As I mentioned in my post about the Letter of the Week, we are taking a break from the alphabet this week and have a week of fun Halloween activities planned! And it seems to be perfect timing, since we will be stuck in the house for a few days thanks to Hurricane Sandy!
I wanted to share some of the activities with you in case you are interested in doing any of them with your kiddos too! I can't really take credit for any of them, I found most of the ideas on pinterest, through internet searches, and in magazines. But here are some links to some of the crafts, games, and learning activities we will work on this week!
You can check out my Pinterest Boards for some other Halloween and Fall activities. But here are a few that we hope to complete this week:
Rip and Glue Pumpkin Craft
Surprise Pumpkin
Candy Corn Counting
Roll A Pumpkin Game
Swab Skeletons - From FamilyFun Magazine October 2012
Coloring Pages (We will probably use paint too)
Dress Up Jack-o -Lanterns (Found a prepared Foam dress up craft at Wal-mart)
H Is for Halloween Packet (this is an AMAZING especially if you have a toddler!!! I will probably pick and choose a few activities from here if we have time)
Halloween Pre-K Pack (another AMAZING resource, this one geared toward preschoolers, might pick a few from this pack as well)
Just a few ideas if you need some indoor activities this week! Please Link up if you have any fabulous Fall/Halloween activities! I am sure we will all be looking for something to keep our kiddos busy this week!
Sunday, October 28, 2012
Thursday, October 25, 2012
Letter of the Week: UPDATE
A few months back I shared this info about the "Letter of the Week" program I planned to start with my preschooler!
So here is a brief update on how it's going!
I started the program with her at the beginning of October, the same week she started preschool. She only goes to school 2 days a week for an hour, so I decided to do some more work with her at home (and I secretly love doing this stuff, it's the one part of being a teacher I miss, TEACHING!)
We have almost made it through all the vowels so far and she is really enjoying it! She loves the excitement of finding what new activities are in her bin each day. And she has completely amazed me with how well she can do some of the activities. Here she is enjoying a few of the Letter A activities:
I will admit, I wish I had a little bit more time to sit down and really work with her on some things. But I have been trying to keep it fun for her, and well frankly, keep myself sane. I usually have time to talk about the weather, review our Bible verse and Day of the week, explain to her what is in the bin each day, get her started, and then I'm usually off feeding the baby, making breakfast/lunch, or finishing up another chore.
It has been fun so far, and yes its a little bit of work and planning on my part, but since I had most of the materials prepared (up to letter F anyway, still have to work on the rest), I usually spend about 30 minutes on a Sunday night prepping all the bins for the week and there really isn't much work to do during the week (besides catch up on preparing materials for the rest of the alphabet).
If you have any questions about the materials or how we do "Letter of the Week", feel free to email me!
Most of the materials seen in the pictures along with more info about letter of the week can be found at www.confessionsofahomeschooler.com
We are taking a break next week and we will be doing "Halloween Week" with Fall/Halloween Activities in our bins! Stay tuned as I hope to share some of the activities with you this weekend if you are interested in doing any of them with your kiddos next week!
So here is a brief update on how it's going!
I started the program with her at the beginning of October, the same week she started preschool. She only goes to school 2 days a week for an hour, so I decided to do some more work with her at home (and I secretly love doing this stuff, it's the one part of being a teacher I miss, TEACHING!)
We have almost made it through all the vowels so far and she is really enjoying it! She loves the excitement of finding what new activities are in her bin each day. And she has completely amazed me with how well she can do some of the activities. Here she is enjoying a few of the Letter A activities:
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| Cutting Practice Check out www.confessionsofahomeschooler.com to print |
 |
| Do a Dot Letter A |
 |
| Eating Apples while matching Capital and Lowercase letters |
 |
| Letter A craft at the end of the week |
It has been fun so far, and yes its a little bit of work and planning on my part, but since I had most of the materials prepared (up to letter F anyway, still have to work on the rest), I usually spend about 30 minutes on a Sunday night prepping all the bins for the week and there really isn't much work to do during the week (besides catch up on preparing materials for the rest of the alphabet).
If you have any questions about the materials or how we do "Letter of the Week", feel free to email me!
Most of the materials seen in the pictures along with more info about letter of the week can be found at www.confessionsofahomeschooler.com
We are taking a break next week and we will be doing "Halloween Week" with Fall/Halloween Activities in our bins! Stay tuned as I hope to share some of the activities with you this weekend if you are interested in doing any of them with your kiddos next week!
Recipe of the Week: Cauliflower and Sweet Potato Soup
Need a great fall soup? This one is fabulous! After fighting colds for 5 days, when I finally had energy to cook I thought soup would be a great idea! And I actually had all the ingredients for this one in the house. I found the "idea" for this recipe on pinterest, but it seemed a little to plain for our family. After a google search I found this great recipe on www.tastykitchen.com
Add chicken stock, 1 cup water, and chopped cauliflower and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 15-20 minutes, until vegetables are tender.
I thought this soup was delicious! I used less chicken stock then the original recipe and subbed a little water since I only had 4 cups of stock. But I am glad I did because I like thicker soup. I also added a little more cheese, which I do to almost every recipe. Not great for the waistline, but our family loves our cheese! :) It could maybe use a few spices, but overall was creamy and yummy!
Cauliflower and Sweet Potato Soup
The full recipe can be found here. I used a slightly modified version.
Ingredients
- 1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
- 1 whole Small Onion Chopped
- 2 cloves Garlic, Minced
- 1 pound Sweet Potato, Peeled And Chopped
- 4 cups Chicken Stock
- 1 cup Water
- 1 head Cauliflower, Cut Into Florets
- 4 Tablespoons Cream Cheese
- 1 1/2 cups Shredded Cheddar Cheese
- Salt And Pepper, to taste
Directions:
Heat oil in large soup pan over medium-high heat. Add onion and a sprinkle of salt and sauté until onion is fragrant and translucent, 3-5 minutes. Add minced garlic, chopped sweet potato, and sauté an additional 2-3 minutes, stirring frequently.
Add chicken stock, 1 cup water, and chopped cauliflower and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 15-20 minutes, until vegetables are tender.
Remove from heat, add cream cheese, and purée with an immersion blender or in batches in a regular blender. (If you want to keep some chunks, reserve 1 cup of the cooked cauliflower before puréeing the rest of the soup). (I pureed everything)
Return soup to heat, add cheddar cheese, and stir until cheese is melted and soup is heated through, 2-3 minutes.
Season with salt and pepper to taste, garnish as desired, and serve.
Tuesday, October 16, 2012
Corona and Lime
So as I'm cutting up lime to make Garlic Lime Fajitas in a completely quiet kitchen (both kids are sleeping at the same time!!!) I start to daydream about drinking a corona and lime at the beach listening to the waves crash at my feet....
when all of a sudden.....BEEEEEEPPPPPP!!!!!!!!!...... Laundry's done! And I'm sure that awful noise just woke at least one of my children!
Just another day in the life...
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| (kind of like this OBX vacation 2011) |
when all of a sudden.....BEEEEEEPPPPPP!!!!!!!!!...... Laundry's done! And I'm sure that awful noise just woke at least one of my children!
Just another day in the life...
Monday, October 15, 2012
Pantry Perk Up
A few weeks ago I decided our messy pantry needed a little TLC. I am definitely not a very organized person and tend to just throw things in cabinets and close the door before they fall off the shelves! So, as a result, this is what our pantry looked like...
With the purchase of a few bins and shelves from Walmart and some stick on tiles from Lowes it now looks a little bit better...
Still could use some work...anyone have any suggestions for more storage solutions? Especially for bags of chips/pretzels?
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
With the purchase of a few bins and shelves from Walmart and some stick on tiles from Lowes it now looks a little bit better...
Still could use some work...anyone have any suggestions for more storage solutions? Especially for bags of chips/pretzels?
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
Friday, October 12, 2012
Remembering...
Daddy,
I love you and miss you. As this day comes and goes, I hope not to dwell on the events that happened on it 8 years ago, but rather to remember the words you once wrote to me,
Cadi,
I'll be with you in heaven- just in case you ever wonder!
I will always love you,
Daddy
I am so thankful to have those words to read and always remember. I don't think you knew how much meaning they would have and how much peace they would bring for years after you wrote them. Need that reminder today, and everyday!
Thinking of you today and always,
Cadi
I love you and miss you. As this day comes and goes, I hope not to dwell on the events that happened on it 8 years ago, but rather to remember the words you once wrote to me,
Cadi,
I'll be with you in heaven- just in case you ever wonder!
I will always love you,
Daddy
I am so thankful to have those words to read and always remember. I don't think you knew how much meaning they would have and how much peace they would bring for years after you wrote them. Need that reminder today, and everyday!
Thinking of you today and always,
Cadi
Tuesday, October 9, 2012
True Blue
Breaking News: My hubby and I went on a date!!!! Yup a whole HOUR without kids, eating a meal at the same time, while its still hot, and could actually talk for a whole hour without being interrupted, feeding kids, or changing diapers?!?!
True story, this actually happened! First "date" since March! We had to deliver a bed to my Mom's, so while we were visiting, we asked if she'd stay with the kids for an hour and we went to a cute little restaurant for lunch.
We intended on going to a little deli, but walked past True Blue Mediterranean Cafe and it looked perfect (and smelled amazing). We had a latte, some really yummy gyros, and amazing hummus!
Perfect little hour together! Hopefully we can do it again soon!
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
True story, this actually happened! First "date" since March! We had to deliver a bed to my Mom's, so while we were visiting, we asked if she'd stay with the kids for an hour and we went to a cute little restaurant for lunch.
We intended on going to a little deli, but walked past True Blue Mediterranean Cafe and it looked perfect (and smelled amazing). We had a latte, some really yummy gyros, and amazing hummus!
Perfect little hour together! Hopefully we can do it again soon!
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
Monday, October 8, 2012
Recipe of the week: Pumpkin Cream Cheese Bars
I love finding awesome Pinterest recipes right as I am walking out the door to the grocery store! Got to try This one right away!
Pumpkin Cream Cheese Bars
Here's what you'll need:
Angel Food Cake Box mix
Cream cheese
Water
Pumpkin purée
Cinnamon
Here's what you get when you mix all that together and bake!
Pretty much that easy! These turned out fabulous! I maybe should have baked them a few minutes longer and not covered them so soon, they got a bit mushy. But overall, I'd recommend them! Perfect for a cold, rainy Fall day!
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
Pumpkin Cream Cheese Bars
Here's what you'll need:
Angel Food Cake Box mix
Cream cheese
Water
Pumpkin purée
Cinnamon
Here's what you get when you mix all that together and bake!
Pretty much that easy! These turned out fabulous! I maybe should have baked them a few minutes longer and not covered them so soon, they got a bit mushy. But overall, I'd recommend them! Perfect for a cold, rainy Fall day!
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
Saturday, October 6, 2012
"You gotta see this!"
A phrase that can be so innocent, unless it's coming from a 3 year old who has had the run of the house for 10 minutes while you were feeding the baby!
My cute, wonderful little 3 year old came running to me as I walked out of the baby's room yelling "Mommy, you gotta see this!!" I held my breath and many thoughts flashed through my head...nail polish, soap, flour, paint, what could she have done in 10 minutes?
This is what I just HAD to see...
Her counting bears organized PERFECTLY! :)
Why do I have a feeling my son will not be organizing counting bears in his free time?
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
My cute, wonderful little 3 year old came running to me as I walked out of the baby's room yelling "Mommy, you gotta see this!!" I held my breath and many thoughts flashed through my head...nail polish, soap, flour, paint, what could she have done in 10 minutes?
This is what I just HAD to see...
Her counting bears organized PERFECTLY! :)
Why do I have a feeling my son will not be organizing counting bears in his free time?
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
Wednesday, October 3, 2012
1st Day Jitters!
Yesterday was my baby girl's 1st Day of Preschool!! And 1st time away from Mommy when she wasn't at home or with family! She did great at the Meet and Greet we had last week, so I went in feeling pretty optimistic!
Of course she woke up really grumpy (I think we all did, it was a miserable REALLY rainy day!) and as I tried to get her excited about going to school she says "but Mommy, I never did this without you before!"
As if the day wasn't hard enough for me already, I almost broke down in tears thinking "it's been a really long time since I've done this without you either"
Despite BOTH of us having 1st day jitters, I knew I needed to stay positive for her! So we got dressed, packed her backpack, and tried to talk about all the great things about school and ignore the fact that Mommy wasn't going to stay there.
Although drop off in the pouring rain was a little chaotic, the 1st day went well, she walked right in and didnt even look back. I didn't know if I should be happy that she adjusted so easily or sad that she wasn't clinging to Mommy. But we made it through with no tears from either of us :) and she keeps asking to go back!
My baby girl is growing up :(
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
Of course she woke up really grumpy (I think we all did, it was a miserable REALLY rainy day!) and as I tried to get her excited about going to school she says "but Mommy, I never did this without you before!"
As if the day wasn't hard enough for me already, I almost broke down in tears thinking "it's been a really long time since I've done this without you either"
Despite BOTH of us having 1st day jitters, I knew I needed to stay positive for her! So we got dressed, packed her backpack, and tried to talk about all the great things about school and ignore the fact that Mommy wasn't going to stay there.
Although drop off in the pouring rain was a little chaotic, the 1st day went well, she walked right in and didnt even look back. I didn't know if I should be happy that she adjusted so easily or sad that she wasn't clinging to Mommy. But we made it through with no tears from either of us :) and she keeps asking to go back!
My baby girl is growing up :(
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
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