Summertime 2011

It has been a jam packed summer so far! So jam packed, in fact, that we put a list of the things that we want to do on our chalkboard to make sure that we get to them all!


We spent the first few warm days lounging around grammy's pool.




Soon after Reese's birthday we bought a membership to Niabi Zoo. The kids ran from one exhibit to the next! We started in the petting zoo and worked our way through 1/2 of the zoo. We took a quick break to ride the train around the zoo and then made our way back to the exhibits we had missed.

Here the kids are in front of the lion cage. Unfortunately, I did not have my memory card and did not get many pictures! Thankfully with the membership we can go back as many times as we want over the next year.

That weekend, we went boating, as we usually do, but we also got out the tube.

Reese and daddy

Aidan and daddy

During a rainy day the next week, we decided to go to John Deere Commons in Moline to check out the tractors. The kids had a blast climbing into each of the different tractors on display and pretending to drive.


During our weekly boating trip that Sunday, the kids discovered the fun of jumping off of the back of the boat!

This activity keeps them entertained for hours!

Over the course of the rest of the month we also visited a local park, spent a few days with Grandma Potter, played at the beach, went to the races, and spent countless hours outside riding our bikes and fourwheelers and swinging in our own yard. Despite how busy we have been, we still have lots of activities left on our list, and only about 6 weeks left to do them in!

Rainy Day Project- Edible Playdough

Do your kids love playdough? Do they also love to eat it? Maybe that is just my kids then! Guess that doesn't say much about my cooking!
Well, with black clouds covering the sky this morning, I knew that it would be a perfect day for playing inside with playdough. What could be better than playing with playdough? How about making your own and having it be edible?

All you need for edible playdough is peanut butter, honey, powdered milk and cocoa. My recipe, which I stole from my mom (we used to make it as kids), did not have any measurements, so please bear with my guesstimates. I put about 1 cup of peanut butter in a large bowl. Then added 1 teaspoon of honey. Finally, stir in small amounts of powdered milk until the peanut butter becomes doughy and less sticky. You can add cocoa to taste for a chocolate flavor, but I did not find this step necessary as the kids enjoyed the peanut butter taste.

Then get out some placemats and utensils and start creating!


The playdough was still a but sticky and stuck to the kids hands! Even better for licking and tasting that yummy peanut butter dough I say!

When we were finished, I put the leftovers in the refrigerator. Because the kids are playing with it with their hands, I would not keep it for more than a day or two. I also would not use it with the tools and accessories that they use with their real playdough!
Hopefully, I have not further confused my kids (or anyone elses') as far as not eating playdough and not playing with your food! Enjoy your next rainy day!