Get Creative!

I've mentioned before that I love that our living room is a calming environment. We rid ourself of the tv and other distractions and now the couches and chairs call out to be lounged on, the blankets and pillows beg to be snuggled with and the bookshelves are overflowing. The tables hold stacks of books, new magazines and even games that get changed out every now and then. I love seeing my kids start an impromptu game of chess or my middle son programming his robot and of course my husband and I are always inspired to play a game up UpWords after dinner!

My purse is always full of goodies for the littles to keep occupied with, in case we are ever stranded somewhere for a long time. This has paid off many times when we dine with friends and 3 hours later we are just ordering dessert! Because these things have to be portable and changed out often, I try to keep costs low and have them fit in a snack sized bag. This game is made with water bottle caps, colored stickers, masking tape & felt!

8 milk caps get divided in 2 with half covered in 1 sticker and half in another (or just use a marker and write x's and o's on them). Now make your criss cross pattern with your masking tape (mine is only 2 strips cut long ways to make 4 skinny strips). Your DIY tic tac toe game is ready to go! I had my kids work on this one together and they really like figuring out the best way to make things work.

Chore Chart time! Our kids have regular daily chores that they DO NOT get paid to do, they are things that normally need to get done around the house and that's that. These jobs listed above are ones that my husband and I do, but recently the kids started asking for a way to make some extra money (ours do not get an allowance). I decided to quickly put this together with mini clipboards from Michael's (They are magnetic and stick to the fridge). My husband and I made up chores together and then laminated them along with the sign that goes above them. Each clipboard holds what we are paying for that chore along with the chore itself. They are allowed to grab them AS they are ready to do them, NOT hoard them. The work must alos be approved BEFORE they can collect the money. IF anyone grabs the money without doing the chore, they must do all listed chores and not get paid at all. We also have some empty chore boxes that we still laminated, in order to write anything that comes to mind. Chores pay anywhere from two dollars up to five so far. This has gotten the children SO EXCITED about helping out and being able to earn money, not to mention we are preparing them for their future with things they will need to know how to do anyway.

Enjoy every minute my friends!

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Nearly Wordless Wednesday...

I am incapable of going completely wordless, especially when I go shopping and my 3 look for a place to sit and pull out their books! I'm one happy mother that fully thanks her lucky stars that her children love reading!

The weather is beautiful, go outside...'one more chapter mom!'

I don't think I will ever like shaving!

Enjoy every minute my friends!

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Daily Moments...

My kids have been spending time reading to service dogs, during this time I am left to my own devices and though I have this time to myself, I often find myself peeking in on them and watching.
It's often in these moments that I think of:
~how big they are getting
~how old I am getting
~how life moves far too quickly
~how much my life has taken a path I never expected it to take.

During these moments alone, I am often faced with fears and questions
~When will they push me away to let them grow up
~Will they always need me, like I still need my parents
~Will they move far and not be afraid to live their dreams
~Will they be happy and love themselves as much as I love them 

Though these days may fly by, I love capturing them in photos as I can look back at these days and remember that I was always there for them and for that brief moment that I look in at the photo, I can see my children as little ones lost in a moment.

Did you know that the base of a celery bunch can be used as a stamp for a rose? It's perfect! Add a green stem using marker or crayon and you are all set with an easy and perfect project! 

Enjoy every minute my friends!

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In the Library and the Kitchen

Today is a very hands on day in the classroom, we are crafting with clay, building with bricks and so much more. I find the kids get so much more out of using their hands and heads instead of just using their head. I really need to cut the clutter in our classroom this Spring, but it truly feels as though we use it all. Oh the dilemma's of a homeschooler. 

For new book Monday, I will share what is in our new book basket and headed onto our shelves*:

1.With Jesus Always- My Mass & Reconciliation Double Sided book
2.A Christmas Treasury 12 Unforgettable Holiday Stories
(I like to pick up Christmas & Holiday books at big sales & clearance prices so that they are ready for next Christmas when Charlie our Elf brings the Christmas books on arrival!)
3.Meet the Monsters
4. The Offical Ninjago Guide
5. The Ordinary of the Mass in 8 Languages
6. Lord I give You This Day
7. The Barnes & Noble Guide to Children's Books
8. Art & History of Pompeii
9. Sarah Laughs
10. The Stable Where Jesus Was Born
(another Christmas find)
11. The All-Time Awesome Bible Search
12. Sammy's Fantastic Journeys with the Early Heroes of the Bible
13. The Middle Ages
14. Journey to the Center of the Earth Graphic classic
15. New Junior Cookbook
(My son is taking a cooking class and I wanted something that he can easily follow along with at home and begin getting even more comfortable in the kitchen)
16. Human body
17. The Lewis & Clark Expedition

(I needed something to go with a game that I downloaded and will share later this week!)

As the school year progesses, it seem that the shelves just want to explode and this is AFTER hosting a book swap! Time to host another one it seems! Anyway, on to our menu plan for monday!

Monday's are tough for us because the kids have classes from 3-5, then we pick up dad so he can join the evening activities, and then one more class from 6-7:30, this means we have to eat something quick in the car on our way to the final lesson. This monday evening class is only every other week, so that is a bonus. On this day, I have to have something portable that we can enjoy in the car or in the lunchroom at the final class. (I don't like feeding the kids dinner too late as it messes with their sleep cycle too much)

Monday - DIY Sandwich Bar with toppings & Cucumber Spears with Salt & Lime
Tuesday - Basil-Pesto Gnocci served over a bed of Sauteed Spinach and a Cucumber,Tomato & Vidalia Onion Salad
Wednesday- Broccoli Cheese Crockpot Soup served with Fresh baked bread & Avacado Salad
Thursday-Crockpot Cilantro Lime Chicken Tacos with Rice served with  Build Your Own Garden Salad that can also be used as taco toppings
Friday- Out to dinner for Dad's Birthday!
Saturday- Out to dinner with friends
Sunday - Pork Roast with Potates, Carrots & Green Beans, Served with a Greek Salad

Enjoy every minute my friends!

Follow Michelle's board Fun with Food ♨ on Pinterest.

All of my recipes can be found on my Fun with Food board on Pinterest

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Crafty Thursday Book In A Bag

Get out those glue sticks, it's time for a fun craft! I wanted to a fun way to teach a lesson in our religion class but these are awesome for anything at all!
What you need:
1. Paper lunch bags (Ours needed 16 pages, so we used 4 paper bags)

2. Glue Stick
3. Scissors
4. Stapler
5. Assorted paper cut into squares to fit on pages
6. Tabs (optional, for pulling pages out of the sleeves)

Once your paper squares are cut out, move on to the folding your bags in half to make the book. Take your scissors and carefully trip off the bottom tip of the lunch bags, so that you have more openings to use as tabs.

Take your stapler and staple the center of the book, so that all pages stay in place. I carefully folded the pages in, so my stapler would fit better. 

Glue down the squares on each page and place sheets in the pockets, put a tab on if you wish to make them easier to pull out. We just used square task stickers folded up.

You are now ready to design your book! This is so much better than those pre-made books as your kids get to have a hand in creating them as well.

Ours were used for the 15 Stations of the Cross and we created them while listening to the Passion on CD. There are millions of things you could do with your book, please share! We plan on making these books for many other things we are learning!

Enjoy every minute my friends!

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WordlessWednesday...

March for Life, chilly but awesome... 

Just learned how to crochet and now it goes everywhere with her! 

Absolutely loving this from church and will definitely have to make my own! 

We went out of town this weekend for Monster Trucks! What fun!!

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Tuesdays Tips!

Tuesday is here and with that you get a peek into my life with a shared tip! Scouring Pinterest, I found several LEGO Bridges and decided to put them together onto one page. I then printed out this page, popped it into a page protector and into our LEGO binder. This binder has all their directions, LEGO magazines and any challenges such as this that I put together. It gives them ideas to create and also challenges them to do something out of their norm. 

A large basket in our classroom is designated to new books that have come in from the weekend. They are waiting to be scanned into our database & add library pockets. While in this basket it also gives time for children to leaf through what just came in and just maybe they will check them out!
As this past week was Educator Week at Barnes & Noble, I went a bit crazy, add in a trip to the Catholic store and I was in heaven!
New This Week:
1. The Lost Files of Nancy Drew
2. My Path to Heaven a young person's guid to the Faith
3. Communion of Saints Coloring Book
4. Girls Who Rocked the World
5. Totally Catholic!
6. For Girls Only, Everything Great About Being a Girl
7. Four Perfect Pebbles A Holocaust Story
8. American Sisters Exploring the Chicago World's Fair 1893
9. Minecraft The Essential Handbook
10. George Washington, Spymaster
Two CDS:
1. The Easter
2. SAT Test Express

Make those stuffy old binder clips pretty enough for your classroom with washi tape!

Another peek into our Adoration Bags, here is mine! Mine has my wedding day Bible, bible highlighters and my daily devotional journal. In this journal I keep track of all prayer requests that I have been given, some of my own and also journal about day to day activities that I need to reflect on. After going through a few basic prayers, I pray a rosary and then begin my reflection with my bible as I pray for those that asked for prayers. Read more about our Adoration bags along with our Little Catholic Homeschool HERE!

Remember to enjoy every minute my friends!

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About Last Week...

What a busy week of field trips and  classes and fun! I am sorry that I have been away but I will share some fun we have been having. Our favorite books are the Pigeon books by Mo Willems. They make us laugh so much that we read them over and over again! Here is a fun Pigeon craft that is completely edible!
What You Need:
1. (1)Graham cracker
2.(3)mini oreos
3. Vanilla frosting tinted blue & yellow
4. (1)Orange starburst cut in tiny strip
5. (1) chocolate chip
6. (3) check mix squares
What to Do:
1. Spread your graham cracker with yellow frosting
2. Add 3 check mix squares as windows
3. Add 2 mini oreos as tires
4. Add blue frosting on one mini oreo
5. add chocolate chip to the top of the blue mini oreo to look like an eye
6. Add starburst sliver to blue mini orea as beak
Now you have the Pigeon Driving the Bus!! OH NO!!!

My young engineers had a bridge challenge in their LEGO class this week and their group won! They were able to withstand weight and work together to build it! 

Enjoy every minute my friends!

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Random Round Up!

Saturday has come and gone, why is it like that with the days we look forward to most? Oh what a Saturday we had, complete with Doctors, Dentists and Firemen...what?! Yes, my children (all 3!) got stranded in an elevator! All was well in the end but it was terrifying for them and I may have had a mild heart attack listening to their screams. They were only going for a drink of water while I made follow up appointments (no cavities for anyone, yay!!) and lo and behold the fountain was broken, so they got no water and a day to remember!! Anyway, this photo was taken for a boy that was so proud of his first fruit salad that he diced and chopped all on his own. What age do you give your children knives and an all access pass to the kitchen as long as you are in there with them? My little Roman there is 7!

With Christmas decorations going away, I am taking advantage of this time to rearrage some items in my living room and I wanted to find space to incorporate some of the vintage Singer Sewing machine drawers that I have from my grandmothers machine. I only have 1 set of drawers on the machine, which is serving as an entryway table in our foyer (sounds grander than it actually is) and I have 3 drawers waiting for new homes! 1 went on our mantel of the fireplace and this one is holding books in the bookshelf and I quite like it!

In Our Little Catholic Homeschool, I never talked about our Advent wreath, so before I forget I wanted to share a photo of what we had out for the season. All our advent books and Christmas books get tucked into this bin along with our wreath and candles. It is all felt and perfect for little hands, what I love even more, is that even though the kids are older they can play with it and I don't have any fear of them burning themselves or even worse...when it's time to light the first one, I am not scrambling to find candles! Our wreath heads to the classroom where it will stay out for anyone that wants to look at it or play with it but the books get boxed away for the season.

Enjoy every minute my friends!

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