Bike Rides & Building Houses

Reese was set on going for a bike ride yesterday. Never mind that Mommy said it was so very hot. Reese was determined to ride his bike. Sissy joined us, and Reese rode his bike until he found a house under construction that he wanted to go inside.

We checked out the house for a little bit, but they had recently stained the cabinets & it was very stinky, so we left before we all passed out! After that, Reese didn't want to ride his bike anymore,and he didn't want to push it himself to get home. Mommy's rule about a bike ride is that you have to ride or push your bike back home...it's your own job to take care of your bike. If it were up to Reese, I would have carried him home AND pushed his bike. Bad habit to start! It helped greatly to have Sissy with us. Reese rode part of the way home chasing her :) Jessie is always such a good sport.

Last week, we checked out the True Story of the Three Little Pigs . It's a silly story based on the traditional Three Little Pigs story, but it's told from the wolf's perspective. When I taught first grade, it was fun to compare the two stories, because in the True Story version, the wolf is just sick & sneezing and goes to the pigs' houses to borrow a cup of sugar. He blows the houses down because he sneezes, not because he was mean.

The Flower Mound Library has a great collection of children's books with tapes or CDs so you can listen along with the story. It's a neat option for story time. Most of the books on tape have background music or sound effects, and the True Story has a fantastic orchestral music background. The different instruments used really capture the particular mood of the story at each event, especiall when the wolf sneezes. The violins screech and become louder and louder as the sneeze builds up.

I checked out a handful of books with tapes/CDs but the True Story is easily Reese's favorite. Last night, he asked if we had a hammer, wood, & a nail. Wasn't sure where he was going with this request, but I found a piece of scrap wood, a nice big nail that would be easy to hit, and we were all set. Reese asked me to put on the tape of True Story and as we listened, he "built his house" because he was the little pig. Ahhhh, now I know what he was thinking about! We listened to the story a few times while he happily hammered away. It was fun to role play together, because Mommy was the Wolf and Reese was directing my actions.

I also set up a new reading spot today. We had a little table here for a long time, which I moved into the playroom. That's a much better place for messy crafts anyway! This blue rug is from Reese's room, and it's wool and itchy, and after last night when we were sitting on it & I realized how nice this little niche is, I'm going to get some sort of soft carpet remnant to put here. Ohhh..now that I think about it, we have one in the attic! I sense a Honey Do coming on :)

Anyway--Reese's stereo is right here, along with some favorite books, & his little arm chair from IKEA (which is way comfy, was really cheap, & is so very sturdy!). I want to find some good floor pillows, and along with a soft rug, it should make for some great reading & cuddling in front of the windows!