Just A Little Critter

We have been enjoying these stories the past couple nights.  Lincoln got it for his birthday from his Granddaddy and Grandmomma and we're pleased to add it to out favorite books.

We're looking forward to checking more out from the library.

Homemade Dananimals Smoothies

Ok moms out there whose kids love Dananimals Smoothies, here's how to make it at home.  My kids love them and I just can't bring myself to spend that kind of money on them every week especially when they could easily put away 3 per meal.  So, I figured I could just buy regular yoghurt, add milk, and voila!!!  Sure enough, I tried it today and it was a winner.

Here's what you need:

1 small yoghurt cup
(oz)

1/2 cup milk

Divide between two cups; Mix together and that's it!!!!

Now that I know it works, I'm so buying the bigger container of yoghurt.  Sorry Dananimals, this frugal momma had to figure it out.

I love my family!!!

Little Missy

Mr. Cool

Madam

Never a dull moment!!

Can I just begin by saying that God is great?  I am so grateful that He has placed me where I am today...in a wonderful family and community.  It is so great to be on the receiving end of God's grace (I'm still learning how to show His grace to others).

Since the start of school last September, we have all learned so much.  I tell you, it's only by God's strength that I get up (almost) every morning with the amount of energy I have to teach Eden and Lincoln, tend to my sweet Nyla, and prepare the house for Ben's return home from work.  Is it a breeze?  NO; but, I never expected it to be easy.  I take every challenge that comes along and TRY to make the best of it so that God gets the glory. I WANT to be a great mother/teacher to my kids; I WANT to and SHOULD take care of our home well so that my husband looks forward to coming home.  AND I want to do all of these CHEERFULLY!!!  Only with God's help!!

It's so neat to be able to see that my kids ARE learning.  What a reward!!!  Eden is reading sight words and Lincoln knows how to spell his name.  WOW!!!  They are always ready to learn something new.

Our family took a trip to Belize this Christmas and we had a blast!!  Ben and I were very nervous about the flights but everything went smoothly.  It's incredible how 7 days can fly by so fast.  It was so great to see my family!!  One highlight of our trip was that my parents sent us to Caye Caulker for 2 nights while they kept all three kids.  What a relaxing vacation that was.  Ben and I had time to ourselves and it was nice that the only decision we had to make was where we were going to eat the next meal.  Pretty nice!  I'm grateful to my parents for that.  Knowing that my kids were well taken care of allowed me to really relax.

So, it's 2012; a new year!!  God has really been challenging me spiritually and emotionally.  It's been worth it.  My attitude is better each day and I'm learning to prioritize.  I want to be a better christian, wife, mom, and friend.  It's helped to start out my day reminding myself Matthew 6:33 and Lamentations 3:21-24.

IHF- On Your Feet!

I love my baby's feet!

 

 http://www.iheartfaces.com/

School/Awana

(yes, we started Labor Day)

Well, I am happy to report that we survived the first week of Preschool and Tot School.  The months of planning definitely make things easier on my part.  Eden also started Awana Cubbies so she can have interaction with kids her own age.  This is taking some adjustment but we're getting there. 

So I've decided to blog about how our week went and share different ideas.  Let me begin by saying that most of the ideas are from blogs/websites that I've browsed.  You'll find a list of those sites on the right of my blog page under Educational.

We start the day with Calender Time.  We sing the Days of the Week song and indicate which days are Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow.  Then, we sing the Months of the Year song.  I have the kids turn the wheel to find the right season and weather.  The maps of Belize and US are to familiarize them with where they live and where I grew up.  We then go over the Character Trait for the month.  This month, we did Orderly.  The verse they learned is 1 Cor 14:40 (with actions).  I then showed and instructed them on how to be orderly by making their beds.  *NOTE* Click on images to zoom in.

Here are sample forms I use for planning the week:  Several ideas I also got from Department of Education of Lousiana criteria for PreK. I actually found their detailed curriculum and grade level expectations:

 Preschool

I put all of Eden's printable worksheet in protective plastic so she could use dry erase markers and we can reuse the worksheets.  We did graphing, writing, power point on shapes, and other things related to the theme.  I tried to make sure that we covered Language, Math, Science, Music, Computer, Bible, Writing, Art, Fine Motor skills, and Gross Motor skills. 

Tot School 

Lincoln loves school.  He even tags along when I'm helping Eden.  I will try to cover the following every week:

Sensory	Puzzles	Fine Motor
Art	Blocks	Life Skills
Alphabet	Manipulatives	Shapes
Numbers	Writing/Drawing	Name ID/Spelling
Colors	Social	Tot Books
Music	Bible

 

 

I also made lunch fun.  Since we learned about the Body this week, I used a hand and foot cookie cutter to make shaped quesadillas.  Wilton has a cookie cutter set that I am so glad I bought from Walmart.  It makes lunch time so much more fun.

 

 Here's my Cubbie.  She started Awana 3 weeks ago and still cries when I drop her off but when I pick her up, she's always so excited to tell me about her night.  The leaders say that after I leave, she snaps out of it and has a blast.  She got her first patch last night:) I'm so glad we are making her do this.  She needs time away from me and time with other adults and kids her own age.  Thankfully, we don't have to drive very far.

So there, that's a condensed version of our week.  Our schedule is still flexible because I have an almost 2 month old (what? when did that happen?) I also need to attend to.  We're making the best of it all and I'm so glad I have God to call upon every morning and throughout the day for guidance in raising and teaching these precious gifts.

Homemaker/Preschool/Tot School

Some people may consider me to be a 'tight' one and that may be so; but I prefer to call it 'frugality'.  Even though we have a little extra every month, I still find ways to save so that we have more to give.  (I'm so grateful that Ben has the gift of Giving).  Mind you, we splurge on ourselves once in a while but I think we've done well with reigning ourselves in if one of us feels hesitant.  Here are some ways I'm saving:

A friend gave me the ingredients for 1 batch of homemade laundry detergent and I finally made it.  Here's the recipe:

5 gallon bucket or container with lid

4  Cups - hot tap water
 

1  Fels-Naptha soap bar (ivory soap can also be used)
 

1 Cup Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda
 

 

½ Cup Borax

Grate bar of soap and add to saucepan with water. Stir continually over medium-low heat until soap dissolves and is melted.

Fill a 5 gallon bucket half full of hot tap water. Add melted soap, washing soda and Borax. Stir well until all powder is dissolved. Fill bucket to top with more hot water. Stir, cover and let sit overnight to thicken.

Stir and fill a used, clean, laundry soap dispenser half full with soap and then fill rest of way with water. Shake before each use. It will gel.

Optional: You can add 10-15 drops of essential oil per 2 gallons. Add once soap has cooled. Ideas: lavender, rosemary, tea tree oil.

Yield: Liquid soap recipe makes 10 gallons.

Top Load Machine- 5/8 Cup per load (Approx. 180 loads)

Front Load Machines- ¼ Cup per load (Approx. 640 loads)

And here's mine

*NOTE*  I do not use this for my baby.  I might try making a batch with Ivory soap for her clothes.

So, call me crazy but I've decided to do preschool and tot school at home this year.  I am so excited and nervous at the same time, but mostly excited that I get to have a more structured plan in teaching my children.  Some of my friends are going to laugh at me because I've said for a while that I wasn't going to homeschool because I didn't consider myself a teacher and I don't have the patience for it.  I still find those two things to be true but I'm going with it anyway.  It's like a test to see if it's for our family or not.  I will probably put Eden in regular school next year for the same reason.  I want us to experience both options.  Ben and I are on the same page (just so you know).  I've incorporated several ideas from the internet into a curriculum for E and L.  L's curriculum is more play than school but the activities will prepare him for preschool.  E's curriculum has some play activities but she has more worksheets.  What's neat is that I'm also going to include Biblical Character Traits in the curriculum.  Thanks to the Motherhood Bible Study I was a part of in the Spring, I have all the information I need on that. 






During the summer, I 'tested out the waters' on a couple themes.  We had school on July 4th and the day after we saw the Winnie the Pooh movie in theaters.  They went well.  We also did a fun art project about Creation.

School begins the first Monday in Sept. since I need the rest of this month to finish planning.  My goal is to glorify God through this and not end up pulling all my hair out:)  He's the only one that can help me not lose my cool.  We'll see if this is what he has planned for us.  I hope to update my blog on some of the school days and unit studies that we've done.


P.S.  Ben was homeschooled and I went to public school so we know the ins and outs of both.  I know some parents can get overly 'passionate' about this subject so please refrain from being judgmental about one or the other.