Montessori preschool at home and a little bit of everything

my sweet tinkerbell

Well, I decided today that we are going full swing into this Montessori preschool at home thing!  I have been making lesson plans that include: things to color, activities, things to cook.  I am so....very excited!!  I have been wanting to do this forever, but I suppose needed a little push. That push was that Audrey's friend  is doing something like this as well with her mama.  How fun for the girls to be doing something so similar and when they play together it will be so simple to include each other and it will be nothing new.  This coming week I am doing Halloween related activities that I got off of a wonderful blog that I have mentioned before Chasing Cheerios.  Her activities are awesome!  I am doing a Halloween sensory bin with black beans, little Halloween erasers I picked up for a dollar a bag at target, and some other goulish things, bugs, eye balls, bats, and the likes from the Dollar Store. I am going to give her cups, big and small, a small shovel, a couple of spoons, and let her have at it.  We are also doing a fun activity with toothpicks and a jack-o'lantern straw cup.  It is another fine motor skill thing, putting toothpicks in the straw. Audrey loves things like that.  She has nesting dolls that she loves to take apart and put back together as well as a bottle with q-tips that she empties and refills who knows how many times! Little burrito is also helping me do all the baking for Halloween.  Several of her toddler friends are coming over so I figured some appropriate treats, not the candy with red 40 that will keep her up all night, were needed.  We are making Mock Reeses Cups, marshmallow ghosts, we are making marshmallows and using cookie cutters and putting mini soy, dairy, and gluten free chocolate chips on them,  corn syrup free caramel apples, and vegan pumpkin cupcakes with my own frosting invention, maple banana cream cheese.  Audrey is a BIG help in the kitchen, no seriously, she helps me unload groceries and the dishwasher, she sweeps, mops up water, and of course helps me bake! :-)    Halloween is going to be nuts around here so I think I will need all the help I can get. While I don't have lessons during to teach that day, I rescheduled, I am recruiting later on about an hour away so Audrey is going to a her good friend's house, the one who you have seen dancing with her!  The girls always have a blast and from what I have heard, they are making Scarecrow trick-or-treating bags! I can't wait to see them!!!  I won't get home until around 4:45 and everyone is coming over around 5:30-5:45 and trick-or-treating starts at 6pm.  It will be crazy but dinner is simple that night, broccoli cheese soup with jalapeno popper grilled cheese/ croque monsier for Audrey.  Carlo is in charge of getting Audrey from her friends and getting everything ready so it isn't so...nuts.  I have high hopes......I hope...   Tomorrow we are going to the Boo Bayou Carnival at Vemillionville with her good friend.  It should be a blast.  The two went to Boo at the Zoo last weekend and were too adorable. They held hands nearly the entire time, pointed to animals and just had so much fun!
  Their costumes were too cute. That is my favorite part, the costumes.  I look forward to Halloween all year!  It is my favorite holiday!!  Waiting in anticipation for that one magical night that we can dress up as whomever we want and parade around in crazy costumes and make-up and no one cares!  There isn't much make-up for Peter Pan, but I have fun green tights, a cut up green dress, and some kick ass motorcycle boots that I am most definitely wearing again.  Of course, I suppose I am thankful for no crazy make-up because hell, I won't have the time!!  I think some glitter, some fairyish eye shadow and I will call it done.  I am most looking forward to Audrey's reaction to us all dressing up!  We already knows she loves dressing up, by the way the costume pictured is not her real Halloween costume, that is saved for Halloween Day. Who knows what she will say or do when she see us dressed up!!!  All I know is next year we are totally going at Monsters Inc.  Carlo as Sully, me as Mike Wazowski, and Audrey as none other than Boo.  I already know how I will pull it off.  I know I am getting ahead of myself but it is hard not to!!  Here are pictures from the zoo last Saturday, more at to come from the carnival we are going to tomorrow so keep checking.

pointing to monkeys

holding hands even in the wagon

or holding onto wings!

Audrey pointing and papa. She is pointing to me.

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Audrey and papa reading at the end of a fun day!

I love these two!