End of VEDA-- Now What?

The Sweet Treats Tag

2014 August Bookmarks

*Bookmarks is an online book club hosted at Creative2xmom. Here we discuss the books we've read in the past month as well as the suggested reading. Our suggested reading for August was Simple Living by Lorilee Lippincott.

These are the books I read this month:

A Sister's Test by Wanda E. Brunstetter

A Sister's Hope by Wanda E. Brunstetter

Book I read with the kids this month:

Jungle Book by Rudyard Kipling

Our suggested reading for August was Simple Living by Lorilee Lippincott--

So what are your bookmarks this month?

Tell us in the comments about the books you're chewing on. Or link up a review from your own blog. Let's share the books we're finding, good and bad. And give us your thoughts Simple Living by Lorilee Lippincott.

And join us for our next bookmarks post coming September 26th as we discuss The Me I Want To Be by John Ortberg.

*Linked to these Parties

Pros and Cons of Sibling Age Differences

3 More Overnight Oatmeal Ideas

Homemade Limeade Icees

The Berenstain Bears--God Shows the Way {Review}

We love The Berenstain Bears and these Light the Way books are a great of introducing scripture to our kids.  Written for early readers, they bring me back to my own days of early reading.  And I love sharing these characters with my children.

The first story, Faith Gets Us Through, shows Papa taking his Scout Cubs exploring Spooky Cave.  Although Papa knows everything about caves, the cubs just aren't sure.  Can they get over their fears to get through the cave?  

In the second story, Do Not Fear, God is Near, Sister Bear is afraid of lots of things.  As she struggles to overcome her fears, she learns that God is near to offer comfort.

The final story, Piggy Bank Blessings (also my favorite), shows Brother and Sister Bear learning to save their money for just the right moment.  Will they use their money selfishly?  Or will they use it to be a blessing?

The stories are written well at a young readers level.  Although they are not exceptionally deep, they introduce the concepts in a readable way and allow for lots of discussion.  This hardcover book is bound well and presented beautifully.  This is surely a book that will hold up well over time.  My favorite part is that the stories are classic and the characters are lovable.

The age range of 4-8 years is perfect for both the concepts and the reading level.  This is a great collection for continuing on "Bear Adventures."

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

Dinners of the Week--Aug 18-24, 2014

A Peek Into Our Homeschool Week--August 18-22, 2014

Little Man's A... not bad for 2 years old!

Counting!

First Day News!

Startin the Solar System Unit

Noah helping Lydia add with shoes!

Old Navy School Haul

Saving Your Kids From Hurts

What's in our Library Bag? 8/20/14

Our 2014-2015 4th Grade Curriculum

Dinners of the Week--Aug 11-17, 2014

The Homeschooling Tag

Summer Meal Ideas

Our 2014-2015 2nd Grade Curriculum

Day In The Life--August 6, 2014

Dinners of the Week-- Aug 4-10, 2014

A Look Back: Wedding Photos and 13th Anniversary

Favorite Foods Tag

Walmart Clearance Haul

Back to {Home} School Traditions

3 Quick and Easy Girls' Hairstyles

Crockpot Sesame Chicken {Pinterest Inspired}

*This post was originally published on 4/10/13.  Enjoy!

We love, love, love Chinese food.  If you ask my kids where they'd rather go to dinner when Grandma's in town, they'll pick the Chinese restaurant every time.  And Sesame Chicken with honey... really what could go wrong?

I'm always on the lookout for good crockpot recipes and since we've tried this one, it's been on our menu numerous times.  If you're looking for a great tasting dinner any night of the week, this one's for you.

Crockpot Sesame Chicken

(from Table for Two)

1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts

1 c. honey

1/2 c. terryaki

1/4 c. ketchup

2 Tbsp vegetable oil

3 cloves minced garlic

1 onion chopped (1/2 c.)

Cornstarch

Sesame seeds

Brown rice

1. Place the breasts in the bottom of your crockpot and sprinkle both sides with salt and pepper.

2. Combine honey, terryaki, ketchup, oil, garlic, and onion in a small bowl.  Pour over your chicken and cook on low for 3-4 hours.

3. When done, remove chicken and shred.  Before returning to crockpot, add some cornstarch to sauce to thicken.  Whisk in well to avoid lumps.

4. Serve over a bed of hot rice and sprinkle generously with sesame seeds.

July 2014 Favorites

10 Goals This Week

Back to routine... anyone else need it as much as I do?

My 10 Goals for the Week:

Parenting:

• Lesson Plan for LP 1
• Take the kids swimming several times, 4 baseball games
• Plan some read alouds

Blogging:

• Record 6 videos
• Review books

Homemaking:

• Finish two lanterns
• Finish ABC book, family book
• Yard work

Personal:

• Get 8.5 hrs/sleep
• Workout 3 days

What are Your Goals for the Week?

Dinners for July 27-Aug 3, 2014

Gold Family Fun July 2014

This or That Summer Tag

We're Doing VEDA!

2014 July Bookmarks

*Bookmarks is an online book club hosted at Creative2xmom. Here we discuss the books we've read in the past month as well as the suggested reading. Our suggested reading for July was Sacred Parenting by Gary Thomas.

These are the books I read this month:

A Sister's Secret by Wanda E. Brunstetter--  I've never read anything by Brunstetter and really wasn't sure what to expect.  This story follows Grace, the eldest of three sisters, is hiding a secret from her rumshringer and when a mysterious stranger shows up, she worries he could destroy her family.  And when strange break-ins start happening, the list of suspects starts growing.  Good and bad to this book: The plot was actually really good and kept me interested... Details were drug out here and there.  Brunstetter has a tendency (in this book) to go over the same details for chunks at a time.  However, I did enjoy it enough to still look forward to the next book in the series.  So we'll see.

Child of Mine by David and Beverly Lewis-- See my review here.

Beautiful Ruins by Jess Walter-- Completely out of my normal, but I loved it.  It took me till about the middle of the book before I got the point.  I'm a little slow.  But absolutely incredible.  Following the intersecting lives if Pasquale (an Italian innkeeper), Dee (a troubled actress), and Claire (a disillusioned Hollywood assistant).  The "ruins" of their lives end up making them the beautiful human beings they are.  Skip the sex sections, hold on for the Italian scenes, and watch out for the wrap up.  Great summer read.

The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion--This book was hilarious!  It took me a couple of chapter to get into it, but once I was hooked, I couldn't put it down.  Such a funny look into an individuals mind.  Loved it.  Definitely pick this one up.

Book I read with the kids this month:

The Story of Doctor Doolittle by Hugh Lofting-- This is one of those fanciful children's classics where the animals talk, the people have unusual problems, and the adventures are unending.  The vocabulary was great for introducing new ideas to the kids and the high seas adventures kept them engaged.  We loved it!

Our suggested reading for July was Sacred Parenting by Gary Thomas--  I totally dropped the ball on this one.  I got about 2-3 chapters in and mis-placed the book.   What I had read was really good and I'm looking forward to finding it again.  Guess I'd better get to cleaning.

So what are your bookmarks this month?

Tell us in the comments about the books you're chewing on. Or link up a review from your own blog. Let's share the books we're finding, good and bad. And give us your thoughts on Sacred Parenting by Gary Thomas

And join us for our next bookmarks post coming August 29th as we discuss Simple Living by Lorilee Lippincott.

*Linked to these Parties