Tag: blogging

Summer Centers

We love centers! I used them throughout the past school year for all 3 boys. Some structured some as free-play. The boys are always happy to pull them out and play with them it is a guaranteed 30 minutes of constructive play.

For the Summer I reorganized them, rearranged and grouped different things together to get the boys geared up for summer indoor activities.

I put everything in one cabinet thanks to my sister who gave me a nice white cabinet. Thanks Tia!

Melissa and Doug Pattern Blocks and Boards

Styrofoam shapes – Good for Math, Sorting and Building

10 Base T set – great for Math and Building

Random Tools (thanks Liv for the Magnifying glasses)

Colored rice, items are buried, fun!

Great for Math, Sorting, Building and Art

it’s also a Geoboard!

shapes

for building

Learning Robots, Phonics and Math

travel size Concentration game

card shuffler

One Happy Boy!

July 25, 2011
Making Art with Rice
I am always looking for fun ideas the kids. They love experiments and art. This Summer, I signed us up for the Activities Challenge at education.com. They have a sortable list of activities for kids. Arts & Crafts, Science, Games and Summer Fun are just some of the categories listed. We have done a few of the activities and the kids have really enjoyed them.

Today we chose the “Make Rice Pictures” activity. We needed:
- Rice
- Food Coloring
- Rubbing Alcohol
- Glue
- Paintbrush
- Construction Paper
The only step I added: I thinned my school glue down with a little water and let the kids apply it with a paintbrush. I only laid out the colors that matched the colored rice (that didn’t last long, lol). We ended up with a dolphin, a robot on a beach and a “fuzzy” robot.

Here in Colorado the rice only took about 2 hours to dry so we were able to do this activity in one day. The boys thought it so cool that is was colored rice. We invited a friend to join us.

Dyed Rice

Dyed Rice

the boys at work

applying some rice

This was fun and I recommend. We have a lot of rice left over so we will do it again. Might also use the rice inside an “I-SPY ” bottle. It’s pretty that is for sure!
July 7, 2011
Review: Best Soup Around! DaKind Soup in Evergreen

Soup. Really, who doesn’t love soup? I know that our family loves soup! Recently, Groupon offered a deal at DaKind Soups in Evergreen. After checking out their STELLAR reviews on Yelp, Google and Yahoo, I purchased the Groupon.

2. We ventured there after a vacation in Vail.

DaKind usually has around 8 soups available daily.

They get up at 5AM and make FRESH soup everyday. How cool is that!?!?

Cauliflower Soup, so creamy, smooth, rich and DELICIOUS!

Meat Chili – Hearty and Yummy – LOVE the cheese.

Mozzarella and Tomato Grilled Sandie – Really good maybe even better with a tad less Balsamic. GOOD though!

Overall – 5 stars out of 5 – hands down – no-questions-asked.

So good!

It is right next to the HIWAN HOMESTEAD, make a day of it!

June 21, 2011
Creamy Chicken Pasta with Green Chiles

Pasta! Who doesn’t love pasta? Seriously!?

With pasta, for me, come so many memories of family occasions, and delicious recipes. One thing that seems to be everyones favorite is Spaghetti. I have a fondness for my Mom’s spaghetti, talk about bringing me back to my youth. Her spaghetti sauce is really meaty, I love it.

Everyone knows someone who has a special sauce recipe. I was thinking about the people I know who have secret recipes that are quite amazing.

1. My Sister in Law, she is Italian and her sauce with her homemade meatballs are OUT OF THIS WORLD. She cooks her sauce all day and night, the house smells so good. I could eat her meatballs for days straight, I just know it!

2. My Father in Law, not Italian but you would not know it by tasting his sauce. He also lets it simmer all day, it is savory and delicious!

3. My Brother in Law, a Swedish Chef! He concocts a culinary treat made from carrots! That’s right, he makes spaghetti with a carrot sauce and it is spectacular! I was blown away, the first time I had it!

So with all this inspiration, what is my problem? I always buy premade sauce. I just feel so intimidated making my own sauce. I looked up a “simmer all day” recipe and it called for about 25 ingredients, that was enough to scare me off for awhile. One day I will do it!!

Another thing I have yet to make, much to my husbands disappointment, is lasagna. I really need to make some a big huge pan of it someday!

Pasta is a huge regular in our house. My kids love it in all forms, and so do my husband and I. We always have buttered noodles or spaghetti on our weekly menu. My kids especially love when I toss linguine with olive oil and garlic salt and grated Parmesan cheese. So delicious!

When it came time for dinner the other night I knew I wanted to make pasta because it is so quick and easy. However, I didn’t want to just do the same ole, same ole. Soooo, I surveyed available ingredients and came up with a delicious meal.

Mrs. O’s Creamy Chicken Pasta

1/2 rotisserie chicken

linguine noodles

1 1/c cups chicken broth

2 tbsp sour cream

1 cup grated mozzarella

1/4 cup milk

pepper

1/4 cup chopped green chiles

I took all the meat I could off of the chicken. Put aside.

In a skillet over med-high heat I put the stock, milk, sour cream, mozzarella cheese and green chiles. Brought it to boil, added the chicken and simmered for about 10 minutes. Add pepper and salt to taste.

I tossed it on the noodles and blended in a big bowl, served with garlic bread on the side, this was really amazingly good!

So off you go! Come back and let me know if you liked it.

My next challenge – Homemade Sauce

May 21, 2011
The Homeschool Mother’s Journal – Week 10

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 #10:

In my life this week…

Planning. Planning! This drives me crazy, I am not a planner.

However, I have to submit a Summer work schedule to my boss, schedule Camps and classes for the boys, and research and plan my curriculum for next year.

I have sat down many times and can never quite finish. My mind goes crazy when I try to coordinate. This is hard stuff for me – why?!?!

In our homeschool this week…

I introduced my 1st Grader to a notebook we bought called “Story Starters”. It is a worksheet with a blank frame area and several ruled lines. At the top of the sheet there is a question, some are silly, some are interesting. The one Preston picked was – How could a cake be ten feet tall?

Preston enjoyed drawing a super tall cake, then he wrote a paragraph describing how he would make it and what it would look like. He enjoyed the exercise and I enjoyed seeing the results of his imagination.

My nephew comes over a couple times a week and he is a star student. He actually asks for worksheets and completes them. Then he brings them to me to check, it is so cute. He does awesome!

Places we’re going and people we’re seeing…

We got out this week! It was so nice. We went to Red Rocks and let the boys hike around.

We also took a field trip to our local gardens. We saw so many budding bulbs. The boys got to play in a rock cave and skip rocks on the pond.

They also went to several playgrounds and last night we went to a family fun restaurant called the White Fence Farm. It was a wonderful experience. They have a playground, farm animals, a 2 story slide, dance floor, books, a play area, so much more too.

My favorite thing this week was…

Watching the boys play, I love to watch them run around playgrounds and parks. They have such energy and no inhibitions. They are so free.

Their curiosity is always taking them on an adventure. They play so well together too, for the most part, lol.

What’s working/not working for us…

Outside school, school on the go. When we went out and about this week, I took some markers, paper, worksheets, and flash cards. I had opportunities through out our play time to pull them out and have some school work fun. Then back to playing.

Homeschool questions/thoughts I have…

How do you stay sane and on track when looking at all the curriculum choices? I have a hard time keeping track of it all.

A photo, video, link, or quote to share…

Found this site on another blog, www.spellingcity.com. I think it is a nice little tool to have. It is an online spelling list that you create and then your child takes a test. The website says the word for the child and uses it in a sentence. Pretty nifty and a nice way to break things up and do a virtual test rather than always on paper.

Here are some pictures of the boys on the trails and rocks around Red Rocks Amphitheater.

April 30, 2011
Fun in the Sun

The weather here in Colorado is crazy! One day it is 70 , the next it is snowing and freezing, then back to 70 the next day. Seriously!

Last week on one of the so-so days we had some fun outside. Wasn’t too cold, wasn’t too hot.

The boys did floor puzzles on the sidewalks, we colored the sidewalks with chalk. We ate lunch on a blanket in the grass, fun! To top it off… the boys went for the costume drawer, which is always a hit.

this is a Buzz Lightyear, IronMan Hybrid

LOVE this life!!

April 18, 2011
The Homeschool Mother’s Journal – Week 8

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 #8:

In my life this week…

Working out some issues and questions I have with theology, fun week – eh! I have had many concerns about some things I have heard preached by a popular pastor. The best thing to come out of it was me diving into the Bible and some Commentaries. Interestingly, my oldest asked about why Peter started to sink on the lake… this is one of the topics I was researching. Perfect timing as usual, thanks God!

In our homeschool this week…

OLIVER is reading! This is so fantastically, awesome! He turns 5 on Monday and will be starting Kindergarten in the Fall. I went to a consignment sale recently and headed straight to the Homeschool and book section. SCORE! I picked up 2 sets of BOB books! Oliver dove right in. We read Mat, Sam and Dot together then he took over. I was amazed and so happy. I have been worried about teaching him to read. It looks like the phonics work paid off! Also, Starfall.com is a great website for this.

My oldest is learning fractions and time, also were are working on reading comprehension. I am realizing that I need to have him write creatively more. I picked up some story starters and would like to work on those.

Places we’re going and people we’re seeing…

This week Preston got to race soap box cars at his boys club, he loved it and can’t stop talking about how the steering wheel actually move the wheels on the car. Saturday is our church easter egg hunt, they love this! On Sunday we have been invited to a Seder! We are really looking forward to that.

My favorite thing this week was…

Oliver reading!

What’s working/not working for us…

**REPEAT**Space is still an issue. If we do get into this house, it will provide much needed space for my 1st grader to work, read and build things without his brothers destroying his work.

Homeschool questions/thoughts I have…

The thought I have been having a lot lately is this: I love homeschooling! I love being with my boys. I love teaching them and learning with them. I love for them to be able to ask any question at any time. Just so grateful to be able to do this.

A photo, video, link, or quote to share…

Oliver reading, and yes he is in shorts and a cowboy outfit (thanks Cher!)

April 15, 2011
A Rainbow Layer Cake
My middle boy, my sweet, sweet Oliver had his 5th birthday party. When planning his party I came across a blog post on How to Make a Rainbow Layer Cake she was inspired by this post and this post both on Rainbow Cakes.

I was so happy because Oliver loves rainbows! I also wanted to make the cake for him. It isn’t perfect but I like it overall and it was made with love and a lot of frosting :O)

I followed her directions and bought 2 cake mixes and 4 containers of frosting, I used Pillsbury. I did not buy food coloring because I had some at home. I found out later that I did not have the primary colors, I had bought neon. I rolled with it.

I bought –
- Red Hots
- Skittles
- 4 pack of tube frosting, fine tip
- #5 candle and cupcake candles
- Pack of Sugar decorations, Happy Birthday and Alphabet
I baked the two cakes mixes according to the directions (egg whites only version). Separated the mix into 4 bowls. I then dyed each bowl. I used a brand new Wilton 9″ round cake pan ($4 at Kings Soopers). I oiled and floured the pan, then cooked each cake mix for about 14 minutes at 350. I then cooled each cake in the pan for about 5 minutes, then onto a cooling rack for about 20 minutes.

Layer the cake putting a thin layer of frosting between each. Then apply a crumb coat of frosting and refrigerate for at least an hour. Add final layer of frosting and decorate.
April 11, 2011
Slow Cooker BBQ Brisket

Open faced BBQ brisket sandwich

I have always dreamed of making a yummy, fall-apart-it’s-so-tender, BBQ brisket. Honestly, though I was always intimidated. It just seemed like a process that I could not take the time to do. Some people spend years perfecting their brisket, right?

Well recently my husband found out that one of our favorite football players, Terrell Davis, came out with a BBQ sauce. He picked up a bottle last time he went to the store and said we have to cook something good with this.

I searched “slow cooker brisket” and found information on it. Turns out, this could not have been easier. Especially since I already had the sauce.

I headed to the Meat department and found a nice looking beef brisket.

Now it was time to make some open faced beef brisket sandwiches.

Here it is, easy as 1-2-3:
1. Turn slow cooker to 4 hours
2. Pour sauce in, we used Terrell Davis’ Mile High Salute SPICY

3. Place brisket in, fat side down, turn over for the last hour of cooking
4. Enjoy the wonderful aroma that fills your house

5. I served it on fresh italian bread, topped with sharp cheddar, pop in the oven for 6 minutes to melt.

Delicious! LOVE THIS BBQ Sauce, so did my husband and we are picky.

April 7, 2011
Blogging through the Gospels: Matthew 1

Mom’s Toolbox is an excellent site to get inspired to dig into your Bible and be fed by the Word of God. Amy runs the site and she recently hosted a “Read the Bible in 90 days Challenge”.

I did try to keep with the Bible in 90 but I have to say that I fizzled out about Day 8 because my life went crazy for awhile. I really wanted to get back into the Word in my quiet times so I was excited to see her new challenge to “Blog through the Gospels”.

The first Day is Matthew 1, I am using her method to meditate and reflect on the passages.

Matthew 1

S: Scripture-This is what stood out to me: [17] So all the generations from Abraham to David were fourteen generations, and from David to the deportation to Babylon fourteen generations, and from the deportation to Babylon to the Christ fourteen generations. (Matthew 1:17 ESV)

O: Observation-Everything God does is intentional, everything is a part of His plan and His plans are perfect.

A: Application-Trust in His Sovereignty, Trust in Him and His plans. My plans are not His plans and my thoughts are not His thoughts.

P: Prayer– That I look to Him and not the circumstances in my life. He is eternal, my life here is but a vapor.

Thanks to Amy and Samantha for sharing this journey!

April 5, 2011