Understanding History!

This week has been full of Dr. visits and more travel in the car, I honestly think that my kids must be using backpacks now more than ever! The one thing that my daughter cannot stand about the pediatric cardiac waiting room, is the tables and chairs are too tiny! They sit there for hours doing their school work and have to get creative in order to get comfortable. We are working our way through U.S. History this year and right now are reading a book about the Civil War, as I cannot always be with them, since I am in the testing rooms with the other kids, I have devised a plan that works for us all.

We are reading Guts & Glory The American Civil War by Ben Thompson and it's a great read. He has 2 books in the history series and I hope to discover more as we progress on. The boys are hooked on every word and Autumn loves the way he speaks right to kids with his prose and everyone just GETS it. I usually read aloud to Gabriel while he is having to stay still during tests or we are waiting on results or whatever else is going on and the other 2 work together or alone. I am in the process of making up a study guide to go along with this book, so that they can be looking for answers as they read and this way I can be sure they are truly reading and not just skimming! You can check out the study guide in progress HERE. 

Enjoy every minute my friends!

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Thoughts on Thursday!

Happy 2015!! How did you spend your 2014 end? We stayed in and partied at home with sparkling wines and mimosas. It was really quite fun and in the end we all created memories. Being together with my wonderful little family always seems to make us all so happy and thnankful, I hope it was the same for you all!

My tip for you all is to use clear brochure holders as book displays in your home. This is a great way to give long lost books a new life. You will be amazed at how much older kids will love getting lost in a 'favorite' picture book. I sprinkle these throughout the home often and change them out whenever I get a chance.

My goal for 2015 is to read 250 books and drink a gallon of water a day! Enjoy every minute my friends!

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Round Up!

Fall seemed to have arrived while we were on vacation and we came home to a yard full of leaves, the sky turning dark super early, a chill in the air and pumpkin everything...it is an amazing transformation to leave sand, sun, tank tops and shorts to come home to leaves, darkness, long sleeves and jeans! I love Autumn (why we named our daughter that!), don't get me wrong, but it takes some getting used to! We collected leaves in all of these clear cylinders to decorate the house for the season and they looks so cute! We put them on the fireplace and peppered throughout the living room.

The Day The Crayons Quit has to be the most AMAZING book we have read in quite awhile! It is hilarious and sooo cute that we bring it everywhere and have people read it. Have not read it yet? Get to your library or even just head to Barnes & Noble, you will love it!!

With Autumn sneaking up on us, I knew I had to start preparing for Winter. One of the kid favorites is painting in the snow. These squeeze bottles are the perfect size for little hands. My kids absolutely love doing this, even making the paint with food coloring and water is a fun project in itself! You can even use squeeze bottles with food, check this out HERE!

One thing my kids loved in Disney World was the Pirate Map treasure hunt. They had so much fun following these maps that it has inspired our next birthday party coming up in December! We plan on having a treasure hunt themed party, with maps and hunts and prizes in trunks. The kids are so excited and I can honestly say that I am too! Follow my Pinterest Board for this Party HERE!

When we take on new studies, I love to use things that I can find around the house, are inexpensive and can be taken on the go! Learning the 50 states and capitals is made fun with this double sided-popsicle stick game. One side has the state and the other the capital. It can be played like a game of pick up sticks, can be used alone as flash cards. My kids also love making up their own games to play, the have added in a timer and give a time limit, added in a note pad and had each person pick 10 and lay them flat, then write down what would be on the opposite side of the stick, they sometimes grab them and use them to quickly decide who goes first, second and third in other games! I keep them accessible at all times and the kids gravitate towards them every now and them outside of class.

Our car ride was electronic-free and the kids didn't notice one bit! We had card games, travel games, homework and plenty of chatter. We all had a blast and in all honesty 20 hours went by in no time at all! One thing that we always keep on hand are chip clips, they are perfect for holding cards for little hands when playing games!

Remember to enjoy every minute my friends!

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5-A-Day

Our books for 5-A-Day this week were an absolute joy!

1. Knuffle Bunny Too was so cute!

2. Knuffle Bunny Free was funny.

3. Please Write Back inspired us to write letters!

4. Halloween Howl taught us not to judge.

5. The Easter Story reminded us of the Season.

Knuffle Bunny coloring page!

What are you reading?

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Tuesday Giveaway!

 
Hello everyone!! I truly hope that your weekend was wonderful and that you are ready to take on this new week. I've been cleaning out our bookshelves of books that we have multiples of (Having 2 kids in school and getting books from teachers often does this!) and ones that we have worked our way all the way through. This week, I would LOVE to give away: Mission Addition. This is perfect for the young child and my 6 year old really enjoyed it. She is in Kindergarten, but taking 2nd grade math and this was a great book for introducing concepts to her.

GIVEAWAY ENDS MAY 20th!

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We spent the weekend travelling Wisconsin and I had 2 of my trusty companions with me! haha!! A good friend and a good magazine! How did you spend your weekend??

~Michelle!~