Eating Vegetables

This week I have the pleasure of introducing you to Cary!  Cary and I have attended the same church for quite a few years but we never hung out on a regular basis until recently.  She's one of those ladies you admire from afar and wish to spend more time with.  Last fall we finally both pulled out our calendars and have been able to plan a few fun nights together.  I'm so thankful for her vulnerability and desire to maintain an eternal perspective.  I hope and pray you are each encouraged by what she has to share! My name is Cary and I have one son, Joel, who is almost two. He's a fairly easy-going toddler and my husband and I (both introverts) are pretty convinced he'll take after us. He warms up to people pretty...

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Creating Calendar Cards

Almost every morning as we sit down to breakfast we discuss what day it is and what we have planned for that day.  We sing our songs and change our calendar accordingly (see my other post to read in further detail).  One thing Addi really likes to do is swap out all the numbers on the calendar at the end of the month.  One of the ways I try to teach her the difference between the months is by using different sets of numbers for the days.  One month we may use a set of numbers with a fun-looking font and the next month we may pick a set that corresponds with a particular holiday that will take place that month.   I had a friend who visited about once a month and she eventually asked me,  "How many sets of calendar...

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Puzzle Problems

Addilyn loves puzzels, but she is at the stage where the traditional 25-100 piece puzzles are too hard for her but the kiddy ones with the knobs are too easy.  What's a mom to do?  Then it hit me.  I would take a few of her "big-girl" puzzles and make them "little-girl" friendly.  It's so easy that I was suprized I had not thought of it sooner.  All I did was remove one piece of the puzzle at a time and trace around the edges with a sharpie marker.  Once I had traced every piece I removed them all and let Addi try her new and improved puzzle.  It worked perfectly!  By drawing the shape of the missing piece on the background  it helped Addi make a decision on which one fit in that spot.  It...

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Pesky Paper Plates and Damage they Cause!

Unless we have a large group over for dinner, my family doesn't use paper plates too often because, well... they just frustrate the mess out of me!  If you buy a package of paper plates that advertises 500 what they usually don't tell you is that you are really only going to get about 200 plates because they have compressed them together so well.  You could separate them, but by the time you pull apart the three that are stuck together, the plate is so thin it can't even hold even a piece of bread without folding in half (much less hold an entire meal).  Some argue that styrofoam plates are more sturdy.  True, but then you have the eco-friendly debates from your either anti-styrofoam or anti-dishwasher friends who...

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Approaching with Confidence

Not everyone is blessed to live beside one of their dearest friends.  It's rare this day in age to  have a neighbor who is experiencing the same life stage you're currently in AND who shares your same passions and convictions on just about any topic.  This is one of many reasons why I am so blessed.  I have a friend like this and her name is Dana.  Her little boy, who you'll here a little more about, is two weeks older than my Addi-Grace.  They are best buds and enjoy any time they can spend together.  On a regular basis Dana and I get together to swap stories and offer encouragement while our kiddos play.  She never fails to help point my heart to the gospel. So, today, I wanted to share a bit of her...

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Letter of the Week- Letter T

Turtles, Trains, andTigers, oh my.  Wait, that's not how it goes.  Whatever.  Letter T week was TERRIFIC!  Click on the link below for our curriculum and check out the pictures to see how much fun we had.   Also, I keep forgetting to add in our activities for spiritual disciplines, but I get all my ideas from http://ministry-to-children.com/.  They have actual lesson plans for sunday school and I just modify them to fit our needs in our home.  Some things are super simple such as hand gestures to do with your kids while reading the passage or free printable color pages.  Anyway, you should check it out. Handwriting practice. Counting our fingers and toes.  How about that, there...

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Chocolate Honey-Pecan Cupcakes

I love to try new things in the kitchen.  Well, what I really mean by that is I love to try new recipes.  I am not a pioneer in the kitchen.  I almost never experiment and create a recipe all by myself.  Instead, I find something that looks good and make that.  The most adventurous I typically get is modifying whatever recipe I'm using (and usually only a tad).  Well, today I took a giant leap out of my comfort zone and I tried something new.  I made Chocolate Honey Pecan cupcakes...from scratch...and WITHOUT a recipe!  Here's the crazy thing- they turned out GREAT!  I was so surprised.  I was just so thrilled I tried to remember exactly what I had done and now I want to share it with you!...

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Ready, Set, Read!

Barbara Curtis knows her stuff!  She was a classroom teacher, a school director, home schooled her 11 children (yes, I did say eleven), has a background in Montessori education, has been published in numerous magazines and now leads workshops and seminars on various educational topics.   My daughter is two, going on three, and I just picked up this book because she is beginning to put her letter sounds together.  Unfortunatley, I did not realize that Chapter One (the first 40+ pages) were dedicated to steps you could take from pregnancy until the time your child turns two to ensure your child has a love for reading. The next chapter, dedicated to children approximately 2-5 years old, is most applicable...

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Expectations for Obedience

This week we will be hearing from Valerie!  Valerie is a friend of mine from college.  She and her husband both love the Lord and are passionate about serving Him with their lives.  Here are a few thoughts from Valerie that I hope will be as encouraging to you as they were to me. I am honored to be the Mommy of two incredible kids.  Judah just turned 3 and is so much fun.  He loves making up songs, “fixing” things, and reading books.  When you hear him speak, there is no doubt that we live in the South! J  Mira just turned 1 (on the same day that Judah turned 3), and like most 1 year olds she loves to explore and get into everything!  Everyone comments about...

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Feed the Mouse

This might be my favorite busy bag game I've made in a long time.  It's not that it is especially challenging for my kids, but I just think it's cute.  Ha ha.  I cut a circle and some "cheese" squares out of yellow foam.  I attached the circle to the back of the cheese di-cut with a simple brad.  Next, I cut out a circle in the di-cut and wrote in numbers on the the foam.  As you turn the wheel ask your child to feed the mouse the correct pieces of cheese according the the number showing. ...

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Spelling Cards

Addi is beginning to sound out some words and is excited when she can figure out new words.  I created these cards from scrapbook paper and stickers.  I give her one card at a time and she looks through her pile of letter cards to find the letters to form the word.  This has also been good practice for her to learn that words are sounded out by reading them from left to right. ...

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