'U' is For Umbrella

Can you believe that after this week, we only have 5 letters left to learn!?  I am shocked by how fast the time has flown by, and proud of everything that Jay has learned!  Anywho, get ready to dig out your umbrellas this week, and let's learn the letter 'U'!!

This week we will cover:
The letter 'U'
'U' is for Umbrella
The number 21
Hearts
The color Black
Dark and Light

Monday: The Letter 'U'
-color a Letter 'U' coloring page
-while you are coloring, watch this, this, this, this, this, and this
-have your kiddo trace the Letter 'U' on their coloring page with their finger
-glue your coloring page to a piece of Black construction paper and hang it on the wall
-make a set of Letter 'U' memory cards (one with a Letter 'U' on it, and the other with a picture of an Umbrella on it)
-go through the Letter 'U' section of Starfall
-play a game or two of Horse U's (fill a plastic container with water and cover it with foil.  poke a wooden spoon or dowel through the foil so that the wide end is in the water and the straight handle end is sticking up into the air.  Put the water into the freezer and freeze it.  You can also just use dirt or clay to hold the spoon in place.  Cut several letter U's out of cardboard, an empty cereal box works great for this.  Then have your kiddo toss the letter U's towards the spoon handle to see if they can get the letter U's to land around it.) 
-bake a pineapple Upside down cake

Tuesday: 'U' is for Umbrella
-color an Umbrella coloring page
-while you are coloring, watch this, this, this, and this
-glue your coloring page to a piece of Black construction paper and hang it on the wall
-work this cute online Umbrella puzzle
-do this quick connect the dots web page
-make a letter 'U' Umbrella mobile (cut a large umbrella shape out of poster board or cardboard.  Decorate the umbrella shape.  Look through magazines for pictures of things that begin with the letter 'U' or just for the letter 'U' in different fonts.  Cut the pictures out and glue them to colorful pieces of construction paper.  Use ribbon or string to hang your letter 'U' pictures from the umbrella shape.)
-go out side and play with an Umbrella.  Show your kiddo how it opens.  It can protect us from the rain, and also from the sun.  You can even pour some water onto an umbrella to let you kiddo see how the umbrella works.   

Wednesday:  Rainy Day Fun
-watch this
-sing You Are My Sunshine,  The Itsy Bitsy Spider,  Rain Rain Go Away,  It's Raining It's Pouring, Somewhere Over The Rainbow,
-does your area have any sort of a weather center?  If so, go check it out!  One of the museums near us has a children's area that talks about Tornadoes, so we are going to go check it out. 
-if it rains on any day this week:
-go play in the rain!  Splash in the puddles, have leaf races in any little streams that form on your driveway or on the very edge of the street.  Observe what rain does to nature.  Are there any birds out while it is raining?  Can you find worms that have been washed out of the ground?  etc. 
-follow these directions to make a fun Rain Painting
-If it does not rain:
-you can always make a rain stick.  Try this one, or maybe this one. 
-make a Rain Or Shine Mobile
-make a rain picture (have your kiddo color a picture.  Use blue food coloring to tint some white school glue.  Then use toothpicks or cotton swabs to dot the glue onto the picture.  When it dries it will create "raindrops")

Thursday: The Number 21
-color a Number 21 coloring page
-while you are coloring, watch this, this, and this
-have your kiddo trace the Number 21 on their coloring page with their finger
-glue your coloring page to a piece of Black construction paper and hang it on the wall
-count out 21 of several different objects.  you can count cars, blocks, Popsicle sticks, stairs, mm's etc. 

Friday: Hearts
-color a Heart coloring page
-while you are coloring, watch this and this
-have your kiddo trace the Heart on their coloring page with their finger
-glue your coloring page to a piece of Black construction paper and hang it on the wall
-with Valentine's day just around the corner, this is the perfect time to make your Valentines!  Here are some different ideas to get you started 
-or, if Valentine's aren't your thing, make one of these cute heart animals

Thank you for learning the letter 'U' with us this week!  If you have missed a previous lesson, you can find it under the ABC Lessons tab at the top of this blog.  And be sure to check back next week for 'V' is for Volcano! 

Chicken Fried Steak

I know that this is more of a southern thing, but The Hubbs seriously LOVES chicken fried steak!  I make it every once in a while, and it is actually pretty easy to make.

Ingredients:
1.5 pounds of steak--you want a thin cut steak, and if you can find some that has already been tenderized, you are really in luck!
2 eggs
milk--about 1/4 cup or so, and if you have buttermilk on hand it's even better
1 1/2 to 2 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons paprika
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
dash of pepper--to taste
oil

Directions:
If your steaks have not already been tenderized, you need to tenderize them with a meat mallet--or the bottom of a frying pan if you don't have a mallet
Heat your oil to 340 in a skillet--I use am electric one, and it works great
Combine the dry ingredients in a bowl--make sure the bottom of the bowl is roomy enough to lay your steaks in one at a time
Combine eggs and milk in another bowl--again make sure it has enough room for the steaks
Place steaks one at a time into the flour, then into the egg mixture and then back into the flour
Make sure you  thoroughly coat with the flour both times
Just dip the steaks into the egg mixture, don't let them sit in it
Place the steaks in the oil and fry them until both sides are a nice golden brown
**If the batter comes off, or does not stick well to the steaks, your oil is not hot enough**

Then just mash some potatoes mix up a salad--or maybe make some corn on the cob--and you're good to go.  You can also use some of the leftover oil to make gravy because if you're going to eat chicken fried steak, you might as well throw calorie counting out the window and go all out!  :0)

Journal Jar Tuesday #4

Welcome to the fourth Journal Jar Tuesday!!  This week, I am going to answer three questions, because they are all pretty short.  So without further adieu:

How do you deal with anger?

I generally don't get mad very easily, but when I do it is no good at all!  I cry, shake, breathe deeply...and then clean.  (In fact I tend to clean if I am mad, stressed or worried, but that is a whole other ball game!)  When I get angry, I cry, and then I get even more angry because I am crying.  It is a vicious cycle that I hope to someday break...

Is there anything that you could never get sick of?

Honestly, spending time at home with my family.  On the rare occasions that The Hubbs, Jay, and I are all home and can just chill and relax, I am in absolute heaven!!
Food wise, I could eat chocolate and Italian food e.v.e.r.y. single day and never bat an eyelash!  They are way too yummy to ever get sick of!!

What are your comfort foods?

I am so blessed to have been born and raised in the south, because we truly know how to do comfort foods!  We have great BBQ, fried chicken, Tex Mex, Italian food...you name it, we have it, and we do it pretty well!  I think some of my favorites are chicken fried steak, chocolate merangue pie, fried catfish, and home made ice cream.  But my Daddy does make some mean BBQ chicken...and our local frozen custard place isn't too shabby either.  :0)
I can say that if you ever make it into this part of the country, you should definitely check out some of our favorite yummy places:

Cousins BBQ (They catered our wedding!)
Babe's Chicken
The Koffee Kup (for out of this world pie, and while you're there head over to Dublin, TX and tour the Dr Pepper Bottling Company)
Sweetie Pie's Rib Eyes  (Chicken Fried Steak to die for)
Woolley's Frozen Custard
Migeulitos
Joe's Italian Kitchen (this place is a delightful little hole in the wall, so they don't have a website.  Sorry!)

Yummy!  I am getting hungry just typing all this...
So what foods bring you comfort when you are angry?  :0)  Thanks for joining me for Journal Jar Tuesday!  If you would like to check out a previous week, you can click on the Journal Jar Tuesday tab at the top of the blog.  And be sure to check back next week to see what prompt Jay draws for us to write about!
    

'T' is For Train

This week we will cover:
The letter 'T'
'T' is for Train
The number 20
Stars
The color Yellow
Day and Night

Monday: The Letter 'T'
-color a Letter 'T' coloring page
-while you are coloring, watch this, this, this, this, and this
-have your kiddo trace the Letter 'T' on their coloring page with their finger
-glue your coloring page to a piece of Yellow construction paper and hang it on the wall
-make a set of Letter 'T' memory cards (one with a Letter 'T' on it, and the other with a picture of a Train on it)
-go through the Letter 'T' section of Starfall
-make Letter 'T' place mats (cut out pictures from magazines and newspapers of things that start with the letter 'T' or of large letter 'T's.  Glue them to a piece of construction paper.)
-have a 'T' party (put a white tablecloth, or sheet, on your coffee table.  Set some pillows in the floor to sit on--trust me, your backside will thank you!  Decorate the table with a vase and some flowers. Set out your letter 'T' place mats.  Brew some herbal (decaffeinated) tea, and drink it from real teacups.  Be sure to set out a teapot, sugar dish, and creamer if you have them!  :0)  Eat some turkey sandwiches, you can even use your letter 'T' cookie cutter to cut them into 'T' shapes if you want to.  Eat some tea cakes, or some sugar cookies shaped like letter 'T's.  If you go the sugar cookie route, you can let your kiddo decorate them with sprinkles during your 'T' party.  Read a 'T' themed book, or any alphabet book.  Have Fun!)     
-use blocks to build capital and lowercase 'T's (don't stack them, just arrange the blocks on the table or surface you are working on)  You can also use things like toothpicks, pipe cleaners, pretzel sticks, pencils etc to create letter 'T's

Tuesday: 'T' is for Train
-color a Train coloring page
-while you are coloring, watch this and this
-glue your coloring page to a piece of Yellow construction paper and hang it on the wall
-print out this fun train craft to make, (page 1, page, 2, directions)
-sing I've Been Working on the Railroad
-follow these directions to make an awesome hand and arm print train
-check out this Paper Train craft
-make this cute Love Train
-or use empty toilet paper rolls to make this cute little train
-read a train book or two, like The Little Engine that Could, or a Thomas the Train book

Wednesday:  Train Fun Day
-today Jay and I are going to head over to a local park that has a miniature train ride.  We are going to take a yummy picnic lunch and have lots of fun!
-you could also take a train ride on a local train, or even go to a park close to railroad tracks to watch the train go by.  Many zoos also have trains that you can ride.  The most important thing is to have fun!  If you go watch trains, you can also count the train cars as they go by for fun counting practice! 

Thursday: The Number 20
-color a Number 20 coloring page
-while you are coloring, watch this, this, and this
-have your kiddo trace the Number 20 on their coloring page with their finger
-glue your coloring page to a piece of Yellow construction paper and hang it on the wall
-20 pasta piece necklace (make a necklace using 20 pieces of pasta.  Be sure to count them as you go!  (for some added fun, follow this recipe to make colored pasta)
-Count your fingers and toes  :0)
-See if you can jump in place 20 times!
-eat a 20 snack  (eat 20 of something for a snack, small things like raisins work best!)

Friday:  The Color Yellow
-watch this, and this
-Go on a yellow scavenger hunt (look around your house or yard for things that are yellow
-talk about the color yellow (it is a primary color, no colors can be mixed to create yellow etc)
-play with yellow play dough (see if you can make a banana, a sun or something else that's yellow)
-Finger paint!  (use yellow finger paint to make a sunny yellow picture)
-pick up some of these bath colors and let your kiddo take a yellow bubble bath!  I have found them at Wal Mart and at Toys R Us.  These drops are great to use for other colors too!  They come in yellow, red, and blue, but you can mix them to make all sorts of colors.  They color the water, but not your kiddo or fabric.  I have even tested them with a white wash cloth, and they did not color the wash cloth at all!  :0)

Thank you for learning the letter 'T' with us!  If you would like to find a previous lesson, you can find it under the ABC Lessons tab at the top of the blog.  And be sure to check back next week for 'U' is for Umbrella! 

Journal Jar Tuesday #3

Welcome to the third Journal Jar Tuesday!!  This week's question is:

What rituals and routines do you have?

Ha ha I could honestly go on and on and on about this one!  I am very much a routine person, and if my routine gets off track, it completely messes me up!  For the sake of everyone that reads this, I will do my best to keep this post from getting too long...

Every morning I have an hour of "me" time.  I drink my coffee, check my e-mails, look at the weather forecast, and read through some of my favorite blogs.  I wake up before everyone else so that the entire house is quite and still.  It gives me time just for myself that I can do things I enjoy without any interuptions!  If I don't get this time for some reason, it just makes my whole day feel rushed and out of control.

I also do certain household chores on certain days:
Mondays I dust, clean glass surfaces like mirrors and windows.  I pick up the house, which is always a job after The Hubbs has been home over the weekend.  And now that we have Miss Fancy Bunny, I change out her litter.
Tuesdays I wash our white clothes and get them put away.  I also clean the bathrooms.
Wednesdays I wash our light clothes and put them away.  And I sweep our back patio.
Thursdays I wash our dark clothes and put them away.  I give the kitchen a good cleaning, and clean Fancy's litter again.  I also prep the trash and recycle for The Hubbs to take out.
Fridays I vacuum and mop our floors.
Satrudays I sweep our front porch.  The Hubbs and I alternate between who cleans Fancy's cage and litter box.  And we pooper scoop the yard.

I do switch up this cleaning routine from time to time to make sure that it still fits our schedule in the best way possible.  But I have found that for me, it is easier to keep our house under control if I do a little bit every day.  Now, sometimes, things need to be done more frequently than just on the scheduled days, but what else can you expect with a three year old!?

Oooh and one of my favorite cleaning tips is to swiffer while you vacuum.  I have one of those swiffer dusters with the extension pole.  Carry it while you vacuum and wipe down your base boards with it.  It is such a simple thing to do, but it saves your back and knees a lot of pain!!

I am also big on meal planning. I keep a monthly calendar to keep track of all of our activities, and also to plan out our meals. It makes grocery shopping SO much easier! I typically make one big shopping trip a month, and then I pick up small perishable things like milk and produce each week. I also plan several "flex" meals just in case what I have planned doesn't sound good that day, or in case we do not have time for that particular meal. By doing this, we seem to eat a lot less take out and fast food! If you do not have a monthly calendar, I would definitely suggest using one!!

Example of our Monthly Calendar:

Another routine that I think is incredibly useful is for holiday or event meal planning.  I try to plan big meals out about a month in advance.  I write down the menu, including appetizers, drinks, the meal, and desserts.  It allows me to get my shopping done early, and to give people plenty of notice for things am delegating to other people.  I then plan what I am going to bake or cook each day for about one or two weeks leading up to the event.  I start baking the things that can be frozen like cookies or bread two weeks out.  Then, early on in the week of the event, I start prep work like chopping and shredding things.  I refill my salt and pepper shakers and make sure my butter dishes are full.  I also run through my list of needed ingredients for the big way to make sure I have them all.  Then several days out from the event, I start cooking things that will reheat well.  The day before I select all of the serving dishes I will use and get them out along with the plates, flatware, napkins, and cups.  I plan where each dish will go, and go ahead and set out anything that I can.  I put up any decorations that will be used.  I also make sure my dishwasher is empty and ready for the next day.  Then the day of, I generally have to cook a few things and then just reheat the rest.  If I will be cooking several things, I write down a basic oven schedule so that I can make sure that everything is ready in time.  It is a bit of a process, and it takes a few times to get a good system down...but it is SO worth it!  My holidays are a lot less stressful when I use this technique!

I have a lot of other rituals and routines, but I think that these are probably the most helpful ones!  What sort of routines do you have!?
 

'S' is For Star

Jay is completely mesmerized by the moon and the stars, so when it came time to choose a theme for the letter 'S' I knew exactly what I would use!  This week is all about stars, so get your telescope or binoculars out and get ready for some fun!   

This week we will cover:
The letter 'S'
'S' is for Star
The number 19
Stars
The color Yellow
Day and Night

Monday: The Letter 'S'
-color a Letter 'S' coloring page
-while you are coloring, watch this, this, this, and this
-have your kiddo trace the Letter 'S' on their coloring page with their finger
-glue your coloring page to a piece of Yellow construction paper and hang it on the wall
-make a set of Letter 'S' memory cards (one with a Letter 'S' on it, and the other with a picture of a Star on it)
-go through the Letter 'S' section of Starfall
-work this fun online Letter 'S' puzzle
-make a letter 'S' scrapbook (cut several sheets of construction paper into fourths.  Hole punch one of the long sides of each piece of paper two or three times and then let your kiddo use yarn or string to help you connect the pages.  Go through newspapers and magazines and cut out pictures of things that begin with the letter 'S' and some easy to read words that begin with 'S.'  Print and cut out a big letter 'S' for the cover of your scrapbook.  Try to find one that your kiddo can color.  Then glue your pictures and words into the inside pages of your book.)
-make some sparkly salt paint art (Use this recipe to make up some salt paint in a few colors and let your kiddo go to town creating their own masterpiece.  Try to get them to paint something that starts with the letter 'S' if you can!)   

Tuesday: 'S' is for Star
-color a Star coloring page
-while you are coloring, watch this, this, and this
-glue your coloring page to a piece of Yellow construction paper and hang it on the wall
-talk about Stars
-play this cute space shape matching game or this space memory game
-sing Twinkle Twinkle Little Star
-starry night pictures (Get out a piece of black construction paper.  put small star stickers all over the black paper to create a starry night scene.  You can even help your kiddo use a white crayon to draw lines between some of the stars to make constellations!)
-make a pretend telescope (wrap black construction paper around the outside of an empty paper towel roll.  Decorate the paper towel roll with stickers, paint, chalk, or whatever you would like.  When it starts to get dark, go out into your yard and look for stars with your pretend telescope!  You might also consider taking a real telescope or a good pair of binoculars with you too!!)
-Talk about the sky during the day and at night.  What do you see in  the sky during the day?  What do you see in the sky at night?  What color is the sky during the day?  What color is the sky at night? etc.


Wednesday:  Fun Day (or should I say night!?)
-Jay already loves to look at the moon, but tonight, we are going to take some extra time to look at the Stars!  Jay will get an early bath and when The Hubbs gets home we will bundle up and go eat a picnic dinner out in our back yard.  We can look at the stars while we eat and enjoy some fun family time too! 
-We might also go visit our local planetarium, they are showing One World, One Sky: Big Birds Adventure and if Jay is in the mood, we will go check it out! 
-talk about Day and Night.  What do you do during the day? (go to work, play, run errands, walk our dog, etc) What do you do at night? (take a bath, brush your teeth, put on your pj's, read bedtime stories, say our prayers, go to sleep etc.)
-read Goodnight Moon

Thursday: The Number 19
-color a Number 19 coloring page
-while you are coloring, watch this, this, this, and this
-have your kiddo trace the Number 19 on their coloring page with their finger
-glue your coloring page to a piece of Yellow construction paper and hang it on the wall
-make a start garland to hang in your kiddo's room (cut out 19 different sized stars out of construction paper. Have your kiddo color and decorate them with stickers. Use a hole punch to punch holes on two sides of each star. Thread your stars onto a piece of ribbon or string, and make sure that you and your kiddo count them as you go.  Hang your star garland from the ceiling or over the door in your kiddos room!)
-make a star wreath to go with your garland (cut 19 stars out of construction paper.  Cut out the center of a paper plate.  Have your kiddo paint the paper plate yellow.  Then glue all of your stars around the paper plate.  Hang your wreath on your kiddos door!) 


Friday:  The Star Shape
-color a Star coloring page
-while you are coloring, watch this, this, and this
-glue your coloring page to a piece of Yellow construction paper and hang it on the wall
-star string art (use some wire or part of an old wire coat hanger and bend it into the shape of a star.  Have your kiddo wrap different types and colors of string around the star shape.  As an alternative, if your kiddo knows how to tie a basic knot, you ca also cut lengths on string and have them tie the string onto the wire star shape.)
-use a star shaped cookie cutter to cut star shapes out of play dough
-tissue paper stars (cut a star shape out of white or yellow construction paper.  Cut squares out of yellow and orange tissue paper--about one inch in size.  Have your kiddo glue the squares of tissue paper to the star shape.  

Thank you for learning the letter 'S' with us this week!  If you have missed a previous lesson, you can find it by clicking on the ABC Lesson Plans tab at the top of my blog.  Please check back next week for 'T' is for Train! 

Fun Letter Recognition Game

I bought these little wooden alphabet beads at a craft store back before Christmas for a couple of dollars.  Jay has had lots of fun stringing them, but I really wanted to find a way to take advantage of the alphabet letters on them.  So I made up a fun little game that he has really enjoyed playing! 

Jay loves cars, and knows that you go when the light is green, and stop when the light is red.  So I took advantage of that and made him a string of  ABC beads.  I used green at the start of the alphabet and red at the end of the alphabet.  This helps him know which end to start with when we use the beads to sing our ABC's.  So we sing our ABC's and touch the corresponding letter bead as we sing. 

I also have him look through the loose beads to find all of the letters of the alphabet and place them next to the ones on our ABC string of beads. 

Then to take it a step further, we play a little game with the extra beads.  I use some of the loose beads to spell out a simple word like "JAY" and then Jay looks through the other loose beads to find the letters he needs to make the same word.  We always sound out each letter and locate it on the alphabet string before he starts looking.  If I leave all of the beads for Jay to sort through to find the letters he needs, he gets a little overwhelmed.  So I took a jar lid and I put the letters he needs to spell the word we are working on along with 10 or so extra beads into the jar lid.  This makes it easier for him, and we can play for longer without him getting bored!

Jay just loves playing this game, so I thought I would share it.  You can use beads like I do, scrabble tiles, or even fridge magnets for your letters.  This is a good way to work on letter recognition and to start working towards teaching your kiddo to read basic words!  Just make sure you keep it fun, and don't make it feel like work! 
     

Crock Pot Chicken Alfredo

This recipe is one of my favorite crock pot gems.  Ha ha we could literally eat it once a month!  And the best part is, that it's super easy to make!!

Ingredients:
3 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 (2/3 ounce) packet of Italian Salad Dressing mix
4 tablespoons butter
1 small onion chopped--I admittedly never put onion in ours
2 garlic cloves--minced
1 (10 1/2 ounce) can cream of chicken soup--I use my cream soup replacement recipe instead
8 ounces of cream cheese--softened
1/2 cup chicken broth

Directions:
Place chicken in bottom of crock pot
Combine all other ingredients and pour over chicken
Cook on low for 4 to 6 hours
Serve with Alfredo pasta

All you have to do is come home cook the pasta and put together a salad and maybe some garlic bread and you have dinner ready to go!  Woo hoo!!  Enjoy!

Journal Jar Tuesday #2

Welcome to the second Journal Jar Tuesday!  I really enjoyed taking some time to remember my great grandmother last week!   This week’s question is:

What is one of the most exciting places you have ever visited?  What made it so exciting? 

This one is a tough one!  I have been to several amazing places so far in my life.  But I guess I am really kind of torn between two places, Guatemala and Italy.   

Italy was incredibly exciting because The Hubbs and I were on our honeymoon.  We were all set to go to an all inclusive resort in Jamaica for our honeymoon.  The Hubbs was on the resort website with his credit card in hand to book our trip when I said “you know…I am not sure I want to go to a beach for our honeymoon.”  Even then, The Hubbs knew me well enough to immediately stop what he was doing.  He very calmly asked, “Well, where would you like to go?” Even though I am sure he was cringing on the inside.  The Hubbs is not big on change, and we had been planning on Jamaica for months.  I very quietly said, “Well, we could always look into going to Italy.”  That was one of the best decisions we have ever made!! 
We traveled through Rome, Florence, and Venice. Italy is romantic and beautiful and absolutely perfect for your honeymoon!!  You can walk through streets just oozing with history, while eating a stellar slice of pizza from a street vendor, hold hands with your loved one, and listen to a street musician sing and play quintessential Italian music on his accordion.  The food is fantastic!  The people are friendly and happy.  The countryside is breathtakingly beautiful.  And you can culturally geek out to your hearts content.  Tuscany is everything you have ever heard that it is.  It is gorgeously scenic and even the air smells fragrant and beautiful.  If you have never been, you should add it to your bucket list for sure!! 

Guatemala was exciting for a whole different set of reasons.  When I was a kid, my aunt and uncle lived in Guatemala for several years.  One Christmas my grandma took me to visit them, and I was able to stay for about a month.  It was the first time I had really been out of the United States, and also the first time I had been away from my parents for an extended period of time.  It was a very fun trip, but more importantly, I saw and experienced things on that trip that have helped to shape and define me as a person.  Walking through the markets and seeing first hand the way that the people there lived and worked was very eye opening for me.  At the time I was still pretty young, so I didn’t think much of it.  But as I have gotten older, I often reflect on the the people and places that I saw. 
They live such a different life than we do here in the states!  It is hard to even describe the way of life for people there.  I saw everything from my aunt and uncle's sprawling home with beautifully landscaped gardens and even a basketball court to houses that were little more than a shack, with dirt floors and no utilities.  So it was not that no one there had modern comforts or conveniences, it was that so many people still didn’t have them. 
But these same people that lived in such seemingly horrible living conditions made some of the most beautiful things I have ever seen!  And they didn’t use power tools or fancy gadgets to turn these things out in bulk.  Each item was painstakingly created and worked on by a person, or even a whole family of people.  And they made everything from jewelry, clothing, blankets, and bags, to wooden figures and crosses.  They used vibrant colors for everything!  So everywhere you looked, was bright and colorful.  The markets there were filthy and stinky, but they were also stunningly beautiful. 
The people that lived in places that I would find unlivable, were beautiful in a completely different way.  Their faces and the things I saw while I was there will stay with me forever.  They are something I can not even fully describe, but will never be far from my mind.  I gained a perspective from these people and their way of life that nothing else could have shown me, and I am so thankful for that perspective! 
One memory in particular that still haunts me, is of a trip we took to a local orphanage.  Women and children’s rights are an unheard of thing in Guatemala, so there are a considerable number of orphans there.  When we went, it was Christmas time, and it made me sad to see so many children without a loving family to celebrate with.  But the thing struck me the deepest, the thing that will never ever leave my memory has to do with gifts.  While we were there the children were given gifts.  I do not remember if they were from my aunt and uncle, or their church, or a completely separate organization, but the children were indescribably excited to receive these gifts.  And as a child, when I saw the gifts they were getting, I was less than impressed.  They were not big fancy toys or video games.  They were smaller things like dolls or little games that I would have passed right over if they had been under my Christmas tree.  But when I watched the children there see these gifts for the first time, it became apparent that these were probably the nicest and most exciting things they had ever been given.  They were so happy and thankful for them.  Some of the children just sat there smiling in stunned silence holding their new toy, but you could see the absolute joy in their eyes.  And for the first time in my life I felt real shame.  The kind of shame that sticks with you; the kind of shame that I still feel the sting of today as I type this.  These toys that would have meant nothing to me, were everything to them.  That day was a real come to Jesus moment in my life that I will eternally be grateful for.  It is a lesson that I wish everyone could learn!  It is a lesson that I pray Jay will learn.  Because I know, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that I am a better person because of the day I spent with the orphans in Guatemala.
              
Guatemala and Italy were two very different trips for me, but honestly, I hope to go back to visit each of them again someday, and I would love to take Jay along too!  Have you been anywhere that I should add to my bucket list?? 

If you are just joining me for Journal Jar Tuesday and would like to check out previous posts, you can find them here, or by going to the Journal Jar tag at the top of this blog.  Thanks for reading, and be sure to check back next Tuesday!

'R' is for Rabbit

Oh me, Oh my...
Do you want to know how to tell when you are extremely sleep deprived and a little run down after the holidays and Jay's birthday!? 
When you post a lesson plan...and leave off an entire day.  Oops!  I promise I have not gone crazy, and I apologize for the omission!  I left Friday off of my lesson plan last week, and we were supposed to cover circles. 
I have gone back and added Friday to the lesson plan for last week.  So if you are running a few weeks behind on the lesson plans, like we are, it will be no biggie, but if you are up to date on them, I would combine last Friday's Circles lesson with this Friday's Silver lesson.  I would just do a few activities from each week's lesson, and your kiddo should be all caught up.  :0)             

This week we will cover:
The letter 'R'
'R' is for Rabbit
The number 18
Circles
The color Silver
Empty and Full

Monday: The Letter 'R'
-color a Letter 'R' coloring page
-while you are coloring, watch this, this, this, and this
-have your kiddo trace the Letter 'R' on their coloring page with their finger
-glue your coloring page to a piece of Silver construction paper and hang it on the wall (if you do not have a piece of silver paper, use paint or a silver crayon to color the edges of a white piece of construction paper silver)
-make a set of Letter 'R' memory cards (one with a Letter 'R' on it, and the other with a picture of a Rabbit on it)
-go through the Letter 'R' section of Starfall
-make a rainbow 'R' (print and cut out a large letter 'R.'  Cut small squares out of construction or tissue paper in all the colors of the rainbow.  I usually do about 1 inch squares, but they do not have to be perfect.  Have your kiddo glue the squares all over their letter 'R' to make a rainbow letter 'R.'  To make using the glue easier, pour some white school glue into a small jar, like a baby food jar, and have your kiddo dip cotton swabs into the glue and then wipe the glue onto their colored paper pieces.  They do this at our church, and it makes dealing with glue much less of a mess!)
-play letter 'R' charades  (write some words that begin with letter 'R' onto some index cards.  Make sure that they are action words like Row, Run, Roll, Rake, Rope, Rock, Ride, etc.  Draw the cards one at a time with your kiddo.  Show them the word and practice reading it with them.  Then act out the word.)
-sing Row Row Row Your Boat

Tuesday:  'R' is For Rabbit
-color a Rabbit coloring page
-while you are coloring, watch this, this, and this
-glue your Rabbit coloring page to a piece of silver construction paper and hang it on the wall.  (if you do not have a piece of silver paper, use paint or a silver crayon to color the edges of a white piece of construction paper silver)

-sing Little Bunny Foo Foo
-work this fun online Rabbit puzzle
-Read this online version of Peter Rabbit
-print and make a Rabbit out of hearts, print Page 1, and Page 2
-make a cute Rabbit mask
-take a moment to review Empty and Full today.  Use an example of something you use everyday like a glass, your plate, a bowl, your pets bowl, etc. 

Wednesday:  Fun Day!  
-today Jay and I are going to head over to the zoo to check out the animals.  (The petting zoo there has a very nice rabbit in it!)
-we will also spend some extra time loving on miss Fancy bunny.  I even have a new toy for Jay to give her! 
-If the weather in your area is not nice, you can always head to your local library and flip through some books about Rabbits.  Or you can rent and watch a movie with rabbits in it--Winnie the Pooh would be fun!  But whatever you do, make today a fun day and just enjoy spending time with your kiddo! 
-Empty and Full snack time (during snack time today, play a game with your kiddo.  Put their snack into several bowls.  Count the full bowls, and as you much on your snack, talk about the empty bowls too.)

Thursday: The Number 18
-color a Number 18 coloring page
-while you are coloring, watch this, this, and this
-have your kiddo trace the Number 18 on their coloring page with their finger
-glue your coloring page to a piece of Silver construction paper and hang it on the wall  (if you do not have a piece of silver paper, use paint or a silver crayon to color the edges of a white piece of construction paper silver)
-do this cute Number 18 worksheet
-search your house to see if you can find and count 18 silver things
-play with your silverware, count out 18 spoons--or spoons and forks if you don't have 18 spoons.

Friday:  The Color Silver
-go on a Silver scavenger hunt (search your home for things that are silver like coins, picture frames, buttons, door hardware, light fixtures, spoons, belt buckles, jewelry, etc)
-use some washable silver paint to paint a silver picture
-make a Silver pasta necklace (spray paint different shapes of pasta Silver and let your kiddo string them onto a piece of ribbon or yarn to make a necklace)
-create a Silver sculpture (use aluminium foil to make a sculpture of a monster, a person, a ball, or whatever your kiddo can dream up!  You can wad up the foil, roll it up, scrunch it up etc.)

I hope you had fun learning the letter 'R' with us this week!!  If you have missed a previous week, you can find it here, or under the ABC Lessons tab at the top of the blog.  And be sure to check back next week for 'S' is for Star! 

Journal Jar Tuesday #1

Are you ready for the first ever Journal Jar Tuesday!?  I am so excited to start this journaling technique, and I hope that you will join me too!  If you missed my first post about this, you can read it here.  Each week I am going to use my awesome and very special randomizer machine, also known as Jay, to select the question I will answer.   

I am going to answer two questions today, because one of them is pretty short.  So the first question is:

Do you remember any of your great grandparents? Tell as much about them as you can remember.

I am very grateful that I not only remember one of my great grandmothers, but was able to grow up with her and to hear some of her stories.  I called her Mema, and she was my mom's mother's mother, and she was absolutely amazing! 

My Mema was a sweet and loving woman who loved to play games, tell stories, and laugh.  She could play a mean game of 42, and to her, dominoes were serious business!  And while I only ever saw the sweet side of her...I know full well that she could stand her ground when she needed to.  When something did not sit right with her, she would stand her ground and not back down until it was taken care of.  She loved to crochet and knit, and always had her knitting basket beside her.  My mom and dad still use some of the snowflake and Santa ornaments that Mema made on their Christmas tree every year.  Even in her 80's she could bake the best peach cobbler I have ever tasted in my life.  I still crave it, even though she has been gone for 10 years now.  She could whip up an entire meal for a whole house full of people in no time flat and she made it look easy!  She cooked from scratch, and her food was phenomenal.     

After my baths at night, she loved to sit and brush my long hair.  She would ever so gently run the brush through my hair and by the time she was done, I was so relaxed that I generally went right to sleep.  But the very best part about her brushing my hair were the stories she told me while she brushed.  I wish I could remember more of them, but I am grateful for the things I do remember.  After all, it is not every day that you get to hear stories from someone that grew up in the roaring twenties, survived the Great Depression, worked to help our country's men through WWII, saw a man walk on the moon, and watched everything from television to the Internet be invented.     

My Mema lived off of a little dirt road in a little two bedroom one bathroom house.  Her house had a tiny front porch with just enough room for a porch swing on it.  And her house and yard were always pristine.  She loved to garden, and could grow anything known to man.  It didn't matter what season it was, her flower beds were always beautiful.  One of the houses next door to her was always empty, I think it had been in a fire or something like that, but I am not sure.  The other house next door to her had various people in it throughout my life.  There was a large field behind her house and I do not remember there being anyone across the dirt road from her, but I could be mistaken on that as well.  I can tell you that there were really neat train tracks down the street from her house.  My dad and I used to go for walks along them.  There was also an old Victorian house at the end of her road that sat in total disrepair for most of my life.  I loved to go walk around it and look at the neat wrap around front porch.  Then someone bought it and fixed it all up.  It was absolutely beautiful!      

She went to a little one room church (a Church Of Christ church) that was just down the road from her house.  Her faith was extremely important to her, and she loved to go to church.  My parents chose not to go to church when I was growing up, which never sat well with her.  She told me once that she prayed every day that they would change their minds, and that it was something that had always been painful for her.  But she made sure to keep me supplied with all sorts of bible books and stories.  Mema gave me one of my very first Bibles.  It is a sold white leather Bible, and I still use it today.  

One of the funniest memories to me, is of the gun that she always kept under her pillow on her bed.  I think she stopped keeping it there as I got older, but I sure remember it being there when I was little!  I never saw her pick it up, but something makes me quite certain that she would have had no problems using it if the occasion had ever come up!  It always seemed like such a contradiction for the kind and smiling Mema that I knew to sleep with a gun, but she did!  It always made me wonder what she would have been like as a young woman...    

I always looked forward to Mema coming to our house for Christmas every year.  She would come stay with us for several weeks at a time, and I always loved it!  She loved Christmas and her joy was almost tangible!  She loved everything from the lights to the holiday baking.  She is one of the reasons that I love Christmas so very much.  When Mema came to stay with us, she would always make all sorts of goodies for us to much on.  She helped my mom with everything from re potting her houseplants to cooking Christmas dinner.  She would sit and crochet or read while I played.  One Christmas everyone but Mema came down with the flu, and she nursed everyone of us back to health. 

We went to Mema's house almost every Easter, and I remember having so much fun!  She always cooked enough food for an army, and we dyed real eggs to hide.  She loved to dye eggs, and I don't ever remember her using a kit.  She made the dye herself!  One Easter she worried that we wouldn't have enough eggs after she finished cooking dinner.  So she and I went to the store to pick up some more.  And I, for the first time in my life, came to understand why she didn't drive much!  I thought for sure that I was a goner!!  We had to get onto the highway to get to the nearest store, but she didn't drive at highway speeds...so cars were flying around and past us.  I was sure that we were both going to be smashed to smithereens, but it didn't seem to phase her in the least!  We managed to get the eggs and get back to her house, but I never volunteered to ride in the car with her again!  Another year, my dad hid the Easter eggs, but there was one egg that we just couldn't find....and he couldn't remember where he had hidden it.  Mema said she could smell it, and that it smelled something awful, but she never did find it. 

Mema actually went her whole life without ever catching the chicken pox.  Now they have vaccines to keep people from getting them, but they didn't then, and despite nursing all of her children and grandchildren through them, she never came down with them herself.

One thing I deeply wish is that I could remember more of the specific stories that she told me about her life.  I remember that she told me stories about the first time she watched a TV or rode in a car, but I was too little to remember the details.  I do know that she was an incredible woman, and I am forever thankful that I was able to grow up knowing and loving her!  I pray with every ounce of my being that Jay will be able to keep his four surviving great grandparents around for a long time too!!           


What is your worst habit?

Ha ha this one is easy for me to answer! My absolute worst habit is walking around barefooted. Don't get me wrong, I love a cute pair of shoes, and when I go out I love to wear them. But around my house and even around my yard, I rarely wear shoes. This habit may not sound so bad at first, but the gnarly calluses it leaves on my feet are definitely something I could do without! Have you ever seen those infomercials for foot cream where the persons foot is so rough that it can pop a balloon? That is my foot. OK, so maybe it is not my foot, and maybe my feet aren't really that bad, but I bet the pedicure ladies still hate to see me coming...

Um, and if you run from your computer in fear and decide to never grace the pages of my blog again after reading this, I will understand.... But I had to be honest, even if that meant sharing the good, the bad, and the ugly.

Whew, well, there you have it!  I made it through my very first Journal Jar Tuesday!!  Be sure to check back next week for the 2nd Journal Jar Tuesday.  And if you are feeling especially brave, you can journal along with me!  Because you might not thing your worst habit is overly interesting...but your grandkids or great grandkids just might!   

Italian Meatloaf

Has your sweet tooth been over stimulated by all of the holiday yummies!?  This recipe is a fun take on meatloaf that just might be a welcomed break from what you have been eating!  To me, it tastes kind of like a sliced meatball...yummy!

Ingredients:
1/2 cup bread crumbs
5 tablespoons Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons basil
1/2 tablespoon parsley
1 to 2 teaspoons onion powder--or you could just dice up a small onion and add it to the meat
2 tablespoons garlic--more or less to taste
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 pounds of ground meat--I like to use half turkey and half ground beef, but don't tell The Hubbs!!
2 eggs
ketchup--to taste

Directions:
Combine all ingredients except ketchup
Mix well, and use your hands for this, they work the best!
Put meat mixture into a loaf pan
Top with Ketchup
Bake at 350 for 70 minutes
**I try to take my meatloaf out about half way through the cooking time to drain the excess fat out of the pan.**

Do you have a busy day ahead?  Did you know that if you have one of the oval crock pots, you can cook your meatloaf in the crock pot while you are out and about!?  You can even throw a foil packet of potatoes on top, so that you almost have a complete meal!!  Here's what I do:

Find a loaf pan that will fit inside of your crock pot--you might even be able to use an aluminum one and bend it slightly to fit.
Make your meatloaf as usual and put it into the pan
Top with ketchup if desired
Place the entire loaf pan into the bottom of your crock pot
If you want to add a foil packet of potatoes, quarter some red new potatoes and season them with salt, garlic, olive oil, and rosemary.
Use foil to completely enclose the potatoes and seasonings in a pouch
Place the foil pouch on top of your loaf pan in the crock pot.
Cook on low for 6 to 8 hours or high for 3 to 4 hours
Come home, throw together a salad, and dinner is served!  :0)

Hey you didn't know you would get two recipes in one today did you?  Ha ha I just hope it helps make your life a little bit easier!  Enjoy!
 

'Q' is for Quarter

Happy 2011 everyone!! 

Jay is really into putting money into his piggy bank, he will actually raid my wallet just to get my change!  And it sure adds up in a hurry.  Last time we took his piggy bank to the bank, he had over $87 in change!!  I also firmly believe it is never too soon to start teaching your kids about money and fiscal responsibility.  If we don't teach them, how will they ever learn!?  So when I started planning the letter 'Q' lesson, I knew that I just had to do 'Q' is for quarter!  You can print and cut out paper quarters for some of the activities, but I would really recommend going and getting a few rolls of quarters from the bank to play with.      

This week we will cover:
The letter 'Q'
'Q' is for Quarter
The number 17
Circles
The color Silver
Empty and Full

Monday: The Letter 'Q'
-color a Letter 'Q' coloring page
-while you are coloring, watch this, this, this, this, and this
-have your kiddo trace the Letter 'Q' on their coloring page with their finger
-glue your coloring page to a piece of Silver construction paper and hang it on the wall (if you do not have silver paper, paint or use a silver crayon to color the edges of a piece of white construction paper silver)
-make a set of Letter 'Q' memory cards (one with a Letter 'Q' on it, and the other with a picture of a Quarter on it)
-go through the Letter 'Q' section of Starfall
-print out this neat mini book to color and read (Page 1 and 2, Page 3 and 4, Page 5 and 6, Page 7 and 8, Page 9 and 10, Cover 
-play the 'Q' is for Quiet game (print and cut out a handful of letter Q's make them colorful and fun looking if you can.  Explain the quiet game to your kiddo so that they know what they have to do.  Play the quiet game, but for every 5 or 10 seconds your kiddo can stay quiet, give them a letter 'Q.'  See how many letter Q's they can collect!)
-make a Q-tip letter 'Q' (cut a letter 'Q' out of construction paper--use a thicker paper if you can.  Glue Q-tips all over the letter 'Q.'  You could also use printed out pictures of quarters or question marks.)
-make a letter 'Q' quilt (cut out squares from all different colors of construction paper.  Make the squares the same size.  Write a letter 'Q' on each square.  Be sure to write some capital and some lowercase 'Q's.  Have your kiddo decorate the squares.  Glue the squares onto a larger piece of paper in the shape of a quilt.)
Tuesday: 'Q' is for Quarter
-color a Quarter coloring page
-while you are coloring, watch this and this
-glue your coloring page to a piece of Silver construction paper and hang it on the wall  (if you do not have silver paper, paint or use a silver crayon to color the edges of a piece of white construction paper silver)
-What is a quarter?  Use this fun facts page to teach your kiddo about quarters.
-4 Quarters in a dollar.  Use four Quarters and a dollar bill to teach your kiddo that one Quarter represents a fourth, or a quarter, of a dollar bill.  Count out four Quarters and talk about them being equal to one dollar.  This may seem advanced, but doing things like this now, even if your kiddo does not completely understand them, will help bridge the gap for fractions later on.
-make Quarter rubbings (get several different Quarters and put them under a sheet of printer paper.  Help your kiddo use the side of a crayon to color over the crayons to make rubbings.  If you are practicing cutting skills, you can even let your kiddo cut the rubbings out when you are done!)
-Play a quarter toss game (Write a large capital 'Q' on a piece of paper.  Tape the piece of paper to the ground.  Have your kiddo stand two or three feet away from the paper and try to toss quarters into the center of the letter 'Q'.)

Wednesday:  Fun Day!
-today we are going to take a trip over to the US Bureau of Printing and Engraving.  They do not make coins, but they do print currency and other things.  I am not sure if Jay will make it all the way through the tour, but they do have a fun activities area that he can play in!  If you are fortunate enough to have something similar in your area, try to take a trip to it!
-Does your kiddo have a piggy bank?  If not, go on a trip to the store to buy one (they usually have several at The Dollar Tree, and I bet you can find them pretty much everywhere.)  Talk about why they put money into their piggy bank.  Is it for college, their first car, their first house etc.
-Does your kiddo have a savings account?  Most banks and credit unions offer free bank accounts for kids, and it is never too early to start them an account.  If they don't have an account open yet, head on over to the bank to open one!!  You will be surprised how fast their money adds up!
-If you already have a savings account for your kiddo, take their piggy bank up to the bank and deposit the money they have saved in it!  Be sure to make a big deal about how well they are doing.  :0)   
-Also take some time to day to talk about empty and full.  Just use examples of things all over the house like cups, tummies, plates, pet food or water bowls, the mailbox, etc. 
-watch this, this, and this


Thursday: The Number 17
-color a Number 17 coloring page
-while you are coloring, watch this, this, and this
-have your kiddo trace the Number 17 on their coloring page with their finger
-glue your coloring page to a piece of Silver construction paper and hang it on the wall  (if you do not have silver paper, paint or use a silver crayon to color the edges of a piece of white construction paper silver)
-counting quarters (count out 17 quarters with your kiddo.  See if you can stack all 17 quarters without tipping them over.  Count out how many dollars you can make with 17 quarters. etc)
-Can you stay quiet for 17 seconds?  (play the quiet game we played earlier this week, but this time count out loud while your kiddo stays quiet.  See if you can count all the way to 17 without them making a noise!)
-do this empty/full worksheet
-play the empty/full game (line several bowls up on a table.  Fill some of them with various things--quarters would be a great choice, but make sure to use several different things to fill them.  Leave some of the bowls empty.  Have your kiddo tell you which ones are full and which ones are empty.  Count the empty bowls, and count the full bowls.  Them fill the empty bowls, so that all of the bowls are full.)

Friday:  Circles
-color a circle coloring page
-while you are coloring, watch this, this, and this
-glue your coloring page to a piece of Silver construction paper and hang it on the wall (if you do not have silver paper, paint or use a silver crayon to color the edges of a piece of white construction paper silver)

-make a pretend pizza
-make a paper chain (cut all different colors of construction paper into strips.  Have your kiddo help you tape the ends together to make them into interlocking circles)
-make a circle collage (cut circles out of newspapers and magazines, or just cut them out of construction paper.  Glue all of your circles onto a piece of paper to make a collage.)

I hope you had fun learning the letter 'Q' this week!  If you have missed a previous letter, you can find it by clicking on the ABC Lesson Plans tab at the top of the blog, and I hope you will check back next week for 'R' is for Rabbit!   

The Journal Jar

Have you guys ever heard of a Journal Jar!?  Ha ha I am probably hopelessly behind the times, as usual, but I had not heard of them until my cousin mentioned them several months ago.  A journal jar is a jar, or container of any kind, filled with questions or prompts for you to journal about.  Normally I have a very hard time journaling because I never know what to write, and when I do write something it just sounds silly to me.  So my sweet cousin, knowing me well enough to know I would never make one for myself, made me my very own journal jar for Christmas!!  All the little prompts and questions are printed out on colorful pieces of paper:

Aren't they pretty!? 

And she wrote out instructions for the top too:

     

I also love that the jar is made of plastic, because well, Jay is ALL boy after all...

And the questions and prompts really cover a wide range of topics.  Here are a few examples:

What are 5 places you would like to visit?

Tell about a time you feel Gad answered your prayer.

Tell a story your mother told you from her past.

 I know that I can easily answer those questions, and I won't feel silly doing it!  And I think that this will be a lot more interesting for my grand kids to read about than me rambling on about cleaning the house, gardening, or doing laundry...

I just love this idea, and think it is something that is definitely worth sharing!  So, once a week, probably on Tuesday, I will post one of the questions or prompts from the journal jar along with my response to it.  You can read what I have to say if you would like, but more importantly you can use the prompt or question for your own journaling purposes!  Wouldn't it be great to be able to hand down this information to your kids and grand kids someday!  I sure wish that my Grandma had kept something like this!! 

I am really thrilled to be able to share this with you guys!  Keep an eye out for my first journal entry this Tuesday, and I hope that you will join me by keeping your own journal of responses!