Rain on my parade? I don't think so!

Last night before bed, I noticed we didn't really have anything scheduled today. I didn't really have errands to run. We didn't really have an activity planned. So I planned on having the kids get into bathing suits in the morning instead of getting dressed and we would go swimming at the YMCA.

I did not however, check the weather. Nor did I even consider weather as a factor. It is an indoor pool, the only time they cancel open swim is when there is thunder and lightning. Well, guess what I woke up to this morning. That's right! Thunder and lightning. (Well technically it was the squeals and screeches of Peanut (2) wanting to get out of her crib but...). 

So plan B. We are going to have a day at home. Those rarely end well. What to do, what to do. I needed to do some work, and the monkeys helped brainstorm the rest. They had breakfast, did their chores, and then Mister and Bean did their summer math assessments on TenMarks summer program. 

It is a free math program for First grade through Algebra 2. You register your children and then they take their assessment which allows the program to customize to your child. Belle will be doing it too but she hasn't gotten around to her assessment yet. 

While they did that, Bugaboo worked on some math and phonics games while Peanut and Belle played. Me? I got down to work and made Peanut a new headband. She loves to wear headbands and accessories like her sisters, but takes them off after about 5 minutes. So my mission was to make a headband that she would keep on. 

Introducing, The 'Tude band.

(Named such after Peanut modeled them and these are the photos I got.)

She kept the darn thing on all morning! The best part? I was able to re-purpose a pair of pants to make it! Get your own custom 'Tude Band here.

I absolutely love re-purposing things to fit our needs. It saves us money and gives us a unique product. Have something you would like re-purposed? Send us a message  and we will see what we can do for you! 

We don't just re-purpose physical items in this house...we do it with food too. A tight budget means that sometimes we get creative and use what's on hand to make something new. I like to think of it as "Chopped Champions: The Treehouse Edition". 

For lunch, Bean and Peanut helped me make Turkey and Cheese Pinwheels. Not a new idea, but also not something they have had before. They love roll ups with lunchmeat and cheese. They love pizza. We used our favorite pizza dough recipe (find that here), rolled it out on the table, and added chipotle ranch dressing, honey roasted turkey, and sliced american cheese. I rolled and sliced it like I do when I make homemade cinnamon buns (see the recipe I love and use here). We baked them and then let them cool slightly before eating them. Let me tell you, they were delicious. The monkeys loved them. I loved them. I only wish I had doubled the recipe so that I could have stuck some in the freezer. (Freezer cooking is a necessity with 5 monkeys, especially during the school year. I will post more on that later.) Next time you morsels of goodness, next time. 

It may be a gross, rainy day out today, but we will not let it rain on our parade. We are planning a movie night tonight complete with popcorn, cushions (from our other couch and the spare beds), and candy. At some point today I will probably lose my sanity from being caged in for the day, and at some point the monkeys will too. For now though, it's quiet time in our treehouse and my monkeys are sleeping or reading and we are all recharging. 

What happens in your treehouse when it rains on your parade?