I've been mulling this over and thought I'd get it all down in one place with links so it's easy for Robert (and any of the rest of you who feel giving this year! Ha!). So here are a few of the things I'd like this year...
*Renewed subscription to WORLD magazine (I have 8 free weeks and I'm really enjoying it. $10 cheaper at this site.)
*Cubic Zirconia nickel free earrings (The ones I have make my ears itch. I'll ask for diamonds another year.)
*An apron (maybe even a cute blue one??)
*Decorative cross to hang on my wall (I love these and I think I'll start collecting them. I like the filigree ones, the ones with verses, the metal ones. Really, I like all of them, and I don't think you can have too many crosses in a house!)
*A cozy pullover sweatshirt (Can you have too many of these??)
-that isn't blue (won't wear blue with blue jeans) or white (I'll stain it immediately!)
-and doesn't have a winter scene on it (I can't bring myself to wear that in April, KWIM??)
-plain, brand name, sportswear name, I don't really care... just not Hanes Her Way from WalMart! :)
*Fontanini 5 inch Nativity pieces (I only have Mary, Joseph, and Baby Jesus/Manger)
Amazon list:
*Classics of the Christian Faith CD set (I really want these!)
*Preparing Him for the Other Woman
*The Sacred Romance on CD (Thanks, Little Acorns, for that idea!)
I suppose that's good. Normally I have so few requests I always know exactly what I'm getting. This year with enough ideas I guess some of it will actually be a surprise!)
November 30, 2007
I am Sooooo Excited!!
I have been procrastinating my planning for December. (Yes, I know it starts tomorrow.) I've known that I wanted to focus some learning on Advent and traditional Christmas symbols. I've also known that I wanted to read some great meaty Christmas books. But, I've been completely overwhelmed at the prospect of putting it all together. I have no idea why, but there are so many good ideas out there online, I just couldn't narrow them down or face the thought of organizing them, so I've just ignored it altogether (while being quite stressed about it)! Today I had a few minutes alone (read: to casually browse items available for purchase) in the advent section at the Christian bookstore and found this book. It's by Lisa Welchel and it's wonderful!
So, now I'm organized all of a sudden! Just what I wanted for my symbols of Christmas study, all written up for me! (And when I got to the register, I asked if they had any coupons and the cashier pulled out a 25% off one for me! Yippee!!!) I'll put our books in wherever they fit best.
For our Advent Devotionals, we're going to do the book above. We've not done a Jesse Tree before. Actually, I didn't know what it was until just this week. This book takes you through the season of advent using devotionals based on themes of the story of Christ... the big picture. Each day the devotion is based on a symbol of a significant part of Christ's story. After reading the devotional, you take an ornament of that symbol and hang it on the Jesse Tree as a reminder of that part of the story. Through the Advent season, you go through the entire story of Christ. (I think I butchered that description, but it's really neat!)
The last thing I've been wanting is some sort of Advent calendar, but haven't fallen in love with any but one...it's magnetic, wooden, and $65. So, it's still at the store! (I did come home and google it with some good fortune...only $40 in several places.) To get us through this year, I didn't really want one that just opened up a little paper door, and chocolate ones are out for us (food allergies), but I found a cute one with stickers tonight. So, each day we'll put one sticker on the background and by day 25, we will have a complete Nativity Scene! Nothing spectacular, but for five bucks, it fits the bill for this year. Then in January, hopefully that magnetic one will get cheaper...
Some other things we're going to do:
*Wrap up a book (some are library books), activity, nativity playset for the kids to open one each day of December (uhhh, not necessarily starting tomorrow!)
*Our own advent wreath and candles to light on Sundays as a family
*Two unit studies: The Miracle of Jonathan Toomey, Annika's Secret Wish
*Read lots of Christmas books and do activities/learning that go with them
*Go visit a nursing home and take some things we'll make as we learn about our symbols
Advent season here we come!!!
Here is the Amazon description (click on the book to see more):
The ADVENTure of Christmas is a guide for moms concerned that their children are losing sight of Jesus in the midst of the distractions the holiday season brings. Lisa Whelchel was such a mom, but instead of abandoning the traditions of Christmas she rediscovered their original meanings, which were intended to remind people of God’s unfathomable gift. Hanging lights on the house, wrapping gifts, and decorating the tree have become opportunities to teach her children about how they relate to Jesus’ birth. With The ADVENTure of Christmas, mothers can redeem what’s been lost from the very symbols that are gentle reminders of the true meaning of Christmas.
Have you discovered that Jesus sometimes gets lost in the middle of the hustle and bustle of His birthday party? Would you like to be able to keep your children's focus on Jesus and also join them in the wonder of the celebration?
For each of the twenty-four days preceding Christmas, The ADVENTure of Christmas serves as a fun and handy guide that describes the significance behind your favorite traditions. Hanging lights on the house, wrapping gifts, and decorating the tree will become opportunities to share how these customs relate to Jesus' birth. The ADVENTure of Christmas recaptures the true meaning of this beloved season, giving reasons to celebrate for years to come.
Have you discovered that Jesus sometimes gets lost in the middle of the hustle and bustle of His birthday party? Would you like to be able to keep your children's focus on Jesus and also join them in the wonder of the celebration?
For each of the twenty-four days preceding Christmas, The ADVENTure of Christmas serves as a fun and handy guide that describes the significance behind your favorite traditions. Hanging lights on the house, wrapping gifts, and decorating the tree will become opportunities to share how these customs relate to Jesus' birth. The ADVENTure of Christmas recaptures the true meaning of this beloved season, giving reasons to celebrate for years to come.
For our Advent Devotionals, we're going to do the book above. We've not done a Jesse Tree before. Actually, I didn't know what it was until just this week. This book takes you through the season of advent using devotionals based on themes of the story of Christ... the big picture. Each day the devotion is based on a symbol of a significant part of Christ's story. After reading the devotional, you take an ornament of that symbol and hang it on the Jesse Tree as a reminder of that part of the story. Through the Advent season, you go through the entire story of Christ. (I think I butchered that description, but it's really neat!)
The last thing I've been wanting is some sort of Advent calendar, but haven't fallen in love with any but one...it's magnetic, wooden, and $65. So, it's still at the store! (I did come home and google it with some good fortune...only $40 in several places.) To get us through this year, I didn't really want one that just opened up a little paper door, and chocolate ones are out for us (food allergies), but I found a cute one with stickers tonight. So, each day we'll put one sticker on the background and by day 25, we will have a complete Nativity Scene! Nothing spectacular, but for five bucks, it fits the bill for this year. Then in January, hopefully that magnetic one will get cheaper...
Some other things we're going to do:
*Wrap up a book (some are library books), activity, nativity playset for the kids to open one each day of December (uhhh, not necessarily starting tomorrow!)
*Our own advent wreath and candles to light on Sundays as a family
*Two unit studies: The Miracle of Jonathan Toomey, Annika's Secret Wish
*Read lots of Christmas books and do activities/learning that go with them
*Go visit a nursing home and take some things we'll make as we learn about our symbols
Advent season here we come!!!
November 28, 2007
I am a cappuccino!
| You Are a Cappuccino |
 You're fun, outgoing, and you love to try anything new. However, you tend to have strong opinions on what you like. You are a total girly girly at heart - and prefer your coffee with good conversation. You're the type that seems complex to outsiders, but in reality, you are easy to please |
Labels:
Just Tidbits to Share
November 26, 2007
Our Thanksgiving Fun
We enjoyed learning about the first Thanksgiving this year. Right before we started, Jacob said, "What really is Thanksgiving anyway, Mom?" So it was a perfect time to do it!
We studied a bit about several aspects of Thanksgiving... history and tradition. We learned about pumpkins, turkeys, pilgrims, the Mayflower, and real Pilgrim life and how it differs from ours. We talked a lot about being thankful for many things and the many people around us who have so much less than we do.
We went to a food pantry and helped there. It was a perfect day for the kids! They sorted through a large box (50 cubic feet or so!) of canned goods and found all the pumpkin and cranberry sauce so the food pantry could hand it out before Thanksgiving.
Then we reorganized/relocated/stacked the peanut butter and jelly for them.
The neat thing is that the director chose jobs that were perfect for our kids, and actually met a need. Most of the food pantry workers are older people who can't bend over easily, so the kids provided about 6 man hours of bending over!! This is definitely something I want to do again. Hopefully regularly.
We also went with some other families to a nursing home and handed out goody bags. I was so proud of the kids! Even with all the tubes, wheelchairs, bruises, smells, and other things they don't normally encounter, the kids were willing to get up close and give a, "Happy Thanksgiving!" as they handed out their bags, even if they were a bit reserved. Many of the kids doled out hugs happily as well!
Back to our studies, Jacob and a friend made a house like the pilgrims. We wanted to do a "boy" craft because we were talking about what the Pilgrim boys did for their chores. So we collected sticks and grass from the yard and "built" a house!
I'm thankful our house is a bit more sturdy than this...
With our cranberry study, we made cranberry sauce from scratch after tasting naked cranberries! Jacob said, "that is the most tart thing I've ever had!!!" while making a very puckered up face. :) I tasted one as well and he was right! We also made cranberry muffins which were very tasty. They were supposed to be for Thanksgiving day, but we ate 2/3 of the batch the day we made them!
We also learned that a sign of a good cranberry is that it bounces. The kids had fun testing to see if some cranberries were good or bad. We learned all about cranberry bogs as well...and all of this was new to me too! (One reason I love homeschooling!!!)
And we made our Thankful tree again.
This was the first time we learned specific songs for the season. We learned the Doxology (which I love, strangely enough!) and Give Thanks which the kids sang for Grandmama and Grandpa on Thanksgiving Day! We attempted to memorize Psalm 100, but realized we'd bitten off more then we could chew for our first attempt at memorization (2 songs and 5 verses) while potty training the little girl.
We had a great Thanksgiving several weeks! I'm thrilled that we're moving on to Christmas, just because I love it so much. Robert and Jacob put up the tree while I was "Proverbs 31-ing it" on Friday (as my aunt calls it!). This was a great surprise as Robert is, um, not always thrilled about doing it. A thoughtful gift for me from my men! Then we decorated it the next day as a family.
We studied a bit about several aspects of Thanksgiving... history and tradition. We learned about pumpkins, turkeys, pilgrims, the Mayflower, and real Pilgrim life and how it differs from ours. We talked a lot about being thankful for many things and the many people around us who have so much less than we do.
We went to a food pantry and helped there. It was a perfect day for the kids! They sorted through a large box (50 cubic feet or so!) of canned goods and found all the pumpkin and cranberry sauce so the food pantry could hand it out before Thanksgiving.
Then we reorganized/relocated/stacked the peanut butter and jelly for them.
The neat thing is that the director chose jobs that were perfect for our kids, and actually met a need. Most of the food pantry workers are older people who can't bend over easily, so the kids provided about 6 man hours of bending over!! This is definitely something I want to do again. Hopefully regularly.
We also went with some other families to a nursing home and handed out goody bags. I was so proud of the kids! Even with all the tubes, wheelchairs, bruises, smells, and other things they don't normally encounter, the kids were willing to get up close and give a, "Happy Thanksgiving!" as they handed out their bags, even if they were a bit reserved. Many of the kids doled out hugs happily as well!
Back to our studies, Jacob and a friend made a house like the pilgrims. We wanted to do a "boy" craft because we were talking about what the Pilgrim boys did for their chores. So we collected sticks and grass from the yard and "built" a house!
I'm thankful our house is a bit more sturdy than this...
With our cranberry study, we made cranberry sauce from scratch after tasting naked cranberries! Jacob said, "that is the most tart thing I've ever had!!!" while making a very puckered up face. :) I tasted one as well and he was right! We also made cranberry muffins which were very tasty. They were supposed to be for Thanksgiving day, but we ate 2/3 of the batch the day we made them!
We also learned that a sign of a good cranberry is that it bounces. The kids had fun testing to see if some cranberries were good or bad. We learned all about cranberry bogs as well...and all of this was new to me too! (One reason I love homeschooling!!!)
And we made our Thankful tree again.
This was the first time we learned specific songs for the season. We learned the Doxology (which I love, strangely enough!) and Give Thanks which the kids sang for Grandmama and Grandpa on Thanksgiving Day! We attempted to memorize Psalm 100, but realized we'd bitten off more then we could chew for our first attempt at memorization (2 songs and 5 verses) while potty training the little girl.
We had a great Thanksgiving several weeks! I'm thrilled that we're moving on to Christmas, just because I love it so much. Robert and Jacob put up the tree while I was "Proverbs 31-ing it" on Friday (as my aunt calls it!). This was a great surprise as Robert is, um, not always thrilled about doing it. A thoughtful gift for me from my men! Then we decorated it the next day as a family.
And now on to our Christmas units!!!
Labels:
Every Day Life,
Holidays and Birthdays
November 25, 2007
Signs of the times
Jacob: Mom, let's put some more red balls on the tree.
Me: We can't, Jacob. We only have the glass ones that have already broken and Mattie will just break more of them. We have to get some that won't break.
Jacob: But I think they're so pretty.
Me: We don't have the right kind, but we can get some at Wal Mart if they have them.
Jacob: Why don't you just look on Firefox or Google? I'm sure you can find them there.
Is this really my 5 year old???
Me: We can't, Jacob. We only have the glass ones that have already broken and Mattie will just break more of them. We have to get some that won't break.
Jacob: But I think they're so pretty.
Me: We don't have the right kind, but we can get some at Wal Mart if they have them.
Jacob: Why don't you just look on Firefox or Google? I'm sure you can find them there.
Is this really my 5 year old???
Labels:
Every Day Life,
Holidays and Birthdays
November 22, 2007
November 21, 2007
Not a Martha Stewart Thanksgiving
Martha Stewart will not be dining with us this Thanksgiving. I'm telling you in advance, so don't act surprised. Since Ms. Stewart won't be coming, I've made a few small changes:
1. My sidewalk will not be lined with homemade, paper bag luminaries. After a trial run, I decided that no matter how cleverly done, rows of flaming lunch sacks do not have the desired welcoming effect.
2. Once inside, please note that the entry hall is not decorated with the swags of Indian corn and fall foliage I had planned to make. Instead, I've gotten the neighbor kids involved in the decorating by having them track in colorful autumn leaves from the front yard. The mud was their idea.
3. The dining table will not be covered with expensive linens, fancy china, or crystal goblets. If possible, we will use dishes that match and I will try to make sure everyone will get a fork. Since this IS Thanksgiving, we will refrain from using the plastic Peter Rabbit plate and the Santa napkins from last Christmas.
4. My centerpiece will not be the tower of fresh fruit and flowers that I promised. Instead we will be displaying a hedgehog-like decoration hand-crafted from the finest construction paper. The artist has assured me that it is a turkey.
5. We will be dining fashionably late. The children can entertain you while you wait. I'm sure they will be happy to share every choice comment I made this morning regarding Thanskgiving, the pilgrims and the turkey hotline. Please remember that most of these comments were made at 5:00 a.m. upon discovering that the turkey was still hard enough to cut diamonds. As accompaniment to the children's recital, I will play a recording of tribal drumming. If the children should mention that I don't own a recording of that tribal drumming, or that tribal drumming sounds suspiciously like a frozen turkey in a clothes dryer, ignore them. They are lying.
6. I toyed with the idea of ringing a dainty silver bell to announce the start of our feast but I chose to keep our traditional method. We've also decided against a formal seating arrangement. When the smoke alarm sounds, please gather around the table and sit where you like. In the spirit of harmony, we will ask the children to sit at a separate table in a room next door.
7. Now, I know you have all seen pictures of one person carving a turkey in front of a crowd of appreciative onlookers. This will not be happening at our dinner. For safety reasons, the turkey will be carved in a private ceremony. I stress "private" meaning: Do not, under any circumstances, enter the kitchen to laugh at me. Do not send small, unsuspecting children to check on my progress. I have an electric knife. The turkey is unarmed. It stands to reason that I will eventually win. When I do, we will eat.
8. I would like to remind my young diners that "passing the rolls" is not a football play. Nor is it a request to bean your sister in the head with warm tasty bread.
9. Oh, and one reminder for the adults: For the duration of the meal, and especially while in the presence of young diners, we will refer to the giblet gravy by its lesser-known name: Cheese Sauce. If a young diner questions you regarding the origins or type of Cheese Sauce, plead ignorance. Cheese Sauce stains.
10. Before I forget, there is one last change. Instead of offering a choice among 12 different scrumptious desserts, we will be serving the traditional apple pie, garnished with iced cream and small fingerprints. You will still have a choice, take it or leave it.
HAPPY THANKSGIVING TO ALL
P.S. I looked for the author and couldn't find it. It's not me!
1. My sidewalk will not be lined with homemade, paper bag luminaries. After a trial run, I decided that no matter how cleverly done, rows of flaming lunch sacks do not have the desired welcoming effect.
2. Once inside, please note that the entry hall is not decorated with the swags of Indian corn and fall foliage I had planned to make. Instead, I've gotten the neighbor kids involved in the decorating by having them track in colorful autumn leaves from the front yard. The mud was their idea.
3. The dining table will not be covered with expensive linens, fancy china, or crystal goblets. If possible, we will use dishes that match and I will try to make sure everyone will get a fork. Since this IS Thanksgiving, we will refrain from using the plastic Peter Rabbit plate and the Santa napkins from last Christmas.
4. My centerpiece will not be the tower of fresh fruit and flowers that I promised. Instead we will be displaying a hedgehog-like decoration hand-crafted from the finest construction paper. The artist has assured me that it is a turkey.
5. We will be dining fashionably late. The children can entertain you while you wait. I'm sure they will be happy to share every choice comment I made this morning regarding Thanskgiving, the pilgrims and the turkey hotline. Please remember that most of these comments were made at 5:00 a.m. upon discovering that the turkey was still hard enough to cut diamonds. As accompaniment to the children's recital, I will play a recording of tribal drumming. If the children should mention that I don't own a recording of that tribal drumming, or that tribal drumming sounds suspiciously like a frozen turkey in a clothes dryer, ignore them. They are lying.
6. I toyed with the idea of ringing a dainty silver bell to announce the start of our feast but I chose to keep our traditional method. We've also decided against a formal seating arrangement. When the smoke alarm sounds, please gather around the table and sit where you like. In the spirit of harmony, we will ask the children to sit at a separate table in a room next door.
7. Now, I know you have all seen pictures of one person carving a turkey in front of a crowd of appreciative onlookers. This will not be happening at our dinner. For safety reasons, the turkey will be carved in a private ceremony. I stress "private" meaning: Do not, under any circumstances, enter the kitchen to laugh at me. Do not send small, unsuspecting children to check on my progress. I have an electric knife. The turkey is unarmed. It stands to reason that I will eventually win. When I do, we will eat.
8. I would like to remind my young diners that "passing the rolls" is not a football play. Nor is it a request to bean your sister in the head with warm tasty bread.
9. Oh, and one reminder for the adults: For the duration of the meal, and especially while in the presence of young diners, we will refer to the giblet gravy by its lesser-known name: Cheese Sauce. If a young diner questions you regarding the origins or type of Cheese Sauce, plead ignorance. Cheese Sauce stains.
10. Before I forget, there is one last change. Instead of offering a choice among 12 different scrumptious desserts, we will be serving the traditional apple pie, garnished with iced cream and small fingerprints. You will still have a choice, take it or leave it.
HAPPY THANKSGIVING TO ALL
P.S. I looked for the author and couldn't find it. It's not me!
Labels:
Just Tidbits to Share
November 20, 2007
She succeeded!
I think we can say the little girl is successfully potty trained! We started our "potty boot camp" last Tuesday afternoon and by Thursday I was about ready to give up. Then she showed some progress that afternoon. I told Robert I'd hang in there one more day and I'm so glad I did! She's only had two accidents since Saturday, and has been to church, a birthday party, Grandmama's house and numerous errands! And then we made it through two more big steps today... she pooed in the potty this morning and came to me (for the first time) and said, "Potty!" this afternoon!! So, I think she's got it!
She is very cute when she's doing her business... she sits there very quietly, then when she goes she gets all excited and yells, "Yay!! and claps for herself. Then as soon as I get back in there she faithfully asks for a "mint."
My baby girl is growing up...
Labels:
Every Day Life
November 17, 2007
A Great Christmas Gift Suggestion
I'm trying to find a couple of gifts for both of my kids together this year. One of them is a marble track. I thought I'd pass on the suggestion!
We have had a borrowed marble track at our house for 6 months or so. My mom brought it from her house (It was my 22 year old sister's more than 15 years ago!) for my kids to play with while I did lots of hours of painting and stuff last winter. And my kids have played with it every day! This is one toy that has been played with by boys, girls, toddlers to 12 year olds. Virtually every child who comes into my house plays with this toy. It requires creativity, teaches cause and effect, and doesn't have a large footprint!!! :) Mattie loves to roll the marbles over and over, and Jacob is spending hours each day building and rebuilding various tracks, tunnels, bridges, and shelters.
The one we have is on borrowed time (it's life, I mean) and the plastic is getting brittle. I want to return it to my mom's house because the grandkids enjoy it so much, and my sister might want to save it for her kids. So I'm buying my kids one of their own this year.
Here is the discovery toys one. This is an updated version of the one that has lasted so long at our house.
I'm buying this one from Mindware. It seems a bit sturdier than the one we have, is cheaper, and has some fun pieces to it.
I know my kids will be so excited when they open this gift, so I thought I'd share the idea!
November 14, 2007
Ah, what blessed silence!
Well, minus the dishwasher, washing machine, and dryer.
I decided to take a stab at potty training Mattie since she's exhibiting many of the characteristics on the list that says she might be ready. And I had 4 uninterrupted days, with the exception of church tonight. Anyway, we survived yesterday afternoon, but quickly realized this morning that I cannot focus on her like I need to with Jacob around! (I do a potty training boot camp, if you will, which is nothing but pottying for a couple of days. It is a bit inconvenient, but it worked really well with Jacob, so we're doing it that way again.) He wants to talk, sing, giggle, climb on me (because I'm so close to the ground so much) and tons of other distracting things that 5 year old boys do! So, what else to do but call Grandmama? :) She rescued me (and probably Jacob) and decided to keep him a bit longer after Mattie went to sleep. So now it's been 2+ hours of quiet at my house! Ahhhhhh... not something that happens often around here since Jacob stopped napping over a year ago.
I should have taken a nap or buried my nose in a book, but I decided to clean my rather desperate looking house instead. Tis quite a pity to wash floors in my quiet time!!! Oh well, I have gotten two loads of laundry through, put laundry away (don't be too impressed...it's been clean since last week!), vacuumed and washed my floors, cleaned my kitchen and loaded my dishwasher. (Good thing it's not our county with water restrictions!)
I suppose I should get off here and go clean a few more horizontal surfaces before the princess wakes up and I'm required to say, "When you have to go pee-pee you RUN to the potty!!" every two minutes until I'm rescued by church time.
PS And for anyone who's curious, yes, she looks incredibly cute in the big girl panties!! Especially when she pulls them up herself and walks around with the top half of her hiney hanging out completely oblivious to her indiscretion!
I decided to take a stab at potty training Mattie since she's exhibiting many of the characteristics on the list that says she might be ready. And I had 4 uninterrupted days, with the exception of church tonight. Anyway, we survived yesterday afternoon, but quickly realized this morning that I cannot focus on her like I need to with Jacob around! (I do a potty training boot camp, if you will, which is nothing but pottying for a couple of days. It is a bit inconvenient, but it worked really well with Jacob, so we're doing it that way again.) He wants to talk, sing, giggle, climb on me (because I'm so close to the ground so much) and tons of other distracting things that 5 year old boys do! So, what else to do but call Grandmama? :) She rescued me (and probably Jacob) and decided to keep him a bit longer after Mattie went to sleep. So now it's been 2+ hours of quiet at my house! Ahhhhhh... not something that happens often around here since Jacob stopped napping over a year ago.
I should have taken a nap or buried my nose in a book, but I decided to clean my rather desperate looking house instead. Tis quite a pity to wash floors in my quiet time!!! Oh well, I have gotten two loads of laundry through, put laundry away (don't be too impressed...it's been clean since last week!), vacuumed and washed my floors, cleaned my kitchen and loaded my dishwasher. (Good thing it's not our county with water restrictions!)
I suppose I should get off here and go clean a few more horizontal surfaces before the princess wakes up and I'm required to say, "When you have to go pee-pee you RUN to the potty!!" every two minutes until I'm rescued by church time.
PS And for anyone who's curious, yes, she looks incredibly cute in the big girl panties!! Especially when she pulls them up herself and walks around with the top half of her hiney hanging out completely oblivious to her indiscretion!
Labels:
Every Day Life
November 12, 2007
Even better cookies!
I had to make more cookies today, because we ate so many we didn't have enough for the kids luncheon tomorrow. This time I altered the recipe a bit with better results. These were softer and not as greasy (I cut the fat in half).
Here's the recipe for "Egg /Dairy / Corn Free Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies:"
1/2 c + 1T margarine, softened (or 1 c shortening)
3/4 c white sugar (I used turbinado)
3/4 c brown sugar
1/2 c unsweetened applesauce
2 t vanilla
2 1/2 c all purpose flour (I used fresh ground soft white flour)
1/2 c oats
1 t baking soda
1/2 t baking powder
1 t salt
2 c chocolate chips (I used Enjoy Life)
Here's the recipe for "Egg /Dairy / Corn Free Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies:"
1/2 c + 1T margarine, softened (or 1 c shortening)
3/4 c white sugar (I used turbinado)
3/4 c brown sugar
1/2 c unsweetened applesauce
2 t vanilla
2 1/2 c all purpose flour (I used fresh ground soft white flour)
1/2 c oats
1 t baking soda
1/2 t baking powder
1 t salt
2 c chocolate chips (I used Enjoy Life)
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (325 degrees for convection). Grease cookie sheets.
- In a large bowl, cream together the margarine, brown sugar and white sugar until light and fluffy. Add applesauce and vanilla .Combine the flour, oats, baking soda, powder and salt; gradually mix into the creamed mixture. Finally, fold in the chocolate chips. Drop by rounded spoonfuls onto the prepared cookie sheets.
- Bake for 12-15 minutes in the preheated oven, until light brown. Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.
Labels:
Food Allergies,
Kitchen Life
November 10, 2007
Christmas Lists
I decided to put our Christmas lists up here so all my friends know exactly what to buy us!!! Ha! Just kidding. But I decided this would be a good place to put the things I'm watching for and thinking about for the kids. And just in case you're wondering, they're not getting all of this!
(**means I already have it.)
For Jacob, I'm looking for some fun track pieces for his wooden Thomas and Friends set. He has gotten really good at building some fantastic tracks lately, and some of these special pieces would make it more fun for him.
Ascending track risers (I'm hoping I can hit Uncle Peter up to make us some of these.)
Wacky track
Adapt a track
**Some blue track Thomas and Friends trains I got awhile ago on a good sale
**Christmas Eve Jammies
**Wooden track Mavis
Wooden track freight cars
**Wooden track emergency vehicles from Target
Jacob & Mattie
**Mindware Marble Run & Add on Set
**Mr. Potato Head jumbo pack
**Dress up box with some costumes in it
Mattie (This list is kind of for birthday and Christmas since they're so close together. I'll give her some of this for Christmas and some at her birthday in February.)
Edible chapstick! :)
Disney Princess purse (A cheapo one)
**Fisher Price Tea Set (got this on sale recently!)
**Little People Sweet Sounds Home (Woohoo for Ebay!!)
OR kitchen/dishes/food (Fisher Price Grow with me Kitchen)
Crocs Jibbitz (decorations for her beloved Crocs)
**A princess book
A wooden peg puzzle farm animal mother/baby shapes
**Christmas Eve Jammies
Homemade "Bag of Buckles" (Because she LOVES to buckle and unbuckle things!)
Sunglasses
Small Stuffed kitty cat (She LOVES cats and dogs and plays with her little stuffed doggie all the time.)
So, if anyone sees a great deal on any of this stuff, let me know (ESPECIALLY the Thomas stuff)!!
(**means I already have it.)
For Jacob, I'm looking for some fun track pieces for his wooden Thomas and Friends set. He has gotten really good at building some fantastic tracks lately, and some of these special pieces would make it more fun for him.
Ascending track risers (I'm hoping I can hit Uncle Peter up to make us some of these.)
Wacky track
Adapt a track
**Some blue track Thomas and Friends trains I got awhile ago on a good sale
**Christmas Eve Jammies
**Wooden track Mavis
Wooden track freight cars
**Wooden track emergency vehicles from Target
Jacob & Mattie
**Mindware Marble Run & Add on Set
**Mr. Potato Head jumbo pack
**Dress up box with some costumes in it
Mattie (This list is kind of for birthday and Christmas since they're so close together. I'll give her some of this for Christmas and some at her birthday in February.)
Edible chapstick! :)
Disney Princess purse (A cheapo one)
**Fisher Price Tea Set (got this on sale recently!)
**Little People Sweet Sounds Home (Woohoo for Ebay!!)
OR kitchen/dishes/food (Fisher Price Grow with me Kitchen)
Crocs Jibbitz (decorations for her beloved Crocs)
**A princess book
A wooden peg puzzle farm animal mother/baby shapes
**Christmas Eve Jammies
Homemade "Bag of Buckles" (Because she LOVES to buckle and unbuckle things!)
Sunglasses
Small Stuffed kitty cat (She LOVES cats and dogs and plays with her little stuffed doggie all the time.)
So, if anyone sees a great deal on any of this stuff, let me know (ESPECIALLY the Thomas stuff)!!
Labels:
Christmas Lists
I made good cookies!!!
I realize that is nothing to celebrate in the average kitchen, but in my life, it's a very big deal! If you don't remember my last attempt at chocolate chip cookies, see here. But look what I made today!!
These are egg free, dairy free, corn free oatmeal chocolate chip cookies, and they are yummy and not flat as a pancake! Woohoo!! Last time I tried for wheat free too, but that was too much for one cookie! So this time, I found a recipe that is originally made with shortening, used applesauce and baking powder for the eggs, added a bit more flour and some oats to bulk them up and they are great! They are greasy, but I think that's just the shortening. (I think next time I'll cut it down some.) I'm just happy to make cookies that look like something non-allergy free!
Here's the recipe for "Egg free Dairy Free Corn Free Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies:"
3/4 c shortening (originally 1c)
3/4 c white sugar (I used turbinado)
3/4 c brown sugar
1/2 c unsweetened applesauce
2 t vanilla
2 1/2 c all purpose flour (I used fresh ground soft white flour)
1/2 c oats
1 t baking soda
1/2 t baking powder
1 t salt
2 c chocolate chips (I used Enjoy Life)
These are egg free, dairy free, corn free oatmeal chocolate chip cookies, and they are yummy and not flat as a pancake! Woohoo!! Last time I tried for wheat free too, but that was too much for one cookie! So this time, I found a recipe that is originally made with shortening, used applesauce and baking powder for the eggs, added a bit more flour and some oats to bulk them up and they are great! They are greasy, but I think that's just the shortening. (I think next time I'll cut it down some.) I'm just happy to make cookies that look like something non-allergy free!
Here's the recipe for "Egg free Dairy Free Corn Free Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies:"
3/4 c shortening (originally 1c)
3/4 c white sugar (I used turbinado)
3/4 c brown sugar
1/2 c unsweetened applesauce
2 t vanilla
2 1/2 c all purpose flour (I used fresh ground soft white flour)
1/2 c oats
1 t baking soda
1/2 t baking powder
1 t salt
2 c chocolate chips (I used Enjoy Life)
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease cookie sheets.
- In a large bowl, cream together the shortening, brown sugar and white sugar until light and fluffy. Add applesauce and vanilla .Combine the flour, oats, baking soda, powder and salt; gradually mix into the creamed mixture. Finally, fold in the chocolate chips. Drop by rounded spoonfuls onto the prepared cookie sheets.
- Bake for 10-12 minutes in the preheated oven, until light brown. Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.
Labels:
Food Allergies,
Kitchen Life
November 06, 2007
Our Turkey Shirts!
Here is a close up of the turkey in case you decide to do them with your kids. I used acrylic fabric paints and plain white t-shirts (girls at Kohl's and boys at WalMart). And one tip...do this in steps! Palm/thumb, then one finger at a time. Then I free-handed the feet, beak, waddle and eye.
Labels:
Holidays and Birthdays
November 05, 2007
It's raining!!
And it is such a beautiful sound! I love a rainy day to snuggle up on the couch and didn't realize how much I missed the rain! It is actually pouring right now and beating against my big sliding glass doors behind me. And earlier we even had thunder!! Aaaaaah, what a blessing to our drought covered land! And to my soul, to hear one of my favorite sounds! If only it weren't time for bed...
Labels:
Just Tidbits to Share
It's Thanksgiving Time!!!
I'm so ready for this holiday season! I'm about to pull out my Christmas tree already too! (I'm refraining because Robert will think I'm crazy, and he's probably right!)
Well, I finally got it together and organized my Thanksgiving plans for school. Not a minute early, am I? Here they are in case you're interested. To save myself a lot of time, I did not hyperlink all the words...just gave you the ugly ol' URLs as links. :) And I just copied the notes I made for myself, so they're not all fun to read or anything like that!
General Thanksgiving stuff
Memorize Psalm 100 – write it, put words in order, copy and send to Grandmas
Learn the Doxology
Learn "Give Thanks"
Learn "Count Your Blessings" chorus
Thankful tree
Put dates on timeline (first arrival of Mayflower, then first Thanksgiving)
Paint thumbprint fall leaves trees
Plan Thanksgiving Day menu for Jacob (turkey, sweet potatoes, rolls, pie), make some of it ahead of time with him
Major measurement/ comparison/ fractions lesson with baking
Language arts worksheets already printed (analogies/relationships, matching syllables)
Turkey color by number
Turkey t-shirt with both kids
http://www.familycorner.com/family/kids/crafts/painted_handprint_turkey.shtml
First Thanksgiving - 2 days
Copy summary paragraph
The first Thanksgiving in the USA was held in 1621. The feast was shared by the Pilgrims and the Wampanoag Indians. They ate corn, squash, and wild turkeys. The Indians brought most of the food.
Read The First Thanksgiving
Excellent site!!
http://www.scholastic.com/scholastic_thanksgiving/
Mayflower Study – 2 days
Life on the Mayflower – read book
Mayflower craft – still need to find one
Mayflower hat - looks very fun!
http://jas.familyfun.go.com/arts-and-crafts?page=CraftDisplay&craftid=10180
Printable map-paint it? http://members.enchantedlearning.com/crafts/thanksgiving/map/Worldmap.shtml
Summary worksheet
http://members.enchantedlearning.com/history/us/pilgrim/mayflowerquiz.shtml
Printable Mayflower picture to color
http://www.sail1620.org/teaching_games.shtml
Pilgrims – 2 days
Pilgrims printable book
Samuel Eaton’s Day
Lots of pictures at this site
http://www.mayflowerhistory.com/History/history.php
Printable picture of pilgrim house to color
http://www.sail1620.org/teaching_games.shtml
Build stick/straw house model like Pilgrims
Turkey Study – 1 day
Turkey printable book (enchantedlearning.com)
Hand and foot turkey craft
http://members.enchantedlearning.com/crafts/thanksgiving/handfoot/
Read Wild Turkey book
Cranberry Thanksgiving – 2 days
Cranberry crafts (wreath around candle, garland) – make to share with Grandmas
Taste cranberries, make cranberry sauce – freeze for Thanksgiving
Cranberry bog book
Pumpkin Day – 1 day
Bake pumpkin muffins, pie??
Learn about pumpkins
Read books about pumpkins
Pumpkin printable book (enchantedlearning.com)
Why do we do pumpkins at Thanksgiving??
Get small pumpkin and open up, use for muffins?
Give Thanks to the Lord – 2/3 days
A unit written by Yours TrulyFive senses overview
Thanksgiving Acrostic poem
Do as much of the unit as possible, maybe Thanksgiving week
Take food to food pantry, Volunteer for an hour (take sling for Mattie!!!)November 04, 2007
Little Hands
We went Friday for our first time to a little art group. It's called "Little Hands" and it's several homeschooling families we know around here. It's once a month, will cover some art topics, and provide some hands on fun!
Here's Mattie enjoying painting a picture of herself. She went crazy when she realized I was going to let her paint!
Each month they choose a theme of some sort to talk about. This month they were doing self-portraits. (Not a great place to start with Jacob who will know full well "That doesn't look like me!!") So I modified an idea I got from Michelle and printed a very light black and white picture of Jacob on watercolor paper so he had something to work with.
We did still have one major mouth incident involving tears (that he recovered from quickly, thankfully!), but got to learn a beauty of watercolor is that you can kind of wash it off!
So, here's mouth #2 (and the finished product). We could have put another layer of paint over this, but I didn't want to encourage the perfectionism.
So, here I present Jacob's first self-portrait! He was quite proud of it!
Here's Mattie enjoying painting a picture of herself. She went crazy when she realized I was going to let her paint!
Each month they choose a theme of some sort to talk about. This month they were doing self-portraits. (Not a great place to start with Jacob who will know full well "That doesn't look like me!!") So I modified an idea I got from Michelle and printed a very light black and white picture of Jacob on watercolor paper so he had something to work with.
We did still have one major mouth incident involving tears (that he recovered from quickly, thankfully!), but got to learn a beauty of watercolor is that you can kind of wash it off!
So, here's mouth #2 (and the finished product). We could have put another layer of paint over this, but I didn't want to encourage the perfectionism.
So, here I present Jacob's first self-portrait! He was quite proud of it!
Labels:
Home Schooling Journey
Jacob's compliment
I was busy working around the house the other day and Jacob comes up to me and says, "Wow, Mom! You really are a hard workin' woman!" :)
Labels:
Every Day Life,
Jacob,
Just Tidbits to Share
Dinosaurs
We've spent two weeks recently on dinosaurs, and here are some of the things we did!
Jacob painted a wooden dino 3D puzzle Candace found for us somewhere. Thankfully it was the T-Rex, the one he likes the best!
Here it is.
And one of the ideas in the unit we did was to bury puzzle pieces in some sand, search for them like real paleontologists do, and try to put them together without directions. This proved to be a lot of fun, but a little more work for me than I intended!
The puzzle had 48 large pieces and I buried them all! (What was I thinking??) They all started in the top two inches of sand, but apparently quickly migrated to deeper sand! After finding about 35, we pulled out the big guns and I used a grown up shovel to turn over the whole sandbox! We did find them all, thankfully, and the sandbox is nice and freshly turned over!
Some counting by 2s practice as we checked and re-checked how many pieces we'd found. (Jacob has had a hard time memorizing these and getting the pattern. After this day, he came in and they were on his Math sheet for that day. He actually got it!! The concept sunk in and has lasted!)
Jacob putting together his puzzle with no picture to look at.
And our finished product!
We made our own fossil and let it dry out.
We got a set of play dinosaurs and have had lots of scavenger hunts too. This has been good for me. Jacob has wanted to take turns hiding them, and I've struggled to find them! It's always a good thing to end up in the position of your student! (And it's been a great opportunity for the "playing" I posted about last week.)
And finally, Jacob wrote his first report! He chose the Tyrannosaurus Rex to do his report on. We had a form to complete and he found the information in his different books we had. He did really well and seemed to enjoy this! As we went through the week, he'd notice something and say, "Mom, I need to put that in my report!" We didn't get all those things added in, but still might. And I'd like for him to color it too, but who knows if that will happen either! (You can see Mattie did a small bit for him...)
Jacob painted a wooden dino 3D puzzle Candace found for us somewhere. Thankfully it was the T-Rex, the one he likes the best!
Here it is.
And one of the ideas in the unit we did was to bury puzzle pieces in some sand, search for them like real paleontologists do, and try to put them together without directions. This proved to be a lot of fun, but a little more work for me than I intended!
The puzzle had 48 large pieces and I buried them all! (What was I thinking??) They all started in the top two inches of sand, but apparently quickly migrated to deeper sand! After finding about 35, we pulled out the big guns and I used a grown up shovel to turn over the whole sandbox! We did find them all, thankfully, and the sandbox is nice and freshly turned over!
Some counting by 2s practice as we checked and re-checked how many pieces we'd found. (Jacob has had a hard time memorizing these and getting the pattern. After this day, he came in and they were on his Math sheet for that day. He actually got it!! The concept sunk in and has lasted!)
Jacob putting together his puzzle with no picture to look at.
And our finished product!
We made our own fossil and let it dry out.
We got a set of play dinosaurs and have had lots of scavenger hunts too. This has been good for me. Jacob has wanted to take turns hiding them, and I've struggled to find them! It's always a good thing to end up in the position of your student! (And it's been a great opportunity for the "playing" I posted about last week.)
And finally, Jacob wrote his first report! He chose the Tyrannosaurus Rex to do his report on. We had a form to complete and he found the information in his different books we had. He did really well and seemed to enjoy this! As we went through the week, he'd notice something and say, "Mom, I need to put that in my report!" We didn't get all those things added in, but still might. And I'd like for him to color it too, but who knows if that will happen either! (You can see Mattie did a small bit for him...)
Labels:
Home Schooling Journey
Fall Leaves
We have had quite an extended fall leaves study this year. We started it in September, but it was just too hot! So we put it off for a couple of weeks until the leaves were actually changing. Here are the leaves we collected from trees between here and our neighbors' house.
Here is the display we made to learn the tree names for each separate leaf. I have tried to make not of the tree names as we see the different trees when we're out and about. It has been a challenge for me to commit the tree names to memory too! (And we are curious, did Zaccheus actually get in a Sycamore tree or is that just part of the song?? Jacob was pretty excited that we found a sycamore leaf in Tennessee! It's the huge leaf in the top right corner.)
Here is Jacob's Leaf Man he created!
And here is our page of leaf rubbings. We did these along with our study of the leaf parts and a little printable book about them. The leaf rubbing was one of the things Jacob enjoyed most, I think. Actually, he just asked to get some more leaves so he could make more!
And here is our page of leaf rubbings. We did these along with our study of the leaf parts and a little printable book about them. The leaf rubbing was one of the things Jacob enjoyed most, I think. Actually, he just asked to get some more leaves so he could make more!
Labels:
Home Schooling Journey
November 01, 2007
Hamburger buns!!
But there is a teenager at church who has some food allergies, and his mother has had a hard time fitting "baking from scratch" in her schedule. And one thing she said they had no success finding was buns, so I gave them a try. I was so excited at how they turned out! Next time I will do a couple of things differently to get them to be taller, but all in all, I was pretty pleased with my success.
I kept half of the batch for Jacob to have at home, and he enjoyed his first one today with a ham and cheese sandwich. He was so excited! Later on I was taking a picture and said, "say cheese!" He said, "I love my ham and cheese sandwich on my new hamburger bun that you made for me and Aiden!" (Not the best phrase to catch a smile, but it was cute!.)
Labels:
Food Allergies,
Kitchen Life
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