Indoor Picnics, Childhood Memories, and Winnie the Pooh

One of our family's very favorite things to do is to have an indoor picnic.

We lay out a big old blanket, gather our plates, and serve up dinner right there on the family room floor. We have been doing this on occasion since Oldest was small. Sometimes it is a special event, like movie night or a birthday. Other times it is a random Tuesday and I am too tired to set the table.

Whatever the reason, our boys really enjoy dinner served indoor picnic style.

I feel and hope that this will be a happy childhood memory for them. I also kind of hope that their future wives don't hate me when they suddenly spread out a blanket and want to have a picnic indoors with the inevitability of having to vacuum right after.

Recently, thanks to Disney, I was able to create another special childhood memory with my children while sharing one of my childhood memories. Together as a little family we sat down at our indoor picnic to watch the 30th anniversary edition of The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh.

My Little Men had never seen the original version of Winnie the Pooh. I was kind of shocked when I realized that. Especially since I can remember so vividly watching it throughout my childhood.

We decided it was only fitting to invite my Little Mens' closest stuffed animal friends to watch the movie along with us and that the movie viewing be done via indoor picnic.

 

 

Everyone was mesmerized by the movie.

They were so captivated, in fact, that the food seemed to be forgotten. If you knew my boys, you would realize what a huge deal that is.

 

Even Bean was enthralled.

I sat there and watched them watch. I sang along, "I'm just a little black rain cloud, hovering under the honey tree. I'm just a little black rain cloud, pay no attention to little me..."

I was reminded as I watched the movie of just how touching a portrayal the movie is of childhood friendship. As an adult I could visibly recognize the childhood joy and innocence found in that movie. Plus it made me remember being that young...

...yes I can remember being young...

I remember watching and wanting to live in a tree. I remember feeling a little scared and timid like Piglet. I remember being a little frightened of the big storm, just like Pooh. I even remember wanting Rabbit to call Tigger back and tell him he can bounce. After all, isn't that what Tigger's do best?

I even remember one of my very good childhood friends (who is still a good friend today) watching with me and I can still hear her voice repeating, "Tut. Tut. Looks like rain."

This movie is so much about imagination and friendship. Both so important in childhood.

I feel I was lucky to have both in my childhood.

Good friends. Hours of using our imaginations. Grand adventures never-ending.

There were doll houses made and constructed on the piano. We choreographed and executed our very own music videos.

In elementary school, there was a small group of us (all girls) that pretended to be a bunch of grumpy old men, old man names included. We would walk around the playground all hunched over with pretend canes grumbling in a way we imagined old men should sound like.

I miss the days of unabashed imaginative play, but I feel fortunate that many of the friends I had during those carefree days of childhood I can still call friends.

Luckily now I am a momma and I have young kids who remind me daily what it is to imagine. I see them play superhero, ninja, spy, inventors, and Star Wars. They build forts. They throw parties for their stuffed animals.

I get to watch the evolution of teeny tiny friendships.

Of the human variety.

And of the furry variety.

My childhood may now be a set of memories, but now I get to witness my own children create their own memories. Helping them make their own memories might just be better than reflecting on my own.

 

For the first time The Many Adventures of Winnie The Pooh is being made available as a Blu-ray Combo Pack and HD Digitial on August 27th.  To learn more you can visit their website or Facebook page.

 

Now, to enter for a chance to win a $50 Visa Gift Card and a Winnie The Pooh Blu-ray Combo Pack, share with us the importance of friendship, imagination and adventure in your child's life...

 

Rules:

No duplicate comments.

You may receive (2) total entries by selecting from the following entry methods:

a) Leave a comment in response to the sweepstakes prompt on this post

"b) Tweet (public message) about this promotion; including exactly the 

following unique term in your tweet message: ""#SweepstakesEntry""; and leave the URL to that tweet in a comment on this post"

c) Blog about this promotion, including a disclosure that you are receiving a sweepstakes entry in exchange for writing the blog post, and leave the URL to that post in a comment on this post

d) For those with no Twitter or blog, read the official rules to learn about an alternate form of entry.

This giveaway is open to US Residents age 18 or older. Winners will be selected via random draw, and will be notified by e-mail. You have 72 hours to get back to me, otherwise a new winner will be selected.

The Official Rules are available here.

This sweepstakes runs from 8/1/2013 - 9/3/2013

Be sure to visit the Winnie The Pooh brand page on BlogHer.com where you can read other bloggers’ reviews and find more chances to win!

Fun with the Kids Fridays: Snake O'Cups

Fun Fridays!! Woohoo.

Now that school is out we are in desperate need of fun projects and boredom busters.

These snakes are super fun and just about the most awesome thing ever. Just ask my boys.

They are obsessed with snakes. We have several books all about snakes, and they read them all the time. Their favorite snake fact:

There is a snake that farts up to 6 feet to ward off predators.

Every time the boys talk about it they laugh and laugh and laugh.

In one of the books, there was an idea to make a snake from cups.

Yep, that was going to happen.

A bunch of cups and an hour or so equals three very happy boys.

Here is how you can make a Snake O'Cups all your own--

You need:
colorful paper cups
brads
red pipe cleaners
craft eyes
hot glue

Every cup, except the head cups and the first cup, will need 4 holes.

Two holes on the top on opposite sides of the cup and two holes on the bottom on opposite sides. Both sets of holes need to be about an inch from the top and bottom.

Punch the holes with a push pin, that will make it easier to put the brads in.

You connect the cups by putting one cup into the other. Then you attach them with brads through the top holes of the outside cup to the bottom of the inside cup.

The first cup you do only needs the holes at the top. This will be the tail. You continue attaching cups working towards where the head will be. Alternate colors, create a pattern. Basically keep at it until you have a snake to your liking. Our were about 17 cups long.

I will warn you that you will need to help. The brads were a bit tricky for little teeny fingers. The brads also really need to be fastened good. I mean they have to withhold any ensuing snake fights...that will occur, I promise you.

The snake wranglers will appreciate all your hard work though.

Just before you add the head, you will stop with a cup only attached at the bottom. Set it aside and make the head.

For the head, first make the tongue.

You need 2 red pipe cleaners.

Twist it together, leaving about and inch untwisted.

Then twist it all together.

Cut a tiny hole in the bottom of a cup and pull the pipe cleaner through using the left over inch to keep it in place.

With hot glue, attach the eyes on either side of the top of the tongue cup. Then glue that cup to the last cup of the snake body.

Draw some fangs by the tongue and....

DONE.

The brads make the cups move very snake-like.

These are the only pet snakes our boys will EVER have.

When not being carried, they prefer to lounge in the sun.

My boys gave this project two very enthusiastic thumbs up. Now they can stop pestering me for their own pet snake.

Which is good, cause it was never.gonna.happen.

Happy Friday!!
Linking here:
Your Homebased Mom
Thirty Handmade Days

Fun with the Kids Friday: Tornado in a Tube

When I was in 7th Grade, I had a pretty awesome science teacher. I don't remember exactly what made him awesome, but I distinctly remember him being awesome.

Three things I do remember:
1. His name was Mr. Condon....yup that was his name.
2. He was rather fond of Mariah Carey.
3. He had the most awesome Tornado in a Tube.

I loved that thing. He would swirl, twist, tip and produce a water tornado every time.

Obviously I have remembered that little bit of science fun over the years. I have been wanting to recreate our own Tornado in a Tube for a while. Finally the other day I just happened to remember the Tornado in a Tube right at the same time I was passing the soda aisle at the grocery store.

In the time it took for us to drink two  2-liters of soda, we had our very own Tornado in a Tube...BAM!

 Easiest thing to make ever.

The part that takes the longest is drinking the soda. So if you already have two empty bottles, the hard part is done.

You will need some duct tape.

Of course you will need water.

Then to make things fun you can add some Monopoly houses or maybe even some food coloring.

You simply fill one of the plastic bottles 3/4 full of water. Then you add in the food coloring and/or teeny tiny houses.

Take the empty bottle and turn it upside down placing the mouths of the bottles together. Wrap strips of duct tape to secure the bottles together.

Keep wrapping, around and around. You really want to just keep wrapping until you have the necks of the bottle completely wrapped up too.

When in doubt, keep wrapping. You want it wrapped up enough that it doesn't leak.

Now, it still might leak a little OR will start to leak after a lot of playing.

Because it will get played with for sure.

With everything all taped up, the fun can begin.

Just grab the Tornado Tube by the taped part.

 
Turn it over and shake and twirl the whole thing.

Then just wait and watch as the water tornado forms.

The whole thing is very cool and my boys loved it. They used it so much and created so many tornadoes that it I had to re-tape it!

After making these, I did find that there is an online store that sells Tornado Tubes, that are made to attach the two bottles together. Hence no more duct tape. So if you think ahead enough you could always order some of those.

My boys really, really loved this. When they happened to walk by the Tornado in a Tube sitting on the counter they couldn't help but reach out and grab, flip, and twirl. Then, mesmerized they would watch another water tornado make its way through the bottom of the tube into the next tape.

Thanks for joining me for another installment of Fun with the Kids Friday .

 

Fun with the Kids Fridays: 10 Boy Approved Picture Books

Today I thought I would share some of my Little Men's favorite picture books.

Reading is kind of a big deal around here.

 

I am a big fan of reading and have been for as long as I can remember. The hours I spent reading The Babysitter's Club and Nancy Drew.

One of the first things I bought when we were ready to start our family was books. Oh how I love books.

Actual in my hands, turn the pages, books. I especially love beautiful Children's books.

So I bought away. Green Eggs and Ham. Cat in the Hat. The Monster at the End of This Book. So on and so on.

While the boys still love all of the classics I bought while Oldest was bakin' away in my belly, they have evolved a little in their tastes in books.

We have gone from Green Eggs and Cats to Construction, Boogers, Dinosaurs, Monsters, Funny Sounding Names, Silly Words, Bad Manners, Shenanigans, Burpring, and of course Underwear.

They are after all a houseful of rowdy, sometimes disgusting boys.

So I have compiled a list of 10 boy approved books (favorites in our house), sure to make any dinosaur-lovin', booger giggling, little boy super excited for story time.

Dinosaurs Love Underpants

by Claire Freedman and Ben Cort

The double whammy of boy perfectness--Dinosaurs AND Underwear.

Perfect.

Goodnight, Goodnight, Construction Site

by Sherri Duskey Rinker and Tom Lichentheld

Not much is better in the eyes of a little boy than 

construction equipment. In this book you can say goodnight

to the entire construction site. 

The Hiccupotamus

by Aaron Zenz

The.Best.Book of all time.

This is a family favorite.

Remember how I said love beautiful children's books?

I LOVE the artwork of this book.

Remember how I said boys like silly words?

Silly words like bottomus. Hehehe.

Speaking about silly words and funny names...

Edwina

The Dinosaur Who Didn't Know She Was Extinct

by Mo Willems (our favorite author)

This is a very silly story that showcases a 

dinosaur (yes a girl dinosaur) and a little

boy by the name of Reginald Von Hoobie-Doobie. 

They laugh every single time we read his name.

More Mo Willems?

Yes, please.

Don't Let the Pigeon Stay Up Late

(or any of the Pigeon books really)

by Mo Willems

This pigeon has a level of weasel and deals

mostly in shenanigans.

I think my boys totally root for him to get his way.

I am sure they are hoping for the same victory.

Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible,

No Good, Very Bad Day 

by Judith Viorst

A classic. Poor Alexander just can't 

catch a break. Grumpiness ensues.

There are days I am sure my boys relate to poor,

poor Alexander. They too probably want

 to move to Australia...

or at least to the neighbor's, whom I have been told are way

funner parents than me.

Speaking of another classic.

Where the Wild Things Are

by Maurice Sendak

Could there be a better book for a

 little wild thing boy?

I don't have to recap this story, you all know it.

Best little monster story ever.

Russel the Sheep

by Rob Scotton

Poor Russell can't sleep.

Whatever will he do to get to sleep?

He might give your little ones some ideas.

No, David!

by David Shannon

All of the David books are awesome.

I think my boys feel some camaraderie

with Little David. 

Hearing "NO!" all the time and all.

I kind of saved the best for last.

How Do Dinosaurs Get Well Soon?

by Jane Yolen and Mark Teague

A house full of boys can not get enough dinosaurs.

These books have awesome illustrations of dinosaurs who all 

find themselves in situations similar to regular little boys.

There are tons of  "How Do Dinosaurs..." books. They are all pretty 

fantastic and dinosauriffic.

I hope you enjoyed seeing our list of favorite boy-approved pictures books. Now these books are also delightful for the little ladies in your house too just in case you were worried I was leaving them out. 

I just tend to know more about Little Men, being as I am surrounded by them day in and day out.

Stay-tuned for an upcoming boy-approved chapter books list.

Happy Friday. 

Happy reading!

Linking:
Your Homebased Mom,
Love and Laundry