It’s back to school time, so you know what that means… sickies galore!!! =)

The kids have been fighting something ever since they got their flu shots 3 1/2 weeks ago. I was hoping in Abby’s case that her runny nose was caused by teething (getting 2 of the last bottom 4!!), but it doesn’t look like that was entirely it. Both kids were feeling pretty crumby this past Sunday (lets face it, Ray and I weren’t feeling too great either – we’re fighting whatever “it” is too), so the day was spent doing “calm” things… even though it would have been great to get out and run and play… it was a beautiful fall day!

Both kids love playing with playdough. Our selection is okay, but a little wimpy and it’s getting a little hard. So while the kids were napping, I decided to make some new playdough. =)

Have I mentioned that I love playing with it too? I find it to be very calming… and making it is just fun. I think Ray was starting to wonder how much I was going to make and if I was going to stop!! It looks like a lot, but I only made 2 batches.

I used a classic recipe… nothing fancy and spectacular. It does the job and the playdough lasts a long time (as long as you store it right!).

Home made Playdough (no cook recipe)

2 cups flour

2 cups boiling water

1 cup salt

1 Tbs oil

1 tsp Cream of Tarter

Food coloring

Combine all of your dry ingredients in a large bowl. Add the oil and carefully add the boiling water. Mix with a spoon or spatula until combined and dough forms a ball. Let cool for a few minutes then knead the dough until it’s nice and smooth. At this point, I like to form the dough into a ball and divide it into 4 sections. I then flatten each section, add some food coloring (less drops = pastel color, more drops = vivid color), and then knead it until the color has saturated the whole ball.

Before going to bed, Noah had requested black playdough… I’d never made playdough that color before, so it took a little okaying around and lots of food color to get us there. I think I got pretty close though… it ended up very, very, very dark grey.

The kids love that they now have “a wot of cuhders” as Noah says it and I love that I don’t have to worry about the occasional piece that finds its way into Abby’s mouth.

I hope you all are enjoying the great October weather!!