My Music

Just FYI if you want to turn off my music the play list is at the bottom of the page.  You can scroll all the way down and turn it off.  The "HO HO HO and jingle bells" is coming from my santa slide show.  I love this slide show but don't know how to turn off the sound.  Maybe when it gets pushed to another page you won't hear it on the front page.

A B See Photo Meme.....D

D...D... What begins with D???

Dinosaurs of course!  We have been Discovering Daily about Dinosaurs and this week the kids got to watch one hatch.

Homeschool Memoirs # 23

THEME

This week’s theme is going to be on unit studies. Some people are really big on unit studies, others aren’t, and some use them as their primary learning tool. I think they’re great a fun way to encompass everything in what you’re studying. please share your favourite unit study and if you’ve never done one before share one you’d like to do.

I post quite often on the unit studies we are doing so I thought I would post some of my favorite links and rescources here.  I love lapbooks and Evan Moor Pockets of learning.  Last year we did a lot of notebooking.  I am very eclectic when I comes to planning these and pull from all different areas.  Some times too many!    I am teaching in our co-op next week with the preschoolers so I am planning a mini unit study on Groundhog's Day.  I found some of the cutest activities. 

1.  They are going to make a pop up Groundhog puppet http://www.enchantedlearning.com/crafts/groundhogday/popuphog/

2.  Then I got a bunch of ideas from www.perpetualpreschool.com

        Tracing the kids silhouettes/shadows

         Guess the shadow

          Musical shadows

3.  I also love www.dltk-kids.com they have some great craft ideas as well.

I willl post pictures later in the week of our activities.

What's For Dinner Wednesday's??

The last 2 weeks Jay and I have gotten back on Weightwatchers full board.  (We weren't strict about it over Christmas).  I have now lost a total of 20lbs.  Jay has lost 25 and his goal is to lose another 40 by his graduation in July.  I want to lose at least another 20 then I will be rid of all my baby weight but I am going to have to excercise to tone my tummy!!!  Anyways, moving on...  I love WW it is so easy to follow and we don't feel restricted in what we can eat.  It is very doable (is that a word?) and manageable!  So with doing this I haven't been doing the OMAC with my group anymore.  I instead have been stocking up on my own and doubling some recipes such as meatloaf, chicken, meatballs and such.

Here is a great recipe I found and tried this week.  It is for the slow cooker which I love to use on busy days.  I think each serving was about 5 pts.

Slow Cooker Chicken and Dumplings

4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves

2 tablespoons butter

2 10.75-ounce cans condensed cream of chicken soup, undiluted

1 14-ounce can chicken broth

1 onion, finely diced

1 10-ounce package refrigerated biscuit dough

Place the chicken, butter, soup, broth and onion in slow cooker. Cover, and cook for 5 to 6 hours on high. One hour before serving, open biscuits. Roll each one to be about 1/4-inch thick and cut into 1/2-inch strips. Add to the slow cooker, laying on top of chicken and liquid. Overlapping strips of dough will occur. Continue cooking until the dough is no longer raw in the center, about 1 hour. Note: Dough will not cook into biscuits as you might think. It will become like traditional dumplings. Serves: 6 to 8.

Blogger Friend School #118

 All You Add Is Love (Purina Dog Chow)

Memory Verse: Psalms 127:3 (New Living Translation)

Children are a gift from the Lord; they are a reward from him.

Intro: This week we continue with shaking things up a bit.  Children are often so pure in what they say.  There is no sugar coating it, they just say it as they see it.  Their thoughts can make us laugh, touch our hearts and open our eyes.

Assignment: This week are going to do an “Interview With Mom”  and post it to your blog.  There are a list of questions below to interview your children with.  Feel free to add your own questions or remove any question you don’t want to use.  You will then ask your children the questions and post the answers that they give you.

I asked them all individually so they would not base answers off of one another

WHAT DOES MOM ALWAYS SAY TO YOU?

Anastasia (11)-  Go do your school work

Joshua (5)-   If I can or can't play on Wii

Savannah (3)- You love me and kiss me

Alexa (2)- One  ???

WHAT MAKES MOM HAPPY?

Anastasia-  Saying I love you, clean with out complaining, rubbing her shoulders

Joshua-  Listening well

Savannah- clean up and do stuff

Alexa- me

WHAT MAKES MOM SAD?

Anastasia- When we don't listen

Joshua- not listening

Savannah- when we use bad words like "shut-up"

Alexa- I don't know

HOW DOES MOM MAKE YOU LAUGH?

Anastasia-  When she does funny stuff

Joshua-  does silly things to me

Savannah- makes silly faces

Alexa-  he he he

HOW OLD IS MOM?

Anastasia-  That's easy 36

Joshua- 53     (side note.. Anastasia is correct )

Savannah- 10

Alexa- 1

HOW TALL IS MOM?

Anastasia-  5'8

Joshua- 44 lbs.

Savannah- 30

Alexa- 1

WHAT DOES MOM LIKE TO DO?

Anastasia-  blog, facebook, text now that you have a phone

Joshua-  Help me do stuff.  Help Anastasia and I do math

Savannah- play toys, go on the computer and check stuff out

Alexa- color and rub my neck

WHAT IS MOM’S JOB?

Anastasia- Taking care of us

Joshua-  Keeping care of us

Savannah-  Help us clean up and do school

Alexa- Help me shut my eyes

MOM’S FAVORITE FOOD?

Anastasia- black beans and rice

Joshua- Her favorite cereal

Savannah- morning cereal

Alexa- pizza

HOW DO YOU KNOW MOM LOVES YOU?

Anastasia-  She says it everyday

Joshua-  Cause you kiss me

Savannah- I know in my heart and you do stuff with me

Alexa- Tell me

Alexa's Dance

I didn't get a chance to post pictures yet of Alexa's first dance class so here they are....  She loved it and looks forward to going each week.

 

 

Tackle It Tuesday

Okay here is yet another thing I am doing to help me get organized.  You can click on the banner above to find out more.  For this Tackle it Tuesday I decided to organize my pantry.  This took a lot longer than I thought but it is so nice and clean now.  I even bought new containers.  We really needed some as the ones I had were very old and starting to crack.  I love my pantry it is so nice and big.  One side is food and the other side is cookbooks and arts and crafts. (I had already organized the arts and craft side before so I just needed to straighten it up.

With out further ado here are some before and after pictures:

The new containers

Before

After

Before

After

Before

After

Before

After

 

 

 

Menu Plan Monday

 

As I have been trying to get things in order with the start of a new year I have been doing a lot of planning and organizing that I will be sharing in the next two weeks.  I am finding with having a large family things just need to be done differently.  I guess I was in denial that our family was large as I consider having 8-10 kids a large family.  But others with only 1-3 kids can't belive we have 5.  I guess it is all perception!  Anyways we need to start doing things a bit differently and it all starts with me, my attitude and organization.  So come back and visit the next couple of weeks to see what we are doing and how we are getting organized and staying on track (at least trying)  and feel free to share any tips you might have as well.

The first thing is I found a blog called organized junkie http://orgjunkie.com/   This is how  I would describe myself.  I just need to put it all into practice!!!  So from this blog they do a Menu Plan Monday each week.  I used to plan and post my meals all the time and when I did the once a month cooking I just pulled what ever was in the freezer.  I am doing some omac on my own but it just wasn't working with the group anymore with Jay and I on weight watchers (I will post more about this on Wednesday).  It definetly helps the budget to plan out meals.  I usually plan around what meat is on sale and there were great sales this week and I had some extra grocery money and stocked up!  Gound beef .99,  Pork Ribs .99, Skinless, boneless Chicken breast $1.67.  These type of sales I stock up and freeze.

Here is our menu for the week:

Monday- Tacos

Tuesday- Chili

Wednesday- Spaghetti

Thursday- Chicken

Friday- Pizza (homemade dough)

Saturday- Roast

Sunday- Ribs

I will share a recpie and more things I am wanting to cook on Wednesday as I get back to my "What's For Dinner Wednesday"

Happy Monday!

A B See Photo Meme.....C

 

C... C...  What Begins with C???

Wow so many Choices!!  Children, Computers, Christ, Chocolate, Computers, Cameras, Cats, Coffee and Crockpot  so many good things begin with C.

I decided to post the following C pictures as they help me everyday:

My Calendar I would be lost with out it!

One of our Computers (eew it needs to be dusted)  Having two monitors is so awesome!  Notice my Coffee Cup in the Corner.  I love my morning Coffee!

My slow Cooker is a great friend on busy days!

I would be lost with out my digital Camera.  Although this one has seen better days and we are on the search for a new one.

If you want to join in on the fun Click here.

God's Timing

Isn't God's timing always better than our own!  Then why do I still push for my timing???  For once though I am not pushing for my timing but I am trying to stand back and watch God move and work.  He has been doing a work in our family for the last couple of years and preparing our hearts for our journey.  I mentioned in my New Year's post about moving and Jay getting a Worship pastor position.  Well things have been CRAZY around here but in a good way.  As a family we have grown and stretched and learned so much in the last couple of years.  I truly believe now we are ready for God to move us forward.  As much as I don't want to admit and as hard as it was God had to allow us to struggle as we did with our finances (or lack there of ) and our house.  But He is so good and has an amazing plan for everyone's lives. 

So what is God doing you ask???  He is helping bring to fruition a seed He planted long ago in my husband.  My husband has a heart and passion for ministry that he  burried and ran from for too long.  Now God is opening doors and we are running, not walking, through them.  Jay has a full time job working for University of Phoenix and he is going to school (on-line).  He will graduate in May and we can't wait!!!!  Now add to that plate part time worship pastor.   He is so excited to do this and it is fun to watch him fullfilling this long time passion and using the gifts and talents that the Lord has given him.  God's timing that we are waiting on now and not pushing is us actually moving into the community where the church is (almost an hour away). The church eventually (sooner than later) wants to bring him on full time.  When this happens he can quit at UOP, which is not his passion!  But we don't want to complain about it especially when so many people are with out jobs right now.  So we are waiting on God's timing and there is truly a comfort and peace with that. So please continue to pray for us during this process.

 Are you waiting on God's timing for something?

Homeschool Memoirs # 22 ABC's Describing Me

Can you believe there is only 26 letters in our entire alphabet? Only 26 letters that you can create thousands and thousands of words out of, and all those little words make up all sentences, paragraphs, articles, and books we read?

THEME

This week use the ABC’s to describe your character, your life, your homeschool, and your family. Next to each letter of the alphabet put a word that describes you or has something to do with you. It was very amusing and a bit tricky. Once you actually get to a letter your mind goes blank!

Amazing kids

Blessed

Coffee

Daughters (4 of them)

Frugal

Google (how did we survive before it?)

Hands and House full

Impatient

Joshua (my only son)

Keeper of my home

Love the Lord

Mommy

Never a dull moment

Optimistic

Planner

Quiet

Romantic

Scheduler

Trying new things

Unit Studies

Vacation Bible School (love it)

Working on Weight Watchers

Xtremely hard trying to think of an "X" word

Yoddler (NOT!)

Zany house full of kids

 

A B See The Letter B

B...B...What begins with B?

Books, Books and more Books

What homeschooling family doesn't love books?  Here are some of ours....

Kids books

Library books

Books for school

Jay and I's books

If you want to join in the AB See fun click here

Blogger Friend School # 117

Say It In Signs!

Memory Verse: Genesis 1:14 (King James Version)

And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years.

Intro: This week the other Teachers and I want to shake things up a bit!  We wanted for everyone to have some fun and have an assignment that would be easy and enjoyable too.  This is a creative blogging assignment but hopefully it will offer help to some newer bloggers still trying to learn “how” to add pictures to their blogs and also help learn your classmates names to easily identify them…and it’s just FUN!

Assignment: This week you are to use your Blog Name (or your own pen/real name) and create signs. There are two ways to do this and you can do one or both ways.

Here are my banners and signs that I’ve made to share with everyone. I have my two of my favorite verses within the signs! They should be easy to spot!  Go to this location and use the Create tab at the top of the page to select All Templates or go to the bottom  of the page and on the left choose Banners to make your project.  Then follow the directions to copy the code and post it on your blog.  Have Fun!!!  Warning:  This is NOT a christian site!

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Here are my signs.  This was fun and easy to do. 

 

 

 

 

Iron Chef Cook Off

This month in co-op Anastasia's class has been doing a unit on cooking, food and nutrition.  For the last class of the month her class was divided into two groups and had a cook off.  They would be making their lunch and dessert.  Anastasia's group made a spaghetti and her favorite brownie cake dessert.  All the kids did a great job and learned a lot.  This unit was great for Anastasia as she loves to cook and do this stuff.  They even gave each kid a certificate I need to get a picture of it.