Sticky Wall Apple Tree

9 / 24 / 139 / 30 / 13

Contact paper is one of those art supplies that we always keep on hand. It’s awesome for using with glitter and is a ton of fun stuck up on a wall, plus if you pick it up on the roll at the dollar store like we do, it’s really inexpensive too. Knowing that it can be found here in Kuwait (my team of first grade teachers used it all the time during our first stint here), I didn’t pack any with us from Canada. So imagine my dismay when I found myself amidst a giant back to school / office supply display the other night with not a single roll of clear contact paper in sight {the horror!} The lovely lady working in the section did turn me onto something else, however, and in fact, I think it’s even better than the rolls we usually get. When she first handed me the package, I was skeptical. Clear book covers? For real? But then I realized a few things… 1) They are essentially just pre-cut sheets of contact paper. 2) They are inexpensive and sold in packs of 10, which covers a lot of future projects. 3) They come flat so I’d have to wrestle with tightly rolled contact paper no longer – score {ecause we all know how annoying that is}!

Homemade Glitter Glue Paint

9 / 23 / 139 / 27 / 13

This summer, Gracen absolutely fell in love with a set of glittery glue paints that Grandma Charlotte had stashed away for her. They were different than regular glitter glue as you didn’t squeeze them on – they came in little pots that had brushes attached to the insides of the lids {much like nail polish does}. For several days, Grae sat in the shade of a tree and worked on painting a giant fruit box with them, delighted by how beautiful they looked when applied. So when she brought them up in conversation a few days ago, I figured we may as well try making a copy cat version since we didn’t bring them with us to Kuwait. And you know what? They turned out beautifully!

Freedom!

9 / 23 / 1310 / 19 / 13

Brad sent me this photo from work yesterday, and I’ve got to say that I have never been more excited to see a key in my life. While we still don’t have the required documents to purchase a vehicle as we plan to, he was able to pull off renting a car {with some help from a friend} and I’m beyond thrilled. I know that it’s ridiculous, but 34 days of being a stay-at-home mama without a vehicle, transit, bike, or any real mode of transportation while living where we do nearly got the best of me.

Bringing Fall to the Desert… With a Fall Tree Painting

9 / 22 / 139 / 23 / 13

Let’s be real here for a moment… At 43 degree this afternoon, it doesn’t feel like fall here in Kuwait in the least. So when I told Gracen that today was the very first day of fall, she glanced out the window, furrowed her brow and said, “It certainly doesn’t look like fall!’ in an almost accusatory tone. Hah! Gotta love her spunk. I told her that she was right and that the desert is tricky when it comes to seasons, but back home in Canada, fall changes are beginning to happen. We read a stack of fall-themed books which seemed to help convince her, then decided to create a fall tree in celebration.

Our Budding Scientist & a Lima Bean Dissection

9 / 21 / 139 / 24 / 13

Yesterday, as we were using some big lima beans for a project (more on that later!), Gracen began trying to open one. She was super determined and managed to flake off little bits of the bean’s outer layer, but she didn’t get much further than that. When she asked me how we could open the bean, I remembered one of my favourite science projects I did each year with my first graders here in Kuwait… A bean seed dissection. Though normally the munchkins I do it with are 6 years old, I try my very best to follow Gracen’s lead and interests when it comes to activities, and I knew she’d just love dissecting some seeds.

Continuing Our Yearly Tradition

9 / 20 / 1311 / 12 / 13

I’m all about special little traditions. Half birthday traditions, Christmas ornament making traditions, Valentine’s Day traditions… They just make me happy. One of the ones I love most is is the handprint canvas Gracen and I make each year together.

When I first decided to start it just before Miss G’s first birthday, I picked up 5 small square canvases thinking that would last me forever and now we’re more than halfway through our stash. Hard to believe.

As always, Grae picked out the colour combination.

It’s crazy {and exciting and sad and overwhelming} to see how much this little hand grows each year (see last year’s print here).

Here’s this year’s masterpiece. Sadly, this one will stand alone here in Kuwait until another birthday rolls around, but one day in the future, she’ll have a collection of handprints, each one slightly larger than the last, displayed on her bedroom wall for all of us admire.

Check out last year’s handprint canvas post too!

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The Best Sous Chef EVER.

9 / 19 / 139 / 22 / 13

iPhoneography // Around Mahboula

9 / 19 / 139 / 22 / 13

Life back in Kuwait is treating us well. Our apartment is slowly starting to look like a home, Gracen and I have fallen into a nice routine despite the fact that we have very little mobility right now, Brad’s enjoying his new job, and I’m tutoring 4 afternoons a week, which is perfect. Here’s a peek at our new {old} life in Mahboula… It’s not one of the country’s loveliest areas, but strangely enough, it feels a lot like home.

early morning sunrise over the Gulf

An Apple Taste Test

9 / 18 / 139 / 18 / 13

Today, instead of preparing a post-nap snack for Miss G as I usually do, I set out this… A collection of 4 different apples waiting to be observed and tasted.

Mission Accomplished

9 / 18 / 139 / 19 / 13

Today Gracen and I headed out on a mission. Flash drive in hand, we left the apartment on foot in search of a photography studio to develop some pictures for us. I’m pleased to say that our mission was successful and the combination of the walk, the heat, and the air (I almost always automatically type ‘fresh’ in front of ‘air’ and then have to go back and change it when I realize we’re talking about Kuwait where the air is almost always too hot and/or dusty to have the title ‘fresh’ ) earned us a great nap for Miss G, our recently reluctant napper. A few shots from our adventure…

blow up toys at the bacala // i spy a construction site

Caramel Apple Pie Play Dough

9 / 17 / 139 / 17 / 13

One day, while playing with our well-loved pumpkin spice play dough, Gracen asked if we could have some friends over so she could share her new dough with them. She’s always adored having friends come over, and now that we’re in an apartment building filled with teaching families, arranging play dates is easier than ever. A play dough play date sounded like a brilliant plan to me, so I agreed and immediately started thinking about another fall-scented play dough we could create. I quickly remembered the apple play dough post I’d seen on Fantastic Fun & Learning, and knew that Miss G and her friends would enjoy something similar. Because I was on a bit of a roll with the dough containing real pumpkin, I decided our apple dough would contain real apples and would be further fall-ified by making it apple pie scented. The good news is that my mission was a total success! The dough turned out soft, squishy, and smelled deliciously of warm apple pie drizzled with caramel sauce – yum! In fact, as I was making it, Brad came into the kitchen with eager eyes and asked what I was baking because our house smelled so delicious. Oops.

iPhoneography // Moseying Around Mahboula

9 / 15 / 137 / 26 / 16

She may be 3 now, but this little monkey still needs her afternoon nap. The trouble is, It’s happening maybe 3 out of 7 days a week right now. I’m fairly certain that it’s due to the fact that we’re not out and about burning off energy and soaking in fresh air right now like we usually are… Case and point – every single time we journey down to the Gulf Road for a Starbucks date, she goes down for her nap super quickly and without a issue. We’ll have a vehicle and more freedom very soon, but in the meantime, we’re working with what we have. Some days, like today, that means making laps around our apartment complex while observing all of the construction going on around us. Did it earn us a nap today? Nope, it certainly didn’t. But it was worth a shot. ☺

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Quick and Easy Inexpensive DIY Felt Board

9 / 14 / 139 / 14 / 13

Yesterday while digging through her wardrobe for a bathing suit, Gracen discovered the many felt games I sort of hid in the back bottom corner behind her shoes. She came out of her bedroom with big eyes and one of the games in hand and said, ‘Mama, I have a question to tell you… Do you have a felt board here for me???’ I didn’t. It didn’t make sense to pack the board itself overseas, but knowing I could easily get my hands on a frame once in Kuwait, I did bring a big piece of felt and her collection of games. Luckily, I had already picked up our very favourite felt board frame from Ikea a few days earlier, so we were able to have one put together in no time at all.

Dressed Up

9 / 13 / 139 / 16 / 13

Yes, darling girl… I certainly am.

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Pumpkin Seed Counting Game

9 / 12 / 139 / 17 / 13

I’ve been a long time fan of No Time for Flashcards, so when Allison, the author, announced that her very first post was live on Adventures in Learning (the new PBS Parents blog), I headed on over to check it out. As usual, her learning activity was creatively set up, engaging as could be, and easy to put together. While we really haven’t started doing activities that have specific learning outcomes in mind (we’re more in the play and learn along the way stage), Gracen does love counting and all sorts of games, so I decided we’d give it a shot.