Updates, Information and News...

Thursday is upon us and I must say that this week did go by quickly! I am sure many of you heard about those tornadoes in Northern IL two weeks ago, well those all happened in and around the area I live in. We were blessed enough to be in the library at the time and I have never been more impresssed with a group of people, than I was with the librarians there. My children were of course scared but they settled them down with chocolate chip cookies, books and even played board games with them!

My kids were on the local news media pages, when they donated their own money to the tornado victims. I was so proud when they came to me and asked if I would drive them to donate their money.

My kids have their first race this weekend and have been training like mad. My youngest son is not crying here, he is mad because the sun was in his eyes and we were taking photos when they should have been getting stretched out for their timed run. They are all so excited and I am just so happy to see that they have found something that they enjoy and can all do together.

My middle son has been impressing me more and more with his robots. He is in the process of trying to figure out how to work one into his science fair project and while thinking, he likes to tinker. While he was working blindly, he managed to make a robot that picked up and lifted a bottle of water and moved it to another place and then put it down and released it. It was so cool to watch him program it as he tested where he wanted to to be picked up and where he wanted it to go. I love how much he enjoys creating.

I've been gathering new nature guides and the ones we have owned for awhile and put together a outdoor explorers basket. I will photograph the entire thing for next weeks post, after we use them tomorrow on our nature hike. I like keeping things in groups, so that they get used more often!

Get out there and enjoy every minute of RIGHT NOW!

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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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Life is Good...

Sweet surprises abound on Friday when we hosted our first ever Gingerbread House Creating & Decorating Party! It was so much fun for all 15 kids we had in the house and I think the 10 adults had a great time as well! It was something we billed as a family event so that time was spent together and it worked out wonderfully! We went through 8 boxes of graham crackers, countless bags of candy, 5 tubs of frosting, 1 pack of food coloring and 4 bags of marshmallows!!

After letting them sleep the sugar high from the Gingerbread Party off, we met friends for brunch Saturday afternoon and had so much fun. Even though they were adult friends with plenty of chatter and hours of sitting, the kids still managed to enjoy themselves too! A few crayons on the backside of the placemat is all it takes to keep them entertained...that and a fully stocked dessert bar!

Saturday evening had us from 4-9pm with different friends at the Zoo to see their Christmas Light show and events and activities. 5 boys and 1 girl make for an amusing trip full of energy and wild antics!

Sunday morning we headed to mass early and then off to Wisconsin to get some shopping done (Cheese and brats are a must!!) along with a visit to their events arena to buy some tickets for a few shows we want to see next year! They will be delivered via the North Pole express! We enjoyed dinner at our favorite Milwaukee location (Buck Bradley's).

Right from dinner we headed to Starbucks at Arrow Park and then to watch the skaters! We wanted to get on the ice, but we had plans to meet up with friends and it was time to get going!!

Yay our friends had joined us! It was time to watch the Holiday Train from Canadian Pacific pull in and then the concert and SANTA!!! Gabriel even got a high five from Santa!! He believes he may have been injected with magic as that was the REAL Santa you know!! It was truly an amazing sight and I don't know who was more excited; the kids or I?!

Charlie the Elf was up to his usual antics this weekend, including climbing into a lamp and dropping down a scarf for Hot Coffee to come up again! (Please note, this are florescent bulbs, DO NOT try with any other bulbs and on a smarter note, leave the light off!! I just turned it on to take the photo as it was too dark already).

This morning we were up early for mommy to meet her group of friends as we walked the mall and the kids sat down and did their work for the day! Some of those older people can certainly power walk, I have to join up with them!! I think the mommy's just like getting together to chat! Hahaha!

First we had school at the mall and now what?! Crafting for school?! Yup, did you now that writing letters to penpals is the perfect school activitiy? It includes handwriting, spelling and art! Don't forget letter writing, envelope addressing and so much more! Get a penpal and watch your children LEARN & have fun!!

Who would have thought that all it took was becoming a teacher to pull my shy boy out of his shell! This Chess Class kit is just another tool in his belt of confidence. He started teaching chess to beginners and hosting a free play chess at the library and he is just getting more animated and excited as I watch. Find something your child loves and start small! Have them teach a smaller, younger child and then watch it grow!

Menu Plan Monday will be brief with just dinners today as my son is in the middle of a chess lesson and I have to keep an eye on the time!

Monday - Loaded Baked Potato Soup in the Slow Cooker! (Smells so good!) with Tomato & Cucumber slices

Tuesday - Grilled Chicken Salad Bar with DIY Veggie toppings to build it all yourself
Wednesday - Pinto Bean Soup served with Cucumber Slices sprinkled with lime, salt and chile with blue corn tortilla chips & Avocado slices
Thursday - Zootles (Zucchini noodles) with homemade tomato sauce and heirloom tomato salad.
Friday - Birthday Party!
Saturday - Dinner Date with husband as kids go to Parents Night Out!
Sunday - Out of Town to go to a LEGO show!
Enjoy Every Minute My Friends!

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Where Am I?

Children play tag wildly and loudly, a man shouts into his cell phone, 2 women mill about laughing with reckless abandon as I try to reach something on a shelf right in front of them, a couple watching youtube videos at a table with the volume loud enough to share with the entire place, a man with his music turned so loud his headphones may as well not even be on. If you guessed the playground or the mall, you are wrong. Sadly, I am at the public library.

Gone are the days when the surly librarian would hush your quietest whisper, gone are the days when the library was a quiet zone of peace and learning. Now it seems the libary is a hot bed of activity with the librarians still there, but ignoring that clatter around them. It seems the children's area has become a drop off zone for free babysitting and the other 'quiet' sections have been taken over by people that think the world revolves around them. I'm looking at you business man who confirmed your Doctor's appointment, discussed grouting with Carlos and then fended off a call from your mother all within 5 minutes. Then proceeded to get pretty upset with the last call as you got up from your table and began pacing around all of our tables while ON YOUR PHONE! Those children playing tag? Not a parent in sight.  All around us we are being assaulted with the new norm of the library. We aren't just here on a fluke day or something that is just happening at this library, this happens everywhere. It's almost as though these people WANT our attention, crave it, need it even. Why else would they do these things? To seem important or is it truly just feigned ignorance...

My children get THE EYE if they even whisper too loudly, we get our books and huddle down in a quiet room that we reserve now because we know the lack of manners that surrounds us. College libraries seem to be our best bets, we never run into people there to socialize, these are people that are trying to figure out their lives and have goals in mind. A private room costs nothing and while not soudproof, they are the perfect place to speak in a low volumes and conduct your business meetings. Maybe I'm just old school, but I want my library back.

Remember my friends to enjoy every minute!

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Get Creative!

New coffee shop inside our new library

It's time to get creative in your advertising! Desperate times call for desperate measures! We can't all afford billboards and television commercials, but there are other ways! We've discussed papering towns with your business cards and fliers, social networking sites and the like.
So I started thinking about how I do ALOT of work at coffee shops, book stores and the library. I'm always at a little table with my drink of choice in hand. Sometimes when I get in a rut, I find myself looking around at the other people sitting there, many with their own computers. I make eye contact with so many people doing the same thing as I am, people watching. Then an idea started brewing. I go EVERYWHERE with my laptop, I am a wi-fi junky. I also noticed that there are so many people that lug theirs around too. So my thought was.....I wonder what all these people are looking at behind thier screens. More ideas in my head and I went to research what would work. I finally found something that would work and I ordered it straight away! Now I am subtly advertising to people wondering what to check out next.

I had a decal made up for my laptop back!! I am constantly staring at little apples on Macs and whatever other brand laptops are out there, so I thought was a PERFECT space to put up my little Ad! It's eyecatching, informative and PINK! To get your very own just look up Custom Window decal, that's all this one was, it is supposed to go on your car window. MAKE SURE that it's not one that is mirrored to go INSIDE your car window! haha! Otherwise you will have a backwards ad on your computer! So, if you were bored at a coffee shop and had your internet on, wouldn't you be curious enough to check out my site?