1. Fine motor activity (pincer grasp):
Yesterday while I was cooking dinner I remembered a fine motor “activity” I had learned back in my early intervention days. I rinsed out the carton of cottage cheese (from making lasagna), cut a small hole in the lid of the carton, poured some macaroni noodles in a bowl & asked my 2-year-old to put the macaroni in the carton…through the hole. 
Because of the size of the noodles it required him to use just his thumb & pointer to grab each one. I probably should have made the hole in the top of the carton a little smaller…then he would have to put the noodle in long-ways and couldn’t just shove the noodle in with his palm.
2. Mommy pep talk
Y’all know how much I love www.inspiredtoaction.com . If you’ve never heard the founder/author, Kat Lee, speak then you should listen to this little “tidbit” from a talk she did for moms a few weeks ago. Even if you HAVE heard her before, this is new content from her experience meeting her mom’s family in the Philippines. It’s about a 3 minute audio clip that will leave you feeling encouraged as a mom…I know it helped me see the importance of my role as a mom.
3. Spontaneous Backyard Carnival Games
This week I was thankful for a creative oldest child. He decided to set up several carnival games in the backyard for his brothers & me to play. Unfortunately, he had several odd rules & a complex scoring system…but all in all it was a nice twist to the traditional & even better that he created the activities.
4. Simple Dinner
In case you missed all my complaining…my husband was on a business trip this week. By God’s mercy his trip was two days shorter than originally expected (see this post: simply obey for more on that).
I decided to try to survive my time parenting alone by simplifying life. One night for dinner we had sliced honeycrisp apples and kettle popcorn while we watched Veggie Tales. It was not a fully balanced meal but it was wonderful!! Thanks Leslie for the great dinner idea. 
5. Fancy latte & conversation with a friend
Look at how beautiful this latte is…
It’s from “The Pearl Cup” a coffee shop just down the street from my house. It’s their signature latte made with “pearl milk”, which is sweeter than regular milk. The difference is incredible!
The best part of this gorgeous drink was I was sipping it while sitting across from a friend having great conversation. She shared how God was working in her life. Tears were shed. Laughter expressed. Encouragement given. These are the soul-feeding moments of life and it was a favorite of my week.
What were some of your favorites this week?
Linking up with: 
Wonderful favorites! I like your fine motor skills game. Visiting from Favorite Things @ Finding Joy link-up.
A few of my favorites…
1. Claire learning to walk, and watching the big kids enjoy it so much.
2. graham cracker, nutella, sliced strawberries – yum!
3. knowing Clark and I have a date night with a sitter already lined up.
That latte looks amazing!
Thanks for the sweet words and for sharing my post. Can’t wait to meet you in a few weeks!
That latte looks like one that I would for sure enjoy. And, I agree about Kat — I’ve been so blessed by all she’s done. And {oh my goodness I am and-ing a lot this morning} you have some great ideas for toddler/preschool activities. I am going to try some of them!