Thanksgiving 2010

We spent Thanksgiving this year with my Dad's side of the family, at his sister's house.  Two of my cousins and their families were there, my sister-in-law my nephews were there, my Dad and Grandma were there. 

We had a lovely day, sharing in each others' company.  It was bittersweet, actually, because this is the first family holiday without my Grandpa - who passed away this spring.  I was happy that we could surround my Grandma with our presence and give her the love and support she especially needed.

Thanksgiving 2010

Video: How Do You Socialize Your Chilren?

‎"Your children MUST be socialized, or they will grow up to be wierd." LOL!
The Matthew 5:22 part is hilarious too :D

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

I am thankful for:

• Matt, my wonderful husband, who is a kind, loving husband and a great partner to me.
• My son, RJ, who is so sweet and smart and funny.
• My oldest daughter, Emily, who is clever, intelligent and imaginative.
• My second daughter, Megan, who is loving, passionate and creative.
• My youngest daughter, Audrey, who is a playful little ball of sunshine. 
• Being able to stay home and take care of my family.
• The rest of my family, who are loving and supportive.
• That Jesus came into this world to live among us and to die for us.
• For my awesome group of friends, who accept me as I am.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!

Homeschool Holiday Project: Thanksgiving Booklets

This past weekend, we went to church at the new St. Paul's in Greenville.  When the kids went to children's church, they were given a stack full of Thanksgiving activity sheets.  Included with those sheets was a list of "Giving Thanks" questions.  I chose several of those questions and printed them on papers for the kids to draw and write responses to.  We also read a story about the Pilgrim's travels to America and their first very rough year here.

Homeschool Art Project: Fabric Collages

Our local library has some really wonderful programs for the kids to participate in.  Most recently, we have joined in on their family art workshops.  Last week, we made shadow puppets, which Emily and Megan really enjoyed.  This week, we made fabric collages and it was really a lot of fun!  The library had 4 bins of fabric scraps to choose from with all kinds of shapes, textures, colors, and patterns.  We just dug right in, picked some fun fabrics and started cutting and gluing!

R.J.'s Sheep at Night Scene

Emily's Christmas Tree with Presents

Megan's (& Mom's) Cat and Dog Landscape

As you can see, we really enjoyed creating these fun art projects tonight!

Advent Wreath Making

I love the season of Advent:  the time spent with family, the giving to those in need, the traditions, the Christmas carols.  Most importantly, the anticipation of celebrating Jesus' birth. 

I have been making Advent wreaths since I was a kid...And it hasn't changed much since then.  We get together with our church family the week before Advent begins for wreath assembly, food, and fellowship.  The evening ends with singing of Christmas carols.  Its so fun to watch my kids participting in the same tradtions that I did when I was their age.

Sansoterra Advent Wreath

Fall Harvest Party

Last Friday, we participated in the Grand Rapids Area Fall Harvest Party.  A mom organized the get-together and invited about 50 people over to her house for fun and festivities.  The afternoon started with some casual getting to know you activities and then the fun really began.  The kids were divided into 4 groups and went on a scavenger hunt.  At each station of the scavenger hunt, they grabbed a piece of candy and an item to use to build a scarecrow with.  After the teams were done with the scavenger hunt, they were given 25 minutes to buid and name their scarecrow.  After that, we had snacks - each family brought one to share.  Then we went inside to get warm and play.  I was pleased to meet and get to know some really great moms that day and the kids all made some new friends!

"Everything's Amazing and Nobody's Happy"

This is a hilarious video of a Conan guest, Larry C.K..  He's talking about some of the things that we take for granted now that weren't even possible 40+ years ago.  It's hilarious and quite true!!!



This segment is fine to listen to, but if you go to YouTube to hear some of his other stuff - be warned, as he does have quite a potty mouth on the other videos. 

Old School?

I find myself gravitating toward "old school" stuff and methods. Just a few weeks ago, I was called old-fashioned (I'm only 30!) because my kids were playing with View Finders and I use cloth diapers. I think that this regression, if you will, has been amplified by my want and need to help conserve our environment.

I firmly believe that kids enjoy toys that don't make noise more than the toys that do. In fact, I see my kids playing with matchbox cars, wooden trains, puzzles, dolls and stuffed animals much more often and for longer periods of time than any of their flashing/beeping/singing/jumping/shaking toys. I think that my kids' imaginations are stimulated much more when they are making up the stories as they go. I am a big fan of Leap Frog toys, but even those guide and limit the imaginations!

I also am making more foods and snacks from scratch. Not only is it a big money saver, its more nutritious and natural. Our bodies weren't made to process preservatives!

Of course, I use cloth diapers and wipes. I bought several dozen cloth napkins from garage sales and I made my own dryer sheets! I even cut my paper towel consumption immensely by using rags for everything!

"Are You Ready to Cha Cha?"...

...said Megan to Emily tonight while we were watching Dancing With the Stars. 

The whole family looks forward to 8pm on Monday nights to watch the show together.  Matt and I think the show is pretty family friendly, although we don't allow the kids to watch past 9:00 because it ends up being too late for them.  The commercials after 9:00 get to be too racy for kids as well. 

RJ likes to guess what the judges' scores will be while Emily and Megan put on their finest dress-up dresses and cha cha, tango, and waltz right along. 

Here are our perfect 10 dancers:

Fun Thanksgiving Turkeys

We made just over 100 turkeys this past week as the snack for our Wednesday night program at church - R.O.C.K. (Rely On Christ the King). They were very easy to put together and were a huge hit with the kids and parents alike!

Oreo Turkey:
2 Double Stuft Oreos
1 Whopper (Malted Milk Ball)
5-6 Candy Corn
Icing


Take the top off one of the Oreos. The half with the filling on it is the base. Gently press 4-5 candy corns in the other Oreo to make the tail. Gently press the tail into the white filling of the first Oreo. Gently press the Whopper into the white filling, in front of the upright Oreo tail. Cut about 1/3 off of the remaining piece of candy corn. Use icing to "glue" the triangular part to the Whopper. This becomes the beak. Use the icing to make eyes on the Whopper. Take a picture and enjoy!

Cub Scouts Fall Hike 2010

Every year, RJ attends the Cub Scouts Fall Hike.  This year, it was held at Douglas Walker Park in Byron Center.  Several Scout Packs get together there to learn and play together.  This year, he learned about map & compass, disability awareness, team building, went for a hike, played ultimate frisbee, volleyball, kickball, and lots more activities.  Its a lot of fun for him to go with Matt and the two of them can have some guy time together with a bunch of other scouts. 

Megan Singing So Sweetly

Megan never ceases to amaze us with her ability to memorize songs after hearing them just a few times.  She gets nearly all the words right and her pitch is pretty good also (except when she's hoarse and has a cold). 

Emily ans RJ are taking piano lessons and Megan just loves the music CD that came with Emily's lesson book.  She often asks for "Mrs. Razzle-Dazzle," the piano teacher character in the book, after Emily is done practicing.  We put the disk on for her and she'll sing every single song and sometimes plunk random keys too.

Homeschool Art Project: Fall Woven Placemats

Today, the kids exercised their dexterity by making woven placemats in fall colors! 

Election Day

I do believe that it is every adult's obligation to vote on election day. Its a freedom that people take for granted.

Here's hoping that common sense overrides trendy circle talk.

Please, set the example for your children.  Help make the change that Michigan needs. 

Get out and vote!

Here is a voter guide presented by the Michigan Family Forum.

Here is a voter guide presented by MLive.com