag, the telephone game, tennis, thumb war, tic-tac-toe, Tiddlywinks, Trivial Pursuit, or Twister
*wear tank tops, tee shirts, tutus, etc.
*listen to artists starting with T (James Taylor, TobyMac, Trans-Siberian Orchestra) or songs that start with T ("Trick or Treat," "Taking off My Training Wheels," "The #1 Fellow," "Tickle My Toes," "Thought It Was a Monster," "Tie Your Shoe," all by Justin Roberts or "Teaching Peace," by Red Grammer)
*play or watch team sports
*tidy your teddy bears
*clean and/or count teeth
*watch TV shows like "Teletubbies", "Thomas the Tank Engine", and "Toot & Puddle"
*tell time (or at least practice)
*go to a theater
*read books with titles that start with T (This is the House that Jack Built, Tickle Monster, or Today I Feel Silly)
*listen for thunder
*play dates with friends like Tim, Todd, Tom, Tony, or Trey
*talk about the tooth fairy
*spin some tops
*watch movies that start with T (Tangled, The Tigger Movie, or Toy Story)
*count tractors, trains, and trucks on a trip
*hit the trails (take a walk or bike ride)
*make a treasure box
*find or build a tree house
*draw triangles with colors like tan, taupe, teal, terra cotta, thistle, or turquoise
*travel
*tumble on a trampoline
*practice writing and spelling the numbers "two," "three," and "ten"

Foods that start with T:
tacos
taffy
talapia
tangerines
tator tots
tea
tempura
tenderloin
tiramisu
toast
Toblerone
toffee
tomatoes
Tootsie Rolls
tortellini
tortillas
tortilla chips
Total
trail mix
Trix
Tropical Sno
tuna
turkey
Twinkies (they're coming back!)
Twix

Favorite T Bible verses:
"Those who control their tongue will have a long life; a quick retort can ruin everything." Proverbs 13:3
"Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it." Proverbs 22:6
"Treat others as you want them to treat you." Luke 6:31
"For the love of money is the first step toward all kinds of evil." 1 Timothy 6:10(a)

We thought it would be fairly easy to find the letter T around town, but our best find was actually in our own home. This is the bottom portion of one of our doors.

Only six more letters to go! I'll try to get the last few letters wrapped up in the next couple weeks for those of you following this summer. :)

MNO pics 2013

We had better luck with ideas for letter pics last week! E really stepped up and created some unique letters. She's getting into this full-force now. :)

The m&ms M (in rainbow order, of course):

The magazine M (with a couple that even started with M!):

The Milk Duds M:

The newspaper N:

The necklace N (not the prettiest assortment, but very bold) ;) :

The nail polish N:

The olive O:

The (we're really into essential) oils O:

Can't believe how fast this ABC summer is going! :( I'll post letter T on Tuesday just for the fun of it. ;)

*For those new to my blog, check out the beginnings of ABC Summers here.*

S is for...

...seriously spectacular spontaneity. (or you can scrap the idea of being spontaneous and just schedule my suggestions). ;)

If you've recently stumbled upon this blog, you can check out its origins here.

Places to go that start with S:
*towns/cities (nearby or far and wide)
*Sbarro (pizza place in mall food courts)
*Scornovacca's Pizza
*SmashBurger
*Smokey D's BBQ
*Smokey Row Coffee (for excellent sweet treats)
*Sonic Drive In
*Sonny's Pizza Bistro
*South Union Bakery
*Snookie's Malt Shop
*Spaghetti Works
*Subway
*Sugar Shack
*Sawgrass Park, Somersby Park, Springwood Park, Summerbrook Park, Sunrise Park, Sunset Park or playgrounds at Southeast Elementary
*Salisbury House (local mansion that offers tours)
*salon/spa (especially if you only have daughters - take them for manis/pedis)
*Salvation Army - to donate used items or to thrift shop
*Sample Sundays at local farms (such as Picket Fence Creamery)
*Saylorville (visitor's center, lake, dam, spillway, mile-long bridge)
*Scheels (remember there are always free sample of fudge upstairs!)
*school (take your child to the see the school where he/she will attend kindergarten, or just go play on the school playground)
*Science Center of Iowa (for Sesame Street Tuesdays or their fun new event "Starbeque" - combo of outdoor bbq & stargazing through the telescopes)
*Seven Oaks Recreation Area
*Shakespeare on the Lawn (festival at aforementioned Salisbury House)
*Shoe Carnival for back to school shoe shopping
*Sky Zone
*Sleepy Hollow Sports Park
*Social Canvas (the whole family can paint pictures together)
*splash park/sprayground
*sporting events (children's, high school, college, semi-pro, or pro)
*Springwood 9 Theaters
*storytime at your local library
*sweet corn festivals (Estherville and Adel both host them)

Things to do that begin with S:
*play games like Scene It (Disney version), Scrabble, Snap, Sorry!, Seven Up, and Simon Says
*go sailing (rent a sailboat at Big Creek State Park)
*build sandcastles at a local beach
*plan a scavenger hunt
*play school, soccer, or sports in general
*scrapbook (or just look through some if you don't have time/energy to scrap that day)
*plant some seeds of some sort (sunflowers, for example)
*teach your child how to sew on a button (well... I would if I knew how)
*sit in the shade or sunshine and take turns storytelling
*make shadow puppets
*make shrinky dinks
*practice writing and spelling the numbers "six" and "seven"
*go skating (roller) at Skate North or Skate West
*skip stones
*stroll through the downtown skywalks (best on weekends or evenings)
*find your favorite slides at local parks
*sleep(!)
*smile at everyone you see
*practice snapping
*snapshots (take new pics or look at old pics with your children)
*send an S.O.S (or simply teach your children what that means)
*draw squares in a spectrum of colors (saffron, sage green, salmon, sapphire, scarlet, sea green, sepia, silver, sky blue)
*take spelling tests or have a spelling bee (with older children)
*splash in the sprinkler
*make stained glass (real or pretend)
*stay up and stargaze at the Ashton Observatory (every Saturday night the Des Moines Astronomy Club opens to the public)
*go swimming
*swing
*watch the excellent video (by the Baby Einstein founder, Julie Clark, and John Walsh) Stranger Safety starring Safe Side Super Chick
*play dates with Sandra, Shonda, Steve, Sydney, Silas, or Sara
*watch movies like any of the Disney Sing-Alongs, Sleeping Beauty, The Smurfs, Snow White, Sofia the First, or Space Buddies
*watch TV shows starting with S ("Schoolhouse Rock", "Scooby Doo", "Sesame Street", "Sid the Science Kid", "Strawberry Shortcake", and "Super Why")
*read books like Silly Sally, Skippyjon Jones, The Snowy Day, Stellaluna, and Stinky Cheese Man
*listen to music by artists starting with S (Switchfoot or Taylor Swift) or songs that start with S ("Say Hi!," "See Me Beautiful," or "Shake Your Brain," by Red Grammer or "Shh Shh Shh," "She Sits," "Stay at Home Dad," "Super Kid," "Song for You," "Sand Castle," "Snowy Day," "Sign My Cast," "Sleepoverland," and "Smart Parts," by Justin Roberts)
*wear scarves, sequins, skirts, skorts, socks, etc.
*go school supply shopping

Foods that start with S:
salads
salsa
saltines
sandwiches
sausage
scones
scotcharoos
sherbet
S'mores
soups
sorbet
spaghetti
spinach
sponge cake
spring rolls
sprouts
squash
star fruit (warning - it's sour!)
steak (strip or sirloin)
stew
stir fry
string beans
string cheese
strawberries
sugar cookies
sundaes
sushi
sweet potatoes
syrup

Favorite S Bible verses:
"Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God." Hebrews 13:16
"Don't be selfish; don't live to make a good impression on others." Philippians 2:3
"So think clearly and exercise self-control. Look forward to the special blessings that will come to you at the return of Jesus Christ." 1 Peter 1:13
"A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger." Proverbs 15:1

During L's photography summer, we found only one S. It was the drain hose in our storage room (used for our dehumidifier, but it was not hooked up at the time).

Time for letter T (maybe I'll even get to it tomorrow)! :)