A December to Remember...Day 2

I almost decided, since it's like Christmas everyday at our house, that we would ditch a December to Remember.  Then I adjusted my attitude and off we went...

You see, today was Monogram Ornament day...problem is WalMart and all major craft store chains don't believe that anyone on my end of town actually crafts...and so I was unable to locate the simple wooden letters I needed to complete today's craft without driving 48 miles away.  Yes, I did say 48 miles.  Feel free to deduce from said information that no one in the general vicinity of where I live CRAFTS!  Readjusting attitude With bells on, I simply switched gears and happily picked up the glitter chip board (only crafters and book makers would know what that is...see I DO craft) letters meant to be "Stocking Charms."  (We don't craft on this end of town but we DO adorn our stockings.) 

Even those these were already covered with glitter, we trudged forth as if they weren't.  We added our own cute scrapbook paper and, well, the glitter actually worked for us!  They are going to look great on the tree if we ever recover from the Dishwasher Disaster and actually PUT UP the tree.  These also make great present tags.  What do you think?

(Yes that was an M we turned upside down...please don't tell Willow)  Sweet aren't they?  The wooden ones over at COAH's site are way cuter, but she has access to craft supplies. 

I really do love December...!

Blessings friends!




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Praying today for two sweet friends...

One friend is newly pregnant and struggling with all that another child brings with it.  She is happy to have another "child" but not so excited about having another "baby"! I'm praying peace over her today.  That her heart will overlook that which is scary and hard and cling to the fact that, no matter what, she will adore this child.  God doesn't breathe Life without a perfect plan.  I pray that God might speak to her heart today...  

As one friend awaits the quickening of life, another drives toward the final days of one she holds very dear.  I pray not only a safe journey but also a loving, gentle, quiet passing of her sweet uncle.  This is a man she has looked up to and loved like a father her entire life.  He gave her away at her wedding.  Today, I pray strength and peace over she and her family as they give him away to our Loving Father.  Say hi to my brother John, Uncle Ken.

I was just reminded to go love on my family...




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A December to remember...

I decided that we would work hard to make memories this December.  If I learned anything from the untimely death of my brother, it was to treasure every moment.  That's the goal for December.  So, even with the dishwasher that leaked, that warped the Pergo, both of which had to be removed so that the sub-floor could be repaired but then must be allowed to dry thoroughly before the new flooring can be put down, we WILL have a nice December! Smile! Now!

While working around the dishwasher, which is sitting in front of the stove, we managed to bake cookies even though the oven door will only currently open about 5 inches.  3 burns and a few bad words later...we started the fun!!!  Today is Peppermint Whoopie Pies and Push Pin Snowflake ornaments day!!!

The Whoopie pies...well...just crazy delicious!

 And sooooo simple!  Have the children crunch up some candy canes...Lucca LOVED this job!  Mix up a quick batch of Cake Mix Cookies (I didn't roll mine in powdered sugar) and mix equal parts buttercream icing with Cool Whip (don't forget to toss some of the crushed peppermints in too).  Layer the cookies and icing and roll in the crushed peppermints!  Yum...

We also made Push Pin Ornaments...one of the cazillion ideas I have lifted from amazing blogger Erica over at Confessions of a Homeschooler.  (If you haven't read her blog...DO!)

Such an easy, fun, pretty craft.  Picked up some clear pushpins and Styrofoam balls at the dollar store.  The kids dip the pin in glue and then press into the ball.  Add a piece of ribbon with the last pin to hang it by!  They catch the light so well and are so darn cute!  Even Daddy made one...

Looking forward to the rest of the month!  I'm learning that even in the midst of chaos, there can be peace and joy!

Blessings


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Roarrrrrrrrrrrrr......

or was that a chuff?  Well, my girls can certainly answer that.  We've spent the last couple weeks with Download N Go's Terrific Tigers!  The Download N Go format is so easy to use.  If you're not a planner and so assume you could never do Unit Studies, DNG has taken all the work out of it for you!  In fact, you can buy and download at 3AM if you must (I have)! 

It's broken up into a five day format with notebook style and lapbook pages included.  You can choose to print all the pages or just print the lapbook pages.  DNG's are interactive .pdf documents.  As you go thru the pages, you can click the internet links to watch videos, read facts or find answers to specific questions.  My girls LOVE this format.  Quite frankly, I do too.  DNG's have allowed me to cover information that was otherwise getting lost in crazy, busy days.  Knowing it's all organized for me takes the pressure off me and allows me to enjoy (and learn) with my girls! 

We don't follow the DNG format exactly as it's laid out.  We tend to take 2 weeks to complete a study rather than the one it's designed for.  This just seems to work better for us and allows more time to craft and read as well.  Each DNG has a book list at the beginning.  All I have to do is jump on the library's website and order up my books.  For this study, we used allot of books...here are just a few:

My girls adored Mother to Tigers and I think Lucca has memorized The Tiger Who Came to Tea by now (I know I have)!  We even used Tiger Math to work on some graphing for Willow and counting for Lucca!
When Lucca found paper, paints and instructions on how many tiger stripes to paint in her workbox, you'd have thought she hit the lotto!

There is a Tiger Puzzle cut out page on Day One that I would flee from if ever faced with again.  Unless your children have Edward Scissorhand's skills...flee quickly!  Trust me, you'll understand! 

My very favourite part of Terrific Tigers was how well the concepts of extinction and endangered animals were addressed.  My children audibly gasped when they learned there are only 20-30 Amoy Tigers in the wild today and listened intently as they learned ways in which these amazing creatures are being bred and re-introduced into the wild.  They really grasped that these creatures are important and worth saving.  A lesson I think (and pray) they will always remember when confronted with any animal being endangered. 

Finally, our lapbooks:

Whether you are looking for in depth unit studies that can be shared around the table with children of varied ages or simple curriculum enrichment that is safe for a child to do on their own (even on the Internet), you can't go wrong with the Download N Go unit studies.  Priced at only $7.95 each, they are easily affordable whether you buy them one at a time or in a bundle!  Make sure you are a fan on Facebook and you will get the most current specials! 

I am so excited that I get to give a copy of Terrific Tigers away!  I know you will love this study as much as we did.  All you have to do is become a follower of my blog to enter.  Once you Follow Me, then leave me a comment with your email address.  You may also share this on Facebook for another entry to win.  Again, make sure you leave a comment telling me you shared!

Blessings

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Disclaimer: As a member of the DNG Review Team, I received this product, at no cost to me, in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are those of myself and/or my family.




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From the moment she was born...

everyone noticed her eyebrows. It hadn't hit me, until then, that most babies have very light or no eyebrows. Not my Willow. She came into the world brows a furled!

Beautiful.  The most perfect gift from God.  Given at the perfect time, the perfect place and the perfect way.  God named Willow before she was even a twinkle in anyone's eye. He told me she would come to me in Africa...I never dreamt she would be my own biological child. She is named after a verse in Isaiah that says, " I will bless your descendants, like willows by the watercourse.  For they are a generation of great hope."  Willow Hope, almost 10, still facing the world with brow a furled!  Thank you, Lord, for this precious child.

All things bright and beautiful...

I'm trying hard to focus on the things that I find pleasing and beautiful.  Since my brother died, life has seemed so very sad.  There are so many happy, beautiful people and things in my life and those are the images I want to concentrate on.  So this week...photos:

My husband's hands.  So kind and gentle, yet so strong.  With all the scars of his hard life, they have always sought peaceful, loving-kindness.  He taught me comfort and gentleness all through a simple touch.  A touch that has remained constant, steady, loving, reliable and kind...even when I didn't deserve it.  I've seen him hold the hands of dying people and watched him be the first to touch our sweet daughters as they came into the world...all with those hands.  Sure, he provides with them...but, more importantly, he prays with them.  Thank you, Lord, for these precious hands.

Applesauce Season...

One of the books my daughters loved most from our Autumn Treasures Unit Study was Applesauce Season.  Just a cute, fun story that my youngest asked me to read again and again.  Willow remembers having made applesauce but Lucca did not and so off to Joe Huber's Family Farm for some apple pickin'.  We met up with some dear friends of ours whom we hadn't seen in forever...we all had a great time.

Lucca, who had also very much enjoyed the stories about Johnny Appleseed, carried her sweater around on a stick and sat under the trees eating apples.  "This must be what Johnny Appleseed felt like!"  She's such a goof!

Mmmmmm Mmmmmm Mmmm,  the applesauce is cooking!  Wow does the house smell great! Thank God for the Kitchen Aid Strainer attachment!  Looks like there will be plenty for the larder!

Blessings

Workboxes and Blessing...

I am very blessed to be able to stay home with my little people.  I count it among the greatest of gifts my husband has given me. 

It is necessary for me to work part-time and, so, I simply do so from home.  I am a travel agent (between 12-3AM I like to say) with a lovely clientele and an even more amazing boss!  My clients love that I am available at crazy hours and I love that I don't have to show up (for the most part) at specific times to hold down a desk.  I have been trying to morph my schedule into one which is more humane.  You know, one that allows for more than 4 hours of sleep a night. 

One goal was to find a way to actually accomplish some work WHILE my girls school.  My eldest daughter is NOT a self-starter and has, in the past, taken any and every opportunity to disappear outside with the dogs when I take a call.  There was always something she didn't understand approximately 2 nanoseconds after I answered the phone.  We tried workboxes last year to help motivate her by making the end a tangible goal.  This worked okay...better than anything else we have tried.  Until the Laptop...

Ohhhh the Laptop.  You see using a computer in our house, especially the Laptop, is quite a privilege.  Not a privilege any 9 year old in their right mind would want to lose.  Ohhhh the laptop.  I'm thinking of naming it.  I am truly that fond of it at this point.  Blessing is a good name!?!  You see Willow will get on Blessing of her own accord and DO HER OWN WORK!  Yeppers...on her own!  The workboxes are on the curb...Blessing has taken up residence on Willow's desk and I DON'T EVEN CARE that she has hijacked my laptop!  My brilliant friend, Marcy Crabtree, over at Ben & Me gave me the idea of doing an assignment blog.  So, now, Willow signs into her own private blog and has a list of what she is to accomplish on any given day!  It's really that easy (at least right now!)

And Lucca...oh sweet Lucca...how she LOVES her workboxes.  She BEGS for her boxes...gets so excited every morning to see what there is to do.  Very much an independent, Lucca will happily work on her boxes until she needs help or she reaches a "Work with Mommy" box!  Here's Lucca showing off her counting to 100 skills...

100 Monkey Erasures lined up by 10's...love the Dollar Tree!

And so, I actually booked several clients last week DURING daylight hours which is indeed a miracle from God! 

Blessings

Fall is in the air...

Well, Fall is officially here. 

The kids love it, I'm just cold.

They keep tossing out little tidbits about Fall that they picked up when we did our Download N Go Autumn Treasures unit study.  While I shiver, I get to hear why the leaves fall, why animals are collecting nuts, how the "harvest moon" doesn't have to be orange and other juicy treasures. 

I've been awakened 4 times in the early morning hours since Fall fell so that we might go check for a harvest moon...come on already!

I did promise pictures of our Mod Podge Leaf candle holders...so here you have it!

The kids had a great time making these...a little Mod Podge, leaves and a couple Dollar Tree candle holders...it doesn't get any better than that!

While Fall is okay...I miss this:

The Last of the Roma's:  The Final Bowl of Tomato Basil Bruschetta Sauce

Did I mention I was cold? 

While I tend to function better when the days are warm and longer...I've determined to go out and enjoy both Fall and Winter this year!  (I keep thinking beach vacations would help with this...)  Off to Huber's this week to pick apples and pumpkins!  We'll be making applesauce and apple butter... (has anyone noticed my life revolves around food?  Just sayin...)  Mostly I am going to try and remember it's not always about the details...and I'm going to try and let a few of those go!

Blessings

Review: Download N Go Autumn Treasures

It's such fun to review a product when your kids LOVE it.  We have been doing many of The Old Schoolhouse's Download N Go Unit Studies lately and my kids are crazy about them!  Autumn Treasures has been no exception.  This unit study focuses on the following:

Monday, Day 1:  What is Autumn?
Tuesday, Day 2:  Science Secrets of Autumn
Wednesday, Day 3:  People and Places of Autumn
Thursday, Day 4:  Time for Tips and Treasures of Autumn
Friday, Day 5:  Goodies and Gadgets of Autumn (Fridays are fun days!)
Plus there are additional fun family ideas: projects, crafts, and recipes.

This study was a fun way to recognize the changing season and eat some good food!  What my girls loved most about this study seems to have been food related.  They loved pumpkin oatmeal, caramel "ears" of popcorn, pumpkin seeds, the history of candy corn and are looking so forward to our trip to the apple orchard next week...they are already planning for Caramel Apples.  We also made leaf candle holders which was great fun (pictures coming soon!) 

I also love that the Download N Go's have a book list so that you can easily order your library books all at once.  My girls really enjoyed the books that went along with this study.  Their favourites were "Apples" and "From Seed to Pumpkin!"  We did allot of snugly reading.

My eldest daughter summed this unit study up... "I'm so glad we get to do this instead of school!"  It doesn't get any better than that!

There's no better time for this unit study than now AND it's 20% OFF for the Autumn Equinox!
 http://downloadngo.com/AutumnTreasures.php




Disclaimer: As a member of the DNG Review Team, I received this product, at no cost to me, in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are those of myself and/or my family.

Letting Go...

Life has been a whirlwind since returning home from Florida.  Within days of our return, my baby brother was in a fatal car accident.  As you can imagine, everything I know has been turned upside down.  After life held me upside down by the belt loops and shook me, only the important things remained.  My pockets were overflowing before my brother, John, died.  But now, the superfluous is gone.  No longer will I stuff my life full of things I'm not crazy, passionate about.  So, here's how the cards fell:

1. God wins...even in the midst of the storm.  Even when we don't understand.
2. I adore my husband and my children.  They are why I breathe. They are gifts and I will treasure them more.
3.  My family may have their flaws but they are part of the very tapestry of who I am and I love them. 
4.  My friends are gifts to me...I plan to tell them that more often.
5.  I will no longer be overwhelmed (and over-run) by "stuff" that I may need next month or year.  Next month or year may not come.  If they do and I need said "stuff", there's always The Goodwill!  Living amongst the stuff is not worth the effort.
5.  I will simplify.

My brother was 34 years old and had married the love of his life last October.  He was happy!  He had a wife and 2 children (9, 14) whom he adored.  He was killed in a freak, single car accident.  He was not drinking, smoking or texting.  He was driving to work...probably singing some really, bad country song.  He didn't know when he kissed his wife goodbye that it would be last time...neither did she.  John was a good man, he loved God, his family and his truck!  I am grateful for having had him. 

In loving memory:

John Clinton Mouser II

1975-2010

You made the kids do what???

Well, we've done the unthinkable.  We have schooled while on vacation...and the children loved it!  We had our "wrap" party for our Seashell Unit Study tonight (shout out to Amanda Bennett's Download 'N Go Unit Studies!)

 Here are the girls with their finished Lapbooks!

Dinner was a little crazy...we had octopus bratwursts and seashell cupcakes for dessert.  I told the girls we were having octopus for dinner so that they could say they had truly experienced a cephalopod in every aspect! Lucca volunteered to fast dinner! They were so relieved when they actually saw dinner...

Tasty Cephalopods!

Cupcake kudos go to this neat lady...I don't know her, but I know I'd like her!  Her ideas are amazing!

http://www.walkingbytheway.com/blog

Seashell Cupcakes

The lapbooks turned out too cute...

They also made these cute seashell boxes.  They are only allowed to bring home as many shells as fit in the box!  How's that for some planning ahead Mommy thinkin'???

Willow's Shell Box

Lucca's Shell Box

I also laminated a Quick Shell Identification Guide for each child...they loved having their own and even created a pocket in their lapbooks for it!

I am trying so hard to re-define school and this has been such a lovely start.  I found school boring and oftentimes ridiculous.  I have enjoyed no part of my didactic years (and there have been MANY of them.)  I look forward to seeing my girls loving learning.  My goal as a homeschooling mom is to instill the 3 most basic tenants there are:  to love God, to love others and to love learning. We're off to a good start this year!

Disclaimer: I take NO responsibility (even though she IS my child) for Lucca's pony tail.  That's a look (sure is a look) that she is perfecting herself and I have nothing to do with nor do I plan to ever have anything to do with!

For the joy of it...

For so many years, I have sought Joy. As a teenager, I believed Joy came with age.  As a college student, I believed it came from the self-help aisle.  As a young adult, I found glimpses of it in God's goodness.  I saw it in the faces of African children, in the integrity of the poor man, in my gift of a husband.  I knew Joy the moment my first child was born.  There was no question.  I was, however, surprised that Joy wasn't a permanent state.   All my life, it seems, I have sought something that, perhaps, was meant to only be fleeting.

And then it became clear...

While watching my sweet little girls chase seagulls on the beach, I realized Joy is available to us anytime we choose it.  I asked the girls, "why chase the seagulls?"  Their answer: "For the Joy of it, Mommy!"

Joy is not to be sought, but to be reveled in.  It's everywhere! I'm learning to soak it up...

We're going to trek down the shore in the dark tonight looking for turtle hatchlings...I'm sure we will be eaten alive by bugs, attacked by ghost crabs and end up sandy and wet... 

We are all looking forward to it...for the Joy of it!

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