My Sweetie

I love this picture of Mini Cooper that I took last week {and thankfully edited and uploaded before my laptop stopped working}. I thought I'd share it in my3boybarian's 'Sweet Shot Tuesday' on um Thursday.

It's also my 250th blog post-wowzers!! Enjoy :).

Raising Rock Stars: Creation Day 4

"And God said, "Let there be lights in the expanse of the sky to separate the day from the night, and let them serve as signs to mark seasons and days and years, and let them be lights in the expanse of the sky to give light on the earth." And it was so. God made two great lights—the greater light to govern the day and the lesser light to govern the night. He also made the stars. God set them in the expanse of the sky to give light on the earth, 18 to govern the day and the night, and to separate light from darkness. And God saw that it was good. And there was evening, and there was morning—the fourth day." Genesis 1:14-19 NIV


We are on day 4 of Creation, the day the Lord created the sun, moon, and stars. Charger has a mini obsession with the moon, so I decided to focus our extention activities on the moon.

It was a beautiful day, so we took advantage of the sunshine and went outside. This seemed to mess with the pictures. Sorry they are so dark :(.



We worked on our day 4 earth for our Creation lapbook.

We read The Moon by Lydia Carlin {part of Scholastic's Solar System Readers pack}.



And we pulled out this cool Solar System Information Pack that my mom and sister picked up for us last Summer. It has a cool poster and a book and STICKERS! Thank you guys!!

Then we made a moon surface....or at least that's what it was supposed to be.



Instructions were to glue beans and macaroni to a paper plate. The kids loved this part! And, since we were outside, I did too ;). Charger filled every inch that he could, taking great pride in each and every bean. "I did it, I did it." He would exclaim {and of course want me to acknowledge and praise him for all 83 beans}. Mustang, on the other hand, kept wanting to go inside to wash her hands because she didnt like the glue on her fingers.



When the beans and macaroni were all glued down and dry, we wrapped the plate in alluminum foil, and pushed it down over the beans and mac to create craters. To be fair, the plates did look like the surface of the moon {at least the pictures I have seen, havent been there}.

The directions were to wait until the glue was dry. But, well, its hard to wait for glue to dry when you are two, four, or even thirty. It didnt take long before the beans and macaroni started to come off of the plate. Once one piece came off, it all did, and soon we had home made marraccas! They were fun while they lasted, but found the trash soon afterwards...dont tell the kids k?

I think we all had a great time with this lesson. I am certainly enjoying this Creation series. I hope you enjoy reading about it! God Bless!!

This is part 4 of a 7 part series:

Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 5 {coming}
Part 6 {coming}
Part 7 {coming}

It's Coming....

If you dont already know it, I live in Timbucktu with three children age 4 and under. Going anywhere requires packing three kids, two diaper bags, a stroller, snacks, games, crayons, sippy cups, and a Mountain Dew {which I pretend is a stiff drink}. So you can imagine that the idea of going to the mall is not the exciting luxury it once was. In fact, it rates right up there with root canal {to quote my father}. Enter CSN stores. With a selection that includes everything from bar furniture {where you can serve stiff drinks} to baby toys and nearly everything in between, its a virtual mall that I can shop at in my jammies!

You can imagine my excitement when I was recently contacted by CSN Stores to do a review for them. I am in the process of choosing a product to review from their thousands of amazing items. Along with my review, I will be hosting my first ever GIVEAWAY!!! I am so very excited to get to share my virtual shopping trip with one of you. It will be kinda like Jr High when you would call your best friend and spend countless hours just roaming the mall trying to find that perfect thing to buy with the money your momma gave you :).

And just to get this shopping trip off to a good start, if you comment on this post, you will be able to get an extra entry for the giveaway {which hasnt started yet}! Just leave a short comment below and be on the look out for my upcoming giveaway, and in the meantime check out the awesome educational toys on CSN stores.com {which is what I am looking at too}.

Review: Life Application Study Bible NLT

I have had the same Bible since Christmas of 1996. It is inscribed with my maiden name in gold lettering on the front. It was a gift from my high-school sweet heart, complete with a little letter in the back {dont tell my hubby mmm-k?}. I read it {nearly} every day, make notes in it, underline things, highlight, etc. Its well loved and well used. I'd been feeling like maybe it was time to replace the beloved friend, so I jumped at the chance to review this Life Application Study Bible {NLT} from Tyndale House Publishers.

Can I just say this Bible is BEA-U-TIFUL?!! Oh my goodness, I dont remember being more impressed with the look and feel of a Bible-ever {and I once worked in a Christian book store, so that's say'n something.} The soft, leatherlike feel is so silky and smooth, but the color is what I loved the most. On the front, the Lord's Prayer is written in a circular pattern, giving the binding a modern edge. It is also a 'Personal Size,' and is just a tad smaller and easier to carry then the standard sized Bible. My husband was sitting with me when I opened the Bible, and he was very impressed. It has a very masculine feel, and I think it would make a fantastic Father's Day gift!

By getting a new Bible, I will not have to give up any features as I have used a Life Application Study Bible for years. I love the footnotes, character studies, the summaries at the beginning of each book, the time lines, the maps...there is so much to love about the Life Application Bible. That's probably why it's the #1 best selling study Bible.

I am also looking forward to finally having my own Bible in the New Living Translation. I have had an NIV for years, but my hubby has had the NLT and I am looking forward to making the switch to this easy to read, yet accurate, translation.

Overall, I loved the Life Application Study Bible NLT Personal Size, TuTone. I would recommend it specifically for that special man in your life. It would make an excellent Graduation, Birthday, or Father's Day gift. God Bless!

Thank you to the Tyndale House Publishers for providing me with a complementary copy of the Life Application Study Bible for my review. I was not paid for my review and the opinions expressed are my own.

Netflix on Wii

I have been watching waaaaay too much TV this last week. I am generally not much of a TV watcher. I like a good movie from time to time, but I would much rather spend my free time on the internet then watching the boob tube.

We have had Netflix for years. Mostly it has been my DH's source of movies. He likes movies a lot more then I do, so he would often use his laptop and a set of head-phones to watch his various Sci-Fi and bad guy dramas. I especially liked this because I didnt have to worry about the kids being exposed to too much drama or violence at a young age.

Well, two weeks ago we found a little red disk in our mailbox. I thought nothing of it and set it on the hubby's desk. Little did I know how much I would love that little disk!!

Here's how it works. If you have a Wii and an internet connection, you just put the little red disk in the Wii. It will then access Netflix instant watcher through your Wii. It will give you a few hundred titles to choose from on their suggestions. If you want a specific title you put it in the que on your computer {its really quite easy, or I wouldnt be doing it}.

The best part is, that the little disk is no extra cost to your current Netflix contract. So, for just 8.00 a month, we have watched more movies this week then I have seen in months!! We dont go to see movies in theatres because I refuse to spend the ridiculous amounts of money they want from me, but 8.00/mo for as many as I want to see...that I can live with!

So what have we watched this week? Loads of Cailou, Bob the Builder, Veggie Tales, & Dora {okay so only the kids watched these-except the Veggie Tales}. Documentaries on how the Panama Canal, The Brooklyn Bridge, and the Transcontinental Railway were build {really just the hubster on those}. Mustang and I watched An American Tail and Where the Red Fern Grows {love!}, and I watched Kindertransport and am half way through Julie & Julia. Yesterday, we all watched Ghostbusters. And last week, we watched our first Hola Pablo {I think that's what it was called}, a GREAT resource for teaching Spanish to kids.

So, yeah, if I am missing for a couple days, it may be because I am watching the TV. Do you have any suggestions of movies I need to see? I'm a bit behind!

CVS Game: Week 2

My little bit of loot. Missing a package of Peeps that were eaten already :).

Here is the breakdown of my spending:

Colgate Toothpaste {4.0 oz} on sale for 2.99, earn 2.00 in ECB, and used a 75 cent coupon printable coupon.
Xtra detergent on sale for 1.49 a jug {45 oz size}.
5 packs of Easter stickers .13 each, and a package of Peeps .19 {not pictured}, from the clearance rack.

Total: 4.57. I used my 4.49 in ECB that I earned last week,so my total before tax was .08!! And I earned 2.00 in ECB.

I also got a rain check for the great deal on ThermaCare.

I should have purchased more of the Xtra, but I wasnt 100% sure it was the best deal I could find. I took the ad with me when I did my Walmart shopping and found that it was, indeed, a great buy. So, I used my CVS add to get a price adjustment.

Like I mentioned last week, my CVSing is slightly different then some. I have tried to take a relaxed approach, hoping that I will stick with it for a long long time. I also hope that my basic couponing might inspire you to give it a try. Every little bit helps when you are trying to cut back on spending!

Running totals for 2010:
Spent before tax: 7.06, Total Saved: 18.85

Preschool Corner: Letter A

Mustang is 4 and 1/2

Our letter of the week was A, the short A sound. I brought out our Letter A box, but Mustang wasnt too interested in it. She is really into workbooks and worksheets and everything 'schoolish.' *Sigh* Part of the reason I chose to homeschool was so that my children could learn hands on instead of a bunch of worksheets. I guess the grass is always greener on the other side, eh?

So, I have given in to her workbook love. I have found some great workbooks at Dollar Tree and she really enjoys working in them. For 1.00 I couldnt begin to print out that volume of color worksheets from my computer. They really are a great resource for this age group.

In addition to the workbooks, some of the highlights for the week:

Mustang graphed ants using a printable from Confessions of a Homeschooler.



Worked on the A pages from her ABC book {a workbook a friend made her using worksheets from Starfall.



Played an animal shadow matching game from Canon. Thank you United Teaching for the link!



Sorted apples by color, counted them, and then put the correct number in each bowl. This became extra complicated because I accidentally put 8 apples instead of 6 in the one color. Oops. Mustang then informed me that she had 2 apples too many. I ment it that way, of course :).



I found this great game at the Dollar Tree. Its called 'Pooh's Go-Together Game.' As the title indicates, there are matches of things that go together such as a brush and comb, a hammer and nail, raincoat and umbrella, etc. If the pair is matched correctly, the cards make a puzzle on the otherside. Mustang mostly wanted to put together the puzzles. We are working on following directions.



We read a number of books about animals, so I had Mustang classify our plastic animals. I had her sort them by whether she would find them in a zoo or a farm. She only needed a slight bit of help on this, but in the end she got them all right.

Like I mentioned earlier, the biggest thing that we need to work on is following directions. For so long, I have given Mustang the freedom to work with a school 'toy' or manipulative with little or no direction. I allowed her to color worksheets the way she wanted as well. So, it is going to be a bit of an adjustment period to have to follow directions.

To see what others are doing in their preschools, check out Preschool Corner at Homeschool Creations.

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Short A Sound Box

Here's what was in our short A sound bin:



Sand Paper Letters

Lower case and uppercase A sorting from Confessions of a Homeschooler
Matching cards from Our Montessori Story

Sound Mat from Beginning Reading

an A flash card

A worksheets from Starfall

and our A object box:



A is for: Alligator, Apple, Antelope, Ax, Ant, and Airplane.



I also found this book at the thrift that was a great addition to the box-wish I would have found more in this series!

I've got some new ideas for future boxes. It seems that Mustang {the intended audience} isnt very interested in them. But, Charger loves them. So, I will be changing up the contents soon. God Bless!

Farm Life: Rustic Beauty

First Easter Pictures

My brother's son, Cash, is one month older then Mini Cooper. We were able to spend a little time with them on Easter morning. Hoping to get a few cute pictures for the baby book, I flashed away like the paparazzi {that's normal here}. Unfortunately, there isnt even ONE of both babies looking at the camera. But, there are certainly some funny pictures. And if you have a second, check out Cash's mommy's blog, I'll Still Take Out the Trash, I think you will enjoy it.

And without further adieu, the pics:

Raising Rock Stars: Creation Day 3

On day three of Creation, God created flowers, plants and trees. We had a lot of fun with this one.

I am a little behind in posting our Raising Rock stars lessons, which you will probably notice since Charger's hair is MUCH longer. I forgot just how badly he needed his hair cut before we finally cut it!

First we read the Creation story again in our 5-minute Bible Story book.



Then we worked on our day 3 earth for our lapbook. I got the graphics from Bible Kids Fun Zone.




We matched calendar flowers-a great idea I got from Chasing Cheerios. I took an old calendar and cut out the little display pictures from the back of the calendar and then Charger had to match them with the full size pictures from each month. See the hair? Wow it was long!

Then we made the CUTEST project we have done to date-no lie. I got the idea from Elise at Inspiration Surrounds Creativity Abounds who has some of THE most creative ideas ever. I highly recommend her blog!





We took a pom pom, pipe cleaner, and felt. I cut circles and petals out of different colors of felt. Charger and Mustang would first pick a pom pom and pipe cleaners and I would wrap the end of the pipe cleaner around the pom pom and then they would thread a circle and petal on the pipe cleaner to make a flower.



LOVE THEM! We gave them to grandmas and aunts for Easter. They seemed to enjoy them as well.

To check out what others are doing in their Bible lessons check out 1+1+1=1.

This is part 3 of a 7 part series.

Part 1
Part 2
Part 4 {coming}
Part 5 {coming}
Part 6 {coming}
Part 7 {coming}

Phonics Objects Score

It is an on going project of mine to fill our Phonics boxes with little objects. I have a box for each letter of the alphabet. I plan to do a whole post on them when I finally finish them. But, I found 2 packages of animals at Wal-mart yesterday and I am so excited I wanted to share them with you. Plus, I know some of you are trying to find objects for your boxes and I dont know if this is a product they will continue to carry or a one time thing.



These packages were 3.00 each. They are not the highest quality by any means, so I would not recommend them for general unsupervised play with little kids, this is a 3 and up toy for sure. And yes, the flimsy trees and bushes and fences and rocks you might even want to pitch. But, these little packages had such a mix of animals!



The Jungle set has a giraffe, elephant, tiger, lion, and zebra like you would expect. It also has a gorilla, alligator, 2 monkeys {one not pictured}, a warthog! who has a warthog? {he didnt make the picture either}, pelican, ostrich, various cats {not sure which one is which}, hippo, and rhino. There's even a gazelle and an antelope {already in the A box}! Sorry for all the missing ones, my son was playing with more of them then I realized when I took this picture.



This is the farm set. In addition to way too many trees and fence pieces, there were mom and baby sets of cows, rams {this was why I bought the set}, horse, and sheep. There are also 2 pigs and a goat. I guess the farm set isnt as exciting as the jungle set-which would explain why there were a number left on the rack. I got the last jungle set at our store.



Here's a close up of the package if you want to look for them. They were in the toy department by the 1.00 toys. God Bless!!

Tot School: A is for Animal

Charger is 29 months, Mini Cooper is 7 months

After a couple weeks off {yep that's normal around here and I am just starting to accept it}, We had great week here this week! The weather was amazing so we spent a lot of time outside, but we did do a few things inside too.

A is for Alligator, so we made the ever popular and SUPER cute alligator from No Time for Flash Cards (thanks Jolanthe for the link). This picture makes me laugh, as it is so much like the picture Jolanthe has on her site. Must be the way little boys show off their alligators :).



A is for Animals. I pulled out our Little Tikes 3-D Farm Animal Match up, a thrift store find from last fall.




The point of the game is to hide the heads and hineys of the animals under haystacks and then play a memory game to find them. We didnt play the game, I just let Charger have fun putting the animals together. First, he put them all together with their correct matches. Then, he pulled them apart and put them together with what ever animal he wanted. I would come up with names for the animals using part of each of the animal words. His favorite was our Chicken/Duck, or Chuck. We love Chuck {the show} around here!



Charger also played with our new animal play sets. A horse, lion, and pig all in the same cage-now that could get interesting! He spent a long time with these.



Using the new Viking Toys Chubbies Charger got for Easter, he sorted them by color. And, I know for sure I got this idea from another Tot School mommy, but I checked the blog where I thought I got this and didnt find it. If it was you PLEASE tell me! I want to give you credit.



A is for Ant. I printed and laminated this ant shape matching game from Confessions of a Homeschooler. He looked at it, proudly matched ONE ant, and then said 'I'm done, Mommy. No more.' *sigh*

What he wanted was to play with our T sound box. Each week, I have been putting out a box with activities based on our letter of the week. These have been for Mustang, or so I thought. I bring out the letter for the previous week, too, so while Mustang was working on A, Charger dove into the T box. I was amazed at how well he did with the activities in the box!



He matched lowercase and uppercase T's from Confessions of a Homeschooler.



And matched T puzzles from Alphabet Avenue.



He mostly wanted to play with the T box objects, particularly the toaster.



The next day he begged to play with the A box, too. {post on the A box coming later this week}



Tiny Tot Play

Mini Cooper played with {er um ate} our Melissa and Doug Farm Puzzle.



She is also starting to pull up on things, which makes life {and school} interesting!

And this week, Mini has started to really play with toys. She crawls over and takes whatever it is that she wants to play with and will start to yell and fuss if a toy she wants has been taken away. This is trying Charger's patience a lot. So, I purposely gave them a school toy to share.



It is our 'new' Ikea stacker that neither one had seen prior to this activity. I bought it at a yard sale prior to CHARGER's birth. Somehow, it got lost in a box and I found it last week. I would have saved it for a birthday, but was afraid it would get lost again.

We took lots of Nature Walks this week, which I will be writing about soon. But, I wanted to share this picture. My favorite for the week!



To see what other's did at their Tot School this week, check out 1+1+1=1. God Bless!!