Bungled Bowling

Thought I'd break out the old plastic bowling set for a playdate today.

The 4-year-olds were very excited to roll the ball and knock down the pins. The 2-year-olds, however, had much different plans. They delighted in knocking down the pins themselves and throwing them in the air -- much to the 4-year-olds' dismay.

After a mere 5 minutes of laughing, crying and tackling, the bowling set went back into storage.

Mom gets a gutter ball.

Creativity Strikes When I Least Expect It

The other day, my kids asked me if they could watch a movie. And I, seeing an opportunity to be Mom of the Year, said, "Oooh! How about we pack our bags with some clothes and supplies, go downstairs and play camping?! We can crawl in the tents, play flashlight tag, roast marshmallows, and go fishing!!"

Noodle gives me a blase look and says, "Nah. Let's watch a movie."

So you can see why I've been a bit concerned that all the time she spends in front of the TV has sucked the creative juice from her 4-year-old soul.

But perhaps not? Could it be that TV actually sparks this little couch potato's creative inspiration?

Noodle surprised me with this creation the other day. She crafted a sculpture of Widget out of drumsticks, a necklace, a princess crown, rocks, a harmonica, flashlight, bouncy ball and pinwheel. She even included a heart-shaped eraser where Widget's heart-shaped pocket goes. The sculpture has resided on her bedroom floor for about a week, and she's constantly making improvements to it. Yesterday, for instance, a large heart with glitter replaced the small eraser. And this morning she added a pair of gloves.

Noodle has found her muse.

So What if We're Not Irish?

Green outfits?
Check.

Corned beef and cabbage?
Check.

Green cupcakes & rice krispie treats?
Check.

U2 on the stereo?
Check.

Leprechaun treasure hunt?
Check.

Fun?
Check!

TREASURE HUNT DETAILS:

When our guests arrived, they found this message on the front door:

The kids then scrambled around the house to find the hidden shamrocks. Each of which had a number on the front (1-21) and a letter on the back. When the kids collected all 21 shamrocks, they laid them out in order:

Then flipped them over to reveal the location of the treasure: (THE PLAYHOUSE OUTSIDE)

Success!

Our leprechaun left gold-wrapped Rolos.

But I found my own special treasure in the playhouse later that evening: