Thursday, March 24, 2011

Join Us on a Virtual Vacation Around the World!

This Summer Break, join us on a Virtual Trip around the World!!! We are so excited, I hope you are too!! We will visit 1 or 2 big cities around the world every week of Summer Vacation and will learn what we can about that city! The language they speak, the food they eat (we will eat it too!), what there is to see! Join us up the Eiffel Tower, on a Safari in Africa, to see the Mayan Pyramids and so much more!
Grab your passports and be ready to get them stamped and don't forget your tickets and suitcases and maps! We are so excited that we've already started to prepare! We've made our luggage tag, decorated our suitcase and purchased some of our guidebooks!
Care to join us? Please do! I will have an itinerary soon, so you too can prepare! Remember that old guide books can be purchase for less than 1.00 at most thrift shops and you can download so much for the internet! Have any questions? Please ask in the comments! If you want to join, we can start a blog ring and link to each other! I have so much planned, so just ask and I will answer!!

Our Plane Tickets!!

GabesBabes.com

Wednesday, March 23, 2011

Love to Spell!

As my kids grow, I notice how much they love to learn new things! Sometimes doing everything the same way gets a little old and boring. I try very hard to keep the writing manipulatives fresh and fun. We often times make them, so that the kids get even more of a letter work out! Every now and then I will introduce some here! Our latest ones are the ones shown above! I found coasters on clearance at Michaels for .50 and my brain got working right away! These are large letter tiles once I added on the vinyl letters (Leftover from Autumn's Science Fair project)! We sometimes string a rope in the living room and use large clothespins to hang them and spell out words or we just write out Spelling Words on the floor crossword style. Learning can be fun!!
I made a game up for Roman, my youngest (He is 3)! Together we stamped the letters of the alphabet on clothespins and I laid out the clips on the floor in groups of 5,6 or 7. I handed him a letter tile (made above) and told him to match the letter as he says it out loud. Once he matches it, he has to clip them together and make a pile of completed ones. He loved it and kept playing over and over again!!!

Tuesday, March 22, 2011

Headed to the Zoo!

Headed to the Zoo and I got their gear ready the night before, so they can investigate things on the nature trails that are all around! There is so much more to look at than just the animals!
We are members of the Zoo, and we know how much the kids loooove their maps! We decided to have the maps laminated (1 for each child), so that they could use a dry erase marker to mark off what we have seen, our path walked and what they want to see. This is a way of keeping GREEN and not wasting every time we go.

Their to-go kit is all tucked away into our re-usable Zoo bag along with some snacks and a water bottle to tide them over between meals. They have their laminated maps, dry erase markers, magnifying glasses on a lanyard for them to keep at hand whenever they want to check something out up-close! There is also tissues and wipes for allergies and messes and the much needed hand sanitizer! The final item is just a reusable container that they use to store any specimens they may find along the way that would fit into their nature table. Let's hope we get some good weather! By the time you read this post on Tuesday, we will have already gone (we are going Sunday), so I will hopefully be able to post photos and an update on my Friday WEEK IN PHOTOS post!

The weather was definitely rainy, but you know what? We had a BLAST! Dance in the rain is what we did! We had our umbrellas, a wagon and smiles galore! The kids still managed to find some things on our nature walk through the trails at the zoo and we all came home exhausted!
They found this twig from a tree, but the kids insist it is a birds foot, so it got PRIME placement in the specimen box on our Nature Table!
All in all a wonderful day that left us feeling blessed and happy!

Monday, March 21, 2011

Right Now...


Right Now, I Am....
::Crafting with my 5 year old little boy, we are making magnets!
::Enjoying the light left outside.
::Relaxing from running around all morning.
::Trying to reign in my emotions with something that has come up.
::laughing at what my children think is a bird foot (pictured above).
::Wanting to begin a new project for the kids this Summer.
::Listening to the 5 Browns.
::Moving around to the beat of the music!
::Feeling a little sad when I realize how quickly my kids are growing!


Share what you are doing right now with a link in the comments please!



Things I Am Loving Right Now....

With 3 young kids (ages 6,5,3) in my house, I am falling in love with things constantly! The latest are educational and so much fun! As you have read we are very into our Nature Table ! We love going on nature walks and checking out new and fun stuff from the great outdoors. With Spring coming we are ready for our leaf hunting to begin and (1) FANDEX Family Field Guides has helped us GREATLY with their deck on TREES! Check them out to see how cool it is to find a leaf and just fan through the pages to match it up!! LOVE!
(2) TARGET has their new Summer season Dollar Spot out and they have AWESOME little magnifying glasses! Perfect for tiny hands! Our larger one is from a nearby teacher store and it's by far our favorite, but the smaller ones are perfect for taking out into the field and popping in a pocket!
(3) We love informational books that are written for kids, our favorites of the moment are both from Scholastic, I love buying from them and helping out the classroom! Colorful Leaves a Science and Vocabulary Reader is great for younger kids and gives a brief intro on the topic, while Why Do Leaves Change Color? is an EXCELLENT in-depth book that really captures their attention with great photos! Can you tell we love books?
(4) Next, I am IN LOVE with 103 questions children ask about Right and Wrong with answers from the bible. A great reference when kids ask you a question that even YOU have to think of an answer for! Finally, we are at the Time and Money stage in school and Scholastic has an AWESOME pocket chart for counting money with a Piggy Bank in the background! The kids LOVE that one! We play it with a deck of money cards also from a Teacher Store.



This one needed it's own shout out, because my kids AND husband and I AND Grandpa and Nana LOVE to play with these! They are Magna Tiles and easily the coolest toy on the market now! They have had them for 2 months now and they still get played with EVERY DAY! Check them out and TRY not to get addicted!!

Sunday, March 20, 2011

We Had a Hitchhiker....

Look who followed us home tonight from the zoo? Travelocity Roaming Gnome!

PLEASE LIKE!



Hi there, please like his page:

If he gets 40,000 fans, he will get 10,000.00 for Ronald McDonald's House Charities!

Saturday, March 19, 2011

Right Now....

Right Now, I Am....
::Waiting for my Dad to get here, my husband and I are volunteering at Bingo tonight!
::Hugging my 3 year old who just got his first ever splinter while playing on the deck :(
::Relaxing from cleaning all morning.
::Trying to come up with a way to organize the art supplies better.
::Loving the warm breeze billowing in from our windows and doors!
::Wanting my Birthday to get here before Wednesday!! (I'm such a kid)
::Listening to the chattering of the 2 big kids playing outside at the water table.
::Smelling the scents of lavender cleaning supplies and apple candles.
::Feeling the soft cushion of my comfy red couch! I need to sit more often!

Share what you are doing right now with a link in the comments please!

It's a Sad Day


It's always a sad day when the telephone books arrive! So much waste of paper and so much gas and fumes in the air from the driving by delivery of them and that PLASTIC they are wrapped in!! I wish that they would either get rid of them altogether as they had spoken of in the past or just have a sign up for them on their web site. I understand that there are still people that use them, but for the most part they go straight to the trash. Why not take a step in the right direction and let US decide if we need them. Save the TREES (5 million are cut down every year for these books), Save the ENVIRONMENT! Sign the petition to BAN THE BOOK!! Head over and join their FACEBOOK PAGE!

Friday, March 18, 2011

The Week in Photos!

Look at what the Leprechaun brought! The kids had to follow his footsteps to see all the goodies he brought them! After finding out the mischief that he caused! (He put the boys sock bin in Autumn's room and her sock bin in the Boy's dresser! He also dropped some green food coloring in the milk!). We are looking to make a small herb container garden, so he brought us those goodies and some Science books to read an also some fantastic reference fan out cards about the 50 states for our geography corner and one about trees for our nature table to help us identify the leaves we find!

BOATS! We made sponge boats while learning about floating and sinking and wind power! We made them for our craft-of-the-day and then floated them in the newly-uncovered-for-the-Season water table! (can you tell how excited we are for Spring in the Midwest??)
Our Nature Table is finally ready for Spring, now that we have cleared out the Winter finds!
Read more on yesterday's post at Corner of my Home!
This is our educational nook, it was a disaster from a busy weekend, so I got to work this week in organizing it back to how it should look! I will go into more depth on this corner of my home next week!
Another craft-of-the-day project! We made tea bags Waldorf style for our tea parties! This was an easy and fun project that even the 3 year old got involved with!


Another excellent week has gone by and I would like to think I am quite Blessed!

Thursday, March 17, 2011

Right Now...


Right Now, I am:
::Sifting through today's thrift store finds
::Drinking Chamomile tea out of a Disney World mug
::Wishing that today was Friday
::Thankful for my husband and children
::Debating on whether or not to start a new Family Central binder
::Wondering how to get my hands on a Waldorf set of log blocks and not spend a fortune.
::Wanting a hot bath and massage
::Listening to Vivaldi's 4 Seasons


Corner of my Home...

Hello friends! I am starting a new weekly segment of my blog entitled 'Corner of My Home' in which I will share with you a little nook of my home and let you know why I love or hate that corner! This will begin tomorrow! Hope you love it! This blog has become so neglected, I am hoping with bringing in segments that happen weekly, I can stay more on top of it!
This weeks corner is our nature table. My kids are always wanting to bring stuff from the outdoors in, this is a great way for them to be able to do it and we can keep it under control. With old man Winter that was pretty hard, but with our bike rides and walks starting up, they are able to start up a new collection! These are just 3 jars from thrifting and a wooden tray that I saved from some magnetic dolls that Autumn got. That postcard of the Tower London bridge was found by Gabriel in a library book. He wants to go to college in London to become a bridge builder all because of that bridge, is that FATE or what?? Keep a magnifying glass at bay and you will see little Scientists come out of your children!! A Giant clothespin allows you to change out focal point photos regularly or just keep adding to them!

During the Fall Season, we usually hang a small rope with clothespins for the kids to hang their leaves up! This way we only have 5 or 6 leaves at a time and not just a bunch making a crispy mess!! Hope you love coming into my house! If you want to share a corner of your home, place your link in the comments!!

Wednesday, March 16, 2011

Right Now...




Right Now, I Am.....

:: Feeling peaceful after some green tea and time with God.
:: Dreading having to put away laundry that is piled in my bedroom.
:: Looking forward to a bike ride this afternoon!
:: Smiling softly while I think about what a wonderful man I am married to.
:: Appreciating the warmer weather that Spring has to offer!
:: Hoping that today will be better than yesterday and tomorrow will still be better than today.
:: Aiming to put the finishing touches on my Tips for Parents of Pre-Schoolers book!
:: Wanting a vacation...
:: Loving being a Mommy!
:: Practicing willpower, by NOT thinking about the new box of thin mints in the cupboard!
:: Planning this Summer's curriculum for my little ones.
:: Cleaning some of the outdoor toys, that have been weathered by Winter.

Tuesday, March 8, 2011

Wednesday, March 2, 2011

Box Tops!

Box Tops University is coming to Chicago and I'm going! Anyone else planning on attending the April 1st event?

Sign up for Boxtops4Education

I am the box top coordinator for our school, are you? Share your tips and blog posts concerning box tops!! I am hoping to remind everyone to keep on collecting all through Summer, so that we can come back with a bang!!

Tuesday, February 22, 2011

Monday, February 21, 2011

An Apple A Day!!


Check out some SWEET Etsy Finds!
CLICK HERE to view the juiciest Apple Finds on Etsy!

Thursday, November 4, 2010

No day Off for a Mommy


This morning I woke with a bit of a sore throat and the sniffles. I ran quickly to the bathroom and took some vitamins and cold medicine. All that ran through my mind, was I CANNOT get sick this week. I have 3 kids in 4 different schools, I have to volunteer this afternoon, parents meeting tomorrow morning, All School Mass tomorrow afternoon and my Daughter has a birthday party to go to tomorrow night. Then my son goes in for surgery next week and will be staying in the hospital, so next week is not a good week to get sick either! All this started rushing through my mind and I began to think, when IS a good time for Mommy's to get sick? I had a tonsil and adenoidectomy on the 23rd of December last year, right before Christmas, so that I didn't inconvenience anyone or mess up the kids' school schedule.

My first thought was.....hmmm I need a vacation, a little Mommy get-a-way! That would then require my husband to take off work to get the kids to all their appointments, then I figured well if he is taking the time off, we could all get away for a vacation and once again the Mommy takes charge of everything and I am left needing a vacation AFTER the vacation.

I try to get away on my own for at least 1 hour once a week and yet in that time, I still get calls to my cell phone or my thoughts just wander to what the kids need while I am out. The life of a Mother is a tough one, even when our children are grown and out of the house. How do I know this? When I got my sons surgery schedule for next week, I realized that it fell right in the middle of the school hour and it would be awhile and he would be staying in the hospital as well. First thing I did? Call my mother to see if she would be able to help out with our schedule.
When my son was violently throwing up at 3am and shivering, the first person I called, was my mother! She was dead asleep as she wakes at 5 am and yet she was still able to calm me down and talk me through getting my son back to a normal temperature. A mothers job lasts forever, I just have to get used to that!

I found it quite ironic that after all that, my husband finally wakes up hours later (He works 16 hour days, so I'm NOT expecting him to help out with the morning run arounds) and says: 'ughhh' I'm sick, I think I may call in and stay in bed all day'

Where is my sick day?

Tuesday, October 19, 2010

Wow, Hello?

WOW! In need of a pink bear? I have an auction ending soon! Check it out!!! Feel free to drop in a bid before it's too late!!

Sorry it's been so long, life has gotten away from me. Running around with the 3 kids and their schools, helping out as much as I can with homework and outside of school activities it's just been so much! I haven't even been able to add new things to the shop in goodness knows how long! Hopefully time will come back to me soon!
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