School Book!

When I teach preschool, I always make sure to take lots and lots of pictures. I also think it is important to save their special art work, and writings. (In an older post you have seen how I do writing their name.) I save all school year and then make each child a scrapbook that they can take home and either add with their own scrapbook, or they can keep it like I made it, so they can read it over and over again on their own. I also divide the book into categories, to make it easier to track their progress. This is a small sampling of one I did for my daughter, when she was in preschool years and year ago. Physical:Language:Cognitive:Social:Creative: Affective:

I do this also for my kids. Every Summer I take all the things I have gathered and make them into a school scrapbook. I always add it to their regular scrapbook. When they get old enough, they get to do their own, which also increases their creativity.

Now I know that lots of you now Digital Scrapbook. So my idea for you is that you actually scan your child's papers and art work into the computer, so you can digitally do your thing. Scanning is so fast and I think you will really like the final look.

So you might be wondering how I got little notes on each picture and just in general of her. What I did was I took a notes every day on a clip board and of things each child said through out the day. Then typed them up everyday when the kids left.

For your own kids, you have to come up with some way that works for you in making notes and being the busy Mom. What I do is have a paper on the side of the fridge that has 6 months worth of months. When they do something cute, or say something cute then I just write it under the month we are in and put the child's name.

Before this way, I used index cards in a box and then would actually put the index card in their scrapbook stuff.

My friend Chrissie keeps little note books of each of her children and when they something funny, she stops what she is doing and writes it in their book.

Mother's Helper

I have a friend that for years has employed a older lady to be a Mother's helper to her. Now she said she is not a nanny, because a nanny is someone who takes over. She says that she is right in the trenches with her and that makes her a Mother's helper. So having thought about it and knowing my husband has four companies on the side, I decided to get a Mother's helper. I decided I wanted someone between the ages of 16 and 18 so that I could get help with driving if needed as well. I am paying for a couple of hours a day to do any of the following that I choose: driving, cleaning, tutoring, yard work, babysitting, cooking, or just helping me in anyway possible. I am going to start this week, and continue through the Summer. I am so excited. So if you are in the same place as me, that things are crazy and hectic, think maybe about a Mother's helper. And thanks to the wonderful, cute man that I love that suggested the whole thing. Love you babe.

Birth-Mother's Day

For those who don't know:

Birth Mothers day is the Saturday before Mother's Day and is a special day where we can honor those who gave LIFE!

As soon I adopted I started celebrating this holiday. It is not widely known about, but it is probably one of the most important holidays we can celebrate. This is also not just a holiday for people closely involved with adoption. I feel like it is a holiday that celebrates good women who chose life and didn't abort. But having said that, no one even knows about this holiday. So I am asking you to remember it. Whether you know a birth mother who placed a baby, you know someone who is adopted, you know a mother who has adopted, or you just want to celebrate life, take a minute on the Saturday before Mother's Day to honor them, and to teach your children about life and how important it is.

I have been blessed to adopt four wonderful children, and each one of their birth mothers, had a very real decision to make of whether their child should live, or if they should abort. Each one, in extremely hard situations chose life. I would not have my children if they had not made the choice for them to live, and if they had not made the choice to place them in my home.

They are women that I love. I respect them for those two choices that they have made. They are not perfect, but just for those two choices, it makes them perfect in my eyes. I think of them daily and especially think of them and honor them on Birth Mother's Day. I send presents and stacks of photos to 3 of my birth mother's on this holiday. The 4th birth mother I don't get to have communication with, but I wish I could tell her how grateful I am for her.

Jamie, Felisa, Chakisha, and Angel,

I will always respect you and love you for the gift you gave my children and also our little family. You will always have a place on our family tree and we always hope that life gets amazing for you and that you are happy. Always remember our love for you.

Love,

Andrea

(and if you are a birth mother reading this, I love you too and you can put your name in place of my birth mothers. I pray for you all and hope you find peace and happiness in your lives)

Other than talking to your family and others you know about this holiday, how can you personally help birth mothers get the recognition they should have? Take gifts to a local adoption agency (little somethings), let your children help make them and take them. All you have to do is look under adoption in the phone book and you will find a whole list. Two of the agencies we used, actually bring birth mothers to Utah to have their baby. They get bored, so scrapbook stuff, gently used books, some bring children so car seats, clothing, toys, volunteer to teach a class, getting a special treat that says thank you, or really anything you can think of, would be so great for these almost birth mothers. I have talked before about me being LDS. They have Hugh needs as well and would love volunteers to spoil their birth mothers. I have a wonderful sister in law who let a birth mother live in her house (even while she was trying to find someone to give her a baby). She was paying it forward in honor of her oldest child's birth mother. She got to hold this birth mother and walk her through giving her baby up to a family that she had chosen. It was a wonderful experience for all of us, that we won't soon forget. So show some love and lets honor these amazing ladies next week.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Origin of Birth Mothers Day:
This day was created by birth mothers in Seattle, Washington. It was first celebrated in 1990.

irthmothers in Seattle, Washington. Most birthmothers will agree that Mother's Day is a very painful holiday and these women wanted to create something that would honor their birthmotherhood.

Life

So I am so sorry that I have been slacking on this blog. This month has been crazy for me. Soccer started with four of my kids, my computer broke, I have been helping my husband with his side business, spring break hit, Easter came, and then my sweet 90 year old grandma unexpectedly died. It has been so stressful. But now life is returning and I am back! I hope you all had a great Easter and hope I hope while you were waiting for me to update, you checked out my fun Easter stuff in the label section.

For me every day is Groundhog Day.

Not in a good way.

Every day I find myself picking up the same person's socks and putting them in the dirty clothes. Every day I hang up the same coats, and put away about 5 pairs of shoes. Every day I find myself putting bowls of half eaten cereal in the sink. Every day I put away every one's toothbrush, hang up the towels, and put about 6 boxes of cereal away. Everyday I find myself in just as much, if not more mess as I was in yesterday. With 7 people in our family, I am constantly doing laundry and never seeing an end in sight of it. Everyday at about 2:15 I become a typical mom and spend the rest of the afternoon and night in the car running the kids places. Every day I find I have at least three appointments that are at the exact time. Every day I become a referee, trying to keep my children in control and not killing each other. Every day I ask my kids to do the same things: Clean you room, put away your clothes, and do your homework! Most of the time I LOVE being a Mom. Most of the time I don't mind the Groundhog part of my life. And sometimes........

I don't.

Sometimes I want to shout, "Mom's Are People Too" So if you feel this way today, know that you are not alone, and know that tomorrow is a new day and will get better. And... of course it might be time to take a mini leave of absence from the kids and family stress to have a bubble bath, some chocolate, some peaceful music, read a good book, and relax. And then when you start your groundhog day again, it seems like you can handle it a little better. I know that some day I will miss the craziness, and you will miss it too, and guess what? We might even be bored.

Art Corner #4: Fish !

Well I will start with the crazy one. Do you see what I see? Yes this is a fish that my preschool kids painted (a real one) and then we took prints of the fish. It was really fun, stinky, interesting, and memorable. This one we did after we read The Rainbow Fish book. We used tissue paper, crayons, markers, colored squares, and of course shiny silver paper. My goal with art is that no ones art looks alike. I think with this you can see how they are able to be creative and create a masterpiece.This one is first a stenciled fish that they colored and then I cut it out for them. Then we glued in on a watercolor page that they had done earlier in the week.

More Conference Websites To Try!

First one is this one:

http://preparednotscared.blogspot.com/2011/03/few-conference-ideas-are-on-way.html

The next one is this one:

http://www.brownpaper--packages.com/2011/03/general-conference-treat-buckets.html

Thanks Nicole for telling us about them!

Conference Week!

So it is conference week again! For those of you who aren't LDS, it is a weekend where all our leaders get together with us and teach us and guide us to do what we need to be doing. It also is a time to fill your cup (spirit). More information can be found at http://www.lds.org/

Anyway it is time to plan ahead and get everything copied and ready for conference. I love sugardoodle and she has teamed up with another lady and they make great packets. I like them because they are big enough to last for all four sessions of conference. My kids LOVE them. I actually saved them, because they were so cute. Here is the link for that:

http://www.sugardoodle.net/joomla/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=7399

Now I have a few ideas that we do, these might make Conference fun and more make lots of memories for your family. Here they are:

1. To say it again: Have packets and make them early in the week with their names on them.

2. Sunday Treats! Always have special treats for each child. I do M&M's or Skittles and place them in baggies for each child. They get one bag per Sunday conference session.

3. Saturday Morning Session: We listen to conference as we up date our 72 hour kits. Each kid and parent has a backpack filled with 72 hour supplies. I rotate them every 6 months. I take out the food and then I let the kids eat all the food, candy, and gum, during the Saturday sessions of conference. I also make a list of what we took out (I do this earlier in the week so I can buy replacements for each kit). Then I have each kid update their backpack with new food, we check the clothes and make sure they fit, replace batteries, etc. Then I know everything is fresh and current.

4. Saturday Night Priesthood Session is a fun time for all. Instead of it being about the men and older boys, it is about the whole family. After dinner and sending the men to their meeting, the rest of us go to Grandma's house. Sometimes the kids play games, or play outside, sometimes we all goof off together, or we just visit. We hang out for those two hours and then have a Banana Split party as soon as the men are back. Some families just have the men have ice cream together after conference. I like my family's way better. I like doing it this way, because even my girls get to celebrate the priesthood. As they grow up and look for companions, they will know what to look for in a man, because they have seen great examples when they were young.

5. Sunday Morning Session for us is a big Sourdough Pancake Breakfast with all the extended family. My Mom sets up lots of tables and we all eat a yummy breakfast. Then we watch conference together until the first session is over, and then we go home to our own houses to watch the last session with just our little family.

6. Another thing I do is put a picture of the prophet up on our magnet board for the whole week. It is a silent reminder of what is coming and helps everyone get excited to hear what the prophet wants to tell us.

7. Reviewing who the prophet and the 12 apostles are is important. You can do this in a FHE lesson or you could put their pictures up one at a time for 15 days with something about them and their name. Also you can teach your kids the Apostle Song found here: www.mormonvidz.com/video/572/New-LDS-Apostle-Song-with-all-12-and-first-presidency you would be surprised at how fast they can pick it up.

8. I found this idea this year and I am going to do it. I found it here: http://creativeholidaygiftideas.blogspot.com/2008/09/kids-general-conference-baskets.html

Anyway that is what we do for Conference. Feel free to share your ideas.

Art Corner, Idea #3

Painting with straws can be oh so fun! Put some paint down on their paper, and then let them use their breath to make the paint spread into nice art work. This art project is perfect for learning how colors mixed will change colors..This is the finished product!

Thai Lettuce Wraps!

So we made these for St. Patrick's Day instead of the other stuff, because of time. We also made Rainbow Jello. It was really a fun night. My kids loved eating their green tacos. I love Cheesecake Factory not for their cheesecake, but for their Thai Lettuce Wraps. So good. Anyway I posted what I was making on Facebook and had a few people want the recipe, so here it is (also I found it somewhere on the internet, but can't remember where):

The Cheesecake Factory® Thai Lettuce Wraps

6-8 BUTTER HEAD LETTUCE LEAVES
THAI SATAY CHICKEN-Recipe Follows
JULIENNED CARROTS
FRESH BEAN SPROUTS
THAI NOODLES
THAI MARINADED CUCUMBERS-Recipe Follows
1 TABLESPOON ROASTED PEANUTS-CHOPPED
Sauces-Recipes Follow

Thai Satay Chicken (I double it except for the chicken, to cover it better)
1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts
1/4 cup soy sauce
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
3/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
2 tablespoons water
4 green onions with tops, cut into 1-inch pieces

Combine soy sauce, lime juice, garlic, ginger and red pepper flakes in small bowl. Add water to remaining mixture. Pour over chicken; toss to coat well. Cover; marinate in refrigerator at least 30 minutes or up to 2 hours, stirring mixture occasionally.

Drain chicken; Grill, turning halfway through grilling time. Serve with warm peanut sauce for dipping.

Thai marinated cucumbers
(we ran out of rice vinegar and just used white vinegar and it tasted the same)
1/3 cup rice vinegar
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup water
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon course ground black pepper
1 large cucumber seeded

In a small pan, combine vinegar, sugar, water and salt, pepper; cook over medium heat, stirring, until liquid boils and sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat and let cool to room temperature. Peel cucumber, chop up. Place in a serving bowl, pour marinade over cucumbers; stir to blend. If made ahead, cover and refrigerate for up to 2 hours.
.
Tamarind-Cashew Dipping Sauce, Green Sauce I call it
(We did have cashews and used almonds this time and it worked just fine, Also we didn’t have tamarind pulp or saffron so we left it out)
1/4 cup chopped cashews
2/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro
2 cloves garlic, quartered
2 green onions, chopped
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon cumin
1/2 cup honey
4 teaspoon white vinegar
1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
1/2 teaspoon tamarind pulp*
Pinch ground saffron
1/4 cup olive oil

Combine first 7 ingredients in food processor. Blend with short bursts until the mixture is well blended, and the cashews and garlic have been chopped into pieces about half the size of a grain of rice. Combine the honey, vinegars, tamarind, and saffron in a small bowl. Heat the mixture for about 1 minute in microwave then stir until tamarind pulp dissolves completely.
Pour mixture into blender or food processor and mix with cashew mixture (about 20 seconds).
Pour sauce into bowl, add the oil and stir by hand. Cover and refrigerate at least 30 minutes.

Peanut Sauce
1/4 Cup creamy peanut butter
2 Tablespoons water
4 Teaspoons sugar
1 Tablespoon soy sauce
1 Teaspoon rice vinegar
1 Teaspoon lime juice
1/2 Teaspoon chili oil

Combine peanut butter, water, sugar, soy sauce, rice vinegar, lime juice, and chili oil in a small saucepan over medium heat. Heat just until mixture begins to bubble, then cover the pan and remove it from the heat.
.
Sweet Chili Dipping Sauce:
(we didn’t make this one today because of time, but it is good)
1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
2 tablespoons fish sauce
1/4 cup hot water
2 tablespoons sugar
1 lime, juiced
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 teaspoon red chili paste

In a blender, puree the rice wine vinegar, fish sauce, hot water, sugar, lime juice, garlic, and chili paste until combined.

We have never made this next one, because of time:

Thai Sweet Red Chili Sauce:
3 tablespoons hot ground chili paste
2 teaspoons minced garlic
1/2 cup rice wine vinegar
2/3 cup water
2/3 cup sugar
1 teaspoon salt
4 teaspoons cornstarch
4 tablespoons chopped cilantro

Combine everything, except cilantro, in a small sauce pan and mix. Once blended, bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in cilantro

ASSEMBLY
Remove the stem at the bottom of the head of lettuce and separate the leaves into "lettuce cup. Wash and dry leaves. Arrange lettuce on a large serving plate.

Assemble lettuce wraps by spooning fillings into a lettuce cup. We do it like this: Chicken strip, Peanut Sauce, Green Cilantro Sauce, Carrots, bean sprouts, cucumbers, noodles, Red Sauce, and then crushed peanuts. Folding as you would a taco.

So good and so worth the effort. When we make it, we make enough for two dinners. We also freeze the sauce leftovers. It seems like a lot of ingredients, but they last forever. Today I just bought lettuce, green onion, and fresh cilantro.

St. Paddy's Day!

So what are we going to eat for dinner on St. Patrick's Day this year?

I saw online some stews that looked good, but were cooked with Lamb. I have never had lamb.

My Sister always makes corned beef and cabbage. I don't know if I can do that. It doesn't sound very good to me.

Years past I have always just dyed something the color green. I started with Green eggs and Ham. I have tried green mashed potatoes, and I have done green spaghetti with green Alfredo. Then last year I did Green Alfredo Pizza. My kids LOVED this one!

But this year I thought about doing something more traditional. So I might try this Irish Soda Bread. The link for it is http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Irish-Soda-Bread-I/Detail.aspx

I also might make this: It is Irish Chicken and Dumplings

The link for this one is http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Irish-Chicken-and-Dumplings/Detail.aspx

You can look at other ideas on the right side, under labels for more ideas about St. Patrick's Day. I have some games ideas, treat ideas, etc.

Practice Makes Perfect!

Learning to write your name is a very big thing for a kid. I have my boys write their name everyday. When they are little, I give a slip of paper and then I let them color their paper. I tell them they are writing their name. I always keep the first one of every month. Oh and I always have a laminated copy of their name in front of them. As they grow I start to help them do more on their name. When I think they are ready to really start writing their name, I place the laminated version of their name under a tracing paper, and have them trace their name. After awhile I put it back in front of them and have them start writing it for real. After they write their name, I have them answer a question of the day. Are you happy? Did you eat breakfast today? etc. This is my 13 year old's name writings when she was little. I saved them and put them in her scrapbook. I love to save things like this, that show progress.

Not only am I glad I did this with my kids, I am also glad I saved it and scrapbooked it this way.

Art Corner, Idea #2

Crayon Meltings!

I have listed an idea about this before under fall, but this is how it looks with out the fall leaves. You will need Wax Paper, An Iron, Crayon Shavings, A Heavy Towel, and Iron Board.This is how I set it up to let the kids create their picture. Then after they are done creating, I do the heating, but I let them stand on a chair and watch the melting. I like to use an old Iron and towel for this project. I also like to use another old towel to cover my iron board with- just in case. The picture goes on top of the towel on the iron board, and then the other towel goes on top. Then you slowly heat up the picture. It takes lots of heat to go through the towel, so it might be a little slow. This is what it looks like when done.

FHE Website!

I was looking for a specific topic for FHE tonight and came across this website. I really like it and thought I would share with you. I will put it in the LDS section.

www.thegoldenseven.blogspot.com

Have a great day!

Art Corner Idea #1:

I have saved most of the creative art that I have done as a preschool teacher, or that my kids have done. I usually throw away anything that looks like a teacher instructed or that it is something that all the kids have exactly the same way. I think it is so important to train their little brains that their art is from their brain and it doesn't have to all be the same. So from an earlier post I talked about how I am scanning all my scrapbooks so that if there was a fire or flood, I would still have them. So I got to the first year I started teaching preschool, and I decided to start sharing the ideas I have used. I hope you enjoy them. I have enjoyed looking at all my projects I did with my kids. I am sure glad I kept them.

Today's idea is to let your children paint with Washable Paint and Feathers! It looks like this when done.

What can I do fun tonight?

With Silly Putty's birthday today, Dr. Seuss's Birthday today, Porky Pig's birthday today, and Elmer Fudd's birthday today, I think I can come up with something.

After School: A little Seuss music, maybe some cartoons of Elmer and Porky, and making Silly Putty. (recipe below)

Dinner Prep: While I am making dinner, they can play with the Silly Putty we made, Seuss coloring pages, and watch the Sneeches movie, or cat and the hat movie.

Dinner: Of course! Green Eggs and Ham!

Bed Time Reading Time: Of Course! Dr. Seuss!

What a fun little night we can have!

Silly Putty:
1/2 Cup Elmer's Glue
1/2 Cup Liquid Starch
Food Coloring

Slowly Combine the starch with the glue and knead the mass with your fingers. The longer you work with it the better the silly putty gets. Add food coloring to get desired coloring.

Go to this website if you want Dr. Seuss Printables, like this one, http://k2printables.com/seuss.htm

Two of my favorite things!

Well I decided to highlight two of my very favorite things that help me be clean and be a good mom. They both are the Shark Steamers. Very easy to use, no chemicals just water that turns into hot steam, and you can use it on everything! This the pocket steamer. It cleans crayon off the wall in seconds, cleans kitchen chairs that have food stuck on them, the toilet, wipes finger prints off walls in seconds, mirrors, Toys, etc. I think this one is a must if you are doing preschool, daycare, nursery, etc. It sanitizes in seconds, and when those kids start sucking on a toy, you will know that no chemicals are on the toy, and it is clean.

The other favorite thing is the Shark Mop. No Chemicals used, only water, and washable pads. This is a very effective way to clean your floors. I think it is a must for any Mom with little babies. I think we have seen all babies lick the floor, and eat things off the floor, so to have it clean with no chemicals is a plus.

I have used steamers before, but hate the fact that they take 30 minutes to heat up. With these, you put the water in, plug it in, and 30 SECONDS later it is ready. I got mine for my birthday about two years and I love them. They are worth the 70-100 dollars they cost. Anyone that knows me can call me anytime and try it out before they buy one.

Another Friend, Another Blog!

Another one of my friends from childhood, has started a great blog. She has some really creative ideas, that make life better. She has a really good system for labeling socks. Now I do have my own tricks that I do with my kids clothes, but I have never known what to do with socks. So check it out.

http://www.why-because-i-can.blogspot.com/

Also my idea is that all my kids get a dot with a sharpie on the tag of their clothes. Oldest gets one dot, next oldest gets 2, next gets 3. Then I do the same thing for the boys. Oldest gets one dot, next gets 2. That way as they grow I can add a dot when they don't fit and pass down to the next child. It really is easy and makes it so even hubby can do the laundry. And when I pass them down to another family, they only have dots on tags and not everyone's names.

LeapFrog!

I love the LeapFrog learning dvd's and I also have people always recommending them to me. I went to their website today to buy one and saw a section for parents that are helps in teaching, divided up by ages. One activity was getting a U.S. Map and teaching states by collecting quarters. How fun is that? It also has lots of printables to go with the activities. Anyway that was an older activity, but there was lots of other activites for different ages.

www.leapfrog.com/en/leapfrog_parents/preschool.html

Spread The Love Around!

So this post is about a few experiences that has made today (Valentine's Day) something more than just a commercial holiday. I thought I would share and if you can pick up an idea for a future holiday, or just something fun to do on a random day, that would be GREAT! In fact if you can share one for the rest of us, that would be awesome too, of how you or someone else, Spread the Love around!

So this month has so far been really fun for me. I decided to not just focus on Valentine's day for just my little family, but also others. I delivered or sent in the mail over 45 Valentine's to people that I love and respect. I have tried to think about others all month long. It has been really fun, and lets those people know I care abut them.

This month also has been a month that others have shown me love. I got really sick in January with a heart that was beating 4 times faster than it should have been. I had to go to the E.R. and then went to a bigger hospital by ambulance, because the whole beating thing, caused a heart attack. This is a genetic thing that I have had for a long time and never knew it. Anyway so many have shown me love. I had people take care of my children for me. I had people bring yummy meals for my family. My Mother stayed home from a trip to care for my family and she came everyday to serve me and love me. I had people call everyday to check on me. I had cards that were sent by mail. All of it was so nice and really made me feel loved and helped me get better quicker.

This month I also had a stranger show me love. My husband and I were eating dinner with our two little African American boys and a man came up and told us that he respected what we were doing and he thought it was just wonderful and that our dinner was paid for. What a nice man. He didn't have to do that, but it made our day and we will never forget it.

A few years ago, a neighbor randomly brought us dinner, for no reason but that she wanted to. I still remember that kind action. It made us feel so loved and happy.

Lastly something was said in church yesterday that really made a difference in my life. It made me realize how powerful LOVE is. A story was told about a boy that was having problems, and a mother was trying to decide how to help him. Long story short, she decided to go into his bedroom, after he had been asleep and stroke his hair, hold him, and of course tell him that she loved him. Years later someone asked the Mom what turned him around. She started answering and he stopped her and said, "That wasn't it at all, Mom. It was when you came down and started telling me you loved me. I would pretend to sleep until you came down and said it, and then I would go to sleep after." What powerful words, I Love You, are.

I hope you all have a wonderful today and I hope you remember to spread the love around today and every day!

Some of my favorites!

Take some time and learn more about these or other famous African Americans!

Louis Armstrong- famous for his musical abilities!

Rosa Parks- famous for the stand she made on a bus!

Harriet Tubman-famous for helping with the Underground Railroad

Maya Angelou-famous for lots but most her poems

Sammy Davis Jr.- famous for his entertainment

Scott Joplin- famous for ragtimes

Jackie Robinson- famous for baseball!

Valentine's Party Games

So I spent the morning trying to find fun group games for my Cub Scouts group. After an hour, I had only came up with one game, and it was one I posted last year for Valentine's Day. I was talking to my Mom and she told me I should do a Minute To Win It Valentine's Party. So that is what I did and here are the games we played. I might do this with my family, and if I do I will include the pictures of each activity.

1. Heart Hunt (find in categories under the second Valentine's Day section)

2. Heart Race (cardboard piece of a box that you fan a heart tissue paper with. First one across the line wins)

3. Heart Stack (Tongue Depressers or Popcycle Sticks, Conversation Hearts. Put the stick in your mouth and stack as many hearts as you can on top of it in 60 seconds.

4. Heart Sort (Give every kid 20 M&M's, on go whoever gets all their m&m's in the shape of a heart and raises their hands yelling Happy Valentine's Day wins)

5. Angel Dance (One White Feather, Keep your feather off the ground the longest, without holding it and you win)

6. Angel Run (One White Feather, race against others to see who can blow their feather to the other side of the room first)

and of course we had to do one Super Bowl game, because the super bowl was on Sunday

7. Super Bowl (Bowl, Spoon, Cotton Balls, and blindfold, Blindfold one at a time and give them a spoon. On go find all the cotton balls and carry them to the bowl with your spoon only. No touching or feeling around. Whoever gets the most wins)

At the end, I gave every kid a 100 grand for doing their best and because they are 100 grand to me. They all had a great time and were so cute playing each game. One kid said it was the best day ever. So if you are a Mom planning some Valentine's Party for whatever reason, try this party out.

Young or Old and Woman or Girl

My friend has a new website and she has really nice flower necklaces and headbands that you can buy or you can host a party and have you and your friends make their own. They are really nice and so check them out.

www.verabelladesign.blogspot.com

Would be a fun Valentine's gift for girls as well.

Black History Month

My sweet Sister-In-Law knows I celebrate Black History Month (which is this month) with my kids, and gave me these three links to check out. So if you want to take some time and teach your children about black history give these links a try.

www.preschoolrainbow.org/black-history.htm

www.kidactivities.net/category/Black-History.aspx

http://printables.familyeducation.com/tv/tvsearch/in=fe_printables&type=printable%7CPrintable&theme=black-history-month%7CBlack%20History%20Month&mode=-summary&n=10&fmt=2

The middle one is my favorite one. It had all sorts of interesting an amazing activities that you could do as a teacher, or as a family to teach diversity better. So cool. Thanks Nicole!

Science Fair Projects

So I figured out that all my kids will do a science fair project in elementary, and two in jr. high, and one in High school. So that means by the time I am done with raising my kids I will have helped with 20 science fair projects. CRAZY! Now the naughty person in me, wants to recycle the older kids projects to the younger ones. But I know that is wrong. So far we have done two. Weather Prediction, and What happens to fresh water plants when oil gets in the water. But sometimes I look to the future and think, what will we come up with next? So if you are in the same boat, here are a couple of websites I have found about science fair projects. I will put them on the right side under science, because I think all of us Mothers are going to need them eventually.

http://www.sciencebuddies.org/

http://www.all-science-fair-projects.com/

http://www.super-science-fair-projects.com/

www.terimore.com

www.sciencefairadventure.com

Valentine's Fingerpainting!

Need:
Strawberry Yogurt
Big Paper shaped into a heart

That's it! Let your child make a big heart for someone that they love, by finger painting. At the end they can lick their fingers and eat the leftover yogurt. Let dry and then give to that special someone.

Another fun idea is to let them finger paint on the table or high chair and then when they do a cool design, place the paper down carefully and pull it back up, to make a print. That way you can do more than one.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Love, Your Pixie

We usually look at Valentine's two ways. The first is the romantic holiday. The second is the kids holiday. But really it is more than just a time for kids to give out Valentine's and a special night for the one you love. It is an opportunity to love others, especially the elderly and widowed.

When I was a child every Christmas, my parents did the 12 Days of Christmas, but we called it Pixing. We always chose an old person or a widower. We gave thoughtful gifts like bread, soup, an ornament, fruit, etc. We always left it on the porch and then would go home and call them and tell them, "Your Pixie has been there" It really made their day! I find it is hard to do this at Christmas time though, because life is so busy.

So because it has been busy, we have been inventive so we can still do it. One year we did this to a family in July, One year we wrapped Christmas books and put dates on them of when they should be opened and gave them to families.

Last year my Mom was recovering from sickness and was really down and that gave us an idea to do the Pixie thing before Valentines. We did this for both sets of parents. We got a big basket, tied a Valentine's balloon to it, and filled it with 12 gifts we thought they would enjoy and made a little note that went with each one. We told them to open one each night on the night it was given. I watched my Mom through the whole thing, having no idea who had done this. My kids loved watching her get excited and speculate about who it was. It was so fun! They were so excited to finally tell her that they had done it.

For Mother's Day (but it would be a great idea for Valentine's Day). We took breakfast to each of our Mothers. We told them the tray was their gift as well as the food and the cup. Walmart had really dang cute trays in their Valentine section that I bought then and saved for Mother's Day. They loved it. We have also taken Breakfast trays like this to people having a baby. Cartons of Orange Juice, Milk, Fruit, Pasteries, etc. is fun for the kids and makes them feel special too.

Another idea to do for older people is to give them a Heart Attack. On their front door, rest home door, bedroom door, car, etc. place hearts that have messages from everyone in your family. Things you love about them, or just an I love you. This is a great gift, for someone that has everything and just needs to be loved.

We connect with people all the time on the internet, phones, or facebook like stuff. But that kind of technology doesn't hit with most older people. So help your child send notes and stuff in the mail for your older loved ones. This will be a fun new experience for you child, but will mean something also to the ones you send stuff too. My sister in law lives out of state and she does this all the time with her kids. My Mom's fridge is covered in little notes from them.

One story that has been told to me over the years, is my Two sisters one Valentine's Day calling all the neighbors and singing them a Valentine's Song and saying it was from someone who loved them (pre-caller id). They had fun doing it, and the women all loved it and thought it was from their husbands.

This year I was thinking it might be fun to put a fruit or treat in a Valentine's bag and deliver these little gifts to a retirement community in our area, with a note telling them Happy Valentine's Day. I think my kids would love ringing all those door bells and spreading love around.

And lastly invite them over. For about 6 months now we have been taking my Mom at least once a week to our house for dinner. She gets a good healthy meal, she gets out of the house, she gets companionship, and we get HER. My kids love when she comes for dinner, and they beg for her to come all the time. Today I burned beans and my Mom was over. She of course could have cared less, because she was just glad to be out of her quiet house and have some fun.

And remember that no matter what you do, sign it with.... Love, Your Pixie