Author: thefamilyo

Field Day 2013

Field day for Homeschoolers? Of course! This year we were invited to participate in Field Day 2013 with a local homeschooler group. When I had mentioned to a non-homeschooling friend that my boys were having Field Day she joked around and asked if it was just them against each other. But, no, this was actually a real live Field Day, lol. There were at least 70 participants in total plus many parent volunteers. The events offered were the 50 and 100 yard dash, long jump, shot put, jump rope race, a race around the park, the clothespin drop and even cup stacking.

All the parents took turns working shifts so everyone could see their children participate in most events. The preschoolers also had their own events with a javelin throw, bean bag toss, long jump and a race.

After all the events were concluded for the morning there was a ribbon ceremony while we all ate a picnic lunch. We sat in the shade with our good friends that invited us. It was such a wonderful time. Me and the boys left after that but many others stayed for a 3-legged race and some water fun.

What great fun my boys had! I really enjoyed watching all the kids, they all tried their best and displayed GREAT sportsmanship. 🙂

May 23, 2013
Gem of a Steak House

One gem of steak house in Denver that you don’t want to miss out on is Westerkamps Meat Market and Restaurant, but, as you can tell by the sign this is a steak house!

If you want good food for a good price this is definitely one place to keep on your radar… err, these days it would be on your GPS. Where else can you get Mondo for $7.99? If you’re like me you’re asking what in the world is Mondo? Well, how does this sound – Steak, Bacon, Sausage, Eggs, and potatoes smothered with cheese and chili?

Now we’re talking. I’m a sucker for green chili so you know I had to taste their Huevos Rancheros and Mexican Hamburger, both were srumditilyumptious I might add. And this green chile was awarded “Best Green Chile in an Unlikely Location” by Westword!

On top of the steak choices they also have fajitas, pork chops, chimichangas and hot sandwiches. Really, they have quite the menu to choose from.

What other steak house can you go to that is seat yourself? I don’t know of one. Don’t forget, this is a meat market too and they have awesome deals on meat packages for those take it home and grill it folk! There’s a couple of old school dart boards on the wall if you want to throw some darts while your food is cooking and kids are provided with their own fresh set of play-doh and coloring sheet.

Westerkamps Huevos Rancheros smothered in chile goodness

To find this gem of a steak house is not hard if you know where to look. If you know where the Trade Mart is on I-25 and 58th ave. you’re almost there! It’s located at 5106 Washington St. in Denver, CO. so you just go east on the 58th exit to Washington, head south for about 7 blocks and you’ll see Westerkamps residing on the east side of the road.

You can checkout their menu and get more information at the official Westerkamps Meat Market and Restaurant website.

April 13, 2013
Painting Wicker Patio Furniture

What is it about moving into a new place that gets us all excited? The prospects, the dreams, ideas and then truly making it a home. It is like a fresh start, a way to do all the things you have always wanted to do. So you know what that means. It’s time to search the web and look for inspiration and the possibilities are endless.

Once we moved in my “To Do” list has grown by a miles and miles. One project that I already started was painting wicker patio furniture that my Mom had given to us. Then, of course, I also wanted to make covers for the existing cushions, but that will come next.

The wicker furniture was white with rose colored cushions which definitely needed an update. I chose KONA coffee color by Rust-o-leum, I bought the 2x double coat, glossy. All in all I used about 8 cans of paint, not bad considering new furniture is well into the hundreds of dollars plus I saved money with the True Value hardware coupons I used.

Wicker chair before painting

Wicker couch before Painting

The perfect opportunity to teach my oldest son how to spray paint, he loved doing it.

Voila, the After! I think it looks like a new set!

Can’t wait to make the seat covers, I have the perfect fabric for the job. Here’s to a new place with new possibilities!

April 6, 2013
Easter Fun with Lego

Of course, I was again inspired on Pinterest! Last year I created a board called Easter Fun, where I pinned some really cute and fun ideas. Unfortunately, by the time Easter rolled around I forgot all about my little Easter fun board. This year I decided to look through my boards and do projects that I had already pinned before. That is when I came across this fun idea. Anything to do with Legos and my boys are game. This project covers the death and resurrection of Jesus. They know the story about Jesus being put to death and they know the amazing story of Him rising from the tomb, now to put it all together – what fun!

I grabbed some small cake pans from the Dollar Store and a bag of play sand from True Value hardware store, total cost = under $8.00. When I showed the boys their inspiration they loved it and JUMPED right in. They all started building Lego tombs immediately.

Cake pans, play sand, pebbles, sticks and Legos.

Placing the tomb, laying the path

This was a fun activity but I did want to make sure that the kids heard the story again.

It never gets old. It never ceases to bring me to tears.

He was pierced for our transgressions, He was crushed for our sins,

the punishment that brought us peace, was upon Him

By His wounds we are healed.

—

Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here, He is RISEN!

Enjoy this fantastic song!

April 3, 2013
Using Wall Decals

All over Pinterest these days I’ve been seeing those way cool sayings and scriptures people are putting up in their homes on their walls. I love them but thought there was no way I could paint letters in a straight line let alone make them look consistent. I would just have to admire them on Pinterest.

However, a little trip to Hobby Lobby and everything changed! They have wall decals that cause no damage to surfaces, love that! The selection was huge and my husband even liked the idea. We picked out three and headed to our new home excited to put them up.

I started with one wall decal in our living room, but it took about 45 minutes to get about 4 words done! My walls happen to be textured which makes them not so easy to work with. I was a bit discouraged and gave up for a few days. I was sitting there thinking I wish I had a shiny, smooth surface available… and voila!

I was scouting a location and boom, the side of my IKEA Expedit was perfect! When you are walking down our hall it is the main focal point.

I love it! Do you?

March 23, 2013
Field Trip to the Denver Zoo 2013

A picture montage.

February 18, 2013
Open House at Homeschool Connection

One day a week my two oldest boys go to school, they get to get up, get their backpacks ready and head out the door early in the morning. A local school district offers a one day a week program for homeschoolers and my boys absolutely love it!

Last Semester they took classes such as cooking, piano, play performance, fitness, science, and art. Another neat thing is that each semester the kids can choose which classes they want to take, sort of like in high school.

The Homeschool Connection recently hosted an Open House to showcase all that the students had done throughout the first semester.

Homeschool Connection Open House

Oliver played one of the seven dwarfs in a mini-play, Preston played “America” on the piano, they both cooked up some delicious treats for the parents and they loved showing us their class pet lizard. I am so thankful that there is an option for homeschoolers, it has been a great experience!

This also means I get to spend that day with my youngest boy who is only 4 years old, just him and I which is a treat. Anyone that has more than one child knows how balancing time between them can be sometimes so this is really helpful.

January 23, 2013
Kids Quick and Easy Homemade Pizzas
Ever in a pinch for dinner, had a busy day and not sure what to make in hurry? My husband stopped at the store on his way home from work after he knew I had a very busy day. I told him to decide what we would have that night.

He came up with an idea that would please us all, that even catered it to each one of our likes… Homemade Pizzas! But do you want to know the thing that made this delicious dinner so quick and easy? Pita bread for crust! Which does not require anytime to prepare or bake like homemade dough would.

Quick and Easy Homemade Pizzas:
- Pita bread
- Pizza sauce
- Cheese of your choice
- Toppings, meat, veggies etc.
We spooned on about 1 tbsp pizza sauce per pita, then added toppings such as pepperoni, Colby cheese, mozzarella, mushrooms, Canadian bacon, and olives. We each made our own, and wow did the kids ever love doing this! Daddy was our hero!

We cooked the pizzas on a cookie sheet for 7 minutes, then on the rack for 5 more. Cook times may vary depending on your oven and temperature. For a crispier crust cook longer directly on the rack. Be sure to check on your pizzas so as not to overcook. Delicious!
January 21, 2013
Looking Back on Christmas 2012

I almost can’t believe how quickly it is all over with, this Christmas rush, gathering with family and friends… all of it. So much anticipation then it comes and goes like a flash. We enjoyed this Christmas so much and created lots of memories.

Homemade Christmas cards, the fun was in taking them, especially with a funny lil guy making us all crack up.

Seashell Christmas Ornaments we made for the family:

The Annual Women-of-My-Family Cookie Exchange: We exchanged a variety of different types of cookies this year and we had some newcomers to the cookie exchange as well.

A wonderfully uncrowded trip to the “big” Museum, on a gorgeous day in December:

Many, many, many hours on our 1 and only Black Friday deal – Monopoly – Electronic edition!

All in all, it has been fantastic. We also had the privilege of attending an wonderfully touching Christmas Eve Service, so blessed!

For New Years Eve I treated my dear husband to a pan seared steak (thanks to Sean and Debbie for the great Emeril cast iron pan), creamed spinach, baked potatoes and salad. We ate by candlelight while the kids had their own New Year’s Eve party in their room, taquitos, doritos, candy and all. We gathered at 10 to pop the Martinellis and countdown. One of the best NYE’s ever!

January 6, 2013
Easy Christmas Ornaments

It’s that time of year! I love it, it thrusts me into the crafty part of my brain. We put up our tree and some Christmas lights… so I thought how cool to start making our own ornaments. Of course I headed straight to Pinterest for some ideas. I came across several fantastic ideas and pinned them. We will be using all these ideas in the next few weeks. Since I was looking for easy Christmas ornaments I loved the look of these … Easy Ornaments.

I purchased a pack of seashells from the dollar store, I used gold spray paint to paint the shells then we used paint brushes to brush on glue and then sprinkled with glitter. The next day I used hot glue to glitter pretty ribbon on each one. Some even got a bead added. The boys had fun and it took a total of 2 days to complete only because we made so many. I wrote each child’s name and the year on the back. They passed them out to loved ones on Thanksgiving. They enjoyed showing off their creations and then giving them out so everyone could display them on their own Christmas trees.

December 2, 2012