All I Need to Know about Life I Learned From a Snowman

* It's okay if you're a little bottom heavy.
* Hold your ground, even when the heat is on.
* Wearing white is always appropriate.
* Winter is the best of the four seasons.
* It takes a few extra rolls to make a good midsection.
* There's nothing better than a foul weather friend.
* The key to life is to be a jolly, happy soul.
* It's not the size of the carrot, but the placement that counts.
* We're all made up of mostly water.
* You know you've made it when they write a song about you.
* Accessorize! Accessorize! Accessorize!
* Avoid yellow snow. Don't get too much sun.
* It's embarrassing when you can't look down and see your feet.
* It's fun to hang out in your front yard.
* Always put your best foot forward.
* There's no stopping you once you're on a roll.

CHRISTMAS SONG QUIZ II

1. The apartment of 2 psychiatrists.

2. The lad is a diminutive percussionist.

3. Decorate the entry-ways .

4. Sir Lancelot with laryngitis.

5. A B C D E F G H I J K M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z.

6. Present me naughty but dual incisors for this festive Yuletide.

7. The smog-less bewitching hour arrived.

8. Exuberation to this orb.

9. 288 Yuletide hours.

10. Do you perceive the same longitudinal pressure which stimulates my auditory sense organs.

11. The red-suited pa is due in this burg.

12. Stepping on the pad cover.

13. Uncouth dolt has his beezer in the booze and thinks he is a Dark Cloud's boyfriend.

14. Far back in a hay bin.

15. Leave and do an elevated broadcast.

16. That exiguous hamlet south of the holy city.

17. Behold! I envisioned a trio of nautical vessels.

18. Listen, the winged heavenly messengers are proclaiming tunefully.

19. A joyful song relative to hollow metallic vessels which vibrate and bring forth a ringing sound when struck.

20. As the guardians of little woolly animal's protected their charges in the shadows of the earth.

21. Frozen precipitation commence

22. Monarchial triad

23. Oh, member of the round table with missing areas

24. Boulder of the tinkling metal spheres

25. Vehicular homicide was committed on Dad's mom by a precipitous darling

26. Wanted in December: top forward incisors

27. We are Kong, Lear, and Nat Cole

28. Cup-shaped instruments fashioned of a whitish metallic element

29. Oh small Israel urban center

30. Our fervent hope is that you thoroughly enjoy your yuletide season

31. Parent was observed osculating a red-coated unshaven teamster

32. May the Deity bestow an absence of fatigue to mild male humans

33. Natal celebration devoid of color, rather albino, as a hallucinatory phenomenon for me.

34. Obese personification fabricated of compressed mounds of minute crystals.

35. Tranquiltiy upon the terrestrial sphere.

36. Have hitherward the entire assembly of those who are loyal in their belief.

CHRISTMAS SONG QUIZ II ANSWERS

*1) Nutcracker Suite
2) Little Drummer Boy
3) Deck The Halls
4) Silent Night
5) Noel
6) All I Want For Christmas Is My Two Front Teeth
7) It Came Upon A Midnight Clear
8) Joy to the World
9) 12 Days of Christmas
10) Do You Hear What I Hear?
11) Santa Claus Is Coming To Town
12) Up On The House Top
13) Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer
14) Away In A Manger
15) Go Tell It On The Mountain
16) Oh Little Town of Bethlehem
17) I Saw 3 Ships
18) Hark The Herald Angels Sing
19) Jingle Bells
20) As Shepherd's Watch Their Flocks At Night
21) Let It Snow
22) We Three Kings
23) Oh, Holy Night
24) Jingle Bell Rock
25) Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer
26) All I Want for Christmas is my Two Front Teeth
27) We Three Kings
28) Silver Bells
29) O Little Town of Bethlehem
30) We Wish You A Merry Christmas
31) I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus
32) God Rest You Merry Gentlemen
33) I'm Dreaming of a White Christmas
34) Frosty the Snowman
35) Peace on Earth
36) Oh Come, All Ye Faithful *

Happy Thanksgiving All!

I am so excited for the holidays to come. I hope you have a great holiday. I can't wait for Thanksgiving. I am one of those people that loves to have Thanksgiving come so I can put my Christmas decorations up. My husband makes me wait until then. I have already counted 5 trees that people already have up in their homes. I am so jealous. I hope you try some of the ideas that I have listed or try a website for different ideas, so you can have a Happy Thanksgiving!

Thanksgiving Games!

Chopstick Pass Along:

WHAT YOU NEED:
Chopsticks
Unshelled walnut
Acorn
Cranberry
Pea
Small plate HOW TO PLAY: Give each player a set of chopsticks and place an unshelled walnut, an acorn, a cranberry, and a pea on a small plate next to the oldest player. She begins by using the chopsticks to pass each object, from largest to smallest, to the person on her right, who receives it with chopsticks and passes it along to the next player. The object is to try to get all four objects back to the starting plate without dropping any of them. Players unable to manage the chopsticks can use a teaspoon instead.

Where Did the Turkey Lay Its Egg?
The leisurely pace of Turkey Day can be challenging for small celebrants. Keep spirits high with this fun game. Try it post-dessert -- adults can play while collapsed on the living room sofa.

WHAT YOU NEED:
Hard-boiled egg

HOW TO PLAY: To start, one guest leaves the room while a hard-boiled egg is hidden. The others then call the seeker back and direct him toward the egg, saying "gobble, gobble" instead of "warmer" and "giblet, giblet" instead of "colder." Once the egg is found, a new seeker is named, and the game repeats.

Paper Golf Game
The simplicity of this game is its charm. Since everyone has the same handicap--eyes closed--they can be competitive with the likes of Tiger Woods.
WHAT YOU NEED:
Paper
Marker

HOW TO PLAY: 1. Create a "fairway" on a standard-sized piece of paper--a shape that is the boundary for the tee-off area and hole. Draw a small circle (the hole) at one end of the fairway. 2. Place the marker point down at the tee (the other end of the fairway), close your eyes and try to draw a line to the hole. Lift your marker and open your eyes. That's your "shot." (If you strayed outside the boundaries, add a stroke.) The next player then tees off on the same sheet.3. As with actual golf, the player farthest from the hole shoots first, and your score is the number of shots it takes you to reach the cup. Play nine holes or even 18 like the pros.

Table Ideas for Thanksgiving!

I have always loved to help my kids do something special with the table for Thanksgiving. Here are some ideas of things I have done in the past:

1. Place mats: I love to do place mats with brown paper bags. You can make turkeys on it, by using your kids hand. Paint each finger a different color. Then put it on your place mat and make a print of it. When it dries you can use markers, or something to draw a face and make a turkey. I also love to dress my kids like a pilgrim or Indian and put their picture on it. After everything is dry and glued on then wad it into a ball. Then smooth out and it looks like leather. Ink the edges with a stamp. Then laminate. Eat with it on Thanksgiving Day!

Don't forget the Date, and Name of your kid! This will always be a great memory for you.

2. Name Cards: It is so easy to print name cards for all of your guests (or grandmas guests) for Thanksgiving dinner. Then give each of your children a stack and let them decorate around the name. It will keep them busy while you need a break!

3. Individual Centerpieces: Sometimes we decide to make each person a little take home treat or thought. One idea is taking a sugar cone and steaming the end of it with a boiling pan of water, and turning it so it curves up like a cornucopia. When it dries you fill it with Runt candy, candy corns, etc. Put one at every persons seat.

4. I have also done this mix a few times:

Thanksgiving Blessing Mix

Bugles: Shaped like a cornucopia or Horn of Plenty, a symbol of our nation's abundance.
Pretzels: Arms folded in prayer, a freedom sought by those who founded our country.
Candy corn: Sacrifices of the Pilgrims' first winter. Food was so scarce that settlers survived on just a few kernels of corn a day.
Nuts or seeds: Promise of a a future harvest, one we will reap only if seeds are planted and tended with diligence.
Dried fruits: Harvest gifts of our bountiful land.
M&Ms: Memories of those who came before us to guide us to a blessed future.
Hershey's Kiss: The love of family and friends that sweetens our lives.

I put them in a bag and then printed up a cute card with the blessing above. It took a little bit of time. If you don't have time, you can have it already done for you by going to this site:

http://organizedchristmas.com/thanksgiving-blessing-mix

5. Thanksgiving Turkeys: I also love taking big pine cones, sticking or gluing feathers in the bigger side, then winding a pipe cleaner like a snail for half of the pipe cleaner and sticking that into the smaller end of the pine cone. Glue a small eye on that and you have a turkey center piece.

6. Other Center Piece Ideas: Indian homemade stuff, pilgrim homemade stuff, Indian corn, Drum, etc.

It doesn't matter what you do, but I do think it makes Thanksgiving special and it gets your kids to do an activity, and it will make them proud of Thanksgiving Day.

Thanksgiving Craft - Turkey Treat Holder

This turkey can be stuffed with sweets or nuts and placed at each place setting. An easy and fun craft to keep the kids entertained on Thanksgiving day!



You'll Needcraft foam sheets; brown, orange, red, yellowsmall terracotta potscissors craft glue, glue stick or glue dotsplastic wiggle eyes, Candy or nuts, for filling Cut four feathers, brown oval body and heart shaped feet for each turkey.Attach the feathers to the back of clay pot. Secure the plastic eyes and a beak to the brown oval to create your turkey head. Then glue that piece to the front of the clay pot. Glue the pot onto the heart and fill with treats.

Four New Websites!

I found a website for Grandparents to go to with ideas. I'm not a grandparent and I liked it so you might also.

another one is a family member that is selling Tu'Tu's. If you would like one go to: Want a Tu'Tu'?

The Third is called organized Christmas.

The Last is Amazing Moms.

You can find all of these in "My Favorites" section.

Musical Chores!

It's a game called Children's Miracle Music. It gets families to make their beds, clean the house, eat their breakfast, get dressed, brush their hair, wash their dish... all in only 41 minutes and 58 seconds each morning. The most impressive part is that they do this HAPPILY and QUICKLY and without ON WORD FROM THE PARENTS! The game also includes getting into bed at night without any nagging. You can see how it works by going to:

www.ChildrensMiracleMusic.com

I have been using this and it is really helping my kids become responsible, reliable, helpful, and loving. And we are getting to bed on time and getting to school on time. Check it out!

Halloween Mystery Dinner!

On Sundays we always eat a nicer dinner. But this Sunday we had so many leftovers I couldn't bring myself to make more food. So I came up with this idea. First I made my kids go play. Then I would put a different leftover on each plate, and wrap it in foil. I would also put a different drink in each cup and wrap in foil. Then I wrote a number on the foil. When all the plates were ready I called the kids in. I turned on some Halloween music (because its Halloween). When the song stopped I would pull a number out of a hat. Whoever was in front of that number got to sit down. When everyone had a plate, we all unwrapped our food. Everyone was surprised. Did everyone love what they got? Probably not. But they were so excited about the game that they didn't care. Also all my kids begged to do this every holiday. My husband and I laughed, because we really just wanted to get rid of leftovers. Anyway this is your idea for today! I think this would also be fun at lunchtime. Do different sandwiches on eat plate, etc.

Colored Rice!

If you went to college you learned lots of useful things. When you choose a degree in early childhood, you learn a lot of crazy things......like how to color rice.

So here goes!

1. Take a freezer bag (needs to be a freezer bag because they are heavier).

2. Fill it with white uncooked rice.

3. Peel the wrapper off one crayon and stick it in the bag.

4. Microwave for 1 minute. Yes Microwave!

5. Take out and start to kneed it (keep bag closed, and watch out it will be HOT)

6. If crayon isn't melted enough put in for 30 seconds and kneed again.

7. The crayon color will melt onto the rice and then you can do a project with your kids.

So what could we do with colored rice: One idea is to fill in a bottle and do one of those I- Spy things. Another idea is to take glue and glue large amounts onto card stock. Lastly you could take a bottle and use lots of colors and do something like a layered sand bottle thing! Anyway I remember sitting in the campus kitchen with my professor teaching me this. She was a really funny lady and I have lots of memories of her teaching me CRAZY things.

Have a fun day!

Halloween Musical Chairs!

My Mom always has a Halloween Party. It is so fun that trick or treating is a let down for my kids. They carve their pumpkins (with their 20+ cousins), we eat dinner (this year is a soup contest), we play games, and we eat treats!

One tradition at my Mom's Halloween party is to play Musical Chairs. We always are in costume and play the Monster Mash. For years we had tears when someone got out! Now we don't. Everyone that gets out gets to sit in the Pumpkin chair. They put a plastic pumpkin on their head and then all the Aunts and Grandma give them their treat. We always have special treats-not just candy (Pop, Rice Crispy Treat, Socks, Rings Etc) They sit there until the next one gets kicked out and then they can eat their treats or just watch. It works really well- at least until they get that age when they realize they can lose and get their prize.

Ghost Hunt!

Every year since I started my own preschool I have done a Ghost Hunt. I did it for preschool and then started it at family parties, and I also do it for just fun with my own kids. All you do is take one cotton ball, one tissue, and some string and make a little ghost. Then you draw a little face on it. After you have them made you put them in a bowl or a Halloween bucket. Before the game starts make all the kids go outside while you hide the ghosts. Some are hard to find, some are easy. Make sure you count how many you have. Then start some spooky music and have them come in and hunt. I always have two rules: 1. No Running and 2. You may only take one ghost at a time. Once they pick it up they walk to the bowl and drop it in. It is really fun and simple and has no winner, which means no tears.

Pumpkin Seed Snack!

Cajun Spiced Roasted Pumpkin Seeds
Double or triple this recipe, depending on how many cups of seeds you have. Toss a salad with these seeds, sprinkle over a chicken dish, or serve as a snack.
INGREDIENTS:
1 cup pumpkin seeds
1 scant teaspoon Cajun seasoning, or to taste
paprika, for more color, if desired
a little salt, depending on saltiness of the seasoning
2 dashes Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon melted butter or vegetable oil
PREPARATION:
Rinse seeds well and get as much of the pumpkin pulp off of them as possible. Some of the small pieces are going to adhere, but they won't hurt the seeds at all, and might even add a little more flavor. Pat dry with paper towels. Don't let them dry completely on the paper towels, because they might stick!
Toss pumpkin seeds with seasonings. Combine butter and Worcestershire sauce; stir into seeds until well blended and coated.
Heat oven to 300°. Roast, turning from time to time, for about 45 to 60 minutes, or until nicely browned and crunchy.

Sugar and Spice Roasted Pumpkin Seeds
(do the same way as above, except for ingredients)
1 cup pumpkin seeds
1 tablespoon melted butter or vegetable oil
1 tablespoon granulated sugar, or more, to taste
1/2 to 1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon allspice

Regular Roasted Pumpkin Seeds
(do the same way as above, except for ingredients)
2 cups pumpkin seeds, rinsed and drained
2 tablespoons Canola oil
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
(I add a little season salt & Garlic also to this mix)

Skillet Toasted Seeds
1 cup pumpkin seeds
Optional: Salt, garlic powder, onion powder, seasoned salt, or other seasoning of choice
Preparation:Rinse pumpkin seeds. Use your fingers to remove all the pulp. Drain pumpkin seeds and discard pulp. Spread out on paper towels on a cookie sheet to dry overnight. Heat a large, heavy-bottomed, dry skillet over medium heat. Add pumpkin seeds. Shake and stir the seeds constantly as they are toasting to prevent burning. When the pumpkin seeds begin to get golden, start to pop open, and release their aroma, they are done. Sprinkle hot toasted pumpkin seeds with salt, garlic powder, onion powder, seasoned salt, cayenne pepper, or your choice of seasonings. Toss to coat.

Fall Leaves

One of my favorite things to do with my kids is go to the canyon (or a park) and pick pretty colored leaves. Then place them on wax paper and do a design with them. Then give them yellow, orange, and red crayon shavings and let them decorate their leaves. Then I put another wax paper on top, put a towel on top of that (at least two layers thick), and I take a iron and melt the crayon through the layers. It takes awhile but when you are done it is so pretty. I have had preschool moms frame it and put it above their beds. Anyway kids love it and parents too! Have a fun day!

Are Things Tight?

Not a preschool or kid thing, but it helps the family.

With this economy the way it is I found a website that says they will cut your grocery bill in half. Anyway I went to it and it was interesting. She says you can save at least 50% by spending about 30 minutes a week. Anyway check it out if you are interested! I will put it in my favorites section, under Coupon Moms.

Witches Brew Snack Mix

I do this almost every Halloween with my kids. I find that it is great a parties also. Because it has more good stuff than candy it helps with the sugar rush. I like to let the kids help me and I tell them as I pour it in what each thing means. I serve it in a witches kettle ( black pot) use 1 cup of each ingredients listed below. Also I delete things I don't want to buy or things I don't have. You will find that it is a perfect Halloween treat. Also I have about 30 nieces and nephews and when we do this we usually come home with extra if I use all the stuff.

triscuits--cobs webs

cheese curls--earthworms

red hot candies--blood drops

salted peanuts--snake eyes

candy corn--chicken toe nails

fritos--butterfly wings

hazel nuts--owl eyes

blanched almonds--cats eyes

M & M's--colored flies

raisins--ants

dried apricots--lizard gizzards

shoestring potatoes--bat bones

sunflower seeds--cats claws

Adoption

So we are trying to adopt our 5th baby. If you have any

Halloween!

Now is the time to make or get your Halloween Costumes! Beat the rush and get it done this week! I have finished all of my family. We are doing the Wizard of Oz. Because we were early I even found some cheap red shoes in my daughters size. They were the last ones! Anyway just a suggestion. I Love Halloween, and for me Halloween is all about the costumes!

Dinner Party Games!

I was helping my sister find dinner games for her son that is going to Homecoming this week. Listed below are some that I found. If you have Dinner parties often, or have a high schooler you might want to copy these into Microsoft word so you can have them for later use. Anyway this is what I found, please add anymore into the comment section.

1. "psychiatrist"
One person is selected as the psychiatrist; she has to leave the room while the rules are explained; when she returns, she's told she has to diagnose the problem of all of the other participants. The "problem" is that each person thinks he is the person to his immediate left (the participants sit in a circle), and will respond to questions as that person. The psychiatrist must diagnose the problem by asking individuals questions about themselves--any questions. The person must answer as if he is the person to his left. If the answer to the question is incorrect (e.g. the person pretending to be you says his favorite food is bbq chicken, and you're a vegetarian), the person who's being impersonated yells "psychiatrist," and all of the people stand up, scramble positions, and sit back down in a circle, whereupon questioning resumes. The game is over when the psychiatrist can correctly diagnose the problem (state the rules of the game)

2. Who What Where: Pictonary, Draw a card for each thing and then draw it.

3. Celebrities Charades

Round 1- Description
Round 2- 2 word Phrase
Round 3- Pantomime like Charades

Each round lasts 3 minutes. Different Celeb. Each time.

4. The Celebrity Couple Party Game

Summary and Supplies: As far as icebreaker games for small groups go, this is one of the liveliest and most fun ways to start a party. All you need is a good knowledge of celebrity couples, a pen, and a stack of post-it notes.
The Game
· Before the party begins, take the time to write out the post-it notes. On each note should be written one-half of a celebrity couple. For example, one might say Brad Pitt and another Angelina Jolie.
· As each person arrives at the party, you (or somebody else assigned to do it) should stick one celebrity post-it note on their back without allowing them to see it.
· The goal of this icebreaker party game is for each guest to find their celebrity match-- by finding out which celebrity they themselves are. To do this, each guest may ask the others yes or no questions about their identity until they figure out who they are.
Alteration: You can also instruct guests to treat each person as the celebrity name on their post-it to help speed up the process. The wacky conversations and sometimes physical antics that stem from this are pretty fun to watch!
Note: This is one of those great icebreaker games for small groups of any kind-- even those that don't follow celebrity gossip. So don't limit yourself to real-life celebrity couples. Change it up by adding couples such as "Yogi and Bobo," "Romeo and Juliet," or even "milk and cookies" -- there's no limit to how silly you can make your guests look.

5. The “No” Party Game

Summary and Supplies: This is one of the most rowdy icebreaker games for small groups you can play-- and the competition can get vicious, so watch out! This is a great one to play during a cocktail party or while guests nibble appetizers at a dinner party. To play, you need one necklace (such as a lei or beads), or tag on a string or clothespin for each player. In this example we'll use leis.
The Game
· Each guest is given a lei when they arrive and is instructed to put it on.
· The goal of the game is to collect as may leis as possible by stealing/winning them from other guests. To do this, you must get another guest to say the word "no." Yep, that simple.
· To get a guest to say the word "no," the players must ask questions or make statements which would make the player give a negative answer. If a player (the answerer) forgets to go around the word "no", he or she must give their lei to the person who got them to say it (the asker).
· If you have lost your lei, you may continue to play, ask questions, and collect leis.
· The winner is the person who has collected the most leis by the end of a predetermined period. They can win a prize if you wish, such as a bottle of wine or leftover dessert.
Note:You can choose whether or not to allow the word "know" to be used for this game-- both ways are fun. It's pretty interesting to see the lengths lei-less players will go to get leis from winning players-- especially as the game progresses. The hilariously convoluted things your guests will say in order to keep from having to say the word "no" make this one of the best icebreaker games for small groups.

6. Message under a plate

Summary and Supplies: This is one of the easiest free party games to liven things up around the dinner table. All you need is a bit of imagination, a pen, and some small strips of paper. (Or, if you prefer more elegant dinner table games, some blank business cards or card stock and a printer-- you can do this on the computer).
The Game
· Write or print a different phrase on each of several small pieces of paper. Place one card under each of your dinner guests' plates. Make the phrases usable but strange. Ex: "I am a space cowboy," or "Have you tried ostrich eggs?"
· Before dinner, ask everybody to read the card under their plate-- they're not to read it aloud or share its contents with anybody. Instruct your guests to use their phrase or question as naturally as they can in conversation.
· You can decide to make this a race-- whoever manages to use their phrase last loses. Or it can be a competition between guests. The goal is for each guest to figure out when another guest is using an assigned phrase. If they're able to slip it into conversation naturally without anybody noticing, they win.
· You can also choose to assign guests several phrases-- increase them in difficulty as they go along.

7. Mr. Freeze
Summary and Supplies: This game works best for larger groups. You can play this at the dinner table for a dinner party, or while guests are standing around having cocktails. No supplies needed.
The Game
· To play, nominate (or have the group nominate) somebody as Mr. Freeze. During the course of the evening, that person should completely freeze-- even if he or she is in mid-sentence. As time passes, other dinner party guests should notice and freeze, too.
· The goal is to get everybody to freeze. The last person to notice and "freeze" loses. You can also make this a drinking game, requiring the loser to down the rest of his or her drink and become the new Mr. Freeze.
· Not one of the best dinner table games to play at a restaurant-- the waiter may have trouble taking your order!

8. Apples To Apples

9. Balderdash

10. Cranium

Two New Websites

I just added two new websites. The first is called flylady and the next is called Family Corner. Check them out. Flylady can be a little cheesy in some places, but it really helps you get organized. Family Corner reminds me a lot of Family Fun. Anyway hope you enjoy them.

My Favorite Kids Poems

I just thought I would share two of my favorite poems for my kids to memorize. They are fun to tell Grandma or just to give your little one a talent. They are.......

I never saw a purple cow,

I never hope to meet one,

But I can tell you anyhow,

I'd rather see than be one!

and

There's too many kids in this tub,

There's too many elbows to scrub,

I just washed a behind,

I don't think was mine,

There's too many kids in this TUB!

Potty Training

My son just finished potty training. I am so excited. When I started I had decided I wanted to make jars that had treats in them for each task I wanted help with. So I used the images above, colored them, attached them to containers and it worked really well. He had different treats in each container also. When he went Stinkys he got a stinky treat, when he did water in the potty he got a water in the potty treat, and when I put him on the potty if his real pants were dry he got a dry pants treat. My son loved the variety and did really good potty training. This might not work for you but it took me a long time to find these pictures so I thought I would post them for others if they need them.

Have A GREAT day!

Just a quick thought

I went to parent teacher conf. last week and one of the teachers said something that made me think a little. I was talking with my daughters resource teacher. We were making a plan of what to do for my daughter who is about a year behind in Math and Reading. I told her that I had decided to start teaching her piano, even though it might be too hard for her. She surprised me by telling me that she thought it was a great idea. She told me that it will better fuse the Right and Left brain into working together. It would require both to work at the same time.

Now I know the benefits of music on babies and in the womb. I have looked at many of studies about it. I also have researched in school how the brain is affected by things. But never did I think Piano would help my delayed child. Amazing. So we are going to start. She also suggested I play classical music for her while she is doing her homework.

Anyway I guess this is another good reason to have your kids take piano.

What Do You Tell Them?

I had a very interesting experience yesterday that I have never had before. When I was in Elementary school the biggest tragedy was the Challenger. Do you remember when the Challenger went down? I remember singing the Christa McAuliffe song, and doing an American program to honor her. I remember feeling so sad that this had happened- the worst of that time period.

Anyway back to present time my daughters came home yesterday talking about 9/11. I have talked with my older daughter about it, but never my eight year old because I always felt she was too young. I guess I should have though because it was even talked about in the Kindergarten classes.

I think all of my kids came home with lots of questions. They couldn't understand why someone would do this. How can I explain that, when I don't understand it. I did my best, but it got me thinking back to the Challenger and how simple that seemed compared to this. I also thought of death, divorce, losing a pet, or really any loss. It made me want to find out what I needed to do in these situations. I found this quote that I really liked:

"Helping a child cope with loss is perhaps one of the most important roles an adult can play. In effect, you are helping that child develop skills that can last a lifetime."

Holy cow! Skills that can last a lifetime-I want to give them that. In my Safety area I have a couple of Healthy kids websites. this is one and I really liked how they kept it simple for kids. It helped you see how you could help them open up and talk about changes and loss. Also if you click on your feelings on the right hand side they have more topics like: Anger, Being teased, Cancer (when you know someone who has it), Telling Lies, Being Lonely, and dealing with grief- to name a few.

http://www.cyh.com/HealthTopics/HealthTopicDetailsKids.aspx?p=335&np=287&id=1649

Anyway I saw this quote for kids about changes and really liked it. I hope you also take the time to prepare your kids and During a tragedy to not forget these little kids that might need a little TLC and help understanding.

"Life is full of changes. Nothing stays exactly the same. People and things come into and go out of our lives. We can remember them as we get on with living each day and looking to the future".

Fall Fun!

So here is my idea for today. I made this a long time ago for preschool and I have always loved it. All you have to do is print this up and have a bottle of glue. You go for a walk or hike and look for all these things. Some are stretching it because of the letter, but it is really fun for the kids. Anyway in the next month this could be a very fun activity to do.

Mark it on the Calendar!

So my daughter came running upstairs when I woke up today to inform me that it is Grandparents Day. A T.V. station was telling all about Grandparents and making a big deal about it. I kept telling her it wasn't, but she insisted. So what could I do but get on Hallmark.com and see if it was a real holiday. It was listed! So we made cards for all our grandparents and we will deliver them tonight with a little paper made flower. I realize that it might have to be done late, but I do think it is a great way to honor our grandparents. So send them a special note this week from your kids, or even let them call their grandparents.

Unfortunately Grandparents don't stick around forever. Not only did I lose one of my grandmas five years ago, I also lost my dad that same year. There are a million things I wish I could have said and done with my dad. I wish I would have taken more pictures of my kids with him. Don't forget how lucky you are and do it.

Anyway Happy Grandparents Day Today!

I will Survive!

Today I am recovering from a full day yesterday of naughty, rude, and non respecting kids. I was pretty down last night and now I feel like I am back on top of things. Do you ever feel like this? Anyway I turned on the music, "I will survive" and it totally helped to belt out this song and get rid of all my bad feelings concerning my kids. Yes corny, but it did help. So I guess I am admitting I am far from perfect, have far from perfect kids, but I will SURVIVE! So if you are having a hard day then take note: have a happy day and know that we are all in this together and that raising kids is hard.

Side note: My husband fired someone and had a bad day at work, and on the same day came home and I was sick so he had to care for the kids. At bedtime he told me: "I could never do this Andrea. This is exhausting. How do you do this every day? " From this I really felt validated. My husband who had a horrible day, admitted I had the harder job in the family. It just felt good to know that someone saw this, my efforts with my kids, and had compassion for me.

Pre Reading

This is what I tell people if they ask me about teaching kids to read. I say:

1. Read nursery rhymes and Teach them Nursery Rhymes

2. Give them a good foundation of Letter Recognition on Capitals

3. Give them a good foundation of Letter Recognition on Lower Case

4. Give them a good foundation on Sounds

5. Then start to teach them to read.

If they don't have steps 1-4 down really good I feel you are wasting your time. This is just my opinion though.

It has been proven that children who know Nursery Rhymes well learn to read faster. Also when they get to Rhyming words at the end of Kindergarten and First grade, this really helps them.

Also I don't push my kids. I wait until the Summer before they go to kindergarten. This is just how I do it though. I don't like my kid too far ahead or too far behind. I strive for the middle of the road. I have known children who "know everything" in Kindergarten to have behavior problems, because they are bored. On the other hand I have a child who struggles and thats not where you want to be either.

Anyway I hope this helps someone. I want this blog to be helpful and full of good ideas. Most are just my own, so sorry I can tend to get long winded.

Kindergarten Reading

My favorite books for teaching kids to read are the BOB books. You can find them at your library, or you can buy them through Scholastic. I did see them at Costco last week also. They are really good books. They are black and white cartoon sketches with simple words. I have bought all of them and now that I am on my third reader, I can say I LOVE THEM! I also do something else one of my daughters got in Kindergarten and I am going to post it sometime. The combination really helps my kids. Now I guess I am a mean mom, because when they get home from school they have to do the teachers homework and then mine. My fifth grader gets an hour a day from her teacher and then has to play the piano and guitar. She does not get extra, but the little ones do and I think it is really good for them. I give them one BOB book to read everyday until they get it down, and then the other thing which I will post another day. Anyway hope this helps someone.

You can also find the BOB books at the website: www.bobbooks.com
They also have stuff about the authors and activity pages to color.

They are pricey but it is worth the money.

Preschool Age Story Time

Below I have one of my favorite stories listed. I was thinking it would be really fun to read this to your child, then print up the words and make a book, then let your child color the pictures for the story, and then you can read it with them. Yesterday I saw that done, except they took a story they had written and had their kid color pictures for it. Then they took pictures of each page and made a video. It was so cute. It was a perfect way to document your child's creativity. Or I guess you could do the same thing, but just let them act it out. Anyway just an idea!

The Elves and the Shoemaker
by Horace E. Scudder,Book of Fables and Folk Stories
There was once a shoemaker who worked very hard and was honest. Still, he could not earn enough to live on. At last, all he had in the world was gone except just leather enough to make one pair of shoes. He cut these out at night, and meant to rise early the next morning to make them up.
His heart was light in spite of his troubles, for his conscience was clear. So he went quietly to bed, left all his cares to God, and fell asleep. In the morning he said his prayers, and sat down to work, when, to his great wonder, there stood the shoes, already made, upon the table.
The good man knew not what to say or think. He looked at the work. There was not one false stitch in the whole job. All was neat and true.
That same day a customer came in, and the shoes pleased him so well that he readily paid a price higher than usual for them. The shoemaker took the money and bought leather enough to make two pairs more. He cut out the work in the evening, and went to bed early. He wished to be up with the sun and get to work.
He was saved all trouble, for when he got up in the morning, the work was done. Pretty soon buyers came in, who paid him well for his goods. So he bought leather enough for four pairs more.
He cut out the work again overnight, and found it finished in the morning as before. So it went on for some time. What was got ready at night was always done by daybreak, and the good man soon was well-to-do.
One evening, at Christmas-time, he and his wife sat over the fire, chatting, and he said: "I should like to sit up and watch tonight, that we may see who it is that comes and does my work for me." So they left the light burning, and hid themselves behind a curtain to see what would happen.
As soon as it was midnight, there came two little Elves. They sat upon the shoemaker's bench, took up all the work that was cut out, and began to ply their little fingers. They stitched and rapped and tapped at such a rate that the shoemaker was amazed, and could not take his eyes off them for a moment.
On they went till the job was done, and the shoes stood, ready for use, upon the table. This was long before daybreak. Then they ran away as quick as lightning.
The next day the wife said to the shoemaker, "These little Elves have made us rich, and we ought to be thankful to them, and do them some good in return. I am vexed to see them run about as they do. They have nothing upon their backs to keep off the cold. I'll tell you what we must do. I will make each of them a shirt, and a coat and waistcoat, and a pair of pantaloons into the bargain. Do you make each of them a little pair of shoes."
The good shoemaker liked the thought very well. One evening he and his wife had the clothes ready, and laid them on the table instead of the work they used to cut out. Then they went and hid behind the curtain to watch what the little Elves would do.
At midnight the Elves came in and were going to sit down at their work as usual. But when they saw the clothes lying there for them, they laughed and were in high glee. They dressed themselves in the twinkling of an eye, and danced and capered and sprang about as merry as could be, till at last they danced out of the door, and over the green.
The shoemaker saw them no more, but everything went well with him as long as he lived.

Baby & Toddler Fun!

So now the kids are in school lets talk Baby & Toddlers! I found this on Family fun and thought it was really good. I think my little boy could use a little bit of mommy and Payton time. What could be more perfect than doing some of these little activities and games.

http://familyfun.go.com/parenting/child/dev/specialfeature/famf0703familyfun123-games/

Charts

You are probably noticing that I put a lot of ideas up about behavior. That is because that is what I am dealing with at home. I want my children to be good kids, respectful, loving, friendly, etc. Everything I have learned about behavior, whether it is reading or a therapist, they have said to change it up quite a bit. So for me we take breaks on some stuff and do new stuff and then return when they are excited about doing it again. It really seems to work. Anyway today's idea:

I am a fan of charts for kids. This is an example of one I did for good behavior in the car. They get a sticker if they are quiet, a sticker if they are fast getting to the car, a sticker for good behavior, a sticker for cleaning up mess in car, and so on. They can have this every time you drive somewhere. I put it in plastic protectors and we keep it in the car. It makes it really easy to motivate good behavior.

I am doing charts right now that I found under My favorite websites/Charts. I printed up a different one for each child and gave each of them a goal I wanted. For Example two have the goal of Cleaning their room before school and turning off their light. One has the goal of going to time out and staying there. Lastly one has the goal of not hitting. When the simple chart is filled they get a surprise.

Easy and so far a great motivator. Here is the website or look on the side area.

http://www.stickersandcharts.com/

Having A Party?

So I am helping plan a big party for my church and I was looking for games and stumbled on this website. It has games for Baby showers, bridal showers, Holidays, Ice Breakers, Kid games, college games, adult games, Relay games, and travel games.

http://www.free-party-games.com/

Church Coloring Pages

O.K. I found a really cute site that has really cute coloring pages of the bible stories. I thought you might want to check them out and add them to your files.

http://www.sundayschoolprintables.com/

This link is also listed on the side under FHE stuff

Job Chart!

How do I get my children to school by 8:00 in the morning. Especially with one child that likes to sleep in and is SLOW as Christmas getting ready?



How do I get Afterschool homework, snack, individual laundry,etc done?



and Lastly how do I do dinner clean up, brushing teeth, getting ready for the next day, and bedtime with four little rug rats?



The answer is these simple charts. I have one for morning, afternoon, and evening for each child. This one was a Summer one that we used. Anyway I found chore pictures on wwwtheideadoor.com and found others in clipart. After printing it up I put it in a plastic protector and gave each child a dry erase marker to check their chores off. It is easy and I don't have to nag anymore. I just give them their papers and they know what they need to do. At morning time if one gets it done and the other doesn't then we make two trips to school. The first goes on time and the second has to feel dumb for not getting done. It only takes once and then they are ready for school on time also. Anyway this works great for little kids also. You just use less squares and make them bigger. This was for my 10 year old.

First Day of Kindergarten

My mom does a German tradition for all the children going into Kindergarten. It is called (spellcheck) Zukertada. You take a poster board and make it into a cone. Then you decorate it and put their name big on the cone. After that you fill it with lots of school supplies and candy. It makes our kids really excited and just waiting to have grandma give them their cone. On the internet I searched and found this. It was not the same word my mom uses, but I think that different areas of Germany might change it. Anyway I hope you enjoy learning this new tradition and try it out on your little ones.
History of the Schultuete

In Germany, the first day of school has long been acknowledged as a special occasion with customs that have been documented back to the middle ages. Depending on the region, it may have taken the form of a special church service, at the conclusion of which the children may have been led in a procession to the school, or they were presented with cookies that had been baked in the shape of letters or the pieces of slate that, until well into the middle of the last century, where used for the first tentative tries at writing legible letters and numbers.The custom of the "Schultuete" proper goes back to about 1810, to Saxony and Thuringia at Germany's easternmost borders, where sweets were given to the children on this day. The first documented report of the cone-shaped Schultuete proper comes from the city of Jena in 1817, closely followed by reports from Dresden (1820) and Leipzig (1836). It started in the bigger cities but spread quickly to the small towns and villages, soon becoming an institution all over Germany.The custom that started in Saxony and Thuringia but which was not adopted in other parts of the country was that the chlidren were not given their Schultuete directly. Marked with the students' names, they were taken to the school by parents or godparens and in a habit reminiscent of the Mexican pinata, hung on a metal "Schultueten-Baum" (Schoolcone tree) from which each child had to pick their cone. Without breaking them, of course.The only custom that has changed in the later half of the 20th century is that less and less sweets seem to appear in the Schultuete, with more practical gifts such as crayons and pencils, small toys, CDs, books and even articles of clothing replacing the tooth decay-inducing sweet stuff.

First Day of School!

I know we all basically do the same things for the first day of school. New outfit, backpack, maybe new shoes, and of course the first day of school picture. I do a few other things I would like to share and if ANYONE would like to comment on what they do then we all can have a large assortment of ideas. I always have a special gift for my kids on their beds when they come home from school. It could even be a little candy bar or it could be something big. It is so hard getting back in a chair and working on school stuff that I want to reward them for their long day.

Also I put a note in their lunch bag that says how much I love them and how proud I am of them.

So what do you do or what are you going to do?

Sorry!

Sorry I haven't updated as much as I used to. I will try to get back in the hang of it. Anyway I found Two French sites that are pretty good.

The second site has lots more artist pictures than the first, but both sites have lots of great coloring pictures. The second site has artists like Brueghel, Cassatt, Cezanne, Degas, da Vinci, Matisse, Monet, Renoir, Picasso.... (80+ pictures to color)
The first site has 16 pages to color (well, more than that, but 16 famous paintings to color in). This site is the one that has TONS of coloring pages! Click on the top of the page "Tous les coloriages" It means all the coloring pages.
If you get to a page that says "Decoupages" on the top--click on that link, too! It has a bunch of paper dolls on it. Paper dolls for boys (garcon), paper dolls for girls (fille) and trains to build out of paper. It was a great site to run across!
http://www.hugolescargot.com/coloriages-art-peintres/coloriage-peintres-peintures.htm
http://www.momes.net/coloriages/coloriages-peintres.html

Hope you enjoy this!

New Websites for Math!

Check these out I think you will find they are really good!

This one is my favorite of the two. It has Geography, Math up to Jr. High, Science, Creative Play, Language Arts, History, Themes, Clip art, and more! It is very easy to use.

http://www.learningtreasures.com/hulk_desk_strips.htm

And Here is a link with a complete math curriculum. It has posters, number lines, shape cards.... lots of stuff for grades 1-6.

http://www.cimt.plymouth.ac.uk/projects/mepres/primary/default.htm

You will find both of these links in the Great Education Sites!