May 19th, 2012 by
Hesperleigh
So, five years ago Saturday, this happened:
Funny story, actually. The morning of the wedding, I went over to my mother’s house to get ready. When I arrived, I learned that my step-dad was not going to be attending. Apparently, he was sick to his stomach and vomiting. He had been quarantined to their bedroom. My mom, sister, and I joked around that he was obviously faking it because he just didn’t want to dress up for the wedding. Little did we know that, hours later, he would be having emergency surgery to have his appendix removed. Read the rest of this entry »
May 18th, 2012 by
Vicky
I cannot even tell you how good these are. I promise you will love them. While they are yummy, they are in no way good for you, despite my kidding myself into thinking that since there’s banana in them, they must be okay. So don’t be making these everyday - you will SO want to though!
You will need:
- bananas cut into chunks
- milk chocolate chips
- Popsicle sticks
- marshmallows
- sprinkles
Read the rest of this entry »
May 18th, 2012 by
BrookeLeiberman
If you have a black thumb, this garden project is a great way to turn your thumb back to green. Not only is this a garden that will be easy to grow and take care of, it will also be a great addition to your family’s diet.
It is fun for kids to know where their food comes from. If you are not ready for a full veggie garden, they can help keep this garden growing and then eat it all up. Plus, there are other ways to interact with your children when doing this, from picking out the plants or watching them grow from seeds, to smelling and tasting the herbs. It is a continuous project that can last for the summer and beyond.
Read the rest of this entry »
May 18th, 2012 by
hurricaneranch
Today, Alexei and Ibis put the finishing touches on their 4-H project books in preparation for handing in at Thursday’s County Council meeting. Once again, I was completely impressed by their efforts and the broad range of activities in which they participated this year. I can’t say it enough: if you homeschool, 4-H is a gold mine. This year, Alexei continued his work in the photography book, took on the second book in the rabbit series, and completed his first year in the shooting sports air rifle project. Ibis finished her first year in the rabbit book and her first year in an online art project. Hands-on curriculum, opportunities for leadership and citizenship, and healthy competition were highlights of their 4-H year.
If you’ve never seen a 4-H project book in-depth, it may all sound foreign. Most of us can’t get past the idea that 4-H is “only for farm kids,” but if you are willing to look further, I can guarantee you will be amazed. The following are some details from Alexei’s year studying 4-H photography, and I’ll have future blog posts on the remaining projects (no really, I promise!). See for yourself what 4-H has to offer! Read the rest of this entry »
May 17th, 2012 by
Inspired by Family
A seed of insecurity was planted the day I held my first born in my arms for the first time.
Don’t get me wrong, there was unexplainable joy and deep seeded love the moment our eyes met, but with it came dark feelings that I didn’t invite into my heart or home. I made sure that the seed was firmly planted and nurtured every time I received unsolicited advice, and when I compared myself to other moms: abilities, gadgets, nursing successes, weight loss, etc…….
The Day the seed of insecurity bloomed. The cold room was filled with tired moms with fake smiles holding their babies. I had no idea what was awaiting past those double doors. Our pediatrician began examining our son. His facial expressions were different as he questioned me about his bowel movements, eating habits, etc… He went to get a nurse, and they both examined him and left the room. Something was wrong.
He walked back in with a serious face and said, “You can’t go home with your son.” Suddenly, time froze; his words and condescending voice just became one long sentence spoken in slow motion. Finally, I tuned back in and I heard him ask, “When was the last time you fed him?” He was now speaking to me as if I was a reckless, careless 15-year-old mom. It didn’t help that I did look that young, even though I was 28 years old.
“Mrs. Tuten, he is alarmingly under weight. He was born at 6.5 lbs, and he has now lost more than a pound. I am afraid that he won’t make it through the weekend if I let you go home.” Read the rest of this entry »
May 17th, 2012 by
ommilay
Talk about delicious, easy, and hubby-friendly! (aka, my husband’s favorite candy is Butterfingers) What do you need?
*Creamy peanut butter, 16 oz
*Candy corn, 16 oz
*Chocolate, 3 cups
Melt the candy corn in a glass dish in the microwave, stopping every 30 seconds to stir it. One the candy corn has been fully melted, mix in the creamy peanut butter until smooth. Pour into a wax-lined cookie sheet that has sides and cool in the freezer/fridge until solid.
Once the candy is cool, cut into the size of bars that you want to eat and dip in melted chocolate. (you can melt the chocolate the same way that you melted the candy corn) After dipping the candy into the melted chocolate, allow to cool on a wax sheet.
Enjoy!! (did I mention simple?)
May 16th, 2012 by
ommilay
It’s honesty time. We all say that we don’t have time to work out- but if you watch one TV show a day, then you have time to work out- it’s just that sometimes we don’t want to….. When it comes to real health, though, small changes that you can do for the rest of your life are the ones that are the most beneficial. So, for those of us looking to do a little extra exercise but without actually feeling like you are exercising, here are five ideas.
1. Specially plan your grocery shopping trip- head to a store like Wal Mart or Sam’s Club. Instead of going first to produce, then frozen, grocery, dairy, and health care, mix it up- hit produce, and then head to the other end of the store for non foods. Go back for dairy, then go go for grocery. Stop and visit the clothes/DVD section, and finish with frozen. By making a route through the store that is winding instead of direct, you will do a lot of extra walking and therefore burn extra calories! Grocery shopping may take a little longer, but it will be worthwhile. (Every extra 15 minutes of walking= 58 calories)
2. What is your favorite place to shop? Leave you credit card and money at home and go window shopping at the mall- or a hardware store- or a garden shop- whatever it is that you enjoy. Just getting out and wandering around will make you burn extra calories, but since you will just be out looking at things you enjoy, you won’t even really notice all the extra walking. (15 minutes of walking= 48 calories) Read the rest of this entry »
May 16th, 2012 by
jenn0324
This month I’m focusing on mothers and farm animals. Strange combination, yes, but I have lots of opportunities to be around animals with The Younger in the next few weeks, so I wanted to create some leaning activities centered around the animals we are going to see. I also want a chance to talk about mommies and do a craft or two that we can give to the grandmothers on Mother’s Day this year.
Yesterday we made sheep! It was a lot of fun, and The Younger’s creativity really shone as we went through the steps. Supplies are easy to come by: cardboard or construction paper, cotton balls, glue, black marker. Optional supplies are googly eyes and ribbon.
First we traced her hand. (I love projects that trace body parts, because I enjoy having things that I can compare the kids growth to. I date all of these sorts of projects and store them so we can hang them on the Christmas tree later this year). Read the rest of this entry »
May 15th, 2012 by
Jess
I can sit here and tell you that the global average age for weaning is 4 years old. I can tell you that naturally, mammals typically nurse until they get their first permanent molars- around age six for humans. I can say that the World Health Organization recommends breastfeeding children until the age of two years old, and that the American Acadamy of Pediatrics says that mothers are “encouraged to continue breastfeeding through the first year and beyond as more and varied complementary foods are introduced.” Let me re-stress that: Through the first year and beyond. One more time: and beyond.
I could tell you that she isn’t ready. I could tell you that Michael Jordan was breastfed until he was 3. I could tell you all of these things and then some. As if I have to defend the choices I have made for myself and my child.
The truth is, most often times, I do. Because this little girl:
Read the rest of this entry »
May 15th, 2012 by
Vicky
I saw a cool picture on Pinterest the other day of Raised Salt Painting done by One Perfect Day. I was looking for a simple art activity to do with the girls and this looked perfect. We did not have liquid watercolor paint so we just used food coloring mixed with water which most people already have at home. We had some unexpected results which I think turned out pretty cool. Judge for yourself.
Supplies you will need: Read the rest of this entry »
