Busy bag swap!

A few weeks ago, I signed up to be apart of a Busy Bag swap with some local Mama's.  It ended up being a big group -- 14 women!  If you're unfamiliar with what this is, it's basically a "bag" full of activities for your kids to play with or work with quietly.  No batteries needed, just activities to keep their fingers busy and minds working.

The swap itself is a genius idea.... you make "x" amount of the same activity, then go to this get-together and come home with that same amount of new busy bags for your kids.  I think the key to all of the activities is using them "sparingly" so they don't get tired of them.  Ours are kept in a closet unknown to the boys, and I pull them out when we're bored of regular toys.

Lucky for me, 14 women participated in this particular swap, so I have a good amount of things for the boys to work on and play with! 

Here's what we came home with... 

Sponge Towers

A lot of fun!  We sort by color, count them, build towers, and of course... knock it all over. 

Felt board with shapes 

Cohen really likes this one.  His houses are always very... ahem, creative.  :) 

Jar lids to push through the hole in the container

One of the boys' favorites... the girl who made these saw the original idea in Parents magazine. 

The Clothesline

Cohen can't quite do this one yet, but that makes it extra fun for Jaxon :) 

Button snake 

Challenging for both boys, in a good way! 

Pizza Factory 

This is the bag I brought.  Not to toot my own horn, but so far, this has been the most played with.  The boys love to pretend to make a pizza for "Grandma" or "Papa" and follow the instructions on each card.

Busy Bag Roadways... designed by Life Well Lived

This was clearly the boys' first pick, straight out of the bag.  They love anything cars and roads! 

Letter tracing

Love the cards, they are printed on 3x5 picture paper!  Such a good idea.

Pom Pom Mats

Another fun one - it keeps both boys occupied for a long time! 

Paint chip matching

I was amazed that Cohen could do this one by himself... Mom fail, I didn't even realize he knew his colors! 

Popsicle Puzzles

This one is over Cohen's head but is challenging for Jaxon.  Great activity! 

Pom Pom Sorting

Another favorite for both boys!  Sort by color and dump it all out... fun for all! 

Playdough mat with homemade playdough

We haven't done this one yet, but the boys love playdough so I know they'll enjoy it! 

Mr Potato Head - made out of felt

Oh man, I love this one!  So cute, and I can't imagine how long it took this Mama to make 14 sets!  Both of the boys really enjoy this one too.  It's lots of fun! 

Threading stick

We also really like this one!  Jaxon prefers the string, and Cohen likes to do it with the straws.

~

I am also in the process of organizing a swap for some blogging friends... I can't wait to start getting them in the mail, and of course I'll be back to show you more once that swap is over.

If you're looking for something to do with friends, this is a great idea and fairly easy to organize.  You get to spend time with Mom's, PLUS come home with activities for your kids!  Have fun :) 

Snowmageddon.

I chuckle when I hear people call a foot of snow a "snowmageddon", but that's partly due to growing up in Iowa and getting big 'ole snowstorms like this more frequently than not.

But in Kansas City, it's a big 'ole deal.  We haven't gotten a foot of snow at one time since 1919, and more often than not, the snow misses us and all we get is ice.

I'd rather get a big 'ole snowstorm any day instead of 1-2" at a time, and yesterday my wish came true!  To top it off, Tyler's work was closed for the day (amazing!) so once the snow stopped falling temporarily, we went outside to shovel and play.

Shoveling felt pretty impossible at this point, but we wanted to get a path cleared out before the ice came in, in case Tyler's company was open today (which it was).

Jax was pretty excited to be able to play out by the mailbox and "in" the street... he's never allowed out there or even remotely close to the street, but considering there was NO traffic, I was pretty ok with it.  :)

Sorry for the overload of Jaxon&Charlie pictures... Cohen was still pretty happy hanging by the front door this entire time. 

I promised I helped him shovel (after my battery died)... it was my workout for the day! 

Ha!  Pretty much sums it all up.

My camera battery died, so out came the iPhone...

 

Cohen finally came out to play so Tyler helped them dig out a tunnel while I was shoveling.  An hour later they both threw a big giant melt down when it was time to come inside.

Schools and a lot of businesses are still closed today, and since Tyler is gone and the windchill is 8*, we will probably be hanging inside for the remainder of the day.

And yet another "major" storm is coming Monday... I think the groundhog was wrong this year.

Jaxon turns 4!

In the past, I've gone all out for birthdays and really enjoy doing so.  However, recently Tyler and I have decided to do "big" parties every-other birthday, and the off year we'll keep it simple and fun.

Leading up to the party I had major Mama guilt that I was not planning a big extravagant event (for whatever silly reason), but now that it's all said and done I can confidently say this was one of my favorite parties yet.  I spent that day just soaking up my big boy and hanging with family instead of running around like a crazy lady and cooking, and an hour before the party I started setting stuff up and sent Tyler to get the pizza.  So much less stress!

We had my family, Tyler's family, and Jaxon's best friend Benton (and his Mama) at the party, so 17 people total.  Perfect!

The invite, designed by my amazing best friend...

From his birthday morning... opening 1 gift from Tyler and I. 

Later in the day we were ready to party!

Cake made by one of my besties Andrea 

The party was very low-key... we ate some yummy pizza, and the kids played Angry Birds themed games and coloring sheets.

 And then, a child's favorite part of any birthday... presents :)

And cake.  It was soooo yummy, and this is coming from a non-cake lover! 

My nephew turned 8 the following week, so we sang to him as well :) 

All in all, a simple yet perfect party indeed!

Happy 4th Birthday, Jaxon Daniel.