Swagbucks!

I'd just like to share about a promotional program that I've had very good luck with. It's called Swagbucks.
You win swagbucks by searching the web, participating in polls and surveys, playing games and completing offers. Every day I earn at least 2 swagbucks by just using the toolbar add-on and participating in the daily poll. They also frequently post Swag Codes which provide bonus swag bucks. I am a pretty passive swagbucks user but I have gotten $10 in Amazon credit since I signed up in July!!

It's time to have a DINO-MITE birthday party!

It's time to start planning for Daniel's birthday again!! This year we are doing a dinosaur theme! 

This is the idea I am most excited about:

Paper Mache Dino Eggs (The Gingerbread Mom)

I plan on either painting them bright, fun colors or doing a layer of colored tissue paper over the white/newspaper.

I also have an awesome Apatosaurus cookie cutter, dinosaur ice cube mold, and some party favors.

I found a really neat idea on pinterest - using the cookie cutter to serve dino shaped ice cream!! 

I am going to keep the cake simpler this year, probably lots of green with some toy dinosaurs on top...
Update 9/13/13: While shopping at Wegmans at 10pm to buy Daniel some water bottles for his lunch box, I found chocolate "rocks"...definitely could be used as a great cake decoration this year!!

I need to make a dinosaur themed name banner for Daniel, because he really likes the one I made for his new baby brother with owls.

Watch this page for updates on how everything goes!

Preschool Adventures

I'm changing up my life in the next month!

• I'm starting at SUNY Brockport this fall!
• I'm taking driving lessons!
• Daniel will be home with me during the day!

That third thing (which arguably is the most important) is what this post is all about. Every two school weeks or thereabouts we will be doing a new preschool theme.
The first theme is going to be "All About Me".

• The main project for this theme will be creating an "All About Me" book from various materials. I was going to go with a printable but they were just too generic for me and I'm looking to use a lot of the craft materials I have accrued.
• I want to do a project with Daniel's name including the origin and our personal story about why we named him what we did.
• I want to talk about feelings and emotions. We will make paper plate "feelings masks" and also check out kidshealth.org.
• Another project I want to do is gather photos of Daniel at different ages for him to look at. I might sneak in some scrap booking here, because I am so far behind!
• I also want to concentrate on his body, health and hygiene. He has words for all his external body parts: ear, elbow, nose, mouth, eyes, etc. so I want to introduce new concepts like bones, skin, and organs. I found a great life-size child skeleton at eskeletons.org. I'm going to print that and label it with some of the bigger "easier" bones. We will talk about how these structures are what's inside Daniel's body and how it is all covered in skin. A great book which I found recommended is Inside Your Outside: All About the Human Body (Cat in the Hat's Learning Library). This will be great since Daniel already has one of these books and I'm looking to build his library!
• I think we might do a day on the senses as well, although I know he has done it before (because it's fun)!

Some other themes that I have come up with are Family, People in my Neighborhood, On the Farm, Halloween, Books (special focus, we will be constantly reading!), Giving Thanks, Buildings and Roads, Christmas, New Year's, Winter.