MUSINGS, DOINGS AND DABBLINGS OF A CITY GIRL FROM TEXAS LIVING A DUSTY LIFE IN THE WILDS OF OKLAHOMA...
nature, food, travel, garden, photography, family, a bit of style and a heaping helping of silliness... just for the hilarity of it all...
Talon has been practicing riding his new bike at the park. The park is much safer and easier than the rocky driveway and the weedy hole-ridden pasture at home. He is still a bit shaky and stayed on the grass during the first trip to the park. But these photos are from the second trip to the park...
And Talon gave the paved exercise path a go! Look at him concentrate and...
Off he goes!
Talon is so proud of his new skill. And Mom and Dad are too. We were a bit worried for his sake since he was so frustrated and discouraged at first. Learning new gross motor skills is always a bit of a challenge for Talon but we took it slow and easy and step by step. And now he is peddling like a pro!
Well, some day soon he will be peddling like a pro. It is funny how many things a newbie has to learn about riding that we 'old hands' never think about: coasting, tapping the brakes to slow but not stop, turning, veering around holes and obstacles, stand up pedaling for more power and braking.
Ah, braking! Braking is such an important riding skill to master. I sure hope Talon starts remembering to use the brakes soon. He brakes like Fred Flintstone which isn't very efficient and is quite terrifying for his parents!
Talon ended his first grade year reading at a third grade sixth month level! Wow! Needless to say, Talon's first grade teacher, Mrs. R, was fabulous! So dedicated, energetic, creative and fun!
We wanted to give Mrs. R a special end-of-the-year thank you gift. But what? She gardens and loves orange (Go Pokes!) so when we spotted a display of these gorgeous Asiatic Lillies 'Tiny Dino' it was an 'Eureka!' moment.
But I could not find a decorative orange (Go Pokes!) pot in the correct size to save my life so used this lovely fabric to hide a plain beige pot. It added the perfect finishing touch!
So if you ever need to pretty up a plain pot for a gift or for home/party decor, look in the fabric/craft section at Walmart or Target ect. There is a display of ready-to-use fabric squares in various sizes and in a rainbow of gorgeous colors/patterns to choose from. I don't frequent that section of the store so had no idea such handy dandy fabric squares existed.
So what did Mrs. R say when Talon presented the lilly: It's my favorite color!
Talon has been posing with mannequins since age three. Wonder if he will outgrow this behavior? Probably not as long as his parents keeping laughing. And not as long as his mom continues to indulge in the silliness of posing with mannequins too. Actually, I hope he never outgrows the silliness...
At the school egg hunt, Talon found 19 eggs. That was the most eggs found and he won a chocolate bunny! Later, Talon told me he actually found 20 but gave one away to a friend who hadn't found many. What a good boy! I think I will keep him!
The Easter Bunny stopped by... he left the basket on the hood of the car out of the reach of naughty not-to-be-trusted canines.
Eggs everywhere! In trees, on the house, in garden plants and odd little holes. I hid one egg in the car muffler. Not the most brilliant idea I've ever had. When Talon tried to get it, he pushed the egg too far in. No worries though-- Hub started the engine and the egg plopped right out!
His birthday was the last weekend of our spring break so our little holiday ended with a big bang.
This year, instead of a decorated cake with a toy on top from the bakery, he asked for a homemade tiered coconut cake. What a funny boy! I did the best I could-- at least the cake wasn't too lopsided. Talon thought the cake was very fancy. He was so thrilled with it that he has already put in an order for a cake with eight tiers for his next birthday. Yeah, right...
Hee-Haw! Riding a donkey during intermission at his school's donkey basketball game.
Talon's class made dalmatian hats to celebrate 100 days of school!
Did you know that dalmatians can play video games?
Playing sniper from the top of the stairs. Sometimes he gets sniped back.
Aw, Talon spent a day at my school. He attended PreK and Kindergarten at my school and I've missed seeing him during the school day. He had a ball seeing his old friends, helping out with speech therapy and picnickingat my desk.
Making hearts with his teacher at the Valentine party.
Talon received a reward coupon from school for a free sundae at Braum's. Why did he receive a reward? For making 100s on all of his reading tests on the computer! Hurray, Talon!
I was so productive during our holiday school break-- cleaning, de-cluttering and organizing. Barely knocked the top off but still it was a great feeling.
There were drawers full of paper to shred so Talon and I shredded ourselves silly.
And what is shredded paper good for?
Confetti!
Talon had a ball tossing confetti at midnight New Years Eve.
At Guitar Center awhile back, Talon tried out all the keyboards and even composed a tune. If your speakers let the bass come through, you'll hear the full of effect of his dangerous composition.
His Gram and his Dad are songwriters and they are going to love this video. Bet they think he might win an Oscar for best movie score someday!
Oh my, after a week long bloggy break, I uploaded my Christmas Eve/Day photos. Guess how many there were.
Over 300!!
Can you believe it?! Silly question, eh? Of course, you guys believe it. Most of you are crazy camera clicking bloggers too. But still. That is a lot.
Between getting back to work, parenting and housekeeping, it took another week just to edit. Whew, I'm worn plumb out so without further ado...
The Official DustyUs Family Merry Medley!
The main event?
Talon, of course!
Stocking surprises are almost as cool as Santa toys.
In the top right quandrant: A cool sportscar computer mouse with working head/tail lights; Talon slicing a tiny Darth Vader candy dispenser with a light saber; Wonka bar!
One of my favorite things?
giving Hub funny stocking stuffers. The paint sticks and gloves are hysterical... well, to me anyway! Don't worry! My hub isn't only a skilled bone idle procrastinator... he is also a good sport!
We love our...
MamaGram!And not just because she gives great gifts!
A little bit of Lesa too. And more Talon, of course... that little scene stealer! Making his mama share the limelight! For shame!
Are you a teacher or homeroom parent responsible for hosting or planning a class party soon?
Check out these games for inspiration. They are Christmas versions of traditional party games but could be adapted to suit any holiday or theme.
Musical Gift/Hot Gift Game
This is a version of the hot potato game (or musical chairs, if you prefer). In this game, the players sit in a circle passing a 'hot' gift quickly around the circle while music plays. When the music stops, the player left holding the gift gets to unwrap a layer of paper. The game continues until the last layer of paper is removed and that player keeps the gift.
In this instant, the gift was a large Hershey bar wrapped in about 10 layers of varied giftwrap.
Talon got to unwrap a layer of paper!
A very good game to increase motor skills and teach sportsmanship.
The gift wasn't hot enough for this girl-- she slowed the game down on every round which drove the other players craaazeee!
Most of the kids loved playing this game but there were a couple of disgruntled players-- maybe they need to play again!
Snowball Toss
Toss the balls through the holes and win a prize. Harder than it looks since the styrofoam snowballs are light. Only two kids won prizes but they all had fun and there were no bad sports.
Yes, my silly 'ham' of a boy was the only one who acted out scooping and forming a snowball.
Pin the Nose on the Reindeer
Played just like 'Pin the Tail on the Donkey'. The players who pin the nose somewhere on the face or closest to the face get prizes.
Mrs. R's party games were cute and fun. They made the party so much more memorable than just snacks and a movie. Good on ya, Mrs. R!
What a fabulously creative teacher! We are very grateful that Talon is in Mrs. R's class. He is having the best first grade year ever!
And not just because of the party fun, but because of the intense but fun focus on academics. Talon has learned so much so quickly.
Hope these party game ideas provide inspiration for your next children's party be it at school/home/church. Please share any ideas for adapting these games to other holidays/themes. What other children's party games do you recommend?
Just had an idea pop into my head for a little boy's Nascar birthday. Pin the steering wheel on the Nascar racecar. What do you think?
A mosaic of our tree decorating fun. Talon hangs most of the ornaments but I always hang my favorite little red cardinals.
Which reminds me... I need to put out bird seed for our colorful little feathered friends. Cardinals always cheer up the drab winter view out of our kitchen window.
