Advent activities

Dinners for the past couple of weeks have felt very rushed.  We try to think of what we can make quickly so that we have time for whatever our Advent activity is.

Monday wasn't too bad.  Bennett got to watch Rudolph.  I tried watching with him, but he was really fidgeting and asking too many questions so I had to get off the couch.

On Tuesday we made birdseed ornaments to give as gifts. Some of them turned out better than others.  Later in the week I made some more since we didn't have enough from the first batch.  I've read some negative reports about these, so hopefully they don't crumble too much or grow mold.

Wednesday's Advent item was some winter pencils.  Kind of lame, but Bennett liked them.  We asked him to draw a picture for Santa of what he wants for Christmas.  He drew "a red present with a bow".

On Thursday we made a cotton ball snowman.  I made the face but Bennett did the rest.

On Friday I had my work holiday party so we enlisted Grandpa to babysit.  At 3:30 I got a call from school that Bennett had a fever.  Grandpa still watched Bennett but since Bennett was under the weather I don't think they were able to have much fun- pretty much dinner and bed.  

On Saturday we had planned to go take the "official" photos with Santa but Bennett was still not feeling well so we ended up watching lots of movies/tv-- Cars, Toy Story, and multiple episodes of Curious George.

Saturday night it snowed.  On Sunday Bennett went to Nana's house.  He helped shovel the driveway and then they went for a walk in the snow.  Later on Auntie Hanna came over and they all went to pick out a Christmas Tree.  They came home in time for nap and then later we ran some errands.

That wraps up the 2nd week of Advent!

A Curious George Party: Bennett's Third Birthday Recap

I'll be the first to admit it.  I didn't come up with most of these ideas.  Hey, that's what the internet is for, right?  We just took a couple of things to the next level.  I think a friend of mine hit the nail on the head when she said, "It’s what set designers do when they need a creative outlet. Plan elaborate parties to make us feel um… well too low key."  True, we're not set designers, but a Technical Director and a former Costume Designer wannabee are close enough, right?

Let's start with the invitations.


I decided to put a picture of George on the envelope just in case people couldn't figure out the theme from the invitation.  It's obvious to me, but we're a little obsessed with Curious George in our house.

This is the first idea that I got elsewhere.  The wording was probably pulled from a bunch of different places.  I've looked at so many CG invitations over the past few months that I can't keep them straight.

We used spray adhesive to adhere the cardstock with the wording to the back piece of felt.  Then I used fabric glue at the bottom to hold the top piece of felt on.  Then I added a bit of brown ink to the bottom to make it look more authentic.  I actually had a happy accident with these. The spray adhesive had gotten on the edges of the cardstock so it lightly held the top piece of felt in place so that they didn't shift around too much.  Random question: do you typically peel your bananas from the stem or from the bottom?  I know at least one person tried to open their invitation the "wrong" way.

For those of you who are familiar with the PBS cartoon, you are likely well aware of the Doorman.  We found the original idea here, where they had the doorman on a piece of posterboard.  We kind of joked around about Chris getting one of the grad actors to dress up as our doorman, but then we abandoned that idea (lack of costume) when Chris got a CNC router at work.  Perfect project to learn on!  We were going to have a life-size doorman!

The doorman's dog also is a fixture of the lobby, so naturally we needed a Hundley as well, which Bennett was holding and "petting" in this picture.

From the same site where I got the doorman idea, I got the idea of turning our dining room into Chef Pisghetti's Ristorante.  Since we weren't planning to serve a full meal I figured that our dining room table wouldn't really be needed.  Could we move it out and bring in some smaller tables to make it look like a restaurant?  I think this was the main element of our party that made our friends think we are nuts- we turned out dining room into a restaurant!

Again, Chris put his CNC to work, creating the sign.  We had originally talked about converting the whole wall to look like a building exterior (brick wall, sign, door, windows) but time and money constraints proved to be too great.  You can't really tell in this picture, but the letters and the Chef, as well as the black frame, are raised up higher than the white background.

I sewed strips of fabric together to create the awning (don't look too closely from underneath as I left lots of loose threads), which hung on our existing curtain rod.  Then I made a sleeve at the front in which we slipped some aluminum angle iron and then hung it from the corners using monofilament to a could of nails on other walls.

I had the last minute idea to get some vases of flowers to put on the restaurant tables, but when we were at the grocery store I saw these ornamental pepper plants.  They were perfect!

So what did we serve at Chef Pisghetti's?  Since the party started at 3 we didn't need a full meal.  We stuck with snacks and desserts.

For Bennett's first birthday I had Chris make a few food stands.  It allows me to fit a few more dishes into the same space since they overlap a bit, plus it adds visual appeal.  So every year they get a new coat of spray paint in whatever colors I'm using that year.  Then I just put my food on white plates and put them on top.  Easy peasy.

The cake was another idea that I "borrowed".  There were lots of fun ideas, but this one looked fancy enough but it also looked like something that I might be able to do on my own.  And I got to try using modeling chocolate.  Everything was edible except for George, who was a purchased figurine.  I ended up not putting all of the vines and flowers on because at 11:30pm the night before the party I decided sleep was more important than practicing my piping skills and possibly messing up the cake.

 

I was afraid that there wasn't going to be enough cake (turns out there was more than enough), plus I needed a treat to send in to school on Monday, so I also made monkey cupcakes.

For additional decor, we also had Curious George and The Man With The Yellow Hat.  After all, it wouldn't be a Curious George party without him!  I was inspired by this and this, but ultimately we went with what you see below.

Balloons!  I tend to think of them as being overpriced and unnecessary, but I do love them and find myself getting some every year.  We had the bunch in the photo above, plus the ones below.  I had hi-float put into the latex balloons, so they last about a week.  (Except for 2 that had deflated in less than 12 hours.)

And it wouldn't be a party without games!  It's a little tough to plan some things out since our younger guests range in age from 3 to 11.


Again, borrowing from the internet, we had Yellow Hat ring toss.  These were just sports cones with some electrical tape for the hat band.  And then since they had a tendency to fall over, Chris attached them to a piece of plywood.

We also had Pin the Tie on The Man with the Yellow Hat.  Unfortunately The Man was a bit too tall for Bennett, but he still seemed to have fun.

Since we had such a large range of ages, for prizes I got a selection of books, trying to have something for every age/interest, and let the winners pick which one they wanted.  (Thanks Mel for this idea!)  And the books that weren't chosen will get added to Bennett's collection for when he's a little older.


As we sent our younger guests on their way, they had Curious George favor bags.  (Inspiration from here.)  These were filled with Curious George fruit snacks, a Barrel of Monkeys game, a banana pen, and stickers.

Overall it was a fabulous day. We hadn't told Bennett in advance that he was going to have a Curious George party because we wanted to surprise him.  Grandpa took him out of the house for a few hours in the morning while we decorated and we were expecting him to be really excited when he returned.  He wasn't as excited as we thought he would be, but later in the day he had his George say hi to the cutout George.  And every day when he gets home now he says hi to Hundley, the Doorman, etc.


And of course, Bennett received numerous wonderful gifts!  To name just a few, he got books (both Curious George and others), toy farm animals, a fife, and then this... We have one family who every year create an elaborate gift/packaging.  How awesome is this hot air balloon?

 And to make it even better, inside the balloon (there was a slit in the back) was this photo of a Curious George sand sculpture that they had made for Bennett.

Curious George and Oxen!!

Ok, so Curious George and the oxen didn't happen at the same time/place, but they did both happen this weekend.

Again, the week started off slow.  And I've continued my trend of being bad about taking pictures.  Bennett is doing well with the new preschool routine.  In the past, he had a tendency to run around a lot.  However, in the new classroom he seems to understand that he needs to sit and pay attention/participate.  Or at least that's the case when there are other kids around.  One day he was the only preschooler and he ran around a bit that day and had trouble focusing.

Saturday we went to Sturbridge for their "Agricultural Exhibition".  There were going to be oxen matches on Sunday, but by going on Saturday we had the opportunity to try plowing.  It's not easy!  We also learned the name of one of the farmers (Dave).

When it was my turn I had Bennett come with me.  As we came over, Dave commented that Bennett was "well acquainted" with Lance and Henry.  Yup, they do recognize us.  :)

Bennett held on to the plow but after a couple of seconds he ran away.  He was NOT a fan.  Then, as you can see in the video below, he ran back to give it another try but fell in the furrow.  He didn't like having dirt all over him, so he ran back to Daddy.

And here's a picture of my row.  Not exactly straight.  Steering is tricky- lean the plow to the right to turn it to the left.

Next it was Chris's turn.  (Bennett wasn't a fan of not being held so that I could take pictures.)  His row was potentially worse than mine, but they tried to make him feel good saying it was because of the New England soil or the oxen not walking straight because they saw the open gate. 

As we were leaving the field one of the women came over to let us know that they were making cheese in the farmhouse.  We're not sure, but we think she mentioned this because she recognized us and knew that we hadn't been in there yet.

As we finished up in the farm area Bennett checked all the usual places and couldn't find Summer, the calf.  That's when we remembered that there had been animals on the common so we figured that she was likely there.  She was!  Later Summer was in the middle of the pen and Bennett wanted to pet her.  He asked us to tell Summer to move over.  She didn't listen.

Also on the common were demonstrations for threshing, winnowing, and shucking corn.  Here Bennett helps me thresh the grain.

And the other highlight of our day?  We were in the tinshop.  The tinsmith we like (Phil) also frequently gives the musket demonstrations.  We got in the shop and Bennett asked where the musket was so Phil brought it over.  He offered to let Bennett pull the trigger, but that's when Bennett chose to be shy.  He wouldn't even show Phil how he shoots his imaginary musket.  After a minute or so he got chatty though and as we were leaving Phil said to me, "I like your boy."


On Sunday we went to Edaville.  When we were in the car on the way there we told him we were going to where we had seen Thomas and Sir Topham Hatt, but that they wouldn't be there.  He wanted to know why they wouldn't be there.  "Because they're on the Island of Sodor.  Sir Topham Hatt needed to make sure that all of the engines were on track and on time." We didn't mention that CURIOUS GEORGE was going to be there because we knew that if we did, we would never hear the end of it.

The first thing we did was ride the carousel. He has no idea what he's in for!

While Bennett was on a ride with Daddy (Jumbo) CG and TMWTYH came out.  I got in line and they joined me when they got off the ride.

In the end we "had" to see them twice because I wasn't happy with how my pictures came out- too dark.  Luckily they came back out an hour later.  Bennett wanted to know why they went away so Chris told them that they needed some lemonade and donuts. 

Here they are the second time. Maybe not as big a smile, but not as dark.  And I like Bennett holding George out of the Boba.

Bennett thoroughly enjoyed the rides.

 After riding the airplanes we noticed this warning.  Hmm, let's add that to the questions to ask the cardiologist next month.

In other news, party plans continue and we are just under a week away.  Chris and I are extremely excited and can't wait to see Bennett's reaction to everything.  (We haven't told him what the theme is and want it to be a surprise for him.)  We are busy working on projects every night after he went to bed and are utterly exhausted, but we are very pleased with how things are turning out.  Can't wait to show you!

And now for the (late) weekly recap

I really didn't take many pictures during the week except for this one of Bennett and Daddy reading at home

On Saturday Bennett spent the morning with Nana.  Then, after nap, we took him to the Curious George store.  This must have been a record for the quickest trip to Harvard Square ever!  We ended up at a parking meter with a 30 minute limit.  We even managed a potty break at the Coop, but got back to the car just before the meter maid.

Sunday was our weekly trip to Sturbridge.  Bennett helped clear out the root cellar by picking the eyes off the old potatoes and sorting the squishy ones for the compost pile.

We also learned the names of the other cows.  Rainey, the yearling is on the left.  Then we have Bonnie and Button.  I think Button is the one on the right.  She's got some spots on her belly.  Bonnie also has horns that are a bit thicker.

And this is Betsey, Summer's mother. But we knew that one already.

On Monday after lunch we headed downtown for the local Labor Day Parade.  (Do any other towns have these or is it just a Marlborough thing?)

Bennett loved it!

At a few points during the parade it started pouring.  The Moose Lodge was well equipped for this.  They had a stepladder and tarps to cover the moose on the front of the truck.

And that was our week.  I'd say that next week's post will be more exciting, but I doubt it.

Basketball, surfing, Curious George, and Sturbridge

Continuing the trend of late blog posts, here's what we did last week.

A co-worker of mine gave us a basketball hoop that his kids have outgrown.  It's perfect for Bennett as he's still using it on the lowest height.  He does ask frequently to go play basketball, but I think mostly it's Chris and I shooting baskets.

The theme for the week at school was "Beach Week" so one day they made boogie boards.  Here's Bennett using it as a surfboard.

One night Kelly texted me a photo of her kids working on their Derby cars.  Bennett asked to see it, and then he wanted to show me his "phone" with pictures of DJ, Davis, and Lydia.  And then we FaceTimed with Kelly and he got to see some of the kids.

We got Curious George Flies a Kite from the library.  (Why it's 3 times as long as the other books, I have no idea!)  As I was reading it one night I noticed the license plate on the car in one of the pictures.  Hmm, was this the 5th CG book that they wrote?  Why yes, yes it was.

And speaking of Curious George, apparently it's very important for George to sit with you while you watch Curious George on TV.

And now for our weekend.

For those keeping track, we've now been to Sturbridge for 8 weeks in a row.  Looking at their schedule for the coming weeks, they have events that we might want to go to every week except for two until November 9th.  So we could potentially end up going 21 consecutive weeks.  That would ultimately put our cost at less than $2 per visit.  And the per person would be less than $1 per visit.  Yup, that membership was definitely worth it!

Daddy got in on the cutout photo fun.

Bennett tried out the stilts.  He needs practice still.  Maybe he needs his own set?

On Sunday we were on our way to Nana and Grandpa's house.  We had a bit of extra time so we decided to run an errand.  I mentioned to Bennett that we were stopping at the store so that I could get something for his birthday party and he got very excited.  And truth be told, Chris and I are getting pretty excited about his party as well.  Hopefully all of our ideas turn out the way we are envisioning.  The invitations are about 2/3 done and I hope to get those wrapped up this week.  When do people normally mail children's birthday party invitations?  This coming weekend would be a little over a month before the party.  Too soon?  Just right?