I’m Gonna Miss This

 

Trevor,

You seem to get yourself STUCK in a lot of situations you CAN’T get out of!  You sure keep my life eventful :)

Givin’ It Up

Easter is right around the corner & lent began last week.  Growing up, Seventh Day Adventist, we never partook in lent.  This year however, I felt led to give something up for the Lord.  I decided to choose facebook.  That following Sunday in church our pastor asked our congregation to fast once a week.  Since I am nursing, I decided to give something else up in addition to facebook.  So, once a week until then week before Easter (then twice a week) I will be giving up ALL electronics on Sundays!  That’s right.  No computer.  No i-phone, no home phone, nada!  I’m going to enjoy my family without any distractions or interruptions.  I’m actually kinda excited.  My older children have also decided to give something up.  Taylor is not eating anything with sugar on Mondays.  Tyler is also giving up sugar & electronics on Tuesdays.  This week was their first week of this type of fasting & the experience was much more difficult than they imagined.  Immediately they were able to experience a tiny bit of what Christ must have felt on the cross as He sacrificed His life for us!  I pray that the Holy Spirit fills our bodies with His presences & the Lord works in us as we clear our minds & hearts to focus more on Him & less on the world.

God Bless!

THREE

Never in my wildest dreams did I ever imagine I’d have THREE baby goats in my BEDROOM! 

We have twins with a momma that won’t take care of them

& another baby with a broken leg.

So for the past week we have been bottle feeding THREE baby goats in my bedroom every THREE hours around the clock. 

I’m exhausted! 

I feel like I have a 9 month old & THREE babies!

But aren’t these THREE adorable?

The kids just love them!

P- “P” Pizza

During P week I decided to let the boys make their own Pizza! They thought this was the coolest thing EVER! I earned major cool mom points for this one. I guess we are going to have to do it more often now.

We also decided to decorate are jumbo letter P like a Pizza!

This was super easy! I just cut strips of white & yellow paper & circles out of red. I even added a little counting to it by having them count their circles pepperoni.

Scootababy

My Lil’ Buckaroo is almost too big for my pouch slings.

Truman is ever-so fond demands being held on my hip & he likes to be held OFTEN ALL STICKIN’ DAY!!   I love wearing my babies & I really don’t mind carrying him ALL STICKIN’ DAY most of the time; however, with 2 little mustangs running wild, I REALLY need BOTH hands free to rope them in whenever necessary. So, you can only imagine the excitement of discovering the Scootababy Hip Carrier.

Words cannot express how much I LOVE this carrier . . .

It is by-far worth every pretty penny it cost of Big Daddy’s hard earned cash!  Sorry honey, this was a NEED not a want.  Thanks by the way!  I love it!  & so does our Lil’ Buckaroo!!

What is so special about my new carrier?

First of all, you can not only wear it as a hip carrier, but it also works as a front &/or back carrier as well.  And to change to either position is unbelievably easy.  In fact, everything about this carrier screams EASY . . . putting it on, adjusting it for comfort, & repositioning it. 

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I can wear my little guy in any position without any help at all.  It has 3 different straps for adjustment, making it extremely comfortable.  It is fantastic!  I tried a wrap before ordering this carrier & I need help putting it on, it was difficult to get just the right fit, & it was not all that comfortable. 

Front Carry for some good snuggles.

  

Back Carry for “mommy has GOT to make dinner!”

   Did I mention how comfortable this carrier is?  Oh my goodness!  I can wear Truman for hours in this thing.  One of my favorite features of the scootababy carrier is the fleece shoulder.  The section over the shoulder is fleece – which eliminates any sore shoulders that many baby wearing mommas often complain about.

I could go on & on about the ease of use, how comfortable it is for me & my baby, the padding, the quality of fabric, the genius design ……. & on & on …….

Instead, hop on over to the Scootababy website & check it out in detail for yourself.  Then follow this link to Heavenly Hold to purchase your very own Scootababy.  It even comes with a drawstring nylon bag to store it or tote it around in.  Did I mention this carrier is made in the US?  Yes, it is!  And Heavenly Hold is owned by Amber, a very sweet babywearing momma.  I was very impressed with her eagerness to please & fantastic customer service.  I was even more proud of my purchase Heavenly Hold when I could hear little voices in the background.

I’m Gonna Miss This . . .

 

I ALREADY MISS THIS!

Tucker,

As I cut your hair today, my eyes filled with tears at the realization of how quickly you are growing.  I love the sweet funny active boy you have become, but I sure do miss this little curly head boy!  Big or Little, Curls or No Curls – I sure do LOVE YOU!!

36 Big Daddy!

1.  You sure know how to have a good time.

2.  Your smile melts my heart.

 

3.  You are an awesome Daddy!

4.  You are the best playmate.

 

5.  You are teaching our boys what a “REAL” man is.

6.  You aren’t afraid to admit you are wrong.

7.  You aren’t afraid to make a total fool of yourself.

8.  Your love for the country is contagious.

9.  You are a fantastic Handy-Man.

10.  You can fix anything.

11.  You are quite the fisherman.

12.  You appreciate God’s creation.

13.  You are my best friend.

14.  You have taught me soooo much.

15.  You are a great story-teller.

16.  You always catch the biggest fish.

17.  You make me smile.

18.  You know everything about me & still like love me :)

19.  You do things you HATE doing just to make me happy.

20.  You let me win.

21.  You have given me lot’s of stories to tell.

22.  YOU ARE CRAZY!

23.  You are brave.

24.  You are strong.

25.  You are a wonderful provider.

26.  You are our leader.

    

27.  You are my biggest fan & always support me.

28.  You let me be a full-time mommy to our children.

29.  You encourage our homeschool.

30.  You allow our children to know the real you.

31.  Those big blue eyes melt my heart.

32.  Life with you is always an adventure.

33.  You make our daughter feel like a princess.

34.  That cute little butt of yours.

35.  You are a wonderful man!

36.  I LOVE YOU BIG DADDY!  Happy Birthday!

Bows

Is she not just ADORABLE? 

This is my “helpers” little girl.  I just love her!!  Check out the cute bow in her hair.  I made it :)  It even involved a little needle & thread.  But I really recommend bow wire & a hot glue gun instead.  

I ordered the Tricks of The Trade kit from The Ribbon Retreat to learn how.  Now I just need my own baby girl to play dress-up with.  My girls are too big for big poofy blingin’ bows.  No such luck though – Big Daddy is NOT about to agree to another baby yet.  So I just get to play with this one :)

Valentine Treats

Here are a few pictures of some of our Valentine Treats:

Hot Chocolate with heart marshmallows

Heart Marshmallows rolled in sprinkles

-slightly wet the marshmallows to make sprinkles stick

Valentine’s Day morning Trevor helped me make cinnamon toast with hearts on them.  

Our church had a dessert auction on Valentines Day to raise money for Children’s Church Camp so I tried to be a little creative.  I remembered seeing some great snacks on MckMama’s blog.  I decided to try to make Strawberry Brownie Bites & Snow Pops.  Have I mentioned I DO NOT BAKE?!  First off, the brownies were hard has a rock!!  That instantly threw the Strawberry Brownie Bites OUT.  I was just left with strawberries.  Big Daddy had the great idea of making Chocolate covered strawberries.  Great idea until the chocolate melting burned & then on attempt 3 looked like this:

 

The Snow Pops were easy, until I had to dip them in the chocolate.  The whole stick thing didn’t quite work out, so I just made snowballs instead of snow POPs.  :)  Then I got so freakin’ mad at the chocolate dipping process that I quit!!  I just rolled the chocolate balls in sprinkles & had a bowl full of chocolate balls too. 

It was a disaster.  I was running soooo late I didn’t get a chance to click a picture the end result, but it wasn’t too bad.  In fact, my strawberries sold for $30, the snowBALLS & strawberries sold for $41, & the chocolate balls went for $25.  The disaster in my kitchen was so worth the $96 we were able to help raise for Children’s Camp.  Next year, we are baking cookies :)

Calendar

Currently in our “life skills” study with WP we are learning calendar skills.  To help my mustangs gain a better understanding I made them this file folder with the calendar & a weather chart bellow (I just used stickers I found at a teacher store for the weather pictures).  Each day (honestly, when I remember) we cross off a day & shade in a spot for the weather for the day.  This activity is not only a good for calendar & weather concepts, but counting & graphing as well.

I have also started to make a PK/K Board (coming soon!) which we are also using with their mini-calendars.  We discuss the months, are focusing on the days of the week, talk about the date (today, yesterday, & tomorrow), as well as the year.  I hope to add sentence strips “Today is …” soon, but for now we just discuss it.  I also include reminders of birthdays, events, & holidays.  For example, “Wednesday is church night”, “February 14 is/was Valentine’s Day” & “February 21 is Daddy’s Birthday”.  We will practice the days of the weeks for a couple of weeks & then we will focus more on the months & seasons.  

*For my family, friends, & regular readers, do you notice anything new/different in my kitchen?

Have a great DAY!!

Winter Promise LA - “Phonics”

I have mentioned several times how much I am enjoying using Winter Promise curriculum this year, but have hesitated on posting a review. Mainly because there are soooo many things I love about it I just get overwhelmed & I’m afraid I won’t do it justice. In the comments of one of my recent posts Jennifer asked:

“Okay, so I've been trying to figure out what to use for next year for my almost 5 year old. Winter Promise has been one I've been looking at for LA. She knows all her letters and their short sounds, and most of their long sounds. She doesn't yet know blends, digraphs, all that. Would the PK/K level be too easy for her? What is your experience with the LA with your mustangs?”

Because I aim to please & I am so pleased with WP I promised to post a review of my experience & answer her question. So here is my attempt Jennifer . . .

First, I am using WP Pre-K/K Basic Phonics. I chose this level to begin with my Mustangs (at the time they were just turned 5 & 3) mainly b/c they showed very little interest in letters & sounds the year before & this is where they were (boys & age). I love Explode the Code books & have search high & low for a curriculum that expanded on these workbooks. WP uses ETC, but it is not it’s foundation. In fact, I’ve found that it is a little bit of everything – phonics study, reading, workbooks, hands-on activities, writing skills, & spelling. We don’t always do EVERYTHING listed, but the options are nice & the layout makes it easy to choose from. Here is a basic week:

• Phonics Study
• Letter & sounds (short & long) intro using cards *the cards are wonderful & include tips for introducing sounds & formation.
• The program begins with one letter per week for the first 26 weeks. It does NOT go in alphabetical order. The following weeks introduce blends & phonograms.
• Optional GeoSafari Phonics pad
• Worksheets
• ETC: Get Ready, Get Set, Go (avg. of 3 pgs daily)
• Language sheets that are included (*mostly handwriting sheets, but a few activity sheets)
• Jump Right into Reading workbook (1-2 pgs daily)
• Activities
• WP includes an awesome list of hands-on activities. “25 activities to take on the go” Some examples are: “Macaroni on a String, I am thinking of…., search and sort, cupboard search” – everything you need for these activities is included in the activity pack you purchase with the basic package. *alternate ideas are offered for use with Advanced K. 2 activities are suggested each week; however, you could add more if you wanted by just looking at the list.
• Readers
• These are making your own phonics reader by drawing picture of things that begin with the letter you are learning. (my boys skip this)
• Lifeskills
• I love this addition to the program! Some examples of lifeskills are measuring, 911 info, calendar skills, tying shoes, etc. *This is NOT included in the Advanced K program
• Creative Composition
• This is the section that ties in other WP programs (*Animal Worlds, AMER 1 & 2).
• Handwriting/Spelling
• 2-3 days a week suggested handwriting is suggested. 2 lines of current letter, & 1 line of 2-3 previous letters. *I didn’t start this program using this – I supplemented with HWOT b/c my boys weren’t ready for the small lines; however, they are begging to do it now & are doing great with it. We just had to work our way into it.
• Spelling begins on week 28; however, it is only suggested for students that are ready. 10 words & a list of activities (similar to the hands-on phonics activities).
• Taking Off in Reading
• This begins on week 9 after you have accumulated a mastery of several letters. From this week on your child will begin to put together some of the phonics cards (I use magnetic letters instead) to make words *a word list is included each week. I also added BOB books SLOWLY! The program progressively increases in difficulty & truly guides your child into reading without any major jumps.
• On week 14 sight words are introduced – 1 word per week until week 28 at which point phonograms begin.

Throughout this program you will not only find excellent teaching tips, but also wonderful encouragement, “Remember: If your student does not seem ready for these exercises, you may want to . . .” , “Make it fun!”, “DO NOT WORRY!”

I am using WP Pre-K/K Basic Phonics with Animals & Their Worlds & have been very happy with how these 2 programs blend together. Basically, a coloring page of animals beginning with the letter are included, Alphabet Art activities & crafts (using Alphabet Art – LOVE!!).

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Based on the pace my boys are progressing at & their attention span, I am planning on using WP Advanced K for the upcoming school year. And Jennifer, you are in luck b/c I have this guide as well. :)

Okay are you ready for this one? Here we go . . . I have found from my overview of the WP Advanced K guide (keep in mind I have NOT used it yet):

• Phonic study
• The first 3 weeks are a review of the basic sounds of all the letters of the alphabet. This part of the program uses phonics cards (did I mention how awesome these are?), & the optional GeoSafari phonics pad. Week 4-14 is an in-depth study of the five vowel sounds. The following weeks begin phonetic rules, phonograms, & blends.
• Reading Program
• WP uses fantastic readers – I’m Reading Now. I love these books & my children have loved these readers. These books begin in week 4, are continued throughout the program & are scheduled twice a week.
• Reading review begins in week 4. This is a list of words that will provide your child with an opportunity to increase their reading recognition & speed. You are also encouraged to add words to the list (ideas are also suggested).
• Workbooks
• ETC: Levels 1, 2, & 3 (avg. of 2 pgs daily)
• The Word Family Activity Book (1 pg daily)
• Read & Write Mini-Books *begins on week 23 & is used for the remainder of the program (1-3 pgs daily)
• Activities
• These are the same hands-on activities as described above; however there is a more advanced option for use with this guide. These activities are scheduled twice a week, with a “work on picture dictionary” day scheduled for the 5th (optional) day. Again, you can do more or less of these activities.
• Written Skills
• Creative composition
• Begins on week 4. This is the section that ties in other WP programs (Animal Worlds, AMER 1).
• Guided Handwriting Pages
• These are included in the program. Again, the lines seem awful thin for beginning writers in my opinion. This guide begins with short sentences, rather than letter formation like the previous guide. The sentences grow increasingly longer as the program progress; however, beginning on week 23 the student is instructed to write their own sentences using a given word. The handwriting activities begin to vary from this point on. (1 pg per week)
• Spelling
• Begins on week 4. You are given 8 words per week, you add them to a picture dictionary & then you have the option to choose from a list of hands-on spelling activities.
• Reading Review
• Each week there is a list of words for reading review.

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Well there you have it – a VERY detail description of the Pre-K/K Basic Phonics & WP Advanced K. I would also encourage you to visit their website & read the descriptions of each program. The site offers a very informative summary of all the WP Language Arts Programs – you can even take a peek at a sample of the guides. You may also find the Early Reader Placement Evaluation to be a great tool in your decision making.

I do want to add that with choosing either program one HUGE benefit of this curriculum is the option to use what you want, work at your own pace. Remember to make it work for you – NOT you working for it. You may need to work faster through the Basic Phonics program or a little slower through the Advanced. I hope this post gives you a better understanding for each program. Either way, based on my experience with using this curriculum – you can’t go wrong. I am totally happy with my choice in using this with my boys. I love it! & They love it!

S - Skittles

Last week my Mustangs worked on the letter S. I couldn’t resist having a little fun with some Skittles . . . you know, because we’ve only been sick for a month, are already rowdy WILD Mustangs, extra Sugar is a great idea :0

*Tucker was pouting at this point in the day (he does that frequently) so he chose not to be apart of this activity – He was upset he didn’t get to eat them first.

I gave Trevor a cup full of skittles. First I had him spoon them (with an IKEA baby spoon) into a heart shaped ice-cube tray. I tried to get him to make a pattern with them. Then I had him use mini-tongs (also from IKEA) to take them out.

Next I gave him the same cupcake wrappers from our heart activities & had him count skittles into them. We also made a letter S with them. Then he ate them!

Big brother was NOT about to let the little guys have all the fun, so he used them to spell his spelling words out with. *By the looks of this picture he also did a little taste testing.