tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36195062137611100282024-03-05T13:29:27.355-08:00Turning Ordinary Into ExtraordinarySheenahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12753097972748757596noreply@blogger.comBlogger111125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3619506213761110028.post-75280633893327222382010-03-23T19:09:00.000-07:002010-03-23T19:49:33.834-07:00TTFN- ta ta for nowI have so many things that I want to share on here, but I will not be posting for a while. I dont know how long, but it will be a while. Blogging has become a chore and that is not what I want this to be. I love the acceptance that you all have made me feel and enthusiasm for the things that I have posted. My enthusiasm for posting has waned lately and that has been reflected in the lesser comments that I've gotten. I have tried and tried to cut down what I put on here and how much time I spend looking at other's blogs, but it's just not enough. My focus needs to be in other places that need attention. I've found my brain is in overdrive all day thinking about what I can post about next and what activities I can do that would appeal to people. I'm just way too stressed out! This blog has served it's purpose in helping M&M and I during the transition from the two of us being at home alone all day, to three of us at home when Bubba was born.<br />
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I started this blog to share ideas with other mothers out there, but I've found that the things I am sharing are things that can be found elsewhere. I'm not going to delete my blog so you can still find lots of wonderful links to other bloggers who are defintely a lot more interesting than me! haha!<br />
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Well, goodbye for now and thank you all for the kind comments and for sharing the things that you know to help those struggling mothers out there like me. :)Sheenahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12753097972748757596noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3619506213761110028.post-48003038867077509642010-03-20T15:02:00.000-07:002010-03-20T15:02:35.645-07:00Egg twist letter matching surpiseI love all of the fun activities that you can make with plastic Easter eggs. There are so many out there on the web right now. I found this one last year and have been waiting to do it for a long time. I found it on <a href="http://eagerlittlemind.blogspot.com/search/label/ABC%20Egg%20Twist%20activity">Eager Little Mind</a>. I got a big bag of plastic Easter eggs, counted out 26 and wrote each uppercase letter on one side of the egg. On the other side I wrote 5-6 different lowercase letters. The object is to twist the egg and match the uppercase letter to the lowercase letter. As an added bonus I found little toys, etc. to put in each one that start with that certain letter. They can open it and see what is inside after they've matched the letters. It would be ideal to have something that would actually lock until they matched the letters, but oh well, life isn't suppose to be ideal, right? :)<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1HYFKZ0akwOBi4kQrUCPVu9bMdN46lao-dMRKT5IHrYCfNMjEFRBmYsg_WXXepajOaGMULTmZPbquld6pLFFYxXI9Ttzwp8e2GrBcRf94ooqB_YgeKRbkhdefIItdTIfl-2FDVFJV3O1h/s1600-h/easter+egg+activity+001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1HYFKZ0akwOBi4kQrUCPVu9bMdN46lao-dMRKT5IHrYCfNMjEFRBmYsg_WXXepajOaGMULTmZPbquld6pLFFYxXI9Ttzwp8e2GrBcRf94ooqB_YgeKRbkhdefIItdTIfl-2FDVFJV3O1h/s320/easter+egg+activity+001.JPG" /></a></div>Sheenahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12753097972748757596noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3619506213761110028.post-25328503065888210042010-03-18T13:43:00.000-07:002010-03-23T16:09:32.040-07:00Tube funI was reading a book somewhere a while ago where I found the idea for this activity. I don't know what to call it, but the only supplies are a cardboard tube, small balls and cars, and a couch/chair/small table. I already had a tube from who knows where, but the hole was kind of small so I had to find little balls and cars that could fit through it. I leaned the tube up against the couch and showed Bubba where to put the things in the top so they would roll down.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzzMsg5qnY2CTmTKkJprXnCLzCCPEpfDhutqvDdRUUU6onDpvh_pDYvccj-E7PDXphLgm53AJlI-ng33pKKeLOIC7yAxFba-hhcyQHzKQ1plJwQubxGEpMtnPJ9rUJO5XDvnHelsOccXvk/s1600-h/Tube+fun+001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzzMsg5qnY2CTmTKkJprXnCLzCCPEpfDhutqvDdRUUU6onDpvh_pDYvccj-E7PDXphLgm53AJlI-ng33pKKeLOIC7yAxFba-hhcyQHzKQ1plJwQubxGEpMtnPJ9rUJO5XDvnHelsOccXvk/s200/Tube+fun+001.JPG" width="133" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYYZGCYcnoVeqjMx2otBsfWK4x15ef3JPyXYsQuCPqHPutF_cTrolT-5tGj6qMcZtVIDoBmP3RnNbpyR_xZ4PvjQD6BHurXroUUYOJ4UzStWj1Fdkebwt-qi8X_MdNchERheKfOfECcKkq/s1600-h/Tube+fun+002.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYYZGCYcnoVeqjMx2otBsfWK4x15ef3JPyXYsQuCPqHPutF_cTrolT-5tGj6qMcZtVIDoBmP3RnNbpyR_xZ4PvjQD6BHurXroUUYOJ4UzStWj1Fdkebwt-qi8X_MdNchERheKfOfECcKkq/s200/Tube+fun+002.JPG" width="133" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
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M&M and Bubba had a great time. M&M learned a lot about taking turns which she has had to learn a lot lately as Bubba gets older and wants to do more things with her. I loved this activity because both kids could do it, it used simple materials and the kids could do it on their own!Sheenahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12753097972748757596noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3619506213761110028.post-2070590517932916462010-03-11T12:10:00.000-08:002010-03-11T12:10:34.200-08:00Doodlepro discoveryOne day as M&M and I were doing some activities with <a href="http://homeschoolcreations.blogspot.com/2009/05/fruit-and-vegetable-matching-cards.html">these vegetable and fruit cards</a> from Homeschool Creations. All of the sudden M&M had to run and get her Doodlepro thing so that she could draw the pictures. She started off drawing them herself like with this broccoli:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZ3l1NatyqUObhayjMyrLY6wNQYKJj5W9c6XKH_91Y0ls_0nD1sMHE6Egcqp_yOiJuuXC2FBAE8oK-7sQ1fuxJmONeZAJgGSWpRXKoL2pchS6Jj-b8uxQARBgNk-TYq03uUupyn3y9nWlX/s1600-h/Daddy's+B-day+and+I+Spy+bottles+014.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZ3l1NatyqUObhayjMyrLY6wNQYKJj5W9c6XKH_91Y0ls_0nD1sMHE6Egcqp_yOiJuuXC2FBAE8oK-7sQ1fuxJmONeZAJgGSWpRXKoL2pchS6Jj-b8uxQARBgNk-TYq03uUupyn3y9nWlX/s200/Daddy's+B-day+and+I+Spy+bottles+014.JPG" width="200" /></a></div><br />
Then she discovered that she could trace over the picture and it would still show up on the Doodlepro! She's really into tracing right now and this was a great alternative to using paper and pencil.<br />
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Her blueberries:<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRCPQPE-v-eFg2Jdx3FFJbuxlgfsQLbxllZy0QkG8lvNBaW92y2Sn6yyEr8xQ79STQYCCHQ8gn3Mg44DDv6Ezq9_K1xwtj3ZeRKmIuzGquJkVQFKyhyphenhyphenlOR4PZbk40nldGZuXs1i9LA_X-u/s1600-h/Daddy's+B-day+and+I+Spy+bottles+015.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRCPQPE-v-eFg2Jdx3FFJbuxlgfsQLbxllZy0QkG8lvNBaW92y2Sn6yyEr8xQ79STQYCCHQ8gn3Mg44DDv6Ezq9_K1xwtj3ZeRKmIuzGquJkVQFKyhyphenhyphenlOR4PZbk40nldGZuXs1i9LA_X-u/s200/Daddy's+B-day+and+I+Spy+bottles+015.JPG" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgG2g4_VNpAUaO6NQ2ExUSj-W1mh3z8psaCQOhvSTlXb9axhlYbayx3tPZiMdRk5BbEGT8MY26p_jNctdBq_Qs6Cg7M9UVOS_iiNU17YVcSd7G9H5NmQhGa1Tl02wEvXyVYvfpJxg5e3haK/s1600-h/Daddy's+B-day+and+I+Spy+bottles+016.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgG2g4_VNpAUaO6NQ2ExUSj-W1mh3z8psaCQOhvSTlXb9axhlYbayx3tPZiMdRk5BbEGT8MY26p_jNctdBq_Qs6Cg7M9UVOS_iiNU17YVcSd7G9H5NmQhGa1Tl02wEvXyVYvfpJxg5e3haK/s200/Daddy's+B-day+and+I+Spy+bottles+016.JPG" width="200" /></a></div>Sheenahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12753097972748757596noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3619506213761110028.post-14976373096100063962010-03-10T13:30:00.000-08:002010-03-10T13:30:35.256-08:00SpringtimeSorry I've been MIA for a little bit. Springtime weather has been too irresistible. We've been enjoying ourselves outside doing this: <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwQavX8l45QR3ElVRwp-e4CGknHWD_KI4RZ5nFrgYdgbyFE7taDQgHSAmoVy6LyGiI_nSEM8E0AotiYfaqtCz339FnUz7yl27xl_NsatodlMX3bwF7oD_M8DrKjrIBGceHhVAtYy8HIJfg/s1600-h/Bubbles+outside+007.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwQavX8l45QR3ElVRwp-e4CGknHWD_KI4RZ5nFrgYdgbyFE7taDQgHSAmoVy6LyGiI_nSEM8E0AotiYfaqtCz339FnUz7yl27xl_NsatodlMX3bwF7oD_M8DrKjrIBGceHhVAtYy8HIJfg/s320/Bubbles+outside+007.JPG" /></a></div><br />
And looking at these:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnsnCoo9xJypLyTNR8k3YMn9JtLsdOIevQ-bhcOAGZUy-tn-mOTmeYfubB5qra8OuTW5KFMdj0at4cfB_BgnZ4et7mFvNu_YyIgMKCLp4JNgzyZHgF5SoaziirBoFEIub1c3HaAQGRsJtx/s1600-h/Bubbles+outside+014.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnsnCoo9xJypLyTNR8k3YMn9JtLsdOIevQ-bhcOAGZUy-tn-mOTmeYfubB5qra8OuTW5KFMdj0at4cfB_BgnZ4et7mFvNu_YyIgMKCLp4JNgzyZHgF5SoaziirBoFEIub1c3HaAQGRsJtx/s320/Bubbles+outside+014.JPG" /></a></div><br />
I'll be back soon with some more posts of things we've been up to. In the meantime check out the header that I created! I'm really excited about learning how to do things like that in Photoshop.Sheenahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12753097972748757596noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3619506213761110028.post-89757770157484245352010-03-01T12:29:00.000-08:002010-03-01T12:29:33.132-08:00Back to BasicsI've been thinking a lot lately about this blog. I started this blog almost a year ago, and most of the focus has been on the learning activities I do with M&M, my almost 4 year old. At that time she was almost 3 and I felt the need to spend more time with her during the day on a one-on-one basis. Especially since I just had our second child a few months before, M&M was feeling a little left out and having a hard time adjusting to our new life with a baby. Doing these things with her have made awesome improvements in her development. She surprises me everyday with what she knows. Just in the past few weeks I have seen major changes in her behaviorally. Ever since she was a baby she would just scream....a lot! It has been difficult to know the best way to handle situations and what discipline would work best for her. She is a VERY stubborn child. While I would see other kids her age have a tantrum for a few minutes and get over it she is the one that would hang onto it for hours it seemed like. For three and a half years I've struggled with this and still do, but lately M&M is becoming more and more independent in a positive way. She is listening to what we ask her to do and doing it without tantrums. I've been surprised many times when I ask her to do something and then brace myself for the screaming. All I heard is "Ok, mommy." What?! That's it!? Wow! <br />
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It's funny because my baby, who is 14 months old now, used to be the "easy" child. Now him and M&M have almost done a role reversal. It's like they got together one day and made a pact where M&M told Bubba that she has been challenging enough for us, her parents, in her youngest years. She has taught us all we needed to learn in the past 4 years. Now it's his turn to challenge us in another way so that we can learn something else that will help us grow as parents. Now, he's the one screaming. And running away from us. M&M was always attached to us and she would stay near us at church, the park, whereever we went. Bubba just runs...far...away as fast as he can. Maybe what he's trying to teach us is that we need to get into shape so that we can run after him for the next 4 years!<br />
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With all of that said, my point is that I don't see the need for doing Tot School and Tot School posts on a weekly basis. This is not to say that I won't be doing learning activities with M&M, because I will, but I'm not going to really plan anything, but rather follow her lead in what she wants to do. She's really into writing and drawing anything right now. I will definitely be doing arts and crafts with her, and as it warms up we will be playing outside, A LOT! I'll post about some of the things we do, but not all of them.<br />
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<div style="text-align: left;">Back in April of last year I wrote <a href="http://turningordinaryintoextraordinary.blogspot.com/2009/04/concept.html">this post</a>. The last paragraph says,<i> "My major in college was Home and Family Living. One of the main things that stood out to me in my classes was how to turn everyday, monotonous activities of taking care of the home and family into joyful experiences that we can treasure and remember forever. I want to take the activities of feeding, clothing, cleaning, etc. to the next level. I am at the point in my life where I am just starting to learn and begin to understand how to effectively run a home. This blog will follow me on my journey step-by-step as I try to better my own home through experimenting with new ideas from teaching my children to trying out new recipes." </i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">This is what I want to get back to. Writing short posts about things that I learn that have made my life easier or helped me learn something new in regards to my home. I will also be dabbling into my interests of sewing, crafts, blog design, photography and organization to name a few. I know, I am interested in way too many things! Along with this you will see that I will probably never do a giveaway or a review. Not that I don't like these things, but I started this blog solely to share and learn ideas., and to meet different people with these same interests. I'm also hoping that my sister/sisters will want to add some of the things that they know because they are much more crafty and organized than I am. ;) hint hint</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">I am in the process of creating my own blog background and header, but it's taking a while because I am learning everything new and having to read all of these tutorials to understand how to do anything. I'm really excited about learning this though! </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">So if you made it through this, I hope you're as excited about these changes as I am! <i><br />
</i></div>Sheenahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12753097972748757596noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3619506213761110028.post-90736362780374597252010-02-22T19:39:00.000-08:002010-02-22T19:39:01.201-08:00Tot School-Letters X&Y<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://lapbooksbycarisa.homestead.com/TotSchool.html" target="_blank"><img alt="Tot School" border="0" src="http://i131.photobucket.com/albums/p316/carisahinson/Tot-School.gif" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> <i>M&M is 44 months old</i></div><br />
Continuing on with our letter of the week activities, we did two this week. X and Y. I decided to combine these because I didn't have a lot of activities for either one. For the letter Y we did an all out search of the house for everything that was <b>yellow</b>. M&M was totally into this and wanted to get every single little thing that had even a speck of yellow on it. I've seen this color hunt on several blogs.<br />
Then we did <b>yarn</b> art. This activity came from <a href="http://www.childcareland.com/teach6.html">Childcareland.</a> M&M just dipped pieces of yarn into glue on a paper plate then stuck it any which way on the paper. I think it turned out kinda cool looking. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4B5gC64DaMvRqCHVaqCcGCkLbBNCtSVg2mIvprNgd17E8nXCBjqOYvEZJB_g5gx0NdOvGwCka5lkGWYlY3AszihJYopg7XMEPxhOoIQAuaoY3R9bdMYFwDB1li8CzhXd6iT64CfHH714r/s1600-h/X+and+Y+002.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4B5gC64DaMvRqCHVaqCcGCkLbBNCtSVg2mIvprNgd17E8nXCBjqOYvEZJB_g5gx0NdOvGwCka5lkGWYlY3AszihJYopg7XMEPxhOoIQAuaoY3R9bdMYFwDB1li8CzhXd6iT64CfHH714r/s320/X+and+Y+002.JPG" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpXPf8kgzYcx-P5UyVmyAcOkdr00NtOaN7-ivvY8Y1CLATVTRPZBGQFBKjyuOQA0cSV6W8jmQafNriIT5ADX-Y1_SIKX3RcmSWYicwVItyGpDUQL8vtObErVI2y3dSWbvm7cvX2BANJ_3F/s1600-h/X+and+Y+015.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpXPf8kgzYcx-P5UyVmyAcOkdr00NtOaN7-ivvY8Y1CLATVTRPZBGQFBKjyuOQA0cSV6W8jmQafNriIT5ADX-Y1_SIKX3RcmSWYicwVItyGpDUQL8vtObErVI2y3dSWbvm7cvX2BANJ_3F/s320/X+and+Y+015.JPG" /></a> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwf46VGK1S5KT7FJlqwwVC5hChk2rxNZwkl4SWUBEmqgo2dgY8EKHzzQfIfcA_FO6X_VrSEynkvUj6Lu7ejTjnsZrzDeKUrC5kxnkljX1AwT9xIHKaYgnbGTLZhP6X2l8ruZ09irAgmA6B/s1600-h/X+and+Y+020.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwf46VGK1S5KT7FJlqwwVC5hChk2rxNZwkl4SWUBEmqgo2dgY8EKHzzQfIfcA_FO6X_VrSEynkvUj6Lu7ejTjnsZrzDeKUrC5kxnkljX1AwT9xIHKaYgnbGTLZhP6X2l8ruZ09irAgmA6B/s320/X+and+Y+020.JPG" /></a> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">For the letter X we did a few worksheets that I printed out. One was about words that ended in X instead of beginning. M&M traced the words. I left for a second while she was doing this and when I came back she had started writing the words again on her own. This one came from <a href="http://www.kidzone.ws/kindergarten/x-ends-sf.htm">Kidzone</a>.We also did <a href="http://www.kidzone.ws/prek_wrksht/learning-letters/x2.htm">this one</a> and <a href="http://www.kidzone.ws/kindergarten/x-color1.htm">this one</a> from the same website. From DLTK M&M colored this X-ray picture. The interesting thing about this one was when she started coloring the vertebrae she did it in a pattern. She continued doing this when she colored in between the ribs. She did this all on her own as well. She never ceases to amaze me with all that she is learning. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbwFG-fd2qFcxzqZfzk0r8BFlGiO_yltoRt9MVsnmCidK10MuGgQdfmNv7oIwBlRSb08e3Lzu2kugaW0wj59y2fazlDNv7zFMnSWf34MCKeE84ixRyp-eNCslTNnNcEBHId520DlDJWkS8/s1600-h/X+and+Y+017.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbwFG-fd2qFcxzqZfzk0r8BFlGiO_yltoRt9MVsnmCidK10MuGgQdfmNv7oIwBlRSb08e3Lzu2kugaW0wj59y2fazlDNv7zFMnSWf34MCKeE84ixRyp-eNCslTNnNcEBHId520DlDJWkS8/s320/X+and+Y+017.JPG" /></a> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"> M&M also colored this xylophone picture from <a href="http://www.abcteach.com/free/t/trace_xylophone.pdf">ABCTeach</a>. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3y8EYPb7zTVf600zGECAQK7M17T88Pm_5Fp4eq8AzJcywg9J_R-YxuzVI4tyniRHotOjMqm-cyeozaNZTPRZ_wOljXIYTf3n5sDOIv6LtMUO69WZlRzT2EZUD5yWBJyXj7lLCQ7Lk5eIW/s1600-h/X+and+Y+021.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3y8EYPb7zTVf600zGECAQK7M17T88Pm_5Fp4eq8AzJcywg9J_R-YxuzVI4tyniRHotOjMqm-cyeozaNZTPRZ_wOljXIYTf3n5sDOIv6LtMUO69WZlRzT2EZUD5yWBJyXj7lLCQ7Lk5eIW/s320/X+and+Y+021.JPG" /></a> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Bubba made up his own fun with spilling the cotton balls out of the bag and pulling them apart. Apparently he needed some sensory work to do. :) </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvJ-74zGWMJF9413tQji1TJs-eIrLQwkEmCBFYw0Q0V1CjPo-gJpKQn0Xl7F99RSEAOz5AnqPW7HrwS7VbnCf-8uQtGSvTUXJ92phO7QEadlzF6U-9lSYAHI1p6OoPwimENijtk44uaLzB/s1600-h/X+and+Y+012.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvJ-74zGWMJF9413tQji1TJs-eIrLQwkEmCBFYw0Q0V1CjPo-gJpKQn0Xl7F99RSEAOz5AnqPW7HrwS7VbnCf-8uQtGSvTUXJ92phO7QEadlzF6U-9lSYAHI1p6OoPwimENijtk44uaLzB/s320/X+and+Y+012.JPG" /></a></div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"> That's it! We are really keeping things simple lately. I've noticed that when I try to do a lot and it stresses me out that we really don't have a lot of fun and that is the whole idea. I'm trying to work up a stash of things for M&M to do because she is asking every day now when she can do "mommy's activities." I just print off a bunch of things for her to color or trace or connect the dots that I can easily pull out when she wants something to do. </div>Sheenahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12753097972748757596noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3619506213761110028.post-54398389711218388302010-02-17T10:57:00.000-08:002010-02-17T10:57:41.973-08:00Oops!I just got onto my e-mail to see that people have been telling me that there is a problem with my comment section. I will work on that, although I'm not sure what to do...<br />
Something must have happened when I changed the template. Mmm. You can e-mail me though through my profile page now. :) Thanks for letting me know!Sheenahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12753097972748757596noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3619506213761110028.post-873722261449607692010-02-16T09:12:00.000-08:002010-02-16T09:12:41.088-08:00Yay!My Christmas present got here just in time for my birthday! On Christmas morning my hubby gave me three options for my big Christmas present, but it has taken me this long to figure out what I want... and to order it... and for it to arrive in the mail.<br />
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I decided to get a laminator. <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Fellowes-Saturn-SL-125-12-5-Inch/dp/B000JE77SU/ref=pd_sbs_op_2">This</a> laminator more specifically. I have a pile of things to laminate and it has been bugging me for a while that I have not done it yet. Call me crazy, but I am so looking forward to laminating stuff today. I could not think of a better way to make myself happy on my birthday...okay, I guess I could think of something better, but this is right up there! lol!Sheenahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12753097972748757596noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3619506213761110028.post-21669251676274076052010-02-15T20:12:00.000-08:002010-02-15T20:13:24.133-08:00A One Stop SpotOn a whim I've decided to change the look of my blog. Not that I didn't like the old look, but I just needed a change. With the new additions to blogger it makes it a lot easier to change back and forth. If this one doesn't work out I can easily change back. I didn't lose any of my widgets when I changed and now they have static pages that show up as a navigation bar. I'm thinking since I have so many links to sites on the sidebar that I would just create static pages for each category. I have all of these on here because I am interested in so many different things and love to see the ideas people come up with. It's mostly for my sake so that I can have a one stop spot to look at the title of a new post and see if it's something I want to read about. I also hope that if someone comes to my blog and they are looking for ideas about a certain subject they can go to that page and have access to many different links and they can search from there. One of my favorite things to do is blog surf and find new sites with great ideas. Basically I do all of the work looking for great sites, link to them, and then you can just come here and have access to all of them with a few clicks! A one stop spot!<br />
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(It might take me a little while to get them all changed over to static pages so bear with me.)Sheenahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12753097972748757596noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3619506213761110028.post-43784635641977413312010-02-15T12:52:00.000-08:002010-02-15T12:52:56.271-08:00Tot School<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://lapbooksbycarisa.homestead.com/TotSchool.html" target="_blank"><img alt="Tot School" border="0" src="http://i131.photobucket.com/albums/p316/carisahinson/Tot-School.gif" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>M&M is currently 44 months old </i></div><br />
We didn't do a letter this week, but just some fun Valentine's activities. Our main project was making recycled crayon hearts. These are all over the mommy blogosphere so they aren't a new idea by any means, but they are definitely new to us! I've actually been wanting to do recycled crayons since I first saw them last spring. Yeah, it takes me that long to do stuff sometimes. M&M helped me arrange the crayons in the silicone heart pan that I got in the Target $1 spot. I put them in the oven at 250 degrees for about 8-10 minutes. Then stuck them in the freezer for a little bit. I made these for M&M to give away so I also cut out some hearts out of sandpaper to give with it to do rubbings with. <br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEjFTmvHwzlp0ncYLt0c75dE2TsSb8QsoT4euzRnvj2hGS0YfwGBCyIc-QjOkH2Y7bQkAkiGeIunzN3cqyzCN-AMZt6yga1oAZ5_rlgyWajcwSs6G2D3o9v1p1qzdd7ubmxKneoFF6ch_k/s1600-h/Valentine's+crafts+and+SNOW+006.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEjFTmvHwzlp0ncYLt0c75dE2TsSb8QsoT4euzRnvj2hGS0YfwGBCyIc-QjOkH2Y7bQkAkiGeIunzN3cqyzCN-AMZt6yga1oAZ5_rlgyWajcwSs6G2D3o9v1p1qzdd7ubmxKneoFF6ch_k/s320/Valentine's+crafts+and+SNOW+006.JPG" /></a> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">We also made heart flowers out of construction paper. This idea came from <a href="http://luckymecraftsandkids.blogspot.com/2009/01/valentine-flowers-that-last-forever.html">Lucky Me</a>. We stuck green pipe cleaners through three hearts, put either a bead or a button through and then folded it over so it wouldn't come off. For the vase M&M put stickers on a piece of paper that I cut to the size of a toilet paper roll then we glued it onto the roll. It is glued onto a square piece of paper to keep the little rocks in the bottom that we put in to keep it from falling over. It turned out really cute. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfhNlFLZ8qsk3iH3Wfbo33Q1og9_bMi9LuGMTssvGma8jOW2Ia4Dj3D6wEaqoVSGqyMnsPMU6QNJDHzoJg965d0WKCxpm-jUA3kq78MY12sluK9LmvciURDP6duC2HWe5vupR63lVyFcDM/s1600-h/Valentine's+crafts+and+SNOW+015.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfhNlFLZ8qsk3iH3Wfbo33Q1og9_bMi9LuGMTssvGma8jOW2Ia4Dj3D6wEaqoVSGqyMnsPMU6QNJDHzoJg965d0WKCxpm-jUA3kq78MY12sluK9LmvciURDP6duC2HWe5vupR63lVyFcDM/s320/Valentine's+crafts+and+SNOW+015.JPG" /></a> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">We practiced counting and fine motor skills with this activity from <a href="http://tiredneedsleep.blogspot.com/2010/01/valentine-count-and-clip-cards.html">Tired, Need Sleep</a>. M&M clipped a clothespin onto the right number of hearts on the card. I found two other Valentine counting cards at <a href="http://confessionsofahomeschooler.blogspot.com/2010/02/prek-letter-v.html">Confessions of a Homeschooler</a> and<a href="http://littledidiknowthat.blogspot.com/2010/02/counting-hearts.html"> Little Did I Know</a>. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNsPqnD0X8xQ4mRpRbb2DWeKIxW1tjo4CotKaZLWb2apOet_sjQiU9GYJdhHkqjN1XH8z9DfXAL72ZIXvbWcSFhoGATuVcutDuns0IfRImeAEtEVbLTeNhZBxjf1qcZ1sUuMWwnT6PX1sl/s1600-h/Valentine's+crafts+and+SNOW+017.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNsPqnD0X8xQ4mRpRbb2DWeKIxW1tjo4CotKaZLWb2apOet_sjQiU9GYJdhHkqjN1XH8z9DfXAL72ZIXvbWcSFhoGATuVcutDuns0IfRImeAEtEVbLTeNhZBxjf1qcZ1sUuMWwnT6PX1sl/s320/Valentine's+crafts+and+SNOW+017.JPG" /></a> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I've been waiting to get these little tin mailboxes from the Target $1 spot ever since I saw someone post about them last year at about this time. I got four of them to use for an activity. (The decorated one was also used for M&M to take to preschool to exchange Valentine's this week.) I taped a little piece of paper with a shape onto the front of each of them. Then I made 4-5 cards with the same shape on them to put in a bag for her. First I had M&M find a "home" for each shape. She put each in a different room of the house. Then she would take a card out of her bag, see what shape it was and deliver it to the right box. We have a lot of tile in our house so she rode her bike around to each room. She had a lot of fun with this. She was done after delivering about half of the "letters". I probably put too many in her bag to deliver with the hopes of keeping her busy for a longer period of time. This is a really adaptable activity that can be used for the alphabet, colors, sight words, etc. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM4dg7ShTobd4E9gjSj0GC8GRWpaoejCtOu2h25iM4ppp4qogMV-Tsw-W7N_RDG0yiBQ0VVo0jDXGNv3o9_UI8TQrKlfzZy9Qoe86d6-8wFpSlLWf3qnoelSoIdGKQ2cSINrVNBvuKrk0p/s1600-h/Snow+and+Valentine%27s+029.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM4dg7ShTobd4E9gjSj0GC8GRWpaoejCtOu2h25iM4ppp4qogMV-Tsw-W7N_RDG0yiBQ0VVo0jDXGNv3o9_UI8TQrKlfzZy9Qoe86d6-8wFpSlLWf3qnoelSoIdGKQ2cSINrVNBvuKrk0p/s320/Snow+and+Valentine%27s+029.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I caught M&M and Bubba playing the drums (and the step stool) in the hallway. We use a formula can for our drum. It works great! Bubba is really starting to do lots of stuff and it's exciting to see him grow and learn new things. My house is never clean now because he is always into one cabinet or drawer tearing it apart. *Sigh*</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjez0Rnz_HBer8k2-LZXpar-W_t3I47b9cNw28tqzaiJvsEDC-3C5-SHswShr8Igep6wh4Fqfijsvuz7UPvD2CDDPTO8wMjIoX5JRNRLLUWIwy8R7bgznNGxU-A3ISVsVMvM8Kno2XrtnpM/s1600-h/Valentine's+crafts+and+SNOW+020.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjez0Rnz_HBer8k2-LZXpar-W_t3I47b9cNw28tqzaiJvsEDC-3C5-SHswShr8Igep6wh4Fqfijsvuz7UPvD2CDDPTO8wMjIoX5JRNRLLUWIwy8R7bgznNGxU-A3ISVsVMvM8Kno2XrtnpM/s320/Valentine's+crafts+and+SNOW+020.JPG" /></a></div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">M&M started a dance class on Saturday and she loves it. She followed instruction really well and could imitate what the teacher did, better than the other kids who have been there longer than her. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4OurERkOmRn7DBp7Fnoxbxub66ecYdh_y-bQwXhvO30X5qYON3M_UHyW_zDpAATE4r4ms8khwW4saWBpoF_y7xKn6_ulD9JaA_SXvHA1K907mi-po_EQKvsdHor_Iujcga8hVowcsV-nC/s1600-h/Snow+and+Valentine%27s+028.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4OurERkOmRn7DBp7Fnoxbxub66ecYdh_y-bQwXhvO30X5qYON3M_UHyW_zDpAATE4r4ms8khwW4saWBpoF_y7xKn6_ulD9JaA_SXvHA1K907mi-po_EQKvsdHor_Iujcga8hVowcsV-nC/s320/Snow+and+Valentine%27s+028.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">We had quite the phenomenom where we live this past week. It snowed <i>all day</i> on Thursday. This is from a place where it never snows. My husband put a ruler in it Friday morning and it came up to 10 inches! I grew up in a place where it snowed all winter so this was a fun thing for me to be able to share that part of my childhood with my kids. We built a snowman and went sledding on big tupperware bin lids!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiItKG_o4c-0Z_T7XE3KCaqptJJRI1Y_SPXKCnRQPqgTeKsSLKT5djVEjF3yLh5zEy0iOOpgTF10mqKkPnOIYJDGljlbP1m2iI1kKuUDgjstZUFx7SS05x8DakWpcKD9lPgUUzr9TN4MUlN/s1600-h/Valentine's+crafts+and+SNOW+008.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiItKG_o4c-0Z_T7XE3KCaqptJJRI1Y_SPXKCnRQPqgTeKsSLKT5djVEjF3yLh5zEy0iOOpgTF10mqKkPnOIYJDGljlbP1m2iI1kKuUDgjstZUFx7SS05x8DakWpcKD9lPgUUzr9TN4MUlN/s320/Valentine's+crafts+and+SNOW+008.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; 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margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgXaXtX7rlZ_qZH1EID5h1uI4aCaytQvPsy4zj13NYuAUO0OK_pfgc2Bnmt62x2XTgjp7trUl3_LCO4N4M1bVM_nsoTEEgWu-GrNQpAbU5tslFXuRYL6xkUCGIcCOmrW6AzlpvMGw-iiMg/s320/Snow+and+Valentine%27s+010.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">We used the bottom part of the bin to tow Bubba around in the snow so he wouldn't just keep falling down in it and getting frozen. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwXhFxYthr7hievwffsXwM56VnyqQRXrvDp7srbs0k5t2qUtow1j0WUP8em_dzPMhSXPTErJOpiDQvZmlDq-9bBfEGlUoeHJSM_qztkTRF1bf-ubTDqxrtIkMkK6A3b7SuwU77Z2azeUCA/s1600-h/Valentine's+crafts+and+SNOW+036.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwXhFxYthr7hievwffsXwM56VnyqQRXrvDp7srbs0k5t2qUtow1j0WUP8em_dzPMhSXPTErJOpiDQvZmlDq-9bBfEGlUoeHJSM_qztkTRF1bf-ubTDqxrtIkMkK6A3b7SuwU77Z2azeUCA/s320/Valentine's+crafts+and+SNOW+036.JPG" /></a></div><a href="http://s276.photobucket.com/albums/kk18/surro4nandb/?action=view&current=handdrawn2.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="Photobucket" border="0" src="http://i276.photobucket.com/albums/kk18/surro4nandb/handdrawn2.jpg" /></a>Sheenahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12753097972748757596noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3619506213761110028.post-4742353501101069832010-02-07T10:09:00.000-08:002010-02-07T10:15:25.001-08:00Tot School - Letter H<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://lapbooksbycarisa.homestead.com/TotSchool.html" target="_blank"><img alt="Tot School" border="0" src="http://i131.photobucket.com/albums/p316/carisahinson/Tot-School.gif" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>M&M is 43 months old </i></div><br />
I planned doing the letter H this week so that we could do a lot of stuff with hearts for Valentine's Day.<br />
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<b>H is for holes</b>. We started out doing some other activities first though. I gave M&M a hole punch so she could make holes in paper. It ended up being to hard for her so I gave her some scrapbooking scissors to cut the paper with. She absolutely loves cutting right now. This idea came from <a href="http://delightfullearning.blogspot.com/2009/05/h-is-for-hip-hip-hooray.html">Delightful Learning</a>.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDqU-AZTI5lBLDEkOciUBiYoDC9CnJcPxJC7O1FppXq485pPnIDQX9vXty8sRO9wRYzJkcJ3pxwK5FxX7P6tHyZIJmxGawf5ZSL6GrBxE9l3OqZMHRTwgYipR7WKM5iBqsiwwrKCeGRZgR/s1600-h/Letter+H+week+010.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDqU-AZTI5lBLDEkOciUBiYoDC9CnJcPxJC7O1FppXq485pPnIDQX9vXty8sRO9wRYzJkcJ3pxwK5FxX7P6tHyZIJmxGawf5ZSL6GrBxE9l3OqZMHRTwgYipR7WKM5iBqsiwwrKCeGRZgR/s320/Letter+H+week+010.JPG" /></a></div><b>H is for </b><b>house</b>. I had printed out this piece of paper a long time ago to use for the letter H, but it doesn't have a website address or anything on it so I don't know where it came from. If it looks familiar let me know. Basically M&M went around the house counting the windows, doors, chairs, etc. and then she came back and reported it to me and I added them up for her.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG_imDQqifBmfK0xUZqJY8DkyzfxJCxPXQhzx2nEJYAm6FUqJWB1Q822kSVa45N0VDi505W7TaOA_SofgX-bdhvzceOP7Wbq0-iXfHVgu0OiUBEA0k575MM3d7Ild92XpRANQ_fm6TikFH/s1600-h/Letter+H+week+011.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG_imDQqifBmfK0xUZqJY8DkyzfxJCxPXQhzx2nEJYAm6FUqJWB1Q822kSVa45N0VDi505W7TaOA_SofgX-bdhvzceOP7Wbq0-iXfHVgu0OiUBEA0k575MM3d7Ild92XpRANQ_fm6TikFH/s320/Letter+H+week+011.JPG" /></a></div><br />
<b>H is for hammer</b>. I found these foam puzzles at the Dollar Tree and loved that they had the lowercase letters. That's what we need to focus on right now because M&M has her uppercase letters down. She used a hammer to pound them in. We've done this before, but the original idea came from <a href="http://1plus1plus1equals1.blogspot.com/">1+1+1=1</a>. (Can't find the exact post.)<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQr1Hucmn7fAp60wnxXjaS3xk-9vD_jn7vz2gGTxoAQaMzNl4bdgwQrxCsipqjjV4yejcmJCHXQtc4AyM27aQXtgOLS6iKg6rgH0kGFidsPFtmyTVpWISwDi3iKIo1V-ui4qT9OlVCg5zN/s1600-h/Letter+H+week+026.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQr1Hucmn7fAp60wnxXjaS3xk-9vD_jn7vz2gGTxoAQaMzNl4bdgwQrxCsipqjjV4yejcmJCHXQtc4AyM27aQXtgOLS6iKg6rgH0kGFidsPFtmyTVpWISwDi3iKIo1V-ui4qT9OlVCg5zN/s320/Letter+H+week+026.JPG" /></a></div> <b>H is for Hearts</b>.<br />
I also had this Do-A Dot heart sheet printed out from <a href="http://www.childcareland.com/teach6.html">Childcareland.com</a>.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK8lLHkvFOnV8XKkc0q6cJVZxx1t8_y7yVL1q77lh3wdKmzd_GRtlJnxLanEhj3Ah86umLHK-r3HkUXZ2cxzmF5SMr-78Hio3Nour82fDBCgGkS08pg1zQ5Sryieun_jYnz0g3mf0Yz7ak/s1600-h/Letter+H+week+019.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK8lLHkvFOnV8XKkc0q6cJVZxx1t8_y7yVL1q77lh3wdKmzd_GRtlJnxLanEhj3Ah86umLHK-r3HkUXZ2cxzmF5SMr-78Hio3Nour82fDBCgGkS08pg1zQ5Sryieun_jYnz0g3mf0Yz7ak/s320/Letter+H+week+019.JPG" /></a></div><br />
Since M&M loves cutting so much I knew I had to give her some hearts to cut out on her own. This idea came from <a href="http://chasingcheerios.blogspot.com/2010/02/cutting-hearts.html">Chasing Cheerios</a>.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR_X6451AU6I3CkWOw2Yud1aTccRXbMxMans4vkKNeNVrvUOTGPaqt28uK_5ksNShlTn006jmC8r-Yfl2nxzzhoSm5azdGAENon39mqImGKlZtESGpAMUtvl_f2tmn1H0v3Azs9CjGyQ9y/s1600-h/Letter+H+week+023.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR_X6451AU6I3CkWOw2Yud1aTccRXbMxMans4vkKNeNVrvUOTGPaqt28uK_5ksNShlTn006jmC8r-Yfl2nxzzhoSm5azdGAENon39mqImGKlZtESGpAMUtvl_f2tmn1H0v3Azs9CjGyQ9y/s320/Letter+H+week+023.JPG" /></a></div><br />
I found these cute Valentine's Day/Heart worksheets at <a href="http://www.supersimplesongs.com/cd3-14.html">Super Simple Songs</a>.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj92yEY2-N7DX37OFqOseLyRsT5Q2mZ1LjOqyUf8hzF3QSND8jL1k-k7nlSZeYDbLH0dLOHQr4oazIiHeqhsBADU1fDKTaNDRyOX_N_QF1qOAG0k-uUxcECrtiL2bkj8L9pg-sU5tbl4xWd/s1600-h/More+H+005.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj92yEY2-N7DX37OFqOseLyRsT5Q2mZ1LjOqyUf8hzF3QSND8jL1k-k7nlSZeYDbLH0dLOHQr4oazIiHeqhsBADU1fDKTaNDRyOX_N_QF1qOAG0k-uUxcECrtiL2bkj8L9pg-sU5tbl4xWd/s320/More+H+005.JPG" /></a></div><br />
I finally found one of these platters at the Dollar Tree. I had been looking in the wrong sections. Anyway we used it to do a simple color sorting activity with conversation hearts.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRWjV4vodDYaMQ-gqoXntOnqTs9trXwdEM5XODMkPxibm_AZhrP8xyDfHQKm5CIggaXExTnenFzlVJP5vfigm40xTk4w288-9GMgS1R3Tak2CCzh3OenFMf6Iif6S4uFp40ijOXfLXz8YI/s1600-h/More+H+008.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRWjV4vodDYaMQ-gqoXntOnqTs9trXwdEM5XODMkPxibm_AZhrP8xyDfHQKm5CIggaXExTnenFzlVJP5vfigm40xTk4w288-9GMgS1R3Tak2CCzh3OenFMf6Iif6S4uFp40ijOXfLXz8YI/s320/More+H+008.JPG" /></a></div><br />
M&M used tongs to transfer the pom poms to the heart-shaped ice cube tray. <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-mJqRmuQQb1t5RRH8KKgSkzkFRj9xSInwGf1JhAP2sMcqtgkFgWjI7brJcFpVLTYdg-BUcgHlbB4S9KeeNGmas7p7jT4dZWwzC3qfh8-KtHbxu7JK-fb0D5D05wkRS7XTIHuyntn3IIpW/s1600-h/More+H+010.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-mJqRmuQQb1t5RRH8KKgSkzkFRj9xSInwGf1JhAP2sMcqtgkFgWjI7brJcFpVLTYdg-BUcgHlbB4S9KeeNGmas7p7jT4dZWwzC3qfh8-KtHbxu7JK-fb0D5D05wkRS7XTIHuyntn3IIpW/s320/More+H+010.JPG" /></a></div><br />
I usually try to do some alphabet, number, and sensory activities as well. This week she worked on her <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Melissa-Doug-2940-See-Spell/dp/B0007Y4DLG/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=toys-and-games&qid=1265482892&sr=1-1-spell">Melissa and Doug See and Spell</a>.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0Sj-V2p2daw8zCz7ngZp8Cac5NtcqURC_fBwliUGCS51ZFAzfIRETiIzPUXqIgFHQYuvjN6ToCU6EuGCQAZjuBCIgvtRHKOfR3ZZ65nn8MG2-I2GVUDTt_EfHdr86kTfICDu8mDcqsY4a/s1600-h/Letter+H+week+004.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0Sj-V2p2daw8zCz7ngZp8Cac5NtcqURC_fBwliUGCS51ZFAzfIRETiIzPUXqIgFHQYuvjN6ToCU6EuGCQAZjuBCIgvtRHKOfR3ZZ65nn8MG2-I2GVUDTt_EfHdr86kTfICDu8mDcqsY4a/s320/Letter+H+week+004.JPG" /></a> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I found this great idea on <a href="http://madisonshafer.blogspot.com/2010/01/our-dollar-store-find.html">The Shafer Family</a> of how to separate the letters so they are easier to find. These are little wooden shelves from the Dollar Tree which these Melissa and Doug uppercase and lowercase letters fit perfectly into. I want to make some cards with names of people and things so she can start spelling those out and learning them. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbm1JQzuEY3KFNqaxbFggZpSDU6ho9yCfCWXnYM649uToPBd02AGQFIFHarWNr2mHG5_Q5BKWTpCpmcc82YUf1mph0n3RTlq7Dv1hIngIy0BHGWrzHrJsqAb2HtzAH5koGCHNMFrkIITrF/s1600-h/Letter+H+week+005.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbm1JQzuEY3KFNqaxbFggZpSDU6ho9yCfCWXnYM649uToPBd02AGQFIFHarWNr2mHG5_Q5BKWTpCpmcc82YUf1mph0n3RTlq7Dv1hIngIy0BHGWrzHrJsqAb2HtzAH5koGCHNMFrkIITrF/s320/Letter+H+week+005.JPG" /></a> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">These magnetic foam letters and numbers were in the $1 section in Target and after I popped them out I just couldn't bear the thought of throwing the other part away. (That is what has happened to me since I started blogging and reading other people's blogs. I'm very conscious of what I am about to throw away and think twice about what I could do with it.) </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"></div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">So...I decided to use them as stencils. M&M hasn't tried them out yet but she loves to use other stencils we have so these will be a great addition. </div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjw7b12ljDLdl2vrQkXglt9a5kOIfuLEskKjx9sWHcxDZRQjO9EbT4BuvPHRebCLxmYcDFoUe3SDNCFORrDaW17Wa8-ZR5L-w_XNmAEua2NjHXxL9x9T84kJgpWMhYlPyZF2bdOmij4FOlA/s1600-h/Letter+H+week+007.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjw7b12ljDLdl2vrQkXglt9a5kOIfuLEskKjx9sWHcxDZRQjO9EbT4BuvPHRebCLxmYcDFoUe3SDNCFORrDaW17Wa8-ZR5L-w_XNmAEua2NjHXxL9x9T84kJgpWMhYlPyZF2bdOmij4FOlA/s200/Letter+H+week+007.JPG" width="133" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6QHNFXzdchqfivG7KNFjOaXAVTvbD7iKI2rcmKAYyG9-Le_6t89zt2XazBr3VCJtTgsL_xGSavKFPK4xr8z9bp_nM4k87t5oKS4FUR0KAsCp8fa643jPrlM6z9rqNniTEGnOaD5JWQeMH/s1600-h/Letter+H+week+008.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6QHNFXzdchqfivG7KNFjOaXAVTvbD7iKI2rcmKAYyG9-Le_6t89zt2XazBr3VCJtTgsL_xGSavKFPK4xr8z9bp_nM4k87t5oKS4FUR0KAsCp8fa643jPrlM6z9rqNniTEGnOaD5JWQeMH/s200/Letter+H+week+008.JPG" width="200" /></a></div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I've been meaning to get this activity out for a while to add to M&M's sensory tub play. I put black beans in this plastic gumball machine and she played with it for half an hour <i>by herself </i>letting them spill out and then scooping them back in. This idea came from <a href="http://all-about-the-journey.blogspot.com/2009/12/got-beans.html">All About the Journey</a>. I got this gumball machine at Walmart for $7.50, but then I saw smaller ones which would work at the Dollar Tree. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU-p0pLXTBpcFtoG0FFFPnUZCXv_pyYiGe0kBPleEZb5_4mCFJYf3E0je6kmw6SbZcAp0nvkcfFaaR5HaFaH5rMg_RmrQ3nlUw77ds1zfWf8X0vcl22ZH6PBiogX3QdKV4G89FWl36XGF9/s1600-h/Letter+H+week+020.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU-p0pLXTBpcFtoG0FFFPnUZCXv_pyYiGe0kBPleEZb5_4mCFJYf3E0je6kmw6SbZcAp0nvkcfFaaR5HaFaH5rMg_RmrQ3nlUw77ds1zfWf8X0vcl22ZH6PBiogX3QdKV4G89FWl36XGF9/s320/Letter+H+week+020.JPG" /></a> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">This is another thing that I have had printed out and laminated for a while, but just found it again recently and decided that M&M is ready for it. These beginning consonant cards came from <a href="http://www.homeschoolcreations.blogspot.com/">Homeschool Creations</a>. There are also a ton of other free printables on the left side of the blog. We didn't finish all of them in one sitting, I didn't want to overwhelm M&M, but this is still a challenge for her which is really good because a lot of the things I give her to do are really easy for her, but she stills love to do them. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj54X6upwZT0b322mPFi22Eqm2gIZKO1nQ15v4Ft2EG9vGvn1yUl8gscO8wg-8OmB0RANZyLk0mlXOWlltFms_w-_S-HqiGKjQlmmAIYJnhEgO2HyIjqu1swlO2jBphKqa4WpZ2D-VVySKO/s1600-h/Letter+H+week+027.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj54X6upwZT0b322mPFi22Eqm2gIZKO1nQ15v4Ft2EG9vGvn1yUl8gscO8wg-8OmB0RANZyLk0mlXOWlltFms_w-_S-HqiGKjQlmmAIYJnhEgO2HyIjqu1swlO2jBphKqa4WpZ2D-VVySKO/s320/Letter+H+week+027.JPG" /></a></div><br />
Yet another one that I've had ready for a while, but just needed to bring it out for M&M to do. I got these letter building templates from <a href="http://tiredneedsleep.blogspot.com/2009/10/build-letter-templates.html">Tired, Need Sleep</a>. I love these because I've always seen the <a href="http://www.amazon.com/How-Build-Sara-Midda/dp/1579653782/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1265565276&sr=8-1">How to Build an A</a> book and really wanted to get it, but I couldn't get myself to buy it yet. This is free if you already have foam sheets! <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVtA9sX1a1FE3Yi6vfmrDOMLjY8X8zaJw7xpLw6qMEzpyn8NEtk4VbeyrqJCU8Wfdg3UenVrQkqt9aD5gYjaUPvDnBXaq6Xnh6uNW6taRON0UV_fWxTnCOzEOaw9LU1aib4lCpllW5HUxY/s1600-h/More+H+002.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVtA9sX1a1FE3Yi6vfmrDOMLjY8X8zaJw7xpLw6qMEzpyn8NEtk4VbeyrqJCU8Wfdg3UenVrQkqt9aD5gYjaUPvDnBXaq6Xnh6uNW6taRON0UV_fWxTnCOzEOaw9LU1aib4lCpllW5HUxY/s320/More+H+002.JPG" /></a> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">We used Do-A Dots to do these letter recognition pages, A-F, from <a href="http://www.prekinders.com/winter/SnowmanLetterSearch.pdf">PreKinders</a>. Like I said, I'm really into anything right now that helps M&M learn the lowercase letters. I saw somewhere after we had done these to use transparent colored discs to cover up the letters instead so they can be reusable. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1Kx_nFPb_wu6R7Gi75O6i2bDykRCK5GfCuN7g5t8908Y_v4LoTk78ZgnLRDMT3Svw02-KU0fJgkq1n1DgPDSwXyHDARTjqkxqYICDPdtuJ9JUPNIR31DpgKbDERM3baA_UfCnX1Vu7tby/s1600-h/More+H+001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1Kx_nFPb_wu6R7Gi75O6i2bDykRCK5GfCuN7g5t8908Y_v4LoTk78ZgnLRDMT3Svw02-KU0fJgkq1n1DgPDSwXyHDARTjqkxqYICDPdtuJ9JUPNIR31DpgKbDERM3baA_UfCnX1Vu7tby/s320/More+H+001.JPG" /></a> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I tried a water transfer activity using a dropper with M&M a while back, but she couldn't quite do it yet. I brought it out again and she can do it now. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgje6N-rzcDj8lqNHjpxXrH4FvJNG1m5BWOCUjIUatMdBHAwAyPDXEsDDmnBwl8T6xXwrhPZWZQwfehErPS81P7eezwo6QI3Kn9a8NYtgJdGH-DqkG8VGkWiuKYYSaJl_zriYBW2CGUtt36/s1600-h/More+H+011.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgje6N-rzcDj8lqNHjpxXrH4FvJNG1m5BWOCUjIUatMdBHAwAyPDXEsDDmnBwl8T6xXwrhPZWZQwfehErPS81P7eezwo6QI3Kn9a8NYtgJdGH-DqkG8VGkWiuKYYSaJl_zriYBW2CGUtt36/s320/More+H+011.JPG" /></a></div><br />
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Whew! We had quite a full week this week which is good because we haven't been able to do that for a while. It felt good.<br />
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Find more Tot School ideas at <a href="http://1plus1plus1equals1.blogspot.com/">1+1+1=1</a>. <br />
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<a href="http://i276.photobucket.com/albums/kk18/surro4nandb/handdrawn2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Photobucket" border="0" src="http://i276.photobucket.com/albums/kk18/surro4nandb/handdrawn2.jpg" /></a>Sheenahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12753097972748757596noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3619506213761110028.post-39755154255340908362010-02-04T10:45:00.000-08:002010-03-23T16:10:54.320-07:00Winter theme ideasI've decided that since I don't get to every fun idea that I want to do for a certain theme that I would still post about them with links. I use <a href="http://www.evernote.com/">Evernote</a> to store all of my ideas and I have TONS of stuff on there that I might never get to, but I would still like to share it with those that would like more ideas. I might make this a regular thing, but we'll see. I guess you could say it's kind of like a round-up. I really like the blog <a href="http://www.oneprettything.com/">One Pretty Thing </a>and how it is just a bunch of ideas from other blogs.<br />
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I won't have any pictures because I don't know exactly how to go about using other people's pictures on my blog and I definitely don't want to do anything that would go against copyright laws, etc. So here's just a list of winter themed ideas.<br />
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<a href="http://www.frugalfamilyfunblog.com/2009/12/cute-marshmallow-snowman.html">Cute Marshmallow Snowmen</a> from <a href="http://www.frugalfamilyfunblog.com/">Frugal Family Fun blog</a>.<br />
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<a href="http://giverslog.com/?p=3290">Hot Chocolate on a Stick</a> from <a href="http://giverslog.com/">Giver's Log</a>.<br />
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<a href="http://brandyscrafts.blogspot.com/2010/01/january-ornaments.html">January Ornaments</a> from <a href="http://brandyscrafts.blogspot.com/">Home Sweet Home</a>.<br />
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<a href="http://mymontessorijourney.typepad.com/my_montessori_journey/2009/01/snowflake-building-activity.html">Snowflake Building Activity</a> from my <a href="http://mymontessorijourney.typepad.com/my_montessori_journey/">Montessori Journey</a> and <a href="http://www.makinglearningfun.com/themepages/SnowflakeVisualDiscriminationActivity.htm">Making Learning Fun</a>.<br />
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There are tons of snowman and winter-themed printables from <a href="http://confessionsofahomeschooler.blogspot.com/2009/11/prek-letter-s.html">Confessions of a Homeschooler</a>. <br />
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<a href="http://thecreativecrate.blogspot.com/search?updated-max=2009-12-14T08%3A24%3A00-08%3A00&max-results=15">Popsicle Stick Sled Ornament</a> from <a href="http://thecreativecrate.blogspot.com/">The Creative Crate</a>.<br />
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<a href="http://little-inspirations.blogspot.com/2009/12/snowman-treats.html">Snowman Treats </a>from <a href="http://little-inspirations.blogspot.com/">Little Inspirations</a>.<br />
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For a winter-themed party there are cute ideas on <a href="http://little-inspirations.blogspot.com/2010/01/snowman-party.html">Little Inspirations</a>.<br />
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<a href="http://luckymecraftsandkids.blogspot.com/">Lucky Me</a> has some kid's craft ideas like this <a href="http://luckymecraftsandkids.blogspot.com/2009/01/bottle-snowmen.html">cute snowman</a>. <br />
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These might be a little late for this year, but if you're like me you can save it for next year! I hope I got all of the links correct, if not let me know.Sheenahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12753097972748757596noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3619506213761110028.post-74349624522973670182010-01-27T21:01:00.000-08:002010-01-27T21:01:15.239-08:00Receipt organizerI absolutely despise little pieces of paper piling up on my desk, kitchen counter, and kitchen table. I have tried many things to keep them contained, but nothing has worked yet. A lot of times these are necessary papers like receipts and coupons that I need to keep. I recently came across a tutorial for a VERY simple solution. This envelope organizer pictured below will hopefully save my sanity! Basically you lick (or take off the paper like I did) to moisten the sticky stuff and stick it onto the back of the one above it. Make sense? If you are like me and need a little bit more explanation than that because your afraid to do something wrong even on something as simple as this, then click on the link to go to <a href="http://www.scjohnson.com/en/family/family-economics/09-12-31/Envelope-Organizer.aspx">the tutorial</a>. I like mine even better though because the envelopes are straight across so you can not see what is in them at all. <br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9LP3PiaohRzLSRK8CXa0cKvn7hDG8f-1QEviy_9lofMXnkXf3MwcbWH8E9WmyEGJpaDtOALPwG8cOPAodYoPiVonFGhfJvcC_A88KlsgEEIdOODFvFzAW3ACRdiFxtjdnkyf6ZDlYpEgK/s320/letter+Z+week+013.JPG" /><br />
</div><a href="http://s276.photobucket.com/albums/kk18/surro4nandb/?action=view&current=handdrawn2.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="Photobucket" border="0" src="http://i276.photobucket.com/albums/kk18/surro4nandb/handdrawn2.jpg" /></a>Sheenahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12753097972748757596noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3619506213761110028.post-86325221619750174502010-01-27T13:10:00.000-08:002010-01-27T13:10:25.547-08:00Snickerdoodle Chex MixWe made this very tasty snack today that we found on the back of the Cinnamon Chex box. I also found it on the <a href="http://www.chex.com/recipes/RecipeView.aspx?RecipeId=46745&CategoryId=447">Chex website</a>.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOtfY-MYzooNu95gAWyoeyGTPEo0MsIt8VdpiYdy_EcBXhpRNc2RhwyGjlPY3IM5Qebht0Q_1-v6G_ywVoJUVlcL41JDfMD-mM_FhLLKoChImO8WcbzDIjDRkogzZqYSQomd2-34zuPSY_/s1600-h/letter+Z+week+011.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOtfY-MYzooNu95gAWyoeyGTPEo0MsIt8VdpiYdy_EcBXhpRNc2RhwyGjlPY3IM5Qebht0Q_1-v6G_ywVoJUVlcL41JDfMD-mM_FhLLKoChImO8WcbzDIjDRkogzZqYSQomd2-34zuPSY_/s320/letter+Z+week+011.JPG" /></a><br />
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<b>Snickerdoodle Chex Mix</b><br />
1/4 cup sugar<br />
1 tsp. ground cinnamon<br />
2 cups Cinnamon Chex cereal<br />
2 cups Chocolate Chex cereal<br />
4 cups popped popcorn<br />
1/4 cup butter or margarine<br />
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1. In small bowl, mix sugar and cinnamon; set aside. In large microwavable bowl, mix cereals and popcorn.<br />
2. In 1-cup microwavable measuring cup, microwave butter uncovered on High about 40 seconds or until melted. Pour over cereal mixture, stirring until evenly coated.<br />
3. Microwave uncovered on High 2 minutes, stirring after 1 minute. Sprinkle half of the sugar mixture evenly over cereal mixture; stir. Sprinkle with remaining sugar mixture; stir. Microwave 1 minute longer. Spread on waxed paper or paper towels to cool. Store in airtight container.<br />
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I couldn't find the Chocolate Chex so I used Chocolate Cheerios. This is a really yummy snack and I keep grabbing handfuls from the counter....I think it's cool enough now to store away so I don't keep eating it! I just have to keep telling myself it's for the kids!<br />
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<a href="http://i276.photobucket.com/albums/kk18/surro4nandb/handdrawn2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Photobucket" border="0" src="http://i276.photobucket.com/albums/kk18/surro4nandb/handdrawn2.jpg" /></a>Sheenahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12753097972748757596noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3619506213761110028.post-33563483142465602662010-01-24T21:35:00.000-08:002010-01-24T21:36:18.600-08:00Dinner TonightFor dinner tonight we had an easy and tasty meal. I just thought I would share because we love both of these things and make them often. And I haven't posted a recipe in a while. We had <a href="http://doodlebugkitchen.blogspot.com/search/label/grilled%20chicken">Lemon Garlic Chicken</a> and Herb-baked potatoes. <br />
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<b>Lemon Garlic Chicken</b><br />
Marinade:<br />
1/2 cup of olive oil<br />
Juice of 2 lemons (I used the bottled lemon juice)<br />
3 cloves of garlic, thinly sliced (Again, I used the kind from the jar)<br />
Lawry's Seasoned salt<br />
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Place chicken in a large marinating dish. In a small bowl mix together lemon and olive oil, then pour over chicken. Lightly sprinkle each piece of chicken with the seasoned salt (both sides) and use a fork to poke holes in the meat so that the flavors can really penetrate. Sprinkle garlic over the marinating chicken.<br />
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The original recipe grills the chicken, but I did mine over the stove in a frying pan and they turned out really juicy. I've also marinated it for 30 minutes one time and a couple of hours another time. I always forget to put stuff in the marinade until it's time to make dinner, but obviously the longer you marinade the stronger the flavor.<br />
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<b>Herb-baked potatoes</b><br />
4 medium potatoes (I have also used the small red potatoes)<br />
2 Tbsp. olive oil<br />
1/2-1 tsp. dried herbs (oregano, thyme, rosemary, basil)<br />
salt and pepper to taste<br />
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Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Wash potatoes and cut into cubes. Place olive oil in large baking sheet, add potatoes and turn over until all sides are well oiled. Sprinkle with herbs. Bake for 20 min. until potatoes are crispy on the outside and tender on the inside.<br />
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I actually don't measure anything for this recipe, I just do how many potatoes I need and adapt the oil and herbs to that. <br />
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(No Tot School post this week. We had visitors over and we just did a lot of shopping. I'm preparing for this week though!)<br />
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<a href="http://i276.photobucket.com/albums/kk18/surro4nandb/handdrawn2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Photobucket" border="0" src="http://i276.photobucket.com/albums/kk18/surro4nandb/handdrawn2.jpg" /></a>Sheenahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12753097972748757596noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3619506213761110028.post-34458427766755276132010-01-17T21:52:00.000-08:002010-01-17T21:59:32.128-08:00Tot School<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://lapbooksbycarisa.homestead.com/TotSchool.html" target="_blank"><img alt="Tot School" border="0" src="http://i131.photobucket.com/albums/p316/carisahinson/Tot-School.gif" /></a><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>M&M is currently 42 months old & Bubba is 13 months old </i><br />
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We finished up our snow/winter theme this week because I didn't get everything done last week that I wanted to do. We've never made homemade playdough before, but I've been wanting to do it for a while. I'm hoping this year to make it once a month to go along with holidays/seasons. We made "snow dough" this month. I got the recipe from <a href="http://funnydayswithmommyandmaddie.blogspot.com/2009/12/snow-dough.html">Funny Days with Mommy and Maddie</a>. We added glitter as well, but we added a touch of almond extract instead of vanilla to make it smell good. I got this idea and the idea to use cookie cutter letters to make the word snow from <a href="http://countingcoconuts.blogspot.com/2010/01/january-sensory-tub-playdough.html">Counting Coconuts</a>. M&M had fun using buttons, beans, ribbon, fake jewels, pipe cleaners and popsicle sticks to decorate her snowman. She made a baby and daddy one. <br />
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I planned on doing the letter A this week, but didn't get all of the things done that I wanted to again. After a year of blogging about these activities with M&M I've figured out that it's okay if I don't get everything done. I don't have to do something just to blog about it. Maybe we'll get to it this week, maybe not. But either way that's okay.<br />
<br />
Anyway, what we did do was an activity with <i>animals</i>. We went on a stuffed animal safari. This idea came from <a href="http://www.momsmarbles.com/">Mom's Marbles</a>. (Can't find the exact post.) We started out by making these binoculars out of toilet paper tubes and wrapping them in construction paper. While M&M was decorating it with stickers I took some of her stuffed animals and placed them around the house. When I told her that she needed to hide in my room while the animals came out and hid, her eyes got so big and she said, "We're just pretending, right?" M&M LOVED this activity! We took turns "hiding" the animals and then finding them. She got a real, but really inexpensive, digital camera for Christmas and she had to take pictures of every single animal. (The elephant is hiding in my, new to me, sewing machine that I just got. I'm so excited to start to use it!)<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Another activity that we did involved the <i>alphabet</i>. I saw this on <a href="http://activitymom.blogspot.com/2009/11/paper-towel-tube-letter-matching.html">The Activity Mom</a>. I wrote each letter of the alphabet, upper and lowercase, on a paper towel tube. Then M&M would match them by putting the stickers onto the written letter. I just realized that The Activity Mom and I used the same stickers, haha.<br />
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</div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I was trying to do some activities with Bubba so I gave M&M a jar of 15 bean soup and told her to<br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">sort the beans. I wanted to just give her a small bowl of them, but she insisted on having the whole jar. Well, this didn't last very long. I'll try it again some other time, some other way.<br />
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</div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I introduced Bubba to the sensory tub after seeing it on the early one-year-old page on the <a href="http://www.productiveparenting.com/">Productive Parenting</a> website. He really enjoyed sticking his hands into the beans and putting them back and forth between the jar and the plastic container. Once he did this for a fair amount of time. I stopped him when he started throwing them around the room, though. That was enough fun with the beans for one day.Then I gave him a bag of pom poms to take out of the bag and touch....and then throw. He also helped daddy do the dishes by putting the clean dishes daddy just put away in the cupboard back into the the dishwasher. Then he helped close the dishwasher when daddy was done....well almost. (I realize that beans are a choking hazard for one-year-olds, that is why I was next to him every second, watching his every move.)<br />
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</div><a href="http://s276.photobucket.com/albums/kk18/surro4nandb/?action=view&current=handdrawn2.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="Photobucket" border="0" src="http://i276.photobucket.com/albums/kk18/surro4nandb/handdrawn2.jpg" /></a>Sheenahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12753097972748757596noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3619506213761110028.post-58059327546262238732010-01-11T07:38:00.000-08:002010-03-23T16:12:01.500-07:00This is my year!At the beginning of this year I have the same things on my list that I want to do better at that I have had the past 3 years. The difference is I have a plan this year instead of just saying this is what I want to do.<br />
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One, I still have about 10 pounds of baby weight that I would like to lose. My baby is now 1 so I think I've procrastinated long enough. My goal though is not necessarily to lose weight, but to live a healthier life. I've gotten away all of my life eating whatever I want whenever I want without the ill effects of gaining weight. That is now different after having two kids. I am not fond of vegetables, but there are some pretty healthy ones that I will eat, problem is I just don't make myself do it. I like fruit, but don't eat enough of it. I like carbs. Bread, pasta, cake, cookies, etc. Not so good for the losing weight side of things. I'm not going to do anything drastic like go on a no-carb diet, but rather just eating the right things and doing portion control for the other things. I will go through a whole day sometimes and realize I've only eaten cereal and a sandwich because I'm so busy getting my kids breakfast and lunch among everything else that needs to get done during the day. Then at dinnertime I binge, eating until I am stuffed. Then eating something again before I go to bed so I can go to sleep without feeling like I'm starving. That is all going to change this year.<br />
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This past week I've made a conscious effort to eat fruits and veggies. I also made myself sit down with my kids to eat lunch instead of trying to get stuff done while they are occupied eating. After a small healthy lunch I got a small glimpse of how much energy I could have during the day because I wasn't dragging by late afternoon before my husband gets home. (BTW I hate the last hour before my hubby gets home, it drags on forever! Does anyone else ever feel that way?) <br />
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Two, exercise. Obviously this goes along with eating healthy. I'm not one to go to the gym to workout. I almost feel like I have to get in shape before I go workout at the gym so I feel like I fit in and don't pass out in front of everybody. I've found my solution for this as well. Wii Active. This "game" is your personal trainer and has preset workouts with the option of making your own custom workouts. I've never been athletic or into sports or anything so I don't know how to exercise. This tells me what to do and how many reps I should be doing it. And I can do it in the comfort of my own home where my only audience is a 3 1/2 year old who looks even sillier than me doing the exercises. M&M likes to watch and sometimes participate in what I am doing. I also like this because if she sees me exercising everyday she will know that it is an important part of our lives. Caution: Do not do this around children who do not know how to keep out of your way! I thought it was great when both of my kids would just watch me workout so I didn't have to worry about what time of day to workout. There was an incident and I could have seriously hurt my little boy. Don't ask, I already feel like a horrible mother.<br />
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Third, coming closer to Christ. I never got into the habit of reading my scriptures everyday growing up, thinking that I could make it a habit later in life when I'm older and have a family of my own. Ha! Little did I know as a teenager that I would be busier now than I was then. As soon as I put Bubba down for his nap the first thing I do is read my scriptures and/or an article in the the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ensign_%28LDS_magazine%29">Ensign</a>. M&M will sit with me and look at pictures in the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Friend_%28LDS_magazine%29">Friend</a> or another magazine. This has been especially good because she will ask questions about what is happening in the pictures and that will lead to more questions because she is a 3 year old and that's what they do. I end up spending a lot of my time telling her stories about the gospel. It's been a special time for us as I realize she's getting older and eager to learn all she can. As I come closer to Christ I know that it will help me be better in all other areas of my life, whether it be being a mother, wife, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Young_Women_%28organization%29">Young Women </a>leader, friend, etc. <br />
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Every once in a while I will post updates for my own sake.<br />
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<a href="http://i276.photobucket.com/albums/kk18/surro4nandb/handdrawn2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Photobucket" border="0" src="http://i276.photobucket.com/albums/kk18/surro4nandb/handdrawn2.jpg" /></a>Sheenahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12753097972748757596noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3619506213761110028.post-55289515869358874742010-01-10T17:43:00.000-08:002010-01-10T17:43:44.454-08:00Tot School -Snow<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://lapbooksbycarisa.homestead.com/TotSchool.html" target="_blank"><img alt="Tot School" border="0" src="http://i131.photobucket.com/albums/p316/carisahinson/Tot-School.gif" /></a><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><i> M&M is currently 42 months old</i><br />
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It's good to be back doing Tot School again. I took a 3 month break because I was getting overwhelmed. We also had a lot of things going on during October, November and December so I decided to just do holiday crafts and such.<br />
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Anyway to ease ourselves back into doing Tot School again we just did some winter crafts this week.<br />
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Our first craft was a snowflake made out of white paper lunch bags. When I saw this idea <a href="http://scraphappyheather.blogspot.com/2007/12/paper-bag-snowflakes.html">here</a> I really liked it because it was 3D. They are<i> really</i> big though. I love making things to hang on our light fixture over our kitchen table because that's where we spend most of our time. <br />
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We made the button snowflakes that I've seen all over blogworld. The one that inspired me the most was the <a href="http://funnydayswithmommyandmaddie.blogspot.com/2009/12/button-snowflakes.html">Funny Days with Mommy and Maddie</a> blog. I don't mind doing something that many others have done especially if it's easy, fun and I already have all of the supplies for it. M&M really liked putting the buttons on in whatever order her heart desired. <br />
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<div style="text-align: left;">I saw this really cute idea on the <a href="http://www.frugalfamilyfunblog.com/2010/01/cheap-thrills-indoor-ice-skating.html">Frugal Family Fun blog</a>. They put wax paper on their feet to "ice skate" around the house! I knew this was something we had to try. M&M did not want to do it on the carpet though. She insisted on doing it on the tile floor. She would purposefully slide and fall on her behind.<br />
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</div><div style="text-align: left;">Another craft we did involved paint and tongue depressors. I originally saw this idea in the Oriental Trading Company catalog where they sell kits with all the supplies. I wasn't about to pay for a kit when I already had all of the supplies at home. To make it I taped together 6 tongue depressors, turned it over and had M&M paint it black and white. I drew a line and told her the top needed to be black and the bottom half white. She tried really hard to keep the paint on the right side of the line, but of course some carried over. It doesn't matter though because she then painted one more tongue depressor black and we glued it on over the line. We glued googly eyes on and then used a round sponge brush to paint the mouth on. I drew a carrot shape for the nose and she painted it orange. I try really hard not to do things for her when it comes to crafts because I am such a perfectionist. I resisted the urge to make her put the mouth further down and round it more. <br />
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</div> I didn't get to all of the things I wanted to so we might do some more next week. I have a plan to continue with the letter of the week until we get through the rest of the alphabet. <br />
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<b>Side note</b>: Bubba (12 months old) decided to do his own activity. He took this bag of crackers out of the box. Then took the crackers out of the bag and put them in the box. He was at this for a little bit just rearranging the crackers from the bag to the box to the floor and back again. He likes rearranging things, but his favorite thing to do right now is walk and try to keep up with M&M. Now that Bubba is able to do more stuff it has me thinking about what I can do with him Tot school-wise. I'm not there yet, but I'm just gathering some ideas. I did find this great site, <a href="http://www.productiveparenting.com/aspx/ActivityLibrary.aspx">Productive Parenting.com</a>, with activities for each age group and there are a ton of ideas! <br />
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<a href="http://i276.photobucket.com/albums/kk18/surro4nandb/handdrawn2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Photobucket" border="0" src="http://i276.photobucket.com/albums/kk18/surro4nandb/handdrawn2.jpg" /></a>Sheenahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12753097972748757596noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3619506213761110028.post-58596051016862384342010-01-05T12:24:00.000-08:002010-03-23T16:09:14.440-07:00Pencil and notebook holder<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">During my little blogging break I made two colored pencil and notebook holders for my nieces. My sister provided this adorable material and she was happy to hand the sewing part over to someone else. With (A LOT) of help from my mom and her amazing sewing machine, we put these together. It really didn't take too long to do. I used the instructions found<span style="color: blue;"> </span><a href="http://oneredrobin.com/2006/11/30/how-to-make-a-notebook-pencil-holder/">here</a>, but added a few things like handles and a stitch at the bottom so the pencils wouldn't go down too far. I have some material to make one for M&M, I'm just waiting on a sewing machine. My mom is sending her old one down to me and I'm really excited to have one in my home so I can go and sew whenever I feel like it! When I make one for M&M there are a couple of things I would change from the instructions like putting the ribbon to close it more in the middle and making the pocket inside not as tall. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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<a href="http://s276.photobucket.com/albums/kk18/surro4nandb/?action=view&current=handdrawn2.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="Photobucket" border="0" src="http://i276.photobucket.com/albums/kk18/surro4nandb/handdrawn2.jpg" /></a>Sheenahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12753097972748757596noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3619506213761110028.post-12447909626197237672009-12-15T18:22:00.001-08:002010-01-08T08:09:22.832-08:00Catch up on Christmas stuff<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I found this post that I had saved from last month and forgot to post it. I plan on making a book out of this blog one day and so I would like to have all the activities that we have done on here so that they can get into that book.<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">M&M is REALLY into puzzles lately and she is very good at them. The Dollar Tree and the $1 spot at Target are great places to find perfect-sized puzzles for 3-year-olds If I do the edges she can most likely do the inside all by herself. She just needs a little guidance once in a while. <br />
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</div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">We also made gingerbread cookies and decorated them. We had A LOT of fun decorating them and I loved to see the creations M&M came up with. (If you look hard enough you will find one that is very inappropriate. My husband and I had a good laugh over that one.) <br />
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</div>We made jingle bell bracelets and necklaces as well. These were a hit. Anything that makes noise is good to go with M&M. <br />
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</div><img alt="Photobucket" border="0" src="http://i276.photobucket.com/albums/kk18/surro4nandb/handdrawn2.jpg" />Sheenahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12753097972748757596noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3619506213761110028.post-76180037689709194432009-12-10T10:37:00.000-08:002009-12-10T10:37:13.456-08:00Thinking about the New Year<a href="http://s276.photobucket.com/albums/kk18/surro4nandb/?action=view&current=handdrawn2.jpg" target="_blank"></a><br />
I stopped doing Tot School with M&M back in October and decided to just do holiday crafts and activities until the beginning of the year. I want to start up again on January 4th. This means that I need to be planning now so that I can be prepared. My problem last time was that I was trying to plan a week at a time every weekend. I've built up a stash of go to activities, and I have more I want to make and get supplies together for. I just need to organize them now and plan out which weeks I'm going to do what theme. I'll continue with the letter of the week because once I start something I can't stop halfway through. I'm took M&M out of the preschool she just had once a week and will use that money to get her in a dance class because I just think she would just LOVE that. She still goes to a preschool two mornings a week. I need to keep her in some sort of school until she goes to Kindergarten in two years so it's not such a shock to her to be away from home especially since where we live doesn't give us the option of going half day. It's an all day kindergarten.<br />
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I'm really excited to start up Tot School again! Since Bubba isn't sleeping as much during the day as he used to and he really likes to get into everything that we are doing now, we will probably end up doing Tot School during his naps. We'll also continue with holiday and seasonal arts and crafts. <br />
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Although most of this blog will center around activities for toddlers there will still be recipes, crafts and photography mixed in. I'm actually working on something right now, but I can't post about it until after Christmas. I'm just looking ahead because we will be out of town for Christmas and when we get back it will be the New Year and there will be new goals and resolutions to start up!<br />
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<a href="http://s276.photobucket.com/albums/kk18/surro4nandb/?action=view&current=handdrawn2.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="Photobucket" border="0" src="http://i276.photobucket.com/albums/kk18/surro4nandb/handdrawn2.jpg" /></a>Sheenahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12753097972748757596noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3619506213761110028.post-71751701707359404402009-12-08T08:27:00.001-08:002009-12-08T13:10:55.395-08:00DIY Christmas ChimesA few years ago my sister-in-law introduced us to Christmas chimes. We had a lot of fun with them trying to play the songs together. This past Christmas my dad made a set of chimes for each of us kids and our families. I've been so excited to use them this year.<br /><br />What are they you ask? Well, I will try to explain them the best that I can. They are pipes cut to different lengths. When hit with a stick they make different keys. A picture may help at this point.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjESz4S_YCFLTUObB_e0815d5OIaId1RO2XFTHPFdSvjnLIbqcaia4STuB86B524arV8IpOBQ0-ydsCwLphKcKwL7el2TRrf8F0C7rDycNbELiw1FtqsHz5APe0WWHCK3klRpQyNbNvTYBX/s1600-h/Christmas+Chimes+009.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjESz4S_YCFLTUObB_e0815d5OIaId1RO2XFTHPFdSvjnLIbqcaia4STuB86B524arV8IpOBQ0-ydsCwLphKcKwL7el2TRrf8F0C7rDycNbELiw1FtqsHz5APe0WWHCK3klRpQyNbNvTYBX/s320/Christmas+Chimes+009.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5412964292637188770" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiapTpv67CFuoJmtlIa1B2MHhk05GF0dQsZQ0rLozyEqICBHMJXNySMt5MFUEsCjkxBFM1sm2PVlxHYG4FONNPdDUdPUhsfA3R-Ni57c4l9qOtzk7lYX12H34yFCK9WzG2VYPegbfuFVwU3/s1600-h/Christmas+Chimes+007.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 213px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiapTpv67CFuoJmtlIa1B2MHhk05GF0dQsZQ0rLozyEqICBHMJXNySMt5MFUEsCjkxBFM1sm2PVlxHYG4FONNPdDUdPUhsfA3R-Ni57c4l9qOtzk7lYX12H34yFCK9WzG2VYPegbfuFVwU3/s320/Christmas+Chimes+007.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5412964296580270802" border="0" /></a><br />My dad has them labeled as to what key they will play. They are also labeled with a number.<br />Each sheet of music has the numbers on it that need to be played for the song. Make sense? I hope so. The picture below will probably help.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBEy49MXAdEz058HNcJu2Hb-5Y5W41P8bl0rqXY7anAu6Y7eETiRNIfPXVFGyoVBt2NYscoEVTmxb-3xsG2W06ahyY6l4xFsdc2shZ_G0TsnSlLtkURs-Lvfpph3CJ0YVmxFWX_7uy6eKq/s1600-h/Christmas+Chimes+011.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBEy49MXAdEz058HNcJu2Hb-5Y5W41P8bl0rqXY7anAu6Y7eETiRNIfPXVFGyoVBt2NYscoEVTmxb-3xsG2W06ahyY6l4xFsdc2shZ_G0TsnSlLtkURs-Lvfpph3CJ0YVmxFWX_7uy6eKq/s320/Christmas+Chimes+011.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5412964305112106258" border="0" /></a><br />These are a lot of fun to do in a group even with young kids. You can either copy the songs and hand them out or I have seen them transferred onto one of those huge pads of paper that are used in classrooms. My dad even made the sticks with the red balls on the ends.<br /><br />I have many Christmas songs to go with the chimes but there are also other songs as well. (See below)<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipYcZRiHszZoFoVQXf1Pqi-vX4UREM1IjkHAY48SKh_CKPvXl4Y4d1nJmkqnxmLpdw735PIN71FgY13k9CYL5XYh_qx90GIdgKDCbHMOvTMiCW-jROKnRhz_-m9EXKXll3a1l9H3bmx0xJ/s1600-h/Christmas+Chimes+012.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipYcZRiHszZoFoVQXf1Pqi-vX4UREM1IjkHAY48SKh_CKPvXl4Y4d1nJmkqnxmLpdw735PIN71FgY13k9CYL5XYh_qx90GIdgKDCbHMOvTMiCW-jROKnRhz_-m9EXKXll3a1l9H3bmx0xJ/s320/Christmas+Chimes+012.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5412964315059128578" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Now, my mom sent the directions to me over e-mail, but I have never shared anything over the blog before and I don't know how to do it. Can anyone tell me what to do? I will update this post once I figure out how to do that. Then if there is enough interest I can see if my parents have a digital copy of the songs so that I can post those as well.<br /><br /><a href="http://s276.photobucket.com/albums/kk18/surro4nandb/?action=view&current=handdrawn2.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i276.photobucket.com/albums/kk18/surro4nandb/handdrawn2.jpg" alt="Photobucket" border="0" /></a>Sheenahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12753097972748757596noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3619506213761110028.post-16675681785651400232009-12-04T20:51:00.001-08:002009-12-04T21:10:12.091-08:00Our first advent activitiesFor our first advent activity M&M "wrote" a letter to Santa. Since she can't really read or write I gave her some old toy magazines for her to cut out pictures of things she wants. This was a great activity for her because she loves to use scissors. It was also great because she did it all by herself for a good amount of time! It was sweet because she cut out pictures not just for herself, but for mommy, daddy, and Bubba. She made sure Santa knew what we wanted too. After she cut them all out I gave her a gluestick to glue the pictures onto paper. She's not actually getting the things that she cut out, but I don't think she'll remember what she glued on, she just wants anything to do with princesses.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfPK0oQAlFr9K-12zxPP84e4piiF9msV1ntUTHspzo_jNSRuRq13iK0KqMx0qwETzfqr4Z1Sg7wSz4zUmcqT-OSdtGrFmU6I-70JQDRtSaiNOV57PX2hJyeFtaXk7qO-owLw0m0750Ksmk/s1600-h/Advent+001.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfPK0oQAlFr9K-12zxPP84e4piiF9msV1ntUTHspzo_jNSRuRq13iK0KqMx0qwETzfqr4Z1Sg7wSz4zUmcqT-OSdtGrFmU6I-70JQDRtSaiNOV57PX2hJyeFtaXk7qO-owLw0m0750Ksmk/s320/Advent+001.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5411611374429039970" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiNvdYMqddx9GAYo2e82TnUiOHSChE3pC5KfMViKhVqGpG5024Gkg2Jo-F7rHmx9DYVmuHrBZAh_o5c9EEwX4roc6YAqNee4Ra6RZiYK3wGQw0hPQapwpTiMRLciLkLsmuClSGpciunGvl/s1600-h/Advent+006.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiNvdYMqddx9GAYo2e82TnUiOHSChE3pC5KfMViKhVqGpG5024Gkg2Jo-F7rHmx9DYVmuHrBZAh_o5c9EEwX4roc6YAqNee4Ra6RZiYK3wGQw0hPQapwpTiMRLciLkLsmuClSGpciunGvl/s320/Advent+006.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5411611377763708482" border="0" /></a><br />Our next activity were these <a style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);" href="http://www.crafts-for-all-seasons.com/paint-swirled-ornament.html">swirled paint ornaments</a>. M&M liked squeezing the paint into the bulb and then shaking them around. I really liked how these turned out. I might have to make some more of my own.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyd06vuNgwodOSPl017fHy65NiieDfQAPeDNbo40aXD1FLl9v0ptdsF5cdywwmoRcH9lJb0ePftvgBrbdZNNqIllrwfuElV1J_sZq-RV2y9ajKHsIFqtTrFLztTeSHA76LAKvFEKBJBYNB/s1600-h/Advent+007.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyd06vuNgwodOSPl017fHy65NiieDfQAPeDNbo40aXD1FLl9v0ptdsF5cdywwmoRcH9lJb0ePftvgBrbdZNNqIllrwfuElV1J_sZq-RV2y9ajKHsIFqtTrFLztTeSHA76LAKvFEKBJBYNB/s320/Advent+007.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5411611356219835986" border="0" /></a><br />M&M loved doing these <a style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);" href="http://katiesnestingspot.blogspot.com/2008/12/have-handprint-holiday.html">Santa handprints</a> because I painted her hands and she said that it tickled. Anything that allows her to get messy is always a hit. Mmm, I guess I forgot to put mouths on them. I used acrylic paint for both of these crafts.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_xROWaFtRidXYtkbp2ck9yjLzCkepIyJn1QHNZc3XtF5RlxJBqZ-pFzwDZKewtF-Dr-SwBJhuU-KEGZWHBlsyayjkZ_UI1O21YNw9xIot0HK2PfYIa92mYE7xW5OFaGoP-TbWciqiho1G/s1600-h/Advent+009.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_xROWaFtRidXYtkbp2ck9yjLzCkepIyJn1QHNZc3XtF5RlxJBqZ-pFzwDZKewtF-Dr-SwBJhuU-KEGZWHBlsyayjkZ_UI1O21YNw9xIot0HK2PfYIa92mYE7xW5OFaGoP-TbWciqiho1G/s320/Advent+009.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5411611364314635698" border="0" /></a><br />I need to go to the store to get more supplies for our activities for the next two weeks. I'm really excited about doing them, I hope M&M has fun doing them as well.<br /><br /><a href="http://s276.photobucket.com/albums/kk18/surro4nandb/?action=view&current=handdrawn2.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i276.photobucket.com/albums/kk18/surro4nandb/handdrawn2.jpg" alt="Photobucket" border="0" /></a>Sheenahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12753097972748757596noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3619506213761110028.post-2477256938323193602009-12-04T09:25:00.000-08:002009-12-04T12:27:20.387-08:00Our Advent plansI am very lucky to have gotten a very cute advent calendar from my mother-in-law the first year we were married. In each pocket is a little ornament to hang on the tree.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5u4C3P5Hu6LOMRlVvCcsaJAjlfpaZjfRhyphenhyphenpHvjQXR2TIUFohzRCqp6mYiVwHgDAQukoygba-IFdhvu50yiOVmzt2YideHYOzDDglj1WqAB500hfTYzbQSn7AbUc9b5ao1mef1EBOCn3lb/s1600-h/Advent+005.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 213px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5u4C3P5Hu6LOMRlVvCcsaJAjlfpaZjfRhyphenhyphenpHvjQXR2TIUFohzRCqp6mYiVwHgDAQukoygba-IFdhvu50yiOVmzt2YideHYOzDDglj1WqAB500hfTYzbQSn7AbUc9b5ao1mef1EBOCn3lb/s320/Advent+005.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5411457207799518098" border="0" /></a><br />I've added something new this year though. I made out a list of Christmas crafts that M&M and I can do each day (red words) and also a list of fun family activities we can do after daddy gets home from work (green words). One from each pile will go into a pocket with an ornament.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNrRW3JsSkRc0ZtPZnFLfhlbaNqHTo56FxQxv_skFuXv4S9tSfF_7Ckz7l_Xx2HF0lvCmJSytQt1Y89YYP20allHJEUMiaK5r1ZrAXmtBpXZ_pqoDWrDX75oQyhv7-xpsKeF4j1i9d_ah1/s1600-h/Advent+002.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNrRW3JsSkRc0ZtPZnFLfhlbaNqHTo56FxQxv_skFuXv4S9tSfF_7Ckz7l_Xx2HF0lvCmJSytQt1Y89YYP20allHJEUMiaK5r1ZrAXmtBpXZ_pqoDWrDX75oQyhv7-xpsKeF4j1i9d_ah1/s320/Advent+002.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5411457188655206626" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBTaXuJQHr5Sp2GbEwPGcMODpYJFXoo6Sj9Jg0CVTYKYFUEzdTnXFxgXgsGn6wcH7BR5ZHLCJ9g48zWRV_SkfDjwAwVsMTapkaq-bEL7Oz41zKlVpLiAC17FbpmnenRtnzHkRQVyuPQj0e/s1600-h/Advent+003.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBTaXuJQHr5Sp2GbEwPGcMODpYJFXoo6Sj9Jg0CVTYKYFUEzdTnXFxgXgsGn6wcH7BR5ZHLCJ9g48zWRV_SkfDjwAwVsMTapkaq-bEL7Oz41zKlVpLiAC17FbpmnenRtnzHkRQVyuPQj0e/s320/Advent+003.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5411457198653697154" border="0" /></a><br />I don't have 25 of either of these lists because we are going to Grandma's house for Christmas. We'll have plenty to do when we get there!<br /><br />In no particular order, our Christmas crafts:<br /><br />1. "Write" letter to Santa<br />2. <a style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);" href="http://katiesnestingspot.blogspot.com/2008/12/have-handprint-holiday.html">Handprint Santas</a><br />3. <a style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);" href="http://www.crafts-for-all-seasons.com/paint-swirled-ornament.html">Paint swirled ornaments</a><br />4. Visit Santa at the mall (we'll see if M&M will actually sit on his lap this year)<br />5. <a style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);" href="http://www.busybeekidscrafts.com/Homemade-Holiday-Gift-Bags.html">Make gift bags</a><br />6. <a style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);" href="http://brandyscrafts.blogspot.com/2009/12/its-december.html">Cinnamon dough ornaments</a><br />7. <a style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);" href="http://www.makeandtakes.com/bead-your-own-ornaments">Pipe cleaner/bead ornaments</a><br />8. <a style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);" href="http://www.kellyskindergarten.com/Christmas/xmascrafts.htm">Star ornament</a><br />9. <a style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);" href="http://luckymecraftsandkids.blogspot.com/2008/12/classic-reindeer.html">Hands and feet reindeer</a><br />10. Foam craft kits<br />11 Craft stick Christmas tree<br />12. <a style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);" href="http://luckymecraftsandkids.blogspot.com/2008/12/stained-glass-christmas-tree.html">Stained glass Christmas tree</a><br />13. <a style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);" href="http://www.drjean.org/html/monthly_act/act_2007/12_Dec/pg01.html">Jingle bell jewelry</a><br />14. Make cookies for neighbors<br />15. Decorate gingerbread cookies<br />16. <a style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);" href="http://www.makinglearningfun.com/themepages/christmas.htm">Paper activities<br /></a><br />Family activities:<br />1. Eat popcorn and drink hot chocolate<br />2. Make Christmas cards for family<br />3. Couples Christmas party (if we can find a babysitter)<br />4. <a style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);" href="http://theidearoom.blogspot.com/2009/11/graham-cracker-gingerbread-houses.html">Make graham cracker gingerbread houses</a><br />5. Tell Nativity Story<br />6. Walmart tree gift giving<br />7. Take gift bags around<br />8. Deliver cookies to neighbors<br />9. Family Game night<br />10. Go to Santa's village<br />11. Sing Christmas carols<br />12. Take drive to see Christmas lights<br />13. Read Christmas books<br />14. Play with Christmas chimes (more on this later, you don't want to miss it! I might actually have my own tutorial to share on how to make them.)<br /><br /><br /><a href="http://s276.photobucket.com/albums/kk18/surro4nandb/?action=view&current=handdrawn2.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i276.photobucket.com/albums/kk18/surro4nandb/handdrawn2.jpg" alt="Photobucket" border="0" /></a>Sheenahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12753097972748757596noreply@blogger.com2