Learning To Weave

Megan and I have been reading and studying about Moses. She is facinated with the story of the baby being placed in the basket (Exodus 2:1-10). I love her questions and the way that she has related to Mariam, Moses's sister. She has told me how she thinks his sister would feel and that if she was the sister she would keep thinking, "Oh no! Don't tip over basket and don't sink!" :) She has also asked about the basket...a lot.

I have been wanting to teach her how to sew. I'm waiting for our next trip to a big city to be able to pick up those supplies. But, the basket sparked an idea. The basket would have been woven, right? And weaving is a skill needed for sewing. So, I started to figure out a way to help her learn to weave something into a basket. Like most moms, at my feet sat a laundry basket of clothes waiting to be folded and neatly put away. It happened to be a kids' basket. The holes were perfect for weaving a large ribbon through! Although I'm not really up for coating it with tar and pitch or seeing if it's sea worthy, I think it made for a pretty good object lesson.

Happy New Year!!!

Wow! It's 2013 already! 2012 was filled with blessing big and small, trials, fun, adventure, and new friends! It's hard to look back and truly remember all of the wonderful things that happened. I just found the following picture on facebook and it has inspired me to look for the blessings God provides.



We're getting started today and my first note reads...I've been so blessed by my wonderful husband and kids. They add fun, adventure, love, hugs, (and gray hairs) to my life. I am thankful to have them to love and laugh with and I'm so very thankful for their love. ~ I love the way Matt and Megan are playing games and legos together today. They are working together, laughing, and enjoying each other's company. I'm going to go join them!~ 1-1-13

May 2013 be pleasing to God!

Vows?!

This post has nothing creative or cutesy or fun and easy to make, but it's sure to make you laugh. :)

Our seven-year-old, Matt, is in first grade. Earlier last week, something was said about couples saying vows when they get married. To which Matt says, "So they say A, E, I, O, U, and sometimes Y?!" Michael and I couldn't help but laugh out loud! Fireproof, happens to be one of our favorite movies. (Our kids love it too! And if you haven't seen it, you HAAAAVE to!) So, I brought up the wedding scene and used it to better explain.

So, I thought we were all clear on vows verses vowels...until today. :)

Today, Michael and Matt went to a Toroes (Semi-pro team near Austin) basketball camp and game that the team put on for Cub Scouts. They had a really great time and Matt learned so many new things. As he was eating dinner, he was reliving the camp and telling us all about it. Then he stood up, crossed his arms in an X and said, "They'll do this and yell, 'VOW! VOW!'" This time, I was the one with the puzzled look. Michael chuckled and said, "That's FOUL! FOUL!" Matt (almost rolling his eyes in exasperation, yet still smiling) says, "Ohhhhh! I'm a silly kid like that!"

Ok, writing all of this totally does NOT do it justice!

Thanksgiving Thankfulness

We had a wonderful time visiting with family and friends during the Thanksgiving holiday. Grumps always smokes a yummy turkey and Grammie fixes the best dressing ever (from a recipe handed down for generations) and other delicious sides and pies. Her chocolate maringe was the best ever this year! I think I gained 5 pounds just thinking about the food again! Yum! And I'm thankful for the baggie of leftovers in my freezer! :)

***I totally fell down on the job this year and didn't make my pecan pie. Really, this is only the second time I haven't made a pecan pie in the last 19 years!!! What's worse, is that I didn't even have a good reason for it. I just went shopping! (The first time I had a good reason...bed rest while expecting Matt!) Oh well!***

I have to admit, that I actually love Black Friday shopping...until I'm there. But, I did get some great pre-Thanksgiving and Black Friday sales and now have one person left to buy for! This made me laugh and I just have to share!

Grumps, Matt, and Michael went hunting Thursday night through Saturday. It was Matt's first time on an overnight hunting trip and I have to admit that I was (more than) a little nervous. They all had a great time! Matt got the only "kill" which turned out to be Grumps' duck decoy! He shot it and it sunk! (It's ok, you can laugh!) Grumps had him target practicing and didn't expected him to be such a great shot...or that a duck decoy could sink.  (Oh how I wish I could have seen the looks on both of their faces!!!) They also roasted hot dogs and marshmallows and played Go Fish and War. As for the rest of the trip, Matt said, "We just did man's stuff." :)

Bows to Headbands

My four-year-old is a girly girl. She has always loved bows, but she has recently discovered a love for headbands. In an attempt to dress up the headbands, I came up with this solution.

I wrapped a soft hair tie (a small rubber band would also work) around the headband and then slid the bow through. :) Simple as that! And I have a little girl who is tickled pink!

I love that the bows can be easily changed out to match different outfits!

 

Got any cute/clever solutions for Moms? Please share! :)

Fall Festival

Tonight was our town fall festival and trick-or-treating. The school puts on the festival as a fundraiser every year. I think the kids enjoyed this year more than they ever have before! This year they started with the costume judging parade.

 There were tons of games including launching Angry Birds, paintball shooting ghosts, barrel rides, duck match, cake walk, basketbone (ball), One Fish, Two Fish...fishing with the Cat in the Hat, and several others!




This year, my two wanted to enter the Cupcake Wars. A minimum entry is 12 cupcakes and they are only judged on looks. The entries are divided into several categories. After judging, everyone can buy the cupcakes.

Matt wanted to enter School Spirit and decided on a blue and white (bullyseye) with signs saying "Go" and "CHS". He won 2nd place!

Megan wanted to make Angry Bird cupcakes. She won 1st in her category and 2nd place overall!

They were so excited and proud! :)

 

They also carved a pumpkin with (my dad) Grumps! They really wanted to carve an Indian and it won 2nd place!

They did a great job and really had fun together!

 

And Halloween just isn't complete until you Trick-or-Treat, your bucket is full, and everyone is exhausted!

This year was filled with many fun memories! So blessed! :)

 

Crafts + Math = FUN!!!

What started as a fun craft idea morphed into these amazingly fun math games! You could also make the hand print into the traditional turkey, but we chose to make Indians.

 

Materials for craft:

3-6 pieces of construction paper (depending on hand size)

scissors

6 colors of paint

paint brush

marker

 

Step 1: Cut construction paper in 1/2 or 1/4 depending on hand size.

Step 2: Paint child's palm and one finger. (Are you surprised that Megan is doing it herself?)

*Note: You could also paint the palm and no fingers to introduce the number zero.*

 Step 3: Press onto paper. Make two prints with palm and one finger.

Step 4: Repeat Steps 2 and 3 adding an additional finger each time. (You'll have two Indians with one feather, two Indians with two feathers, two Indians with three feathers, etc.)

Step 5: Allow to dry. Draw on a headband and face. (See pics below.)
 

 

(That afternoon, Megan got sick. You can see the next day was a jammie day. She wanted to play, even with a fever!)

 

Memory Materials:

All Indians from craft

Step 1: Turn all cards face down.

Step 2: Take turns turning over 2 cards. Keep both if they match.

(This game is a great way to practice counting, memory, and get kids ready for the other games.)
 

 Number Match Materials:

Indians from craft

Numbers cut from construction paper

counters (We used bears. You can use beans, beads, goldfish, Hershey's kisses, etc.)

 

Step 1: Ask child to place feathers in order from 1-5.

Step2: Let child match counters to the number of feathers.

Step 3: Let child match number to the number of feathers.

Feathered Friends Materials:

All Indians from craft

Numbers cut from construction paper

counters may also be helpful

 

We followed up Number Match with this game, so all materials were already out. 

Goal: Use the feathers to introduce or practice addition.

 

Steps for Introducing Addition

Practice for less than 5 minutes.

*Don't skip steps. You want the first introduction to be super easy and fun! This will build confidence and understanding.*

Step 1: Choose two Indians. (If introducing addition, begin with small numbers.)

Step 2: Ask how many feathers each Indian has. Count together.

Step 3: Say (and point), "This friend has two feathers and this friend has three feathers. Let's see how many feathers they have altogether." 

Step 4: Count feathers together.

Step 5: Say, "2 feathers plus 3 feathers equals 5 feathers."

Step 6: Repeat using other numbers. (If after the first 3-4 your child is not "getting it", STOP. He or she is either not ready or uninterested. Find something else fun to do together.)

 

 

Steps for Practicing Addition

Practice for 2-5 minutes or until child wants to stop. 

Follow Steps 1, 2, and 3 from Introducing Addition.

Allow child to answer. If child is correct, repeat using other numbers. If child is incorrect, follow  Steps 4, 5, and 6 from Introducing Addition.

The goal of this craft and the games is to learn while having fun. If at any time you or your child are not having fun, stop, and do something different. Our kids are only little for a short time. Enjoy them and make tons of happy memories together! :)