This week I joined a Wordless Wednesday link up sponsored by ResourcefulMommy.com
My theme this week is food!
a yummy treat my hubby made
an iced mocha in the making
delicious crostini toppings
Author: thefamilyo
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Wordless Wednesday
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Super Duper Sweetness
As you may have seen from an earlier post, my son and I went on a date recently. We had a really great time. I wanted to share with you, a sweet, intimate moment between the 2 of us. While at a restaurant I excused myself to use the restroom. When I came around the corner to our booth, my son was sitting in my seat, I watched for a second and realized he was taking pictures of himself with the camera. I sneaked up behind him and joined in the pictures, he never knew I was behind him.
When I sat down he told me to look at the pics on the camera. I told him he should look with me. He was so surprised to see me in some of the pics, he loved it. BUT THE BEST PART … I had another surprise coming too. While looking through them I realized that in each picture he is signing a word to form I LOVE YOU, through the succession of pictures.
Here they are:
Loved the date, loved this gesture, love my BOY!
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The Homeschool Mothers Journal Week 4
Recently I saw a blog post from a Homeschool mom that I follow. Sam from The Kelley Eight was excited to start a journaling program. I have always wanted to journal but just felt overwhelmed with starting from scratch.
Thanks to the Homeschool Chick and The Kelley Eight I will now be journaling this fantastically crazy journey we are on. I am thrilled, excited and thankful!
Week #4:
In my life this week…
Our van died this week, no so good since we are still making payments, yuck. I went to a wine ‘n paint class with my mom, sister, aunt and cousins, we had a great time, so relaxing.
In our homeschool this week…
Preston is working on Time4learning and loving it. Oliver started skip counting on his own, I was amazed. He came up to me and did 1, 3, 5, 7,9 then he followed that with 2,4,6,8. I have not even started with him formally only Preston. I was thrilled. I printed up some of these for him to have for his school desk. Thanks Homeschool Creations!
Places we’re going and people we’re seeing…
Without a car we stayed in most of the week. Preston and I did have a date to see Imagination Movers we took the light rail to downtown.
We also made it to the playground several times which is always great.
My favorite thing this week was…
The entire family sat down and each colored a page for a mini-book about Spring. That was a fun, creative time.
We are reading Heidi and the book we are using is full of colorful pictures, we are enjoying it. There is nothing like shutting out everything, reading and snuggling.
What’s working/not working for us…
Not working – staying home so much. We love to be out, although I am trying to use this time to organize and spring clean, so that has been good. I look forward to Spring field trips!
Homeschool questions/thoughts I have…
Time to start thinking about curriculum for next year. I just got the Alpha Omega catalog in the mail yesterday. Time to start perusing homeschool forums and researching. I like Sonlight but want to explore all options.
A photo, video, link, or quote to share…
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A Yummy, Healthy, Fruit Smoothie
Ever since I got my Ninja I have been promising the boys a fruit smoothie. The week before I had picked up some frozen strawberries and blueberries. I went to work. I wish we had bananas though, I love bananas in smoothies.
It was yummy, the boys ate it right up. I especially liked the whipped cream. We ate them with spoons then drank up the last of it.
2 cups Strawberries
1 cups Blueberries
2 cups Ice
1/2 cup Milk
1 cup Strawberry Yogurt (7 oz)
2 tbsp Honey
Lemon juice from 1 Meyer Lemon
Whipped Cream
*My husband added sugar to his so it may need to be a little sweeter*
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a Date with My Boy
This past weekend I took my 7 year old on a date to downtown Denver. I secretly bought a Groupon to see the Imagination Movers live.
**Disclaimer – I had no clue who they were, my poor boy was the oldest one there, by far! He was not that amused, although he started to enjoy the show**
We started by taking the light rail, then off to explore Downtown, ate some chocolate cake, watched the show, and topped it off with a big bucket of movie theater popcorn for the ride home on the light rail.
I really enjoyed our time and I am reminded how important it is to spend time alone with each child.
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Time to Start Thinking About Summer Vacation
It is March, yep March, just like that. It always amazes me how fast time goes by, I don’t care how cliche it sounds. So, here we are – March!
I love when it starts getting lighter each morning, the birds chirping, bulbs starting to pop through the cold ground. Before we know it we will be half way into Summer!
Now is a perfect time to start planning your family vacation(s). Some families like to save up for 1 big trip. Others, like us, like to take several short getaways. Lately, though, I must admit that the thought of 7-10 days away gets me thinking and gets me excited!
I would love to do the Disney vacay, or a trip to Mt. Rushmore, maybe head up to a ranch in Montana or Idaho, or how about NYC with a road trip up to Boston.
I have started to do research on affordable, fun, family vacations. I would like to share my results with you. These are my top 10 tips for getting away with great family travel deals and saving money:
1. The dream vacation almost everyone wants to take – Disneyland, how to go on a budget? The sooner you book, the better deal you will get. Also, travel before school let’s out and we are talking big savings. Right now SouthWest Airlines has packages priced at up to 30% OFF if you book by March 19th.
2. Take a drive to Mt. Rushmore. Rent a car, Alamo gives you 10% OFF if you pre-pay for your rental, also now through the end of the year – a FREE upgrade! Mt. Rushmore has plenty of accommodations around but have you thought about camping?! Fun, adventurous, inexpensive.
3. Rocky Mountain National Park provides the most breath-taking scenery in America! Drive on the highest paved road in America, see more wildlife than you can imagine. If you stay in Grand Lake, Granby, or Estates Park you are sure to find nicely priced cabins, condos, campgrounds and hotels. Hiking, picnics, sightseeing, wildlife watching – can’t beat it! You can also pick up the Rocky Card to get additional discounts on meals to local restaurants.
4. Book a stay at a Water Park Hotel. These are popping up all over the country. Stay and play right there at the resort. Rent a car to see local sites, fun and inexpensive. What a perfect opportunity to visit a city you would have never considered before. If you book in advance most let kids stay free! Also, check their website and sign up for emails, most will send you coupons.
5. Head on down to Texas partner. Texas is FUN! BIG FUN! So much to do, so many different big cities to see. Take in city life or head to the country for a little dude ranching, maybe even the beach! You will not find a friendlier set of people.
If you have a destination but want to save money while you are there:
1. Try to book accomodations that provide a kitchen. Whether you stay in a condo/townhome, cabin or a Suites-type hotel this is sure to save you a ton of money. We buy groceries and make our breakfasts and dinners. Plus snacks are great to have on hand to resist trips to the convenience store or vending area.
2. Do your research before hand. Get on the web and hunt for local coupons, there is so much out if you just look.
3. Plan days, this will allow you to budget. Then you will see everything you wanted to see and stay on track with your money. Resist the temptation to pull out your cash at every corner.
4. Try a home swapping site. Most have a comments and rating system so you are not stuck with any surprises. This can be fun, adventurous and cheap! www.HomeExchange.com OR at couchsurfing.org you can find a place to stay almost anywhere in the world. Look carefully though because not all can accommodate more than 3 people.
5. Ultimately, if you do not have a lot of money. Stay in your parts and look from a different perspective. Go and see things you never thought you would. Go to your local Visitors Bureau, bet you will be surprised.
Whatever you do, do it with joy! Take time to enjoy your family, don’t get caught up in expectations. Enjoy the moment! Happy planning!
About Alamo
Founded in 1974, Alamo Rent A Car is a value-oriented, internationally recognized brand serving the rental needs of airport leisure travelers. Alamo offers low rental rates and a hassle-free customer experience at the most popular travel destinations throughout the United States, Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean, Latin America and Asia. In addition, Alamo customers in the U.S. are able to conveniently choose their own vehicles, based upon their advance reservation and requested car class, and then simply drive away from the airport.
The Alamo membership club, Alamo Insiders, offers its members numerous perks including exclusive, member-only deals, quick and simple reservations, and frequent traveler miles with each rental.“I wrote this blog post while participating in the SocialMoms and Alamo blogging program, for a gift card worth $25. For more information on how you can participate, click here.”
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The Homeschool Mother’s Journal Week 2
Recently I saw a blog post from a Homeschool mom that I follow. Sam from The Kelley Eight was excited to start a journaling program. I have always wanted to journal but just felt overwhelmed with starting from scratch.
Thanks to the Homeschool Chick and The Kelley Eight I will now be journaling this fantastically crazy journey we are on. I am thrilled, excited and thankful!
Week #2:
In my life this week…
Injured my knee pretty bad, laid up and most of our plans went out the window. Was going to be our first week with a 2nd car plus great weather. We didn’t do much outside the home.
In our homeschool this week…
My boys love being on the computer. I think it may have to do with my husband and I both being techs. Any chance they can have on it they love. I decided that I wanted to find more learning programs, not games. I searched and found one called Time4Learning. We signed up Monday and the boys love it. I will be posting on the entire experience soon.
Places we’re going and people we’re seeing…
We were going to go to the Airplane Museum and the movies but with my injury we did not go anywhere.
My favorite thing this week was…
My injury in definitley NOT my favorite part but what happened as a result is. The first 2 days I was in bed, with it elevated. This provided the perfect oppotunity to just cuddle, read and talk to my boys. With no pressure to “get stuff done”, all I could do was lay there. It was wonderful for my only task to be to enjoy my boys!!
What’s working/not working for us…
I would really like to get my 1st grader to want to read on his own, rather than me force it. He loves for me to read to him. But I want him to love it. I know this will come but I wish it were now. I love to read.
Homeschool questions/thoughts I have…
I keep getting the urge to bump my preschooler up to Kindergarten lessons because he gets through the preschool ones so fast. I really need to resist the urge though, I don’t want to put undue pressure on him. However, I also do not want to bore him or hold him back. What is the right answer?
A photo, video, link, or quote to share…
Oliver’s outfit of the week: Hawaiian Shirt and Mike Wazowski pants.
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Brotherly Love
Happy! My 7 year old attends a weekly club for boys. He loves it and his Daddy is a helper so it provides a fantastic time for them to bond.
Last week each boy was given $2 and challenged to use the money for someone else. To do an unselfish thing with it. When he came we discussed some possibilities that he might choose from. He thought about it and said he thought of another thing.
He said that he wanted to buy his little brother a piece of his favorite pie from the Pie Shop across the street from our house. My first thought was that wasn’t the exact idea here, but I stopped myself. He loves his brother but he is not one to put his brother first, ever. So I thought this really was a kind, unselfish act.
Ordering How cool that I got to see it play out! I took them to the pie shop and let them order, pay and eat alone while I waited in the car. I noticed the oldest cleared the table for the workers too – BONUS!
Eating Grasshopper Pie 
Oliver and his pie -
Remember These?
I have such fond memories of watching my teacher use a felt board to tell a story. LOVED it so much. Gathering around her and finding a comfy spot to watch the story unfold.
Always wanted to get some to play with as a kid but never did, seemed like a teacher “exclusive” item.
I looked at my local Education store and they are so expensive I could not justify the cost.
However, now that I started to homeschool I went to my favorite consignment sale to find educational materials. Imagine how excited I was to find a Storyboard Felt set.
Nothing fancy, in fact it looks like it could be from when I was little, but it is in excellent shape. I bet they came from a former teacher. I practically let out a squeel like a 13 year old who sees Justin Bieber.
This has to be one of my best finds ever!
I let the 4 and 2 year old play with them and they loved it. The two year went through all the animals and tried to make their “sounds”. It was fun, now I need to come up with a story!
