Thursday, October 30, 2014

God Gave Us Angels {Review}


In God Gave Us Angels, Little Cub and Papa go walk through the forest.  And as they walk, Little Cub brings up the subject of angels:  "Have you ever seen one?" "They play dress up like me?"  "Should we pray to angels?"  Some questions are playful, but most sound a lot like what my own kids would say to me.  Papa does his best to answer her questions.  And for the most part, his answers are very insightful and thorough.

One of my favorite things about this book was that it went beyond the cutesy explanation of angels and gave some real insightful commentary on their duties and purpose.  Angels are just out to save us, but deliver messages, worship God, take orders from him, come in disguise, have flaming swords, etc.  They're really and much more complex than we often give them credit for.

Having owned some of Bergren's prior Little Cub books, I felt certain we'd enjoy this one.  But I was really surprised by the level of subjects this book touched on.  There was ideas in this book that I wouldn't have thought to talk about with my kids, and yet they are delivered in a child friendly way without being oversimplified.

All in all, I really loved the way Bergren wrote this particular volume and am glad to have it in our home.

*Disclaimer: I received a free copy for this book for review.  All opinions are my own.

Tuesday, October 28, 2014

A Peek Into Our Homeschool Week Oct 20-24, 2014

Week 10 #1 photo IMG_3652_zps9869dbd0.jpg

Little Man and the Letter J

Week 10 #2 photo IMG_3648_zps4f6330aa.jpg

Noah sorting out all his Legos

Week 10 #3 photo IMG_3653_zps7b2e7c84.jpg

Talking about parts of the plants we eat

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Our Regions Project for California

Monday, October 27, 2014

10 Goals This Week

Here's how I did last week:

Parenting:
  • Take a nature walk, do a regions map, and some other hands on learning
  • Try mini pumpkin science project (haven't found the pumpkins yet)
  • Meet with master teacher (2 swim lessons, dance,gymnastics, etc)
 Blogging:
  • Film 4 videos
  • Review 2 books
Homemaking:
  •  Complete a DIY project
  •  Carve pumpkins
  • Do something creative
Personal:
  • Get 8.5 hr sleep/night
  • Workout 3 times
These are My 10 Goals for This Week:

Parenting:
  • Try mini pumpkin science project
  • 2 swim lessons, dance, gymnastics, field trip, 2 foster care meetings
Blogging:
  • Film 3-4 videos
  • Review 1 book
  • Get 1 week ahead
Homemaking:
  • Complete a DIY project
  • Sketch out birthday invites
  • Plan 1 birthday game
Personal:
  • Get 8 hrs sleep/night
  • Workout 2-3 times

Dinners of the Week Oct 20-26, 2014

Saturday, October 25, 2014

Weekend Links












This Week:

What I Made: This was a crazy week and I didn't get much done.  Hoping to do more this weekend.

What I'm Reading:  I just got a new review book in the mail today so I'll start it this week.  In the mean time, I'm typing up notes for October's bookmarks post coming next Friday.

What I'm Doing:  Cleaning around the house... cleaning out the van... editing videos... pulling together more birthday ideas...

What I'm Watching:  Last Man Standing... hilarious!

What I'm Enjoying: Good Earth Sweet and Spicy tea.... it's a favorite!

What are you up to?

Thursday, October 23, 2014

A Peek Into Our Homeschool Week: Oct 13-17, 2014

Week 9 #1 photo IMG_3631_zps192e5aef.jpg
Working on Tribes by Region
Here's our Valley Tribe poster

Week 9 #2 photo IMG_3632_zps02c1accf.jpg
Lydia's starting Pocahontas unit
Love it!

Week 9 #3 photo IMG_3620_zps66af46db.jpg 
Little Man showing us he can write
I'm amazed!

Week 9 #4 photo IMG_3621_zpse7082c57.jpg
Working on Tribes again
This is our Mtn Tribe

Week 9 #5 photo IMG_3606_zps895598c1.jpg
Taking that Pumpkin Patch field trip
They loved it!

Wednesday, October 22, 2014

2000th Post


This is Creative2xmom's 2000th post and it just keeps getting better and better!

What a blessing this blog has been to me and my family and I hope to yours as well.  

Thanks for following along in our journey and here's what's coming up:

Meal plans
Homeschooling
Foster Care
Adoption
Creating
Cooking
Family Time
Disneyland Tips
Motherhood

Thanks so much for being a part of our lives and I can't wait to carry on with all of you!

Dinners of the Week Oct 12-19, 2014

Monday, October 20, 2014

10 Goals this Week

October has been just plan crazy.  Actually the past five weeks have kept my head spinning.  Two birthdays down for the year and I'm catching a little bit of a breather before the holidays and another birthday.  Needless to say, I've been just keeping my head above water and not getting much down on my To-Do List, but I'm gonna try to get a little done this week.  Who's with me?

Parenting:
  • Take a nature walk, do a regions map, and some other hands on learning
  • Try mini pumpkin science project
  • Meet with master teacher (2 swim lessons, dance,gymnastics, etc)
 Blogging:
  • Film 4 videos
  • Review 2 books
Homemaking:
  •  Complete a DIY project
  •  Carve pumpkins
  • Do something creative
Personal:
  • Get 8.5 hr sleep/night
  • Workout 3 times

Tuesday, October 14, 2014

A Peek Into Our Homeschool Week: Oct. 6-10, 2014

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Noah working on Indian Tribes of California
This was the Coastal tribe we studied

Week 8 #2 photo IMG_3535_zps012c40a6.jpg

From our unit on Families

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Non-Fiction Writing w/ Science
We'll take a field trip soon

Monday, October 13, 2014

Our Current Homeschool Schedule

Homeschool Week 5 #3 photo IMG_3363_zpsf9fec740.jpg

This is how a typical homeschool day runs in our house.  If there is such a thing as a typical day with three kids.  :-)

8:30 am Circle Time
Morning Prayer
Calendar
Skip counting/Multiplication facts
Character Quality
Scripture Memorization
Read aloud?

9:00 am Mathmatics
Drill work
Workbooks

9:45 am Handwriting

10:00 am Break/Snack

10:20 am Language Arts
Spelling
Paragraph writing
Grammar

11:15 am Reading Comprehension
Reading and questions

12:00 pm Lunch

1:00 pm Read aloud

1:15 pm Science or History

2:15 pm Reading

3:00 pm Activities/sports/ mommy's work
Map puzzle
Baking
Science projects
Writing Skills

Thursday, October 9, 2014

Yuletide Ice Cube Fair {Review}


Christmas is a time of magic and excitement, possibilities and laughter.  And in this Veggie town, no one can escape the joy of the season... skating on root beer floats, ... slip and sliding on the ice, ... and of course, the highlight of the season, the ice sculpting contest.  Sculpt what Christmas means to you and win first prize.  And how will the Veggies interpret the theme?  

Well, there's Santa and a Christmas feast, a trophy and more.  But which sculpture truly embodies the reason of the season?  It might not be what you quite expect.

Written in classic fanciful Veggie fashion, the Yuletide Ice Cube Fair is more than just a tale about Christmas.  Rather it's a tale about Christ and why we find ourselves so joyful this time of year.  The biggest and the flashiest isn't always the best and our Veggie friends remind us to look beyond the obvious.

The illustrations are bright and whimsical.  The rhyme is fun and flowing. And the meaning behind the book is deep without being preachy.  This book is sure to become a family tradition carried through the years. 

*Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book from the publisher.  All opinions are my own.

Tuesday, October 7, 2014

A Peek Into Our Homeschool Week --Sept 29- Oct 2, 2014

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Lydia practicing carrying

Week 7 #2 photo IMG_3504_zps2be1a5bb.jpg

My verse on Monday

Week 7 #3 photo IMG_3507_zpsfde7a235.jpg

Little Man practicing his G

Week 7 #4 photo IMG_3508_zps43704d29.jpg

Events from Island of the Blue Dolphins

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Creating a storyboard for Island of the Blue Dolphins

Monday, October 6, 2014

Dinners of the Week-Sept 29-Oct 5, 2014

8 Ways to be a More Patient Mom

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There are a lot of pros to be a homeschool mom: more time with your kids, a change to really invest in their character and education, flexible schedule, etc.  It's been an undeniable blessing in our lives.  And I'm happy to be on this road.  However,

Being an introverted mom in a house full of extraverted kids day in and day out is enough to make you go screaming from the lesson plans.  I often wonder if the Lord might have been slightly short sighted when he paired me with these three wild and crazy adventurers.  Yet here we are.  And here I am learning to develop patience.  Here are just a few tricks I've learned along the way:

1. Prayer--You can't have what you've never asked for.  The first step in developing more patience is learning that you can't do it on your own.  And road will be a lot smoother if lean on the Lord in the process.

2. A few minutes alone--Find a few minutes alone every day.  Maybe it's praying in the morning before you face your day.  Maybe it's some piece and quiet while the kids read.  Maybe it's in the evening while Daddy's putting the kids to bed.  Maybe... some days... maybe it's all three.

3. Rest--I find that my patience level is vastly improved if I get enough sleep.  I can see how lack of sleep affects my kids.  I don't always recognize it's effects so daily in myself.  But it's true.  I'm a much better mom when I prioritize sleep.

4. Get some Vitamin D--Likewise, my days improve drastically if I get outside and get some Vitamin D.  The fresh air and sunshine, as well as the change of scenery, put us all in a better mood.

5. Plan ahead--Some days are just stressful and there's no way around it.  Appointments have to be honored, diapers have to be changed, and life goes on.  If at all possible, try to spread out the commitments.  If not possible, plan ahead for how you're going to handle the stress of the day.

6. Enlist the kids' help--My kids have their off days, but for the most part, they still really love to help.  So when I'm feeling overwhelmed, I enlist their help.  Can someone unload the dishwasher or bring in the trash can?  Is there someone to help with lunch?  Who entertain the toddler for a moment or two?

7. Take a deep breath--Have you ever heard that you should count to 10 when you're frustrated?  Well, it really works.  That's not to say that the frustration disappears entirely, but it definitely subsides enough to allow me to make a more rational decision.  The same goes for taking a deep breath.  It gives me just enough to calm myself before saying anything rash.

8. Remember that they're little--It's cliche, but true.  They'll be grown before we know it.  But for now, they're still learning.  And to expect them to act with maturity is to expect to much.  When when they do act with maturity, they're bound to falter from time to time.  When I remember that they're little, I'm reminded that I'm still teaching, they're still learning, and my job is to shelf them in the process.  If I don't champion their growth, who will?

Finding more patience in my day is difficult.  Some days I win, some days I lose.  Some days I end up drowning.  But every day I wake up and try again.  And every time I try again, it's so worth in how it improves my relationship with my kids.

How do you work at being a more patient mom?

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