Kindergarten Art Haul! [VIDEO]

Play-Doh Candy Apple! [MOMLIFE]

Kid: Mama, look! I made a candy apple!
Me: O, yeah! Cool!... How do you know what a candy apple is?
Kid: I just know. It's like a lollipop with an apple.

Yes. Yes it is :> xo

Pumpkin Painting!

I went to Michaels after Halloween not realizing pumpkin-carving was a Halloween thing. Who has time to carve pumpkins when you're making a costume?

So we got some paint and painted it instead. Funny thing is, she wanted to paint every pumpkin she could get her hands on and then some :> I have to do more art projects with this girl.



Here's how it turned out!

The #pumpkin we painted on #sundayfunday. The #city will always have a place in my heart. #momlife #piecesofm

A photo posted by m (@mdesenna) on Nov 11, 2014 at 6:53pm PST

Tree-Lined Street At Night [PHOTOGRAPHY]

Unplugging And Coloring! [PARENTING+LOVESTAR]

We're making our way through the Toy Story coloring book I got Nui Nui for her birthday. She does the right side, I do the left. Well, I do almost the left. That is, she eventually makes her way over to the left and we work on that together.

Nui Nui is getting good at coloring within the lines but still has yet to hold her marker properly. (The pics below don't totally do her justice— by the time she gets to my side of the book, all her concentration and efforts to stay within the lines go loose :>).

Nui Nui loves and totally looks forward to doing this activity together (nearly) every night. Me too. It's something I realized recently and, to some extent, why I haven't been posting as much. I've begun to shut down (or not start up, actually) when I get home from work until she goes to bed. In other words, unplug. It's not 100% rigid but efforted. And I think it's making a difference. My posts are down but we're spending more quality time together. And I think that's really important. I just stumbled on some pics of Nui Nui when she was little(r). They grow so fast... too fast, you know? xoxo

How do you like to spend time with your kid(s) or favorite person(s)? Share in the Comments below, we'd love to hear! :> xoxo

Indian Summer Leaves At Night! [NATURE+PHOTOGRAPHY]

You know what I love? People who are patient and understand your desire to stop to take photographs.

ps. These are untouched.

Painting With Apples!

Teacher's daily update:

Happy Wednesday!!

We had a wonderful circle time this morning! After our usual songs we talked about the stages of growing for a pumpkin, or a life cycle! Using pictures we put the pumpkin life cycle in order! We learned pumpkins start as seeds, then become vines/flowers, and then become a green pumpkin! Green pumpkins are not ripe, or ready, to be picked yet so we wait! Then when the pumpkin turns orange we can take it off the vine and bring it home and eventually turn it into a jack o' lantern for Halloween! We then read a story about Autumn while talking about our new season :)

We then enjoyed centers and outdoor free play :) for art we used half of an apple to paint with! We stamped and "dragged" the apple to fill in our own paper apples with red paint :) we also did some math and small motor work with our 3 Apples worksheet! We pasted three apples to our tree and then, with a Teachers help, traced the number 3!

After nap we enjoyed Mr potato head or reading books! Then for afternoon circle Since We had a fire drill at school today, (that we all did fantastic at! Go Papillon!!), we decided to talk a little bit about fire safety! We listened to a song about fire safety and talked about what we do when there a fire, especially at school! Friends pointed out great tips such as telling a teacher, not to go near the fire, to leave everything behind (even lovies and shoes!!!) and go outside, to follow directions and use your listening ears! This is a great topic to continue talking about at home!! Please make sure you have your own safety plan for home! :)

School Art Projects! - VLOGUST 21, 2014 [VIDEO]

This is how we spent part of my comp day together. We had a lot of fun filming and just hanging out, the two of us :>

What fun things have you accomplished this past year? Share in the Comments below, we'd love to hear! :> xoxo

Sidewalk Chalk Artistas!

We went outside tonight and played with our neighbors. Nui Nui always loves to bring out her sidewalk chalk when we do. Her favorite thing to draw (or have me draw) is Thomas. I'm pretty bad but Nui Nui helped the image starting with the two lines about the '1' and the oval-shaped things tending toward her feet. I need to ask her what those are...

We Are Leprechauns! [ART]

We filmed a video together this morning on my Summer Recharge Day Staycation. Nui Nui got a binder from her school as a year-end finale, though we had a shopping bag full of art projects already, collected throughout the year. It's amazing to see how much she's grown and learned in a single year. Hopefully that video will be up soon.

These gems were found after filming. Love it. Love her and spending time together. So much.

Artist In Residence!

Nui Nui's favorite thing to draw lately are faces and I have to admit (from an unbiased standpoint) she's getting good (even if she still doesn't know how to hold the pen right) :>