You've heard the phrase "It takes a village to raise a child" but have you really thought about what that really means? It is an old African proverb where I'm sure their village is very different from what we see as a village. Their village may have been grass huts, close together, working together in all aspects of life such as food, medical, safety.
Think about your village...who is around you, helping you raise your children. Do you ever have to ask a parent to drive your child home from practice? Or ask a family member to replace you at a concert you couldn't attend? Or put down someone as your emergency contact?
These people are part of your village. So many people are part of your children's lives...do you really know them? Do you trust them? If yes, great...thank them! If not, it might be time to get a new village...or expand your village to include people of great influence that will benefit your child.
Wednesday, June 29, 2011
Tuesday, June 28, 2011
Puzzle Day
Sometimes toys get lost in a closet or a toy box. I have a friend who rotates toys so there always seems like there are new toys around. She stores a box in the basement and every month or so brings that one up and exchanges the toys that are "old".
Puzzles are one of those toys...bring out the wooden ones they did when they were babies! Time them...see how fast they can get it done now!! Talk about the first time they did that puzzle and how proud they were when they got it right! Talk about what they are learning when they do puzzles-dexterity, hand eye coordination, matching colors and shapes.
Then, get out a 100 piece puzzle. Work together to get it done. Is it faster to work the outside sides first or the main picture?
Then, if they are still interested, get out a bigger puzzle-200-500 piece...this might take several days to finish. If you don't have one that big, check Goodwill or Garage sales...they are always looking to get rid of puzzles.
Work together, come back to it often. When it is complete, use puzzle glue and hang it on the wall. Have fun working together!
Puzzles are one of those toys...bring out the wooden ones they did when they were babies! Time them...see how fast they can get it done now!! Talk about the first time they did that puzzle and how proud they were when they got it right! Talk about what they are learning when they do puzzles-dexterity, hand eye coordination, matching colors and shapes.
Then, get out a 100 piece puzzle. Work together to get it done. Is it faster to work the outside sides first or the main picture?
Then, if they are still interested, get out a bigger puzzle-200-500 piece...this might take several days to finish. If you don't have one that big, check Goodwill or Garage sales...they are always looking to get rid of puzzles.
Work together, come back to it often. When it is complete, use puzzle glue and hang it on the wall. Have fun working together!
Monday, June 27, 2011
Let the cake cool
How did you tell your husband you were pregnant? I have heard some fun and clever stories. Some women have such great ideas!
For my third child, I decided to make a cake (we all know how my cakes turn out...but I still did it) and write a fun message on it. Somehow I got distracted and my cake didn't get in the oven on time, which means it got out of the oven late, which means, I didn't have much time for it to cool.
I still tried to get the frosting on, write a clever message and then have it ready to show my husband before dinner that night. I even put it in the refrigerator to cool!
But, it was not cool enough...the frosting melted, the message got smooged...not readable...so I put it on the table and told him the message "9+4=5" He's a Math guy...I thought he would enjoy a math problem...so 9 Months plus our family of 4 would equal a new family of 5!!
He guessed right away that I was pregnant...and the cake was a mess...I tried...it was the thought that counts!
For my third child, I decided to make a cake (we all know how my cakes turn out...but I still did it) and write a fun message on it. Somehow I got distracted and my cake didn't get in the oven on time, which means it got out of the oven late, which means, I didn't have much time for it to cool.
I still tried to get the frosting on, write a clever message and then have it ready to show my husband before dinner that night. I even put it in the refrigerator to cool!
But, it was not cool enough...the frosting melted, the message got smooged...not readable...so I put it on the table and told him the message "9+4=5" He's a Math guy...I thought he would enjoy a math problem...so 9 Months plus our family of 4 would equal a new family of 5!!
He guessed right away that I was pregnant...and the cake was a mess...I tried...it was the thought that counts!
Friday, June 10, 2011
Try Something New Fruits
We've done Try Something New Fruits several times since there are some pretty funky fruits that you probably pass by in the grocery store.
We tried Ugli Fruit which looks very much like an orange without the citrus taste. We've tried Dragon Fruit which is close to a plum and at times had some pretty good sales! And another called African Horned Melon where you eat the slimey seeds inside.
I work in the cafeteria at our school and we have done this for the kids at school. We've tried Kiwi (some kids actually asked if you could buy it at the grocery store--I had to show the fuzzy fruit outside to make sure they didn't look for a green fruit!!) We tried Mango and Papaya.
Some of the kids had tried all three, some had never tried any! What a great way to expose the kids to something new in a non-threatening environment...tasting a tiny piece of each fruit...expanding their palatte.
Where can you do try something new? Can you bring one fruit into work and share with your co-workers? Can you bring an african horned melon to your college roommates and let everyone have a spoonful? Can you bring an ugli fruit to your sports team and give everyone a slice?
Try something new today and share with others!!
We tried Ugli Fruit which looks very much like an orange without the citrus taste. We've tried Dragon Fruit which is close to a plum and at times had some pretty good sales! And another called African Horned Melon where you eat the slimey seeds inside.
I work in the cafeteria at our school and we have done this for the kids at school. We've tried Kiwi (some kids actually asked if you could buy it at the grocery store--I had to show the fuzzy fruit outside to make sure they didn't look for a green fruit!!) We tried Mango and Papaya.
Some of the kids had tried all three, some had never tried any! What a great way to expose the kids to something new in a non-threatening environment...tasting a tiny piece of each fruit...expanding their palatte.
Where can you do try something new? Can you bring one fruit into work and share with your co-workers? Can you bring an african horned melon to your college roommates and let everyone have a spoonful? Can you bring an ugli fruit to your sports team and give everyone a slice?
Try something new today and share with others!!
Thursday, June 9, 2011
Surgeries
Anyone around you having surgery? Bring them a meal, bake them some treats, buy a pizza delivery gift card and give it to them.
How can you bless someone today? Thinking of others is a great way to lift your own depression. When you do something for someone else, it seems to bring a sense of relief and accomplishment.
Bless someone today...for your own good.
How can you bless someone today? Thinking of others is a great way to lift your own depression. When you do something for someone else, it seems to bring a sense of relief and accomplishment.
Bless someone today...for your own good.
Wisdom
Proverbs 8:33
Mark a life of discipline and live wisely;
don't squander your precious life
Your life is precious...so precious...don't waste it...make the most of every day...hug your family
Mark a life of discipline and live wisely;
don't squander your precious life
Your life is precious...so precious...don't waste it...make the most of every day...hug your family
Tuesday, June 7, 2011
Camp Day
Today is the last day of school here and the kids are SO excited! I'm excited, too, since I won't have to get up at 6am tomorrow to get kids on the bus at 7am!! Now starts the summer and all the summer activities!
Our girls started going to camp when they were going into 3rd grade. It was only for 2 nights/3 days but it was scary to think about them being on their own during that time! We started practicing them washing their own hair and taking care of other bathroom needs all by themselves.
For kid's day that summer, we had a practice camp day! (All ideas came from a Family Fun magazine article)
I woke up the kids by singing (and that's worse than a bull horn!!) and they got up and got dressed and cleaned their room and then had breakfast and then we went right outside. We hooked up with the neighbors they joined us on and off for our camp day.
We started by having a mini-scavenger hunt. I gave each child a dixie cup and they had to find things that were small enough to fit in the cup...little flowers, grass, leaves, even bugs that might fit in it. We spent about 30 minutes walking around the yard and then we all dumped our cups on the driveway to see what we found...including bugs...fun!
Then we went inside and had a fun time dancing to songs.
Then we had some lunch and some rest time.
In the afternoon, we made campfire hats. We cut green foam into a hat, then put yellow and orange triangles to look like fire and then we glued sticks and pompoms on the end of the sticks to look like sticks with marshmallows over a fire. They were adorable!
We had a campfire snack starting with a blob of peanut butter, stick pretzels for the "wood" of the fire, tootsie rolls as logs, peanuts as rocks around the fire pit and candy corn fire. Also adorable.
At night, we had an actual cook-out with the neighbors, roasting hot dogs over the fire. What an awesome kids day! How can you prepare your little ones for summer events?
Our girls started going to camp when they were going into 3rd grade. It was only for 2 nights/3 days but it was scary to think about them being on their own during that time! We started practicing them washing their own hair and taking care of other bathroom needs all by themselves.
For kid's day that summer, we had a practice camp day! (All ideas came from a Family Fun magazine article)
I woke up the kids by singing (and that's worse than a bull horn!!) and they got up and got dressed and cleaned their room and then had breakfast and then we went right outside. We hooked up with the neighbors they joined us on and off for our camp day.
We started by having a mini-scavenger hunt. I gave each child a dixie cup and they had to find things that were small enough to fit in the cup...little flowers, grass, leaves, even bugs that might fit in it. We spent about 30 minutes walking around the yard and then we all dumped our cups on the driveway to see what we found...including bugs...fun!
Then we went inside and had a fun time dancing to songs.
Then we had some lunch and some rest time.
In the afternoon, we made campfire hats. We cut green foam into a hat, then put yellow and orange triangles to look like fire and then we glued sticks and pompoms on the end of the sticks to look like sticks with marshmallows over a fire. They were adorable!
We had a campfire snack starting with a blob of peanut butter, stick pretzels for the "wood" of the fire, tootsie rolls as logs, peanuts as rocks around the fire pit and candy corn fire. Also adorable.
At night, we had an actual cook-out with the neighbors, roasting hot dogs over the fire. What an awesome kids day! How can you prepare your little ones for summer events?
Monday, June 6, 2011
Monday Mistake
So, I was going to be the frugal mom and make cakes for my kids birthdays...how hard can it be? I had the time so why not? What could go wrong?
I even had heart shaped pans...how cool am I?? So, I made the cake and as it was baking, I tinted the frosting! My middle daughter wanted Purple....Red and Blue...right?
So, I took my cake and put my purple frosting on the cake. We invited the neighbors over for some cake and ice cream and they started asking "What's wrong with the cake?"
I looked at it and said "What do you mean?"
They said "It's flat...and grey!"
So, I didn't use a mixer and the cake wasnt' fluffy...
And my mixing of red and blue didn't turn out too purple...more greyish purple...
So, I stopped making cakes and gave the box to the neighbors...until my middle daughter learned to cook from her Aunt and Uncle and she makes her own birthday cakes...
Is that wrong? Look at what a beautiful job she does...my flat grey cake pales in comparison to her weaved frosting cake...she does beautiful work!
Saturday, June 4, 2011
Try Something New Party
I think my very favorite Try Something New was an entire dinner we did with the neighbors.
I was looking through a Taste of Home magazine and the two page spread was Burgers and they gave recipes for toppings for burgers as well as different recipes for the actual burger--one being a burger made of ground chicken!
Each of the families took a burger and/or topping and we made sliders to give people the opportunity to try all the different burgers. We put out the toppings and we put out recipes for what should go on each burger if they wanted to follow them and let everyone enjoy and try some new burgers.
It was such a fun day and it was really fun to try all the different burgers and the best thing is that they were really good!!
A fun day, great company and good food...it was an incredible memory that I hope I never forget!
I was looking through a Taste of Home magazine and the two page spread was Burgers and they gave recipes for toppings for burgers as well as different recipes for the actual burger--one being a burger made of ground chicken!
Each of the families took a burger and/or topping and we made sliders to give people the opportunity to try all the different burgers. We put out the toppings and we put out recipes for what should go on each burger if they wanted to follow them and let everyone enjoy and try some new burgers.
It was such a fun day and it was really fun to try all the different burgers and the best thing is that they were really good!!
A fun day, great company and good food...it was an incredible memory that I hope I never forget!
Thursday, June 2, 2011
Families in need
Last night, a family in town had a house fire-a very scary experience where the mom and 3 kids got out just in time.
We've had a small fire in our home...it is scary...and you feel lost...you can't go home, you don't have anything around you that is yours. It is stressful.
People all around you are so willing to help, but you don't know what to tell them you need. Obvious things like clothes and a home are the first things you can think of and people are so willing to give you those things that it can be overwhelming.
My older daughter's Girl Scout Troop has very willingly offered to help organize the donations that come in...to think of others...of those in need.
We've had a small fire in our home...it is scary...and you feel lost...you can't go home, you don't have anything around you that is yours. It is stressful.
People all around you are so willing to help, but you don't know what to tell them you need. Obvious things like clothes and a home are the first things you can think of and people are so willing to give you those things that it can be overwhelming.
My older daughter's Girl Scout Troop has very willingly offered to help organize the donations that come in...to think of others...of those in need.
Wednesday, June 1, 2011
Crayons
Wisdom filled words: Don't put a crayon in the dryer...
It stains the clothes in the dryer and makes a huge mess of the dryer, causing lots of extra runs of the dryer with a junk towel to make sure the crayon mess is all gone...
Just sayin'...don't do it!
It stains the clothes in the dryer and makes a huge mess of the dryer, causing lots of extra runs of the dryer with a junk towel to make sure the crayon mess is all gone...
Just sayin'...don't do it!
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