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For a little Friday afternoon fun, I thought I'd share a few photos of our diy Halloween decor this year - giant snakes!!!  I know, I know!  Halloween was a week ago, but - gah!  I can't get enough of these two slithery fellows...

I made them from flat, twin-sized sheets I found at the thrift store.  Elise and I stuffed them with leaves, and the rest is history!  Well, it was actually a lot more work than that, but they did come together in the end - and they were a huge hit with all our trick-or-treaters!  ;)

Happy weekend, friends!

busy hands - toddler edition

A quick glimpse at all the fun things Elise has been up to the past couple months...

posting coins

building bears

 investigating a bear trunk

stacking blocks

 reading with G-Bob

 crafting with friends

spraying rocks

swinging on the big swings

pasting pictures

 experimenting with cornstarch and water

 slicing cheese with a knife

dreaming about winter

happy halloween!

Happy Halloween!!!

We've already been cruising around the neighborhood, 

checking out decorations - in full-costume, of course.  

I don't know who's more excited for trick-or-treating tonight... 

me or Elise!  Ha! 

If you celebrate Halloween, I hope your day is "bear-y" sweet and spooky!  ;)

guest post at Grow Grow Grow today!

Hello, friends!  I'm guest posting today at Grow Grow Grow!  Please head over to check out my simple, autumn craft idea:  pressed leaf place mats.  If you're not already a Grow Grow Grow reader, you're in for a treat - this is one of my all-time favorite Montessori parenting blogs!  :)

muffin tin tuesday

In honor of Halloween (which is only next week - eeeek!!!), Elise and I filled a muffin tin with orange-colored foods for our afternoon snack.  It'd been awhile since we'd had a special-themed snack in a muffin tin, and Elise LOVED it.  Food is such a fun and meaningful way to explore colors, textures, and shapes - I need to remember to do this more often with her!

from the top left:  

chipotle tortilla wedges, sweet mini pepper, goldfish crackers, orange juice
shredded golden beet, rotini pasta, sesame stick crackers, mandarin oranges
cheddar cheese cubes, garden carrots, dried apricots, sun gold tomatoes

Did I mention Elise LOVED this snack?!  She really did.  While she's usually an eat-and-run kind of girl, this snack captured her attention for awhile.  Maybe all those little muffin tin compartments appealed to her sense of order?  ;)

Do you ever make special-themed muffin tin snacks for your little ones?  I'd love to hear your suggestions!