you put the noodles in the bucket and you shake 'em all up

Every since my weekend in Tulsa I've been wanting to put together a sensory bin for Lauren. Shari made one for her grandkids and brought it for Megan to use and I was totally inspired by the possibilities.

For this bin I stuck with what Shari had done. She used macaroni noodles to fill the bottom of the tub and so did I. I've seen lots of blogs doing this with beans but I wanted to start with something a little bigger for Lauren.

I also added in some river rocks, measuring cups, foam letters that spell out her name, and finally a little Minnie Mouse to hide and find.



The first time I showed Lauren the bin she DID NOT like it. She wanted the Minnie Mouse out of it but wouldn't put her hands in the noodles for anything. So, we moved on to something else and put the sensory bin away. I pulled it out the next morning and after a little modeling of how to play in it she loved it!

I was a little concerned about the noodles being everywhere but honestly it was not that bad. She did a really good job of keeping the noodles and play items in the bucket. If any fell out she would pick them up and put them back. Too cute!

One other thing, Lauren is sort of like her mother in that her attention span seems to be VERY short. I was so surprised that she played in the sensory bin for so long. In fact, when it was time to put it away she got upset and wanted to play more!!! Success! :)


Here is a little video of how excited she was and how well she played in her first sensory bin!

toilet head

Is somebody giving out The Best Mom of the Year Award? Cause I totally deserve to be nominated. Scratch that - I totally deserve to win. You aren't so sure? Here are the pictures to prove it:



So, yeah - this is what happens when your sweet and sneaky little 15 month old decides to wash her hair in the toilet. Wait, should I repeat that last part? In.The.Toilet.People. I swear she was only gone for like 15 seconds. Do you see how proud she was of herself in that first picture? I wish I could say the same of myself...

what's for dinner?

My oh my.

Remind me the next time I start thinking that I am The Next Food Network Star that I AM NOT The Next Food Network Star. Remind me that even though Paula Dean can throw a bunch of random stuff into a crockpot/dish/bowl/oven/whatever and it turns into a culinary delight with no recipe....I am not Paula Dean and I can not.

It started out innocently enough. We are down to the bare bones of a pantry and fridge and I wasn't in the mood to make ANOTHER weekly menu plan and then the grocery list of things needed to make that weekly menu plan work. It basically boils down to the fact that today I was lazy. The laziness brought about a confidence in myself and my ability to "wing it" in the kitchen that quite frankly I am ashamed of at this moment. If I had only known the outcome, would I have bucked up and made a trip to the store? Yeah, I don't know.

Anyway, here is the recipe. Please, please, please DO NOT attempt this at home. Your tastebuds will thank me.

Ingredients:

the leftover frozen chicken pieces from the bag in your freezer
one can of cheddar cheese soup (gross)
one can cream of chicken soup
some garlic powder
bacon (I really thought this would be my defining moment as a cook....not so much)
a can of mushrooms (what.was.I.thinking?)

Method:

Put all the above ingredients in a crockpot and let cook for a long time. It will basically turn into a very soupy yellowish orange mixture. Don't worry, it tastes almost as good as it looks. Serve this over rice and then basically eat ONLY the rice because, well people I am NO Paula Dean.

LPM Memphis Video

Living Proof Live - Memphis from Rich Kalonick on Vimeo.

oh my

I am sitting here on my couch in my pink snuggie (thanks, babe!) trying to reflect on the conference I just experienced. I have done several Beth Moore studies but I have never seen her live until this weekend and let me tell you it did not disappoint.

I wish I could form any kind of coherent thoughts about what she said right now, but I am gonna be real .... I need to work some of this through before I can share. I need a chance to get alone with God and digest the word I have been given. One thing is for sure...God had my number and he was using Beth to CALL ME OUT so many times! Things I was questioning....answered. Fears I have been dealing with....squashed. Lies I have believed....brought to light. Amazing that in a crowd of 13,000 God knew JUST what I needed to hear and he brought it. Amazing that He did that for EVERY single person in that arena.

The worship team was fantastic. The chillbumps never left my arms. Let me tell you there is something so crazy about hearing 13,000 people singing their souls out to the God Most High.

Also, Beth's hair was fabulous. I have NO IDEA how she gets it so high, but it was absolutely adorable. I did take some pictures so I promise to get those downloaded and I'll attach them to my recap post. She was just as cute as I imagined and one of my favorite parts was when she was jumping up and down to the worship music. :)

This weekend was so much fun. It was so needed. I am so thankful that I had the opportunity to go and I can't wait to share more!

music and memphis

November 17th is going to be an amazing day around these here parts! I just found out that NOT ONLY will I be buying John Mayer's new album, BattleStudies that day, I will also be purchasing Sara Groves album, Fireflies and Songs!!!!! My two favorite singer/songwriters OF ALL TIME are each releasing a NEW album on the SAME day!!!!!! There are simply not enough capital letters or exclamation points in the world to adequately describe my excitement. For real, people this is BIG stuff!!!

On another ExCiTiNg note....I am Memphis bound tomorrow morning with some great friends. We are heading to the music city to attend the Beth Moore Living Proof Live Conference. I have been praying all week in expectation of what God is going to do in that place and in my own heart. I know there is a reason I am going and I CAN'T WAIT to find out what He has in store for me! I also can't wait for some delicious "cougar" jokes, traveling 5 hours in a car with two of my best friends, staying up late in our hotel room, laughing, crying, and just living life to the fullest! I promise to take my camera and get all the action shots!

my heart...

sleeps in another room


and loves on a teddy bear