The Fantastic Five

Pretty as a Picture

2012-01-28T15:58:00.003-10:00

We took the kiddos to Sears to get

their pictures made today,

and they were so cooperative!

I wanted to show off

some of my favorite poses from the sessions...

It is A LOT easier having a group picture taken of a

9, 7, and 6 year old than a

4, 2, and 1 year old-

Ah, the "good old days"... ;0)

January 21st-27th

2012-01-27T00:10:00.000-10:00

Oh yes-

we had some lovely sunshine

and 60 degree weather this week,

which led to some good activity around here...

On the homeschool front,

we've been:

*Celebrating Chinese New Year

*Writing stories on the iPad

(SERIOUSLY, Jungle Girl is writing

what seems like a novel-

I LOVE it when they take the initiative to

work on their own!)

*Getting our general learning "groove" on

*******************************

The sunshine got us OUTSIDE,

which inspired cleaning out the garage,

which inspired a renewed interest

in the dress-up clothes in the garage.

********************************

I got to get out of the house

for some fun, too,

with a

"Girls Night Out"

get together put on by our

homeschool group.

It-was-lovely...

******************************

Pretty much an "uneventful" week,

and I enjoyed every second of it...

******************************

For a play-by-play of the photos,

click HERE...

*****************************

I will be linking this up at

Week in Review

and the

Weekly Wrap-Up.

Magnetic Door Play

2012-01-27T00:00:00.000-10:00

OK,

Can I tell how much we love having

a metallic front door?

We use the back of the door

often in our schooling.

It displays different maps and posters...

...such as our

All About Reading Lowercase Letters Poster.

Since the door is magnetic,

we have recently been enjoying using magnets

on our alphabet poster...

...to match upper case letter magnets

to the lowercase letters on the poster.

***********************************************

Today,

I gave Smiley B a few "snowmen parts" magnets

to have a little "dress-up fun"

with our letter characters...

The "Itchy" puppy

got fitted for a walk in the snow...

The Otter got a pair of shades to show off

his playful side...

What "Queen" Bee wouldn't want to dress like

Santa?

And, finally...

Don't you think every sunset should have a smile? :0)

*********************************************

Check out more fun for Preschoolers

over at the

Preschool Corner...

Simple "Snow"

2012-01-26T12:05:00.000-10:00

This month our Explorer Box was

SO SIMPLE

to put together...

The theme for January is snow,

so I just gathered up some...

...(cornstarch?) packing peanuts,

snow flake ornaments, and

a couple of plastic shovels

to create some easy pint-sized fun.

Smiley B has enjoyed...

..."swishing" the snow...

..."swinging" the snow...

...and "shoveling" the snow...

*************************************

Linking up with
It's Playtime!

Bible Alive! Tuesday: Throw-up?!?!?

2012-01-24T19:28:00.000-10:00

^{This past month at church,}

^{we have been studying Proverbs,}

^{with a focus on the virtue of}

^{Self-Control.}

^{Each week, a different Proverb.}

^{Each week, a different aspect of self-control.}

^{This past week,}

^{Proverbs 25:16 was our focus:}

^{"If you find honey,}

^{eat just enough.}

^{If you eat too much of it,}

^{you will throw up."}

Say WHAT?!?!?

Throw-up?!?!?

Yup,

we are gonna talk about throw-up today kiddos...

***********************************************

We discussed how too much of something

can be really bad for you..

We all need to know when to STOP.

***********************************************

To illustrate the point further,

I read Eric Carle's...

...The Very Hungry Caterpillar.

After reading the story,

I emphasized to the kiddos the part of the story

in which the caterpillar gets a stomachache

after he eats a succession of foods in one day.

If he had known when the STOP,

he wouldn't have gotten a stomachache.

***********************************************

The kiddos then created...

...some "caterpillar art" as a reminder of the

day's lesson...

I gave them all a copy of the verse...

(You can download a copy by clicking HERE.)

...glue sticks...

...red, green, and small yellow paper circles...

...and markers.

They then created...

...their own caterpillars...

...which they can use as a reminder...

...to know when to STOP!

******************************************

So how have you been making the Bible

come Alive! for your kiddos?

Please link up your fun below...

*****************************************

January 14th-20th

2012-01-20T00:00:00.000-10:00

This past week began with wedding bells...

...for my brother.

My husband and son were groomsmen,

and the girls were flower girls.

It was a sweet, simple ceremony,

and now my brother is happily hitched

and living in New Jersey

with his new wife

and her twin 3 year old boys.

After all the

marriage "stuff" over the weekend,

I was pretty tired on Monday.

I watched my extra kiddos

and slowly got our family back into

a school schedule.

I must say,

I am looking forward to a relaxing

weekend at home...

******************************

For a detailed photo play-by-play,

click HERE...

*******************************

Linking up

with the

Week in Review

and the

Weekly Wrap-Up...

I'm blushing...

2012-01-19T16:11:00.000-10:00

I received an email today

that left me smiling from

ear to ear...

I have been put on

Teacher Certification Degrees'

Top 100 List

for Homeschool Blogs!!!

This site is a great resource

for teachers in all areas.

On their site it says:

"Our lists of top teaching blogs provide

an inside look into the thoughts and classrooms

of successful teachers who work to help students

reach their academic potential.

These top teacher bloggers share

helpful ideas, resources, and experiences

that can help future and existing teachers

be more successful."

The different lists teachers

can draw from on this site include:

Top 100 Homeschool Blogs
Top 50 Early Childhood Education Blogs
Top 50 Elementary Teacher Blogs
Top 50 Teacher Blogs by Innovative Educators
Top 50 School Library Blogs
Top 50 Science Teacher Blogs
Top 50 School Technology Blogs

I really blushed when I read the email,

because my blog is listed

amongst the likes of:

Adventures in Mommydom

Almost Unschoolers

All Things Beautiful

Spell Outloud

Confessions of a Homeschooler

Delightful Learning

The Homeschool Village

Homeschool Creations

The Homeschool Classroom

The Crafty Classroom

No Time for Flashcards

Heart of the Matter

Weird, Unsocialized Homeschoolers

Our Busy Homeschool

ABC and 123

Mama Jenn

There are many other lovely blogs

listed in this collection,

so please check the list out...

And THANK YOU

Teacher Certification Degree-

I am truly honored!

Could I Perhaps Have a Small Smackerel of Honey?

2012-01-19T04:48:00.001-10:00

Yesterday was Winnie the Pooh Day,

so...

...in honor of the bear with

an insatiable appetite for honey...

...we had a special

Pooh-themed lunch.

The menu included:

Pooh Bear Sandwiches

Red Pepper Umbrella,

(with a a few baby carrots)

reminiscent of Christopher Robin's umbrella

Honey-Nut Cheerios

Apples Slices with Honey to dip them in

*****************************************

This lunch...

...took care of all...

...the "rumblies in our tumblies"...

(Well, at least those of us

who could eat the lunch...)

Oh, and apparently honey...

...can have some strange side effects...

...on little boys... ;0)

*********************************

This will be linked up to

Muffin Tin Monday...

January 7th-13th

2012-01-13T04:30:00.000-10:00

Sometimes I wonder WHY I try to plan anything.

This past week one was one of THOSE weeks...

It began pretty normally,
with a wise use of weekend time,
which included finishing putting up the Christmas decor
and getting our workboxes set up for Monday's Homeschool.

We even had a guy come and power wash
the outside of our house-

I was ripped and raring to go!

Then, about 3am on Monday,
I woke up with the chills.

And the aches.

I could NOT get comfortable.

I did not go back to sleep.

We cancelled all the kiddos I watch on Monday,
(which is three, besides my own)
and my sweet husband stayed home from work
to watch our kiddos.

I went to see my
friendly neighborhood Physician's assistant
only to discover I had a virus.

Rest, he says.

And it will probably get worse before it gets better.

He was right,
because the NEXT day I woke up
with a horrendous red rash all over my body.

Head-to-knee cap.

I looked like Bob the Tomato.

Guess what?

Not only did I have a virus,
but I was also having an allergic reaction to the
antibiotic I was finishing from
"The Zit that Wouldn't Heal."

I-just-can't-catch-a-break.

I am about back to normal now,
so it's all good,
but no school was accomplished this week.

At least the workboxes are still ready to go
for THIS Monday... ;0)

Click HERE for a photo play-by-play...

*****************************************

Linking up to:

Week in Review

and

Weekly Wrap-Up...

From the Smart Phone to...SNOW!!!

2012-01-12T19:58:00.000-10:00

From the Smart Phone...

...to...

...SNOW!!! :0)

Sweet Shacks

2012-01-09T18:11:00.001-10:00

We made some

"Sweet Shacks"

over our Christmas break

in hopes of using up some of the

gobs of candy we have laying around the house...

I don't think we even put a dent in our candy stash!

Why do I call these confectioner's creations

"Sweet Shacks" and not

Gingerbread Houses?

Because I used graham crackers,

not gingerbread,

and hot glue to create the houses.

(I got the idea over on This Little Project...)

The kiddos had a great time being creative

and licking the icing off their fingers...

Here are the final results:

Smiley B

Little Wild Man

Eep

(one of our neighborhood buddies)

Jungle Girl

Baby Girl

Hmmmm-

now I feel like I need to eat a candy bar...

December 31st-January 6th

2012-01-06T09:29:00.000-10:00

I take A LOTTA pictures throughout the week,

but I do not always do something with them...

Well, that's gonna change...

For the past three years, I have watched

Whimsy Love

post about her life, weekly, in pictures.

I find that uber-cool.

So, I am gonna play along with her

weekly Flickr group.

**********************************************

Week 1

(December 31st-January 6th)

This "almost" first full week of January began

with my birthday,

(yup, I'm a New Year's baby)

and I spent it recovering from a bit

of a Staph Infection.

(You can read more about that "fun" experience

by clicking HERE.)

When I finally started feeling better,

(thank you antibiotics!)

I began to

S-L-O-W-L-Y

pack up all the Christmas decor

and put up some snowmen.

I was extra inspired to pull out the snowmen

since we actually had a dusting of SNOW

here in East Tennessee on Tuesday evening.

We also went to my parents' house and had

our FINAL Christmas celebration...

(My mother was in the hospital over Christmas-

you can read all about that by clicking HERE)

...AND had a bit of birthday cake,

in honor of my 35th birthday,

and our family friend's 45th birthday.

Fun week-

busy week-

and I am now ready to get back into a

routine next week...

Click HERE for a photo play-by-play...

*****************************************

Linking up at:

Week in Review
and
Weekly Wrap-Up

The Zit That Wouldn't Heal

2012-01-05T10:47:00.000-10:00

OK,

ya know when your mom would tell you

to stop picking at your zits-

picking will only make it worse?

There is a definite truth to this statement,

which I discovered a week or so ago...

************************************

About the Tuesday after Christmas,

I discovered the beginnings of what I think

was a zit,

on my scalp, right behind my bang line.

It hurt, was annoying,

so I continued about my daily

"beauty" routine and just added

some zit creme to the area.

I thought this would

eventually take care of it.

Well, it didn't.

The zit got scratched

(probably when I washed my hair)

and continued to get worse.

So bad, in fact, that by Thursday evening

my neck was sore,

and by Friday morning my neck lymph glands

were knotty.

I started running a low-grade temperature,

and just felt lousy.

By Saturday,

my husband took my to the clinic at Walgreens,

where, after sitting for 4 hours,

I was diagnosed with a Staph Infection

caused by the ZIT.

Stinkin' ZIT!

**************************************

After the Physician's Assistant

cleaned out my wound,

(YE-OUCH!!!)

I went home with a good dose

of antibiotics...

...and a few other supplies

to keep the are cleaned,

3x's a day.

Here's a picture of what it looked like...

...by Monday.

Gross, huh?

I am about healed now,

with just a scab on my head.

And, what have I learned form this experience?

The next time I ever have a zit in my hair,

I am going to just shave off all hair

until it goes away... ;0)

New Year...

2011-12-31T15:11:00.002-10:00

The beginning of a new year is always a good time

for me to reflect and rejuice-

reevaluate goals and plan for the year ahead.

Here's to another year-

I hope it finds you together with the people you

care about the most about...

Christmas in the East Wing

2011-12-27T17:10:00.002-10:00

Our Christmas holiday was good,

but there were some adjustments

that had to be made to our original plans...

See,

my mother went into the hospital

a week ago

with a SEVERE headache

and

blood pressure ranging in the 220's to 240's.

Throughout the week,

it became obvious she was not going to

be able to be home for Christmas,

so here's how we tried to make

"lemons into lemonade"...

*****************************************

Our Christmas Eve,

our evening church service helped

get us all into the Christmas Spirit...

...with sweet shepherds...

...and adorable angels.

***********************************************

After the program,

we all

(the kiddos, me, Super Dad, and his parents)

left the church and went...

...straight to the hospital to visit my mom and dad.

This was the first time the kiddos got to see

their Marmee since she was admitted

to the hospital,

and I think it helped lift her spirits a bit...

*******************************************

After the hospital,

we went home and let the kiddos...

...~~demolish~~, er, open one present before bed...

...and set out some

Peppermint Fudge and Diet Coke

out for Santa.

(Oh yes-

no milk in cookies in our house-

Santa likes to "mix it up"

every now and again...)

*********************************************

Christmas morning brought...

...gift opening...

...and worship with our church family.

And eating at the local Chinese Buffet.

Oh yes-

a good

fa-ra-ra-ra-ra time

was had by all.

Normally,

we would spend the afternoon or evening

at my parents' house,

eating a more traditional meal,

but this was nice too.

We spent the rest of the day

being lazy,

playing with our new toys,

and enjoying each others' company.

********************************

And now we arrive

at TODAY'S Christmas celebration...

...in the East Wing of the hospital.

My mom is slowly stabilizing...

...so we took all the gifts my parents

had to give everyone...

...and had a good time...

...continuing the Christmas celebration.

Imagine the nurse's surprise

when she came in to take my mother's vitals...

...and she discovered a stable

set up on the hospital floor.

Different,

but good,

just like our

Christmas 2011 has been in

The Fantastic Five Household...

Boy, Oh Boy!

2011-12-22T18:06:00.003-10:00

Boys...

'Nuf said.

Christmas Countdown Days 17 and 19

2011-12-22T17:49:00.002-10:00

Days 17 and 19

Well,

these days are probably going to be our

last days to complete the crafts from the

Truth in the Tinsel

activity book,

but we will be continuing

the scripture readings and discussions...

(Our Christmas Crazy Schedule

will not allow the time for more crafty fun!) ;0)

So,

onto our last advent crafts

for this Christmas Season...

**********************************

When the kiddos found our elf, Chester,

hanging out...

...in a book about the shepherds

visiting Baby Jesus,

it took 'em two seconds to figure out

what part of the Christmas Story

we would be discussing that day.

After reading Luke 2:8-20,

we got busy making

sheep, angels, and shepherds...

(Read about our angel craft by clicking HERE.)

For our sheep,

we put a spin on the "classic"

Cotton Ball Sheep Handprint Ornament

by using...

...packing peanuts instead of cotton.

We used packing peanuts that were made

out of starch (I think) instead of

Styrofoam,

which meant we could just...

...lick 'em...

...and stick 'em!

Much fun was had by all,

including...

...Lucy Doll,

Jungle Girl's 1st sewing machine project.

Lucy INSISTED on trying to make a sheep...

...all by herself,

but she soon discovered...

...that dolls don't have the ability to

lick and stick! ;0)

Here is our flock, ready to be tended to...

...by our paper shepherds.

********************************

We have SO ENJOYED the

Truth in the Tinsel

advent activity book!

If y'all need something

to help focus your kiddos on

the reason for the season

next year,

please check into it!

You won't regret it...

Christmas Coutdown Day 18 (Flower Angel Tutorial)

2011-12-20T05:19:00.001-10:00

Again,

we chose to do our advent activities from

Truth in the Tinsel

a little differently than suggested,

so I writing a post about Day 18 before Day 17.

Please bare with me... :0)

**************************************

Day 18: Angels

Angels are all so busy throughout the

Christmas story,

from delivering messages to

singing the Baby Savior's praises...

This past Sunday,

we chose to focus on the angels

who delivered an important message to

a group of Shepherds,

who were watching their flocks by night...

**************************************

After telling this story to my kiddos,

as well as my K-1 Sunday School class,

we made...

...Flower Angel Ornaments

as a reminder of those glorious messengers.

Here are a bunch of angel bodies,

ready to be finished.

(I pre-made all the ornament bodies

since I would be working with a group

young kiddos-

this made the process go

MUCH quicker...)

Here's how I put the bodies together:

Pull apart whatever kind fake flower

you would like to use for your angel.

I used white poinsettias which I bought

from The Dollar Tree.

Discard the inner parts

and desice how your want your flower petals

to be rearranged.

I like my smaller petals on top of the larger ones.

Using craft glue,

begin gluing the petals onto a round wooden bead,

that has a flat bottom.

Glue the under lay of the petals on to the smaller layer...

...and let the body dry.

***********************************************

At this point,

I then took the dried, pre-assembled bodies

into my K-1 Sunday School class,

ready to be finished.

The first thing I had the kiddos do

was use permanent markers to created faces,

and even decorate the bodies,

of the angel ornaments.

Here is one little sweet cherub face...

********************************************

After the faces are complete,

continue piecing the angel together...

Next, using two petals from another fake flower...

...glue them onto the back of the angel's head...

...to create the angel wings.

Glue on a yarn hanger...

...to the back of the angel's head.

To complete the angel...

...take a little pipe cleaner halo...

...and glue it to the top of the angel's head.

Once it dries...

...your angel is ready to declare the good news

on your Christmas tree!

*******************************************

Oh, before I close this post,

I had to show off a couple of the angels

my K-1st graders decorated...

They remind me of those

little shoulder angels

cartoon characters see when they are

having a moral dilemma.

Please meet...

"Good" Angel

vs.

Bad Angel

(Hee! Hee!)

TOS Crew Review: World's Greatest Stories

2011-12-20T01:00:00.000-10:00

The World's Greatest Stories

are a series of recordings of,

well,

the GREATEST script every written-

The Bible.

Our family received a copy of the

New International Version of...

...The Prophets.

This CD contains the Biblical stories of:

The Blazing Furnace

(Daniel 3)

The Handwriting on the Wall
(Daniel 5)

Daniel in the Lion's Den
(Daniel 6)

Elijah & the Prophets of Baal
(I Kings 17-18)

The Prophecy of Jonah

(The Book of Jonah)

We are finding the Prophecy of Jonah

especially useful right now

because our Spring Children's Church Musical

is all about the prophet Jonah.

George Sarris,

the narrator of the the series,

REALLY makes the stories some ALIVE,

which is important in this fast-paced,

entertainment-driven society.

I truly believe,

based upon my kiddos' positive reactions,

that these "simple" CD's

would make an excellent addition

to anyone's Bible studies.

With over 20 stories recorded,

and many others in production,

I can truly see our family ordering more of these

CD's in the future-

and at only $7.95 a CD,

I find this investment eternally benefical

for us all!

***********************************

To check out other TOS Crew reviews

of this product, click HERE...

*********************************

Disclaimer: I received this product free for my

open and honest review.

I was not compensated in any other way.

TOS Crew Review: Vintage Remedies

2011-12-17T23:00:00.000-10:00

As this new year is coming to a close,

I tend to get in a reflective mood,

and look towards setting goals

for the new year,

so when we received...

...Vintage Remedies for Kids

Jessie Hawkins,

I was reminded how badly we need to

tweak our eating habits

in this household.

We can be rather a mess sometimes

when it comes to our diet.

We love our sweets,

and baked goodies,

and McDonald's bags have been seen

littering the inside of our van.

That being said,

we also enjoy eating fruits and veggies,

so this book is giving us all a new

wind to change our lifestyle....

Hopefully...

*********************************************

So,

how is this book set up?

It is not a picture book,

but rather a "textbookish" guide to use

as a catalyst for discussion with your kiddos.

When the kiddos and I went through...

...Chapter Two: Natural Candy-Fruit,

I read aloud a section provided which helped explain

such concepts as

"nutrients" and "fiber."

Afterwards...

...we discussed questions provided at the end of the text.

Both the reading and the the questions

brought times tot he kiddos' minds in which

we have used fruit in different aspects

of our daily lives and homeschooling.

This discussion included references to:

1. A day at a local apple orchard...

...to pick apples for making apple butter.

2. An apple tasting day...

at home.

3. Bringing home berries from the local

Farmer's Market ...

...to make loads of homemade freezer jam.

*******************************************

The end of each chapter has different activities suggested

to reinforce the concepts learned in the chapter...

...like making "Fruit Ice Cream."

(We haven't tried this recipe yet,

but I think when the weather warms again

we will be getting some berries together

for this treat!)

*********************************************

Now,

like I said before,

we are trying to ease more into

a healthy lifestyle,

so this book is a perfect tool for us.

I know that many of you granola Mommies

out there will have no need for a book like this,

because you are already teaching your kiddos

all this wonderful information daily.

But for those of you who need help

moving yourself and your kiddos

towards a healthier lifestyle,

please check out this book,

as well as many other useful products,

by clicking HERE.

This book is only

$25.00,

whcih seems pretty reasonable to me,

especially if it enables a family

to be healthier.

And,

not to be flip,

but who can really put a price on

good health? ;0)

****************************************

Check out other TOS Crew reviews of this book

by clicking HERE...

***************************************

Disclaimer: I received this product free in exchange

for my open and honest review.

I was not compensated in any other way.

Christmas Dance Par-tay!!!

2011-12-16T20:53:00.000-10:00

Today the girls had their annual

Christmas Party...

...where they got to show us all

a bit of what they have been learning this semester.

With the support of their adoring fans,

the girls did a great job on their

individual dance compositions...

(We were all so proud of 'em!)

*****************************************

Baby Girl's solo was first...

(You can see her dance in the above video clip.)

****************************************

Jungle Girl's was later...

(You can see her dance in the above video clip.)

**************************************

Thank you, Miss Amy...

...for continuing to teach my girlies

the beauty and grace of dance!

Christmas Countdown Days 12, 14, 15, and 16

2011-12-16T20:21:00.002-10:00

We are all caught up with our

Advent Calendar today-

YAHOO!

And, I must say, the closer

we get to Christmas,

the more I continue to ENJOY these

activities...

************************************

Day 12: Census

On the morning of Day 12,

kiddos found Chester...

...playing with an abacus.

Chester was hinting towards

the fact that we were going to talk about the

census that Caesar Augustus

took the year of Jesus' birth.

***************************************

After re-reading Luke 2:1-7,

Truth in the Tinsel suggested making an

"I Spy" type ornament,

which we did,

with a few modifications...

The kiddos drew faces on two wooden beads...

...to represent Mary and Joseph.

Then they placed the travelers in a

clear plastic ornament...

...filled it with rice...

...and decorated the outside of the ornament

with paint pen pictures

of Bethlehem buildings.

(I wonder if Mary and Joseph felt like

a tiny grain of rice in a sea of people

when they arrived in Bethlehem

for the census...)

************************************

Day 14: Stable

On the morning of the 14th...

...Chester was hanging out in the

Christmas Tree...

...near the stable ornament.

The kiddos made a "modern" stable ornament for

this day...

...by decorating a small wooden barn with paint pens.

*******************************************

Day 15: Manger

Day 16: Clothes

On Day 16, we found Chester all

nice a cozy...

...wrapped up in a baby quilt,

and lying in Baby Blue's Bouncy Seat.

These days' ornaments were combined

into one,

starting with...

...painting an egg carton section,

which became a mini-manger.

Next...

...the kiddos glued yarn into the cups...

...to complete their mangers.

To create Day's 16 section of the ornament...

...they began by creating a mini baby Jesus...

...out of beads.

Once they babies were dry..

...they were wrapped in cloth...

...glued...

...and placed in their mangers.

Now,

bring on Day 17...

Christmas Countdown Days 9, 10, 11, and 13

2011-12-15T06:40:00.000-10:00

Wow-wee!

The Christmas Crunch is upon us

here in

The Fantastic Five Household,

so we have had to find new ways to

incorporate all the activities from our

Truth in the Tinsel

advent calendar...

************************************

Our elf, Chester,

has still been appearing each morning

in a new spot...

...trying to give the kiddos hints about

what part of the Biblical Christmas Story

our Advent Calendar will talk about for the day.

(He is laying on a pillow here to hint about Day 10,

which is all about Dreams,

specifically about Joseph's dream

in Matthew 1:18-25...)

******************************************

So,

how did we fit in

making 4 ornaments into one day?

With the use of Pearler Beads,

of course!

We really love all that you can do with

Pearler Beads...

The kiddos each did

a few different designs...

...to represent...

...the days of the Advent Calendar.

Here are their final creations...

Day 9: Joseph

Day 10: Dreams

(These are pillows...)

Day 11: The Name of Jesus

Can you see...

...Messiah's name?

Day 13: Bethleham

(We saved Day 12- The Census- to go with

Days 14-16 since all of them apply to the same

passage of scripture.)

The kiddos are very proud of their designs-

and I am too! :0)

Happy Birthday, Little Wild Man!!!

2011-12-14T15:29:00.001-10:00

Begin the day with star-shaped balloons...

...that are tied down with ducks seen in cartoons.

Enjoy lunch on colorful plates...

...with silly snowmen instead of cake.

Take a big breath to blow a candle out-

That's what birthdays are all about!

Happy (late) Birthday,

Little Wild Man!

I am so glad that on

December 12th, 2005,

you brought

more testosterone into our home...

************************************

(To see how we celebrated our little Jedi's

birthday this year,

click HERE to read all about his

Star Wars Birthday Party.)

Star Wars B-Day Party

2011-12-14T15:29:00.000-10:00

This past Friday,
we were partying like only
the Jedi can...

...to celebrate Little Wild Man's 6th birthday!

As each kiddo entered the party,
he/she received a...

...Jedi Training List.

(You can download a copy by clicking HERE.)

The list contained all the actitivies
(training exercises)
the kiddos had to complete in order to earn
a Jedi Prize Pack by the end of the party.

The checklist included:

1. Navigate the Stars

(By Painting a Star Ornament)

(Apparently tickling is important to the
painting process...)

2. Create Order from the Chaos
(Using Galactic Play Dough)

3. Devour the Death Star Pizza

4. Repair R2D2

In order to play this game,
the kiddos each got three batteries,
which they tried to...

...toss into R2D2's body.

Our winner...

...was able to sink two of the three batteries!

5. Light Saber Balloon Balancing

After receiving a "light saber"
(aka Large Glow Stick),
and a black balloon...

...the lights were turned off
(except for these little touch lights)...

...and the kiddos tried to keep their balloons in the air
for a long a s possible
with the use of their "light sabers."

Our winner was quite excited with his prize...

6. Refuel with Light Saber Cupcakes

Yummmmmmm.....

7. Guard Jedi "Little Wild Man" as He Opens his Gifts

The kiddos have NO PROBLEM helping the birthday
get into his gifts-
I thought I needed to protect him from his friends! ;0)

I am so glad

I caught this facial expression on camera-

priceless!

After fulfilling the training requirements,

I held a mini-Awards Ceremony-

complete with the Star Wars Theme Song.

All of the Jedis received a medal...

...and a treat bag, which contained...

...Starbursts, Milky Ways,

Star Wars Fruit Roll Ups, Star Stickers and...

...a Star Wars Candy Fan.

(The boys received Darth Vader and

the girls received Princess Leia.)

Oh my Little Wild Man...

...may the force be with you as you

INSIST on growing up...

*SIGH*

************************************

Check out the following links to find my

inspiration for some of the party ideas:

Jedi Training Checklist

Galactic Play Dough

Repair R2D2

Light Saber Balloon Balancing and Jedi Prize Pack

Light Saber Cupcakes

TOS Crew Review: I See Cards- Fractazmic

2011-12-13T19:33:00.000-10:00

Jungle Girl is beginning to learn about fractions,

and let me say,

when we received...

...Fractazmic from

"i see cards" to review,

I couldn't have been more RELIEVED!

Math-

it ain't my strong suit-

so anything I can use to make it more FUN

for the kiddos

(and MYSELF)

is always a welcomed addition

in this household-

and since we have also enjoyed playing

Pyramath from "i see cards,"

we were NOT disappointed...

**********************************************

The game is a pretty simple,

and yet highly effective.

There are...

...three different sets of cards in the deck:

10ths, 12ths, and 16ths.

Mix 'em all up, deal 7 cards to each player,

and try to use those cards to create

different combinations of fractions and

make the number one.

If you can't make the number one,

discard and...

...pick a new card.

Play continues like this until

one player doesn't have any more matches.

The player with the most matches at this point

is the winner.

**********************************************

Now, we modified this regular version

since Jungle Girl is just beginning work with fractions.

We just used the 12th's set,

which was awesome because of the

excellent illustrations.

The concept of a dozen eggs is very relatable

to Jungle Girl,

so adding the eggs together

on the different fraction cards

REALLY strengthened her

fraction understanding...

(No, seriously, I promise it did!) ;0)

I also used the different card sets to show her...

...different ways to make fractions.

And since the game is only $6.95...

...it is well worth looking into!

************************************

To check out other TOS Crew Reviews of this

product,

click HERE...

************************************

Disclaimer: I received this product free

for my open and honest review.

I was not compensated in any other way.

Christmas Countdown Day 8

2011-12-08T16:03:00.001-10:00

Day 8

Chester left the kiddos a rather "coded" clue

as a hint for our advent activities today.

They found him lying on a plaque

I keep in the kitchen which reads...

..."Mothers of little boys work from

son up to son down!"

Gold chocolate coins covered the words

"son"...

...as well as formed an arrow pointing towards

the sign.

The clues were alluding to the image Zachariah gives

when he prophesies about Jesus' birth-

how he will bring light to the world,

like the SUN...

We made the ornament described in

Truth in the Tinsel,

with one modification...

We used GLITTER!

Sure, hands

(and the table and the floor)

were covered with glitter when the kiddos

were done...

...but the results were super shiny!

Besides, glitter...

...IS washable,

after all!

Christmas Countdown Day 7

2011-12-07T15:11:00.000-10:00

Day 7

began with our silly little elf

waiting for the kiddos...

...with three dapper looking friends.

The Nutcrackers were gifts for the kiddos...

...in order to prepare them for the evening's festivities...

...a local production of

The Nutcracker on Ice.

We went to support our
Mimi...

She is the girl on the right.

We also went to support her sister,

but my camera battery DIED

at the beginning of the performance...

*SIGH*

****************************************

Since we had such a busy day yesterday,

we combined yesterday and today's

Truth in the Tinsel

advent activities into one lesson.

First, we read Mary's Song

and discussed the reasons Mary

had to praise God.

Then...

...using old CD's...

...sequins...

...and glue...

...the kiddos created the day's

ornament...

...as a reminder of Mary's praises.

Christmas Countdown Day 6

2011-12-06T18:29:00.001-10:00

Day 6

Our day started with Chester...

...hanging out with the family photos.

He also brought the kiddos...

...jingle bells from the
"big elf" himself!

The reason Chester was hanging out with our

family photos was because we talked about

Mary and Elizabeth in our

Advent time today,

cousins with A LOT in common...

**************************************

The Truth in Tinsel

activity for this story...

...was to make...

...Mary and Elizabeth paper doll ornaments.

The kiddos even gave their dolls...

...cute little pregnant bellies.

And, I don't know...

...something was in the paint they used...

...'cause the kiddos got a little loopy during our

activity time.

Just check out...

...their "retelling" of the Bible story...

Oh. My.

Prep and Landing Movie Snack

2011-12-06T16:41:00.001-10:00

Last night was the premier episode of Disney's

second installment of...

...Prep and Landing:

Naughty vs. Nice.

In this movie, we get to know more about

elf operative Wayne

when we are introduced to...

...his brother, Noel.

A GREAT movie
for siblings to watch together...

So, to celebrate the premier,

I made the kiddos a special little snack,

which was loosely based on...

...the elves' Gingerbread Man Scanners.

I prepared THESE

Easy 4 Ingredient Blondies...

Then I cut them into Gingerbread Man shapes...

Stuck on some candy "buttons"...

...and added a glass of milk.

SO easy.

SO yummy.

Christmas Countdown Day 5

2011-12-05T17:42:00.001-10:00

Day 5

Chess was hiding behind...

...Mary, the mother of Jesus,

this morning.

The kiddos were pretty quick to guess

that we were going to talk about her today,

based on his hiding spot.

After reading about Mary...

...the kiddos began work...

...making their...

...Mary ornaments.

Oh yeah...

...Mary could sure rock a head covering!

Christmas Countdown Day 4

2011-12-05T17:28:00.001-10:00

Day 4

Chester planted himself...

...on the top of our STILL undecorated

Christmas tree,

hoping the kiddos would figure out that

since we usually have an angel on top of our

Christmas tree,

the advent calendar lesson of the day

was going to be about the

Angel Gabriel...

In honor of Gabriel's HUGE participation

in the Christmas story...

...the kiddos fashioned these

angel ornaments together.

One more day to write about

and we will all be caught up... ;0)

Christmas Countdown Day 3

2011-12-05T15:34:00.001-10:00

With a busy week end,

we fell a bit behind on our

Advent activities-

and, trust me,

I bet we will be behind a few more times

as this crazy month progresses...

So.....

we did ALL the Bible readings and activities from

The Truth in Tinsel

today...

...from Days 3, 4, and 5.

But I am still splitting them up into three separate posts,

so as not to overwhelm everyone with my wordiness...

**********************************************

Day 3

Good old Chester was hanging out...

...ON the refrigerator door,

with a little hint for the kiddos.

His little message of

"Hee! Smile! Laugh! Hee!"

applies to the story of Zechariah

because he and his wife,

Elizabeth,

had never been able to have a child,

and God gave them this joyous gift with

the pregnancy of John the Baptist.

For our craft...

...the kiddos put together...

...a Zechariah Face Ornament.

(Baby Blue was a good observer of all the kiddos'

activities...) :0)

Here are...

...the completed ornaments.

The mouths are made out of giant bubble wrap

bubbles,

which the kiddos got to pop in order to "seal"

Zachariah's mouth-

just like the angel Gabriel did in the story.

I made the kiddos wait to pop the mouths until

everyone was done making their ornaments...

...which proved more difficult for some than

others...

Here...

...is a video clip of the

big "popping" moment...

(Do y'all see WHY Little Wild Man has the

nickname that he does?) ;0)

Christmas Countdown: Day 2

2011-12-02T00:00:00.000-10:00

Day 2

The kiddos began our

Christmas Countdown

activities with...

...a search for Chester...

...who was "hanging out" in

Wonder Mom and Super Dad's closet.

(Surrounded by hats,

he was giving the kiddos a clue about

Day 2's Advent Activity,

which we will get to in a minute...)

***************************************

Chester brought back a little giftie

from his evening's journey

to the North Pole...

Something from Rudolf himself!

Now I will never need

a flashlight again... ;0)

Baby Blue seemed to really be fasinated

by their gifties too...

*****************************************

Later in the afternoon,

we finally looked at Day 2 of

The Truth in Tinsel

advent activities,

the kiddos saw the connection to

Chess' "hat" clue.

It was a picture of a crown.

We then read Isaiah 9:2-7

again,

and discussed what kind of King

Isaiah was describing-

THE

King of Kings and Lord of Lords,

Jesus.

We made the suggested crown ornaments

out of toilet paper tubes...

...and are R-E-A-D-Y to put them

on the Christmas Tree.

i wrapped up our discussion by reading...

...Who is Coming to Our House?

Joseph Slate.

We are hoping to get OUR home finally

completely ready for

Christmas this weekend,

so all the new ornaments

have a place to hang-

BUT,

most importantly,

I hope all these activities will get our

HEARTS ready for Christmas...

Christmas Countdown: Day 1

2011-12-01T17:16:00.001-10:00

Well,

the Countdown to Christmas has

officially begun in our house today...

Seems like we

G-R-A-D-U-A-L-L-Y

get our home into the

Christmas Spirit,

at least in terms of decorating,

but I made certain to have...

...our Advent Calendars

up and ready to go!

The kiddos each have there own...

...Mini-Bubble Wrap

Christmas Tree

Advent Calendars...

(See the bigger version we made one year

by clicking HERE)

...and our big family

advent calendar contains cards from

The Truth in Tinsel...

(If you are still looking for a guide

for Advent activities for the kiddos,

I HIGHLY recommend checking

the e-book out...)

*************************************

So how did Day One's activities run?

The kiddos found our

Elf in the Shelf...

...hanging out on our dining room lamp.

Chester

(our elf's complete name is

Chester Thomas Elf-

"Chess" for short)

was giving the kiddos a clue

about our Advent devotional...

Day One:

Candle

(aka Jesus bringing light into the world...)

We read and discussed Isaiah 9:2-7

and then...

...got to work making the recommended...

...Light Ornament.

*****************************************

Next, we set up our

Manger Behavior Management...

...using paper bag bottoms,

material, yarn, glue, markers, and

clothespin dolls.

(This idea was inspired by THIS

wonderful activity over on Catholic Icing.)

The kiddos will hopefully have mangers

FULL of yarn "hay" because of the

good deeds they have done for Jesus...

***************************************

Finally,

I added in a bit of the "secular"

with the "sacred" by reading...

...Rudolf the Red-Nosed Reindeer

to the kiddos.

(Hey, Rudolf had a LIGHT

on the end of his nose, right?) ;0)

The kiddos then each received...

...a little Reindeer craft kit...

...to create a Christmas keepsake.

A fun and busy evening was had by all...

Gratitude Challenge 2011 Day 30: Amazing Grace

2011-11-30T15:22:00.001-10:00

Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound,
That saved a wretch like me....
I once was lost but now am found,
Was blind, but now, I see.


T'was Grace that taught...
my heart to fear.
And Grace, my fears relieved.
How precious did that Grace appear...
the hour I first believed.


Through many dangers, toils and snares...
we have already come.
T'was Grace that brought us safe thus far...
and Grace will lead us home.


The Lord has promised good to me...
His word my hope secures.
He will my shield and portion be...
as long as life endures.


Yea, when this flesh and heart shall fail,
and mortal life shall cease,
I shall possess within the veil,
a life of joy and peace.


When we've been here ten thousand years...
bright shining as the sun.
We've no less days to sing God's praise...
then when we've first begun.


Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound,
That saved a wretch like me....
I once was lost but now am found,
Was blind, but now, I see.

*********************************

Oh, how thankful I am for the grace

extended by my Father in heaven...

*********************************

For more thankful thoughts,

head on over to the

Gratitude Challenge 2011...

Gratitude Challenge 2011 Day 29: I Need a "Fix"...

2011-11-29T15:44:00.001-10:00

Hello,

my name is Wonder Mom,

and I am a caffeine-oholic.

Therefore,

I am grateful for....

and

Oh yes...

Mama is much better once she has a

daily fix... ;0)

********************************

For more attitudes of gratitude,

head on over to the

Gratitude Challenge 2011...

Bible Alive! Tuesday: Letters to Boru

2011-11-29T00:00:00.000-10:00

Super Dad and I decided
(a little over a year ago)
to sponsor a child through the program
Food for the Hungry.

His name is...

...Boru, and he lives in...

...Kenya, Africa.

Though we never have him far from our hearts...

(Please note how he is displayed on our fridge

with our other family pictures)

...we have never written him any personal

letters.

(I know, I know-

what kind of sponsors are we?)

So, this past week,

the kiddos and I put together some

pictures and notes for Boru,

in an effort to connect with him more.

Jungle Girl created...

...a picture of our dogs for him.

Baby Girl made...

...a layout of our neighborhood.

Little Wild Man drew...

...Super Dad driving our van around town.

And I mad sure...

...to slip in some treats for Boru to

share with his buddies at school.

We all prayed for him and his family,

and we are going to try to do BETTER about

corresponding with him.

Having Boru in our lives really helps the kiddos

(and myself)

put our love for Christ in action,

which, of course,

makes the Bible come Alive!

*****************************************

Have any fun ways that you have

made the Bible come Alive! for your kiddos

lately?

Please share 'em below!

***************************************

Gratitude Challenge 2011 Day 28: Technology

2011-11-28T14:46:00.001-10:00

On nasty, rain-soaked days like today,

I am SO THANKFUL for...

...all that technology has to offer my family!

We are all being entertained right now

by either the

Internet, Cable TV, or texting on the cell phone.

NO, we do not rely on these devices for

our soul sources of entertainment,

but it sure is nice to have 'em available

to keep cabin fever at bay...

***********************************

For more thankful thoughts,

head on over to the

Gratitude Challenge 2011...

Bible Alive! Tuesday Coming Up...

2011-11-28T00:00:00.000-10:00

Just a little reminder:

My monthly link-up...

...Bible Alive! Tuesday

is coming up

TOMORROW!!!

So please come back

and link up anything you have been up to

with your kiddos to make the

Bible come Alive!

Gratitude Challenge 2011: Sweet Smiles

2011-11-27T15:44:00.001-10:00

With sweet smiles...

...like these,

who WOULDN'T be thankful to teach the

Kindergarten-1st grade Sunday School class?

******************************************

For more thankful thoughts,

head on over to the

Gratitude Challenge 2011...

Science Sunday: Starchy Science

2011-11-27T00:00:00.001-10:00

In honor of all the Thanksgiving feasting

we did this past week,

it seemed appropriate to do some Science
with our food.

So,
we decided to test different foods for starch.

All we needed was some Iodine, an eye dropper,
and a variety of different foods to test.

Each of the kiddos got two disposable plates
filled with slices of the follow foods:

Bread
Celery
Apples
Potatoes
and
Cheese Sticks

We then made predictions about
which foods we thought would contain starch
and recorded the info.

Then...

...we filled our eye droppers with iodine...

...and placed a few drops on the different foods.

If the iodine turned...

...purple on the food,
then it contained starch.

If the iodine didn't turn purple...

...then it didn't contain starch.

Our final conclusion?

Bread, Celery, and Potatoes

contain starch;

Cheese and Apples do not.

And no, we did NOT eat the foods

after they were sprinkled with iodine,

though I think Baby Girl really wanted too...

Yuck!

*********************************

For more interesting science experiments,

head on over to

Sunday Science....