tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1268221471950897872024-02-21T22:37:30.857-08:00Miss Mom-vocateUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger84125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-126822147195089787.post-69160500570756392612013-10-20T17:51:00.001-07:002013-10-20T17:56:52.369-07:00Starabella Books SeriesThere is always a lot of talk about Autism <b>AWARENESS</b>. And, don't get me wrong, I am a supporter of bringing Autism Awareness to the forefront. But, what I, as a mother of a young son on the spectrum, want more than anything is <b>ACCEPTANCE.</b> Some may see acceptance as being the same as awareness, but it is so much more than that.<br />
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While I could care less how <b>MUCH</b> you learn about autism, I only sincerely wish that my son be accepted for the brilliant, loving and bright spirit that he is. It is the much <b>EASIER</b> thing for one to chose to be accepting, for it requires only you open your heart. Acceptance doesn't require that you give money, walk an organized walk or read an article. Acceptance requires that you value all that these magnificent spectrum children have to offer. And, what they have to offer is so valuable. I always tell my boys, <b><i>"Wouldn't it be so boring if we were all alike?"</i></b><br />
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When I was a young girl, my favorite book was <i>Fanny</i> by Stephen Cosgrove. The book is about a cat that has three legs. Because he has three legs, the other farm animals treat him different and pretty much resort to ignoring him. In the end, a silly puppy befriends him and finds out that the three legged cat is not much different than him at all. I still love the story and read the boys the exact book I read all those years ago.<br />
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When I had heard of the book series called Starabella, I was intrigued because it was a story of acceptance, similar to that of the book <i>Fanny</i>. The story books follow the adventures of a young girl named Starabella. Starabella soon starts to realize that she is different than other children. Starabella has Autism.<br />
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There are many things I love about this book series. <i><b>First and foremost</b></i>, I love that the stories are centered around <b>ACCEPTANCE</b>. I believe that if we are to expect <b>ACCEPTANCE</b>, we have to teach and model it early in a child's life.<br />
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I believe that this book series provides important stories for Brady, as it explains to him that he is not alone. But, even more importantly, I believe this book series is important for my younger son Weston, as it shows him that even though Brady may act differently, he is more alike than different! Through the same stories I am able to explain to each of my sons what <b>ACCEPTANCE</b> is, looks like and why we want to be accepting.<br />
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I used the books similarly to how you would use a social story to explain situations to a young child. With each boy I would read a chapter and we would talk about feelings, actions and explore their understanding of what happened. The books have provided a variety of prompts to engage language rich conversation with both Brady and Weston.<br />
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<b><i>Second</i></b>, I love how the books shows that a child on the spectrum is not so different than other children. Children on the spectrum want to fit in, be loved and dream big dreams. And, besides the main character having Autism, the book explores difficulties other kids face. Especially in the series' third book, the stories explore other differences such as physical disabilities and race. What I appreciate is that these difference are address in a subtle, less abrupt way and is easy for a child to follow. I really believe the first step to teach acceptance is to show how beautiful differences are rather than how odd being different is.<br />
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<b><i>Lastly</i></b>, besides being beautifully illustrated, the series is interactive and has a musical element to it. At least with my boys, music resonates with them. Both boys enjoyed the books with and without the music!!! They remind me a lot of the interactive story books that were read when I was in primary school.<br />
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And, if at first glance you think this is a story book series just for little girls, please realize it is not! My boys really enjoyed the adventures of Starabella.<br />
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The author <b><i>Sharon Fialco</i></b> is a mother of a young woman on the spectrum named Tara. I am always inspired by other <i>Spectrum Moms</i> who have walked the same path as I am walking now. I am always so curious how everyone manages and what their advice for me would be. Ms. Fialco was gracious to answer a few questions. I thought I'd share with you her answers<br />
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<i><b>Ms. Fialco, what inspired you to write the Starabella series?</b></i><br />
<i>Tara was a very enthusiastic child filled with spirit and delight for exploring and learning about her world. She brought us much joy. We celebrated her many abilities but were also puzzled by some of her unusual behaviors. </i><br />
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<i>Upon entering school, Tara was made to feel there was something "different" about her. She was teased and isolated from play. Her spirit began to dwindle and she began to question her self-esteem. As parents, it was very painful to feel helpless to adequately influence her school environment to accommodate her learning and social needs.</i><br />
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<i>Tara received a gift that would alter her life and ours. Her grandparents sent her their piano from their home in St. Louis to our new home in Honolulu. It turned out that Tara could play any music she had ever heard by ear and soon began to compose her own music. She used her music to express her emotions, dreams and reflections of the world around her. One of her songs: "Welcome to a Bright New World" depicted a magical musical world, far more accepting than the one she had to face each day. This son became the inspiration for the Starabella series. In this bright new world "children played and got along and were accepted for exactly who they were". </i><br />
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<i>Our family collaborated to produce the Starabella series to bring Tara's dream to other children, their families and teachers to help make the dream to reality.</i><br />
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<i>The stories help teachers guide children to make social choices based on empathy. Through the Starabella stories, children learn to recognize what makes themselves and each other special. They learn at early age to listen to the good voice inside themselves rather than following the loudest, most threatening voice.</i><br />
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<i>The messages in the Starabella stories are told through the medium of art and music. The audio and visual presentation appeals to different styles of learning.</i><br />
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<i><b>What is the most important lesson your daughter's ASD taught you?</b></i><br />
<i>The most important lesson I have learned from my daughter is that it is important for her to believe in herself. This can be challenging for children with autism or any extra challenge living in a world asking them to conform. Children should be given the opportunity to reach for their own goals in their own special ways.</i><br />
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<i><b>What would be your advice for those who are beginning their readings of the Starabella series with their children?</b></i><br />
<i>The Starabella books are presented in a new format. To experience the stories it is necessary to listen to the fully-narrated audio CDs with music and sound effects enclosed on the inside cover of each book. It is best to listen to the audio CDs while following along with the pictures in the books. There are song lyrics at the end of each book so children can sing along with the music.</i><br />
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<i>The picture books are divided into chapters so that the stories can be presented one chapter at a time according to the attention span of the individual child. The recording can be paused at various times to discuss the messages in the stories. </i><br />
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<i>Book Three of the series is interactive. Children are asked to use a "magical mirror" in the book to help make social choices based on empathy to help themselves and Starabella's classmates get to the bright new world. The mirror can be used by children to identify emotions shown in their facial expressions. If they see a smile, their eyes, like Starabella's when she's happy, will <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #cc0000;">SHINE LIKE STARS</span>. This shows them that they have made a friendly choice.</i><br />
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<i><b>Anything else you would like to add?</b></i><br />
<i>The Starabella stories are fun for all children, with and without extra challenges, to listen to and interact with. They are like listening to a radio theater quality production. Children will want to dance, sing and dream along to the music.</i><br />
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<i>The story of Starabella speaks directly to the place in all children that yearns for acceptance and understanding. Together, children can create the world of their dreams.</i><br />
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<i>Starabella becomes a kindergarten rock star who leads children to a <b>BRIGHT NEW WORLD</b>! Follow her there!</i><br />
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These books are such a gem! They really should be a standard issue in schools! We visit these books often and the boys thoroughly enjoy them! I'm purchasing a copy of the series and donating them to our local library! That's how much I love them!<br />
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To learn more about the book series or to purchase your own set (or perhaps a set for your local school or library!), please visit the Starabella website <a href="http://starabella.com/">http://starabella.com/</a><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #999999;">Here is the official book description:</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #999999;">Starabella 3-Book Narrated, Musical Picture Book Series</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #999999;">For children ages 2–8</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #999999;">by Sharon, Tara, and Dana Fialco</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #999999;">Starabella is a courageous little girl with learning differences who composes beautiful music to express her thoughts and feelings. Her experiences and musical vision teach children the value of celebrating differences, listening to the good voice inside themselves rather than following the crowd, and of determination and imagination. The 3-book Starabella series begins Starabella's journey at home in Book 1, where her parents first welcome her into the world and watch her start to grow up. They discover their daughter's mysterious challenges and musical talent, along with her inspiring determination. Starabella then ventures out in the community as a small child in Book 2, where she struggles with conforming to societal expectations but learns to believe in herself. Finally, in Book 3 she enters a diverse kindergarten classroom, where she and other classmates experience bullying and social division. Through her magical music and lyrics, Starabella leads her kindergarten classmates and listeners to the Bright New World of her dreams where all children play, get along, and are accepted for exactly who they are. A question/answer segment in Book 3 allows children to make friendly social choices to create a classroom environment where all children feel safe and valued. Based on the childhood experiences and music of the author's daughter Tara, a composer who has autism, the Starabella series encourages all children to believe in themselves and have empathy for others. All three books are fully narrated by Tara's sister Dana, featuring 22 original songs, including 17 written by Tara. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #999999;">The Starabella stories are for all children with or without extra challenges, but are dedicated to those children with personal challenges who enter the public arena each day with the courage of superheroes. Children listening and following along with the captions in the picture books go on an inspiring journey filled with tuneful music and vibrant colorful illustrations that will stimulate their imaginations. The books are designed to be listened to on the accompanying audio CDs found inside the front cover of each book, but the combination of audio, visual, and printed captions appeal to a variety of learning styles. Children will sing, move, dream, and imagine along with Starabella and discover how good it feels to be a friend. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #999999;">For more information: <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://www.starabella.com/">www.starabella.com</a></span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #999999;">Sharon Fialco</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #999999;">Starabella narrated musical picture books </span></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-126822147195089787.post-70125868730902628242013-10-17T13:41:00.000-07:002013-10-17T13:41:18.089-07:00Mother Goose Time - Me and My FamilyWe have been digging our mitts into the Me and My Family themed curriculum! I am having a blast teaching Wes more about our family! I want to share a few of our highlights so far!<br />
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<b><u>My Family Tree</u></b></div>
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Since Brady attends a modified year round school, he was home with us for the beginning of this month. He joined us in a few of our activities.</div>
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The first activity we did was <u>My Family Tree</u>. I adapted the activity by writing our family names on the apples instead of having the boys do it. Since I adapted it this way, I had the boys practice identifying names instead. It was a pretty straight forward activity but the boys loved doing it!</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wes is pretty good with glue now!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfFJCP6sGGgIqgI4Err-5cBez8Vkoq6n7wCalkkBAtGtuorP0POh2X_TmnBeSvgzaYIrdCLg5UU5zb0_Dx3ADl5Wv99ExAAt0J1p6yLR-kqa6TmfV2BaJe_7Bo-waK7hyphenhyphenOzPjsgg5mDgur/s1600/IMG_2758.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfFJCP6sGGgIqgI4Err-5cBez8Vkoq6n7wCalkkBAtGtuorP0POh2X_TmnBeSvgzaYIrdCLg5UU5zb0_Dx3ADl5Wv99ExAAt0J1p6yLR-kqa6TmfV2BaJe_7Bo-waK7hyphenhyphenOzPjsgg5mDgur/s400/IMG_2758.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"CHEESE!"</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgikd1tdkHKeijIUmAJHk8OI46qSL1wLxLrWqAFDJ_WAeuolzv0wuQuDh8et2Nut2_WtqPRQQCZCEvN4hlh-hGuSKvOw0JdViyUiCOhB_n0qSKCUxvfYyVbNF519lytRQ1IMAKLeAhxOABE/s1600/IMG_2759.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgikd1tdkHKeijIUmAJHk8OI46qSL1wLxLrWqAFDJ_WAeuolzv0wuQuDh8et2Nut2_WtqPRQQCZCEvN4hlh-hGuSKvOw0JdViyUiCOhB_n0qSKCUxvfYyVbNF519lytRQ1IMAKLeAhxOABE/s400/IMG_2759.JPG" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Another photo?"</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6DZV6gunHjJloarzhxiWJgz3MbFa19MbfHK2KrbIhxCJJhENDXPCgekCiRAgI7zUOAwdz-NrMo4Ul0zsUXfC9iGXS58HNz7T9EDxh7sT3mRHEwNCILTOgtWFPPYxsaC8iWt_EH5B4VGmd/s1600/IMG_2760.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6DZV6gunHjJloarzhxiWJgz3MbFa19MbfHK2KrbIhxCJJhENDXPCgekCiRAgI7zUOAwdz-NrMo4Ul0zsUXfC9iGXS58HNz7T9EDxh7sT3mRHEwNCILTOgtWFPPYxsaC8iWt_EH5B4VGmd/s400/IMG_2760.JPG" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I gave up trying to get both boys to look AND smile</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDtsb4mTMbIXTvRDy7g0JlAy5XRt5jwRAM-7ClGFpz2_AE8WyT-1TA9KC8hN3gcnepwQ5iDFGSlrL5DSYEtth2bCoeynhfKZfrcpIWcfwb8iwc0XPmWS2xWjFgep8qToXit_Pv_gvJlcxE/s1600/IMG_2762.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDtsb4mTMbIXTvRDy7g0JlAy5XRt5jwRAM-7ClGFpz2_AE8WyT-1TA9KC8hN3gcnepwQ5iDFGSlrL5DSYEtth2bCoeynhfKZfrcpIWcfwb8iwc0XPmWS2xWjFgep8qToXit_Pv_gvJlcxE/s400/IMG_2762.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I love how each created a different looking tree</td></tr>
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<b><u>Pick Me</u></b></div>
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We have been working hard on pre-writing activities with Wes. I'm so proud that he is able to write his name pretty legible! We use this name tag to identify where he sits a lot of the day. Another way that I've been re-using this name tag is by putting it by items he needs to tend to like his pile of clothes or items that go to his room. Multi-tasking!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGfpgEC4C64845XGwI9hDDMr-EreLlvrd6M2aa-0wO312vbNb-P8KM_UXK3iosFWQfpUi5HKFClGE-yNtynJ06T_NKk2-OqaSYrX21iIX74HetdBW-LTgz_aA6WxO6VSzOCEZywAvHTOH-/s1600/IMG_2764.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGfpgEC4C64845XGwI9hDDMr-EreLlvrd6M2aa-0wO312vbNb-P8KM_UXK3iosFWQfpUi5HKFClGE-yNtynJ06T_NKk2-OqaSYrX21iIX74HetdBW-LTgz_aA6WxO6VSzOCEZywAvHTOH-/s400/IMG_2764.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<b><u>Green Wiggles</u></b></div>
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This month we received super cool color wands. In this activity we used the green wand to identify green objects indoors and in nature. Since we have a fairly large sliding door that looks towards our backyard, I used a chair and asked each boy to sit in it and find things that are green in our yard. By using the chair, it made turn taking and restraint a little easier for Wes. He is kind of in the "blurt out the answers and never let Brady talk" phase.</div>
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We keep our Color Wand holder on our fire place mantle. Surprisingly, both boys ask to do this activity quite often.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4FmiYZazofhcEE-N2VtG0u_t0b4xSlL68g3HywL6okujhxpeZIhkdl0QohZ7GkWbzu45hcGVuzl1p4fnlGvmiXKTg3L0qxN4fYg-gWyoRPYrTMHLZhBx1elZRz4Va1PNjZrCItA07hbne/s1600/IMG_2765.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4FmiYZazofhcEE-N2VtG0u_t0b4xSlL68g3HywL6okujhxpeZIhkdl0QohZ7GkWbzu45hcGVuzl1p4fnlGvmiXKTg3L0qxN4fYg-gWyoRPYrTMHLZhBx1elZRz4Va1PNjZrCItA07hbne/s400/IMG_2765.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9EMMVcgCd8CEiP0HVdacQCvLgjmwqqVx3_fugymoU1Tl6k0aEHgguq-iFvpUQxkfEQIlycP8AxNmTpC2EbumZbyKXBjHXT9RPnZXKdt843pJy9194QnR_DfPhjSLGQNbfK9yXqgF9CVNF/s1600/IMG_2768.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9EMMVcgCd8CEiP0HVdacQCvLgjmwqqVx3_fugymoU1Tl6k0aEHgguq-iFvpUQxkfEQIlycP8AxNmTpC2EbumZbyKXBjHXT9RPnZXKdt843pJy9194QnR_DfPhjSLGQNbfK9yXqgF9CVNF/s400/IMG_2768.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<b><u>See the Circle</u></b></div>
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Generalizing shape identification has been something we have been doing more and more with Wes. "Wes, what shape is this cookie?" "Wes, what shapes are in this wind chime?" "What shapes would you use to make a Christmas tree?"</div>
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In the <u>See the Circle</u> activity, we used the provided "Circle" Cube to talk about things that were circles. Wes was pretty good at naming a ton of things that were circles. The one thing I thought was absolutely hilarious is that when presented with a photo of a record, Wes called it a black DVD. It reminded me how different our childhoods are! </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiE3oZ_O9JMRThtN3SB7sRyr5_ZgANRiX5hOkiSywknJc8jM7iq7UqZqAYZeKEYkv8yv2q8shiPqRqPu4zYl4W_vofL_zpSbNBdGka3rqZVxHwjnI6kyun1LJBmpGQet44Avgj8m0PW_5F1/s1600/IMG_2769.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiE3oZ_O9JMRThtN3SB7sRyr5_ZgANRiX5hOkiSywknJc8jM7iq7UqZqAYZeKEYkv8yv2q8shiPqRqPu4zYl4W_vofL_zpSbNBdGka3rqZVxHwjnI6kyun1LJBmpGQet44Avgj8m0PW_5F1/s400/IMG_2769.JPG" width="266" /></a></div>
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<b><u>Jack & Jill</u></b></div>
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We've had a bit of fun talking about the infamous siblings Jack & Jill. </div>
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In one activity, we painted the hill Jack & Jill went up to fetch their pail of water. We started off with hand printing blue and yellow paint up the hill. We sing-songed the rhyme as we placed handprints on the grassy areas. As Wes started to overlap and mix the paints we spoke about how yellow and blue made green. After the paint dried, we used our "grass" to re-enact the rhyme with our cut out Jack & Jill puppets.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtPXuZHeaAm0OQM5e5kAUJ8uOtNsBLUGmYBPKCy3EfIzrVJMB11zkRf5MG5vFvv9k64qsldoFXigetG8A34kwA04IXirROMqzb5QqW4BN9RoPSoIog5kXemQN6HRazaWgGIcFdl_KEnemP/s1600/IMG_2777.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtPXuZHeaAm0OQM5e5kAUJ8uOtNsBLUGmYBPKCy3EfIzrVJMB11zkRf5MG5vFvv9k64qsldoFXigetG8A34kwA04IXirROMqzb5QqW4BN9RoPSoIog5kXemQN6HRazaWgGIcFdl_KEnemP/s400/IMG_2777.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEP34HrNBnBNJJoMZbfALS_eXt2i1j-egDt3CVHxdFr1VHJM5l8zidPg3FwvBzG7lZ7CcWKgLskuJhqhwOeY13PNmK5MbPM8hHPffcCj1Olr9kb1cdADD1NZo_iz4SO5nz7kw0-ZXvA47Z/s1600/IMG_2778.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEP34HrNBnBNJJoMZbfALS_eXt2i1j-egDt3CVHxdFr1VHJM5l8zidPg3FwvBzG7lZ7CcWKgLskuJhqhwOeY13PNmK5MbPM8hHPffcCj1Olr9kb1cdADD1NZo_iz4SO5nz7kw0-ZXvA47Z/s400/IMG_2778.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoZq2_9dWYwqrrLt4N71xEClrairCm6BQxbRWE19TqgnejHFG4noW6EpwLUCthn8JvUef3qcg7CmmyushYiA05PUE0EGV0eNecMXEL9JAP2dm0pvP3JWd__wEG7az4PF3yKeDBc2inB2nI/s1600/IMG_2779.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoZq2_9dWYwqrrLt4N71xEClrairCm6BQxbRWE19TqgnejHFG4noW6EpwLUCthn8JvUef3qcg7CmmyushYiA05PUE0EGV0eNecMXEL9JAP2dm0pvP3JWd__wEG7az4PF3yKeDBc2inB2nI/s400/IMG_2779.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisc-etVSAmBNV9YpzYkMb4h6K3x9Wh_Sg8AW8Pf8fdy62ZWHwvKAOBTiBvM5oQin121r_hW3JJcR8vX_qMs1cX8V9Mm5ThdeUmHidEBguaIye_TOEsuo6KXwa5_aubuQSAJF_e2boVPGdX/s1600/IMG_2780.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisc-etVSAmBNV9YpzYkMb4h6K3x9Wh_Sg8AW8Pf8fdy62ZWHwvKAOBTiBvM5oQin121r_hW3JJcR8vX_qMs1cX8V9Mm5ThdeUmHidEBguaIye_TOEsuo6KXwa5_aubuQSAJF_e2boVPGdX/s400/IMG_2780.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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We also used our "pails" to do color sorting and talk about all the things we could use pails for, like carrying water, dirt, crayons and as Wes lovingly added "POOP". Boys...</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaAfw4cjelwRf0-NjUc-I42hUm3TPt38ZxKlHjFQrDZpsz0r7Lsp6UCAO3M6KJn4WFZOp7lZLpTuX0xJN44kbb6fxLFyt4u-k7AAPIy27yj57xaWqTF6mYj0VOfD6PBolF5oT5gNrD8pIx/s1600/IMG_2783.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaAfw4cjelwRf0-NjUc-I42hUm3TPt38ZxKlHjFQrDZpsz0r7Lsp6UCAO3M6KJn4WFZOp7lZLpTuX0xJN44kbb6fxLFyt4u-k7AAPIy27yj57xaWqTF6mYj0VOfD6PBolF5oT5gNrD8pIx/s400/IMG_2783.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<b><u>Family Members</u></b></div>
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Now, this activity may not seem like that big of a deal. But, let me tell you why I think that this one is really important and why I use it with my older son, Brady, who happens to be autistic.</div>
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This activity uses a simple picture of several people doing things in a park. It uses magnifying glasses to have your child "look" for specific images in the photo. Once the child has found the image, it gives you prompts to get them talking "ABOUT" what is going on and things they do with their family. This activity is great for Wes, but WONDERFUL for my older son who is working hard on answering open ended questions and carrying on a two way conversation. The photo contains just the right amount of different images but not too many that it is chaotic or confusing. </div>
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I've always raved about how a lot of the Mother Goose Time activities can be saved and re-used in places like waiting rooms, restaurants and at home and this is another one that I'm adding to our outing bag!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0OmBrVFLoXcpHszzkpm_O90eskLFYJYJo7U1VkUewAKYZBtnUMGVeyUSio-EiHIfbDPoqtRZvy-jGw9Nume78ZWUzi2H7_9shz0DiVDr9Z9Aqit2cWwEtobkHqVmWK9jnxHmErIybIirh/s1600/IMG_2781.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0OmBrVFLoXcpHszzkpm_O90eskLFYJYJo7U1VkUewAKYZBtnUMGVeyUSio-EiHIfbDPoqtRZvy-jGw9Nume78ZWUzi2H7_9shz0DiVDr9Z9Aqit2cWwEtobkHqVmWK9jnxHmErIybIirh/s400/IMG_2781.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4fC1ACVqQJtk1fyNve9XoLWVSvndj50z0379OAbvH0kEKJAstWDGukmMeCIBiFrflNaOD-HeZCLmExOWFKh4jpIt04p0b6gwDm-mgzTIaaCJoHA9xEH7xgwNbcwJ-QYGdPzJE_iByq1gU/s1600/IMG_2782.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4fC1ACVqQJtk1fyNve9XoLWVSvndj50z0379OAbvH0kEKJAstWDGukmMeCIBiFrflNaOD-HeZCLmExOWFKh4jpIt04p0b6gwDm-mgzTIaaCJoHA9xEH7xgwNbcwJ-QYGdPzJE_iByq1gU/s400/IMG_2782.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is how you use a magnifying glass, duh!</td></tr>
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<b><u>Journaling</u></b></div>
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I've always enjoyed the journaling aspect of Mother Goose Time's curriculum. It's neat for us to look back on the activities we've accomplished through the month.</div>
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We started our journal by writing our name on the front.</div>
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We then made an UPPERCASE "M" and a lower case "m" with a hand stamped "O" in the middle. Yup, this page and day we talked all about MOM! In the photo below, you can see how I'm placing my hand over most of the page. Because Wes still struggles with spatial awareness when writing, I simply block the page off to make a physical barrier of where he needs to write. He has good control when making an uppercase "M" but needed more hand over hand assistance with the lowercase "m".<br />
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<b><u>The Letter "M"</u></b><br />
Mother Goose Time's materials are top notch! I love the Letter cards that come each month. We save and use them all the time. Wes really likes the arrow pointer and we use and re-use it in many activities. After we did the initial letter activity, I used glue to add texture to the letter for more finger tracing practice.<br />
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<b><u>Mom's Helper</u></b><br />
Since we mostly run a "One man preschool", Wes gets to do ALL of the helper roles. But, since I want to focus on one role each day, we decided to go over what each helper does.<br />
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Then to really make it a fun lesson that would stick with him and I pretended to make a silly mess with all of our foam circles. I should have won an Oscar for the performance I put on. Since Wes was on "garbage patrol" he helped pick them up and reassure me that "messes happen, no big deal".<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdWItP-CHN59hQFUcrCGbFBHIai9S0BRukeG4KVI0ZkuRmm6ofDvsMHsrJrT7B7B-I0DePVhIJVRAwanWp8lvMvDKCRYqqQsP6vKMpDFzC2i1b9u0rHllRMcrDELoskJnAbySXVwXpuPQe/s1600/IMG_2792.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdWItP-CHN59hQFUcrCGbFBHIai9S0BRukeG4KVI0ZkuRmm6ofDvsMHsrJrT7B7B-I0DePVhIJVRAwanWp8lvMvDKCRYqqQsP6vKMpDFzC2i1b9u0rHllRMcrDELoskJnAbySXVwXpuPQe/s400/IMG_2792.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Wow mommy! This is a real mess!"</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-JXGZgbNXk5bgpsA9iv_PbEmVhyphenhyphendpOTBRa5uQDeYp-ne81cX2diIj0_HsiAFu_iMcHrTbHRutACaU3_ArPle1k3L1ILPeIqP5E91LHmmRxGKtzvfFPcKmIPV_tVKOxF5QINkJK1cdepxH/s1600/IMG_2793.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-JXGZgbNXk5bgpsA9iv_PbEmVhyphenhyphendpOTBRa5uQDeYp-ne81cX2diIj0_HsiAFu_iMcHrTbHRutACaU3_ArPle1k3L1ILPeIqP5E91LHmmRxGKtzvfFPcKmIPV_tVKOxF5QINkJK1cdepxH/s400/IMG_2793.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Dad, I'm on Garbage Patrol!"</td></tr>
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<b><u>Dress Up Daddy Art</u></b><br />
We made a Daddy stick puppet that had us chuckling at what Wes thought his daddy looked like. "Mommy, where's the grey crayon for Daddy's hair?"<br />
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We started by "looking for Daddy's hat?" and using a "daddy" voice to find it. It was hilarious to hear Wes portray his Daddy in his <i>deep voice</i>. "Where's my hat? Oh my goodness! I NEED my hat!"<br />
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This activity worked on a variety of things such as fine motor control (coloring, glueing) and color identification ("what color is daddy's hair/eyes?").<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFYM-eCwGQSJDRpqb6lsBXCHXnGOogYv0PVM9VqrjVZbv4iZYb12u7KrRiXyRXTHgKjOhISPSxAZ7_tWdw4-FqKZKTPH9Sh1-Z17hkbGkMcEpp403dH-kKRi9qxDrPkmRpf3SxIlsQEUxw/s1600/IMG_2796.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFYM-eCwGQSJDRpqb6lsBXCHXnGOogYv0PVM9VqrjVZbv4iZYb12u7KrRiXyRXTHgKjOhISPSxAZ7_tWdw4-FqKZKTPH9Sh1-Z17hkbGkMcEpp403dH-kKRi9qxDrPkmRpf3SxIlsQEUxw/s400/IMG_2796.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Maybe under here?"</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Found Daddy's hat!"</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Coloring his apple</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXweghr8CAKbvTHPZadyYsE42jTgDEsh3W8Yzft15Ikypa7so1M9MM2lTq7byM41ZaIsz1kk1pF5jxLeRDV8-R2ae3sArJR_NGOcyzhsU7ljSRvgpaWdZhMBaFoNi0ywT8Pjln_7oG_tP3/s1600/IMG_2800.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXweghr8CAKbvTHPZadyYsE42jTgDEsh3W8Yzft15Ikypa7so1M9MM2lTq7byM41ZaIsz1kk1pF5jxLeRDV8-R2ae3sArJR_NGOcyzhsU7ljSRvgpaWdZhMBaFoNi0ywT8Pjln_7oG_tP3/s400/IMG_2800.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Apparently daddy's hair is a goldish grey</td></tr>
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<b><u>Read With Me</u></b><br />
I know that I've mentioned how much I like the included books. This month's book was My Dad the Tuk Tuk Driver. It's a super cool book about a Tuk Tuk driver in Cambodia (a Tuk Tuk is pedicab). Wes found it fascinating to talk about Tuk Tuks. The book also includes prompts to talk about what is going on in the photos. I love that Mother Goose Time talks about other cultures and brings them into our home! We've looked up on a world map where Cambodia is and Wes wants to go there!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Mommy, they have the same trees as us!"</td></tr>
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<b><u>Writing Skills</u></b><br />
The curriculum included some fun Emergent Writing activity sheets.<br />
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<b><u>Family Dominoes</u></b><br />
I have to admit, I've never played dominoes before. EVER. So, I had no idea how it went. This month, the curriculum included a family domino activity. Because this was the first time for both of us, I placed the cards in one big pile and we took turns matching our cards in domino fashion! It was actually pretty fun! We bagged them up and plan on using this one on the go! Maybe I need to invest in some real dominoes!<br />
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As always, Mother Goose Time is a ton of fun! I love this month's theme of Me and My Family! If you'd like to learn more about the Mother Goose Time boxed curriculum, please visit their website at <a href="http://www.mothergoosetime.com/">www.mothergoosetime.com</a>. Homeschooling Wes for preschool has been fun for our entire family. If you are considering it but don't know if it's for you, I'd be happy to answer any questions you might have!</div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-126822147195089787.post-73837089316426587642013-10-11T06:25:00.001-07:002013-10-11T06:25:34.902-07:00Camera Giveaway Time!!!!Join me and my blogger friends for a huge-gantic (yes, I just made up that word!) giveaway! Just in time for the holiday season, we are teaming up to give away a Canon or Nikon Bundle worth $1000!!!!<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #80837c; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 300; line-height: 26px;"></span><br />
<div style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; line-height: 1.625; margin-bottom: 1.625rem; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<img alt="pmpcameragiveaway" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-15693" height="796" src="http://www.prettymyparty.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/pmpcameragiveaway.jpg" width="700" /></div>
<div style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; line-height: 1.625; margin-bottom: 1.625rem; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
Do you love taking photos but can’t afford a professional camera? Thanks to <a href="http://momspark.net/" style="-webkit-transition-delay: initial; -webkit-transition-duration: 0.1s; -webkit-transition-property: all; -webkit-transition-timing-function: ease-in-out; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; color: #eaa7a7; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank">Mom Spark</a>,<a href="http://gimmiefreebies.com/" style="-webkit-transition-delay: initial; -webkit-transition-duration: 0.1s; -webkit-transition-property: all; -webkit-transition-timing-function: ease-in-out; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; color: #eaa7a7; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank">Gimmie Freebies</a>, <a href="http://www.thehopelesshousewife.com/" style="-webkit-transition-delay: initial; -webkit-transition-duration: 0.1s; -webkit-transition-property: all; -webkit-transition-timing-function: ease-in-out; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; color: #eaa7a7; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank">The Hopeless Housewife</a>, and some other awesome blogs and businesses, Miss Momvocate along with Pretty My Party, is giving away your choice of a Canon or Nikon digital camera bundle! Choose between a <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Camera-STM-55-250mm-Telephoto-Accessory/dp/B00COSHR20/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1381433934&sr=8-1&keywords=canon+eos+rebel+t5i+bundle" style="-webkit-transition-delay: initial; -webkit-transition-duration: 0.1s; -webkit-transition-property: all; -webkit-transition-timing-function: ease-in-out; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; color: #eaa7a7; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank">Canon EOS Rebel T5i bundle worth over $1,000</a> or a <a href="http://www.amazon.com/D5200-Camera-3-5-5-6G-55-300mm-Accessory/dp/B00B5JUYOM/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1381434146&sr=8-4&keywords=Nikon+bundle" style="-webkit-transition-delay: initial; -webkit-transition-duration: 0.1s; -webkit-transition-property: all; -webkit-transition-timing-function: ease-in-out; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; color: #eaa7a7; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank">Nikon D5200 bundle worth over $1,000!</a></div>
<div style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; line-height: 1.625; margin-bottom: 1.625rem; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<a href="http://www.prettymyparty.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/canonbundlegiveaway.jpg" style="-webkit-transition-delay: initial; -webkit-transition-duration: 0.1s; -webkit-transition-property: all; -webkit-transition-timing-function: ease-in-out; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; color: #eaa7a7; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"></a></div>
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<a href="http://www.prettymyparty.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/canonbundlegiveaway.jpg" style="-webkit-transition-delay: initial; -webkit-transition-duration: 0.1s; -webkit-transition-property: all; -webkit-transition-timing-function: ease-in-out; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; color: #eaa7a7; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><img alt="canonbundlegiveaway" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-15690" height="500" src="http://www.prettymyparty.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/canonbundlegiveaway.jpg" style="border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-color: initial; border-left-style: none; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-style: none; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-style: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-width: initial; display: block; height: auto; margin-bottom: 1.5rem; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; margin-top: 0px; max-width: 100%; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;" width="500" /></a><br />
<div class="sdjpip_linkbox sdjpip_left" style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.796875); border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 5px; padding-left: 10px; padding-right: 10px; padding-top: 5px; position: relative; text-align: left; top: -26px; vertical-align: baseline;">
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<a href="http://www.prettymyparty.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/nikonbundlegiveaway.jpg" style="-webkit-transition-delay: initial; -webkit-transition-duration: 0.1s; -webkit-transition-property: all; -webkit-transition-timing-function: ease-in-out; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; color: #eaa7a7; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"></a><br />
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<a href="http://www.prettymyparty.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/nikonbundlegiveaway.jpg" style="-webkit-transition-delay: initial; -webkit-transition-duration: 0.1s; -webkit-transition-property: all; -webkit-transition-timing-function: ease-in-out; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; color: #eaa7a7; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><img alt="nikonbundlegiveaway" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-15691" height="500" src="http://www.prettymyparty.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/nikonbundlegiveaway.jpg" style="border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-color: initial; border-left-style: none; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-style: none; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-style: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-width: initial; display: block; height: auto; margin-bottom: 1.5rem; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; margin-top: 0px; max-width: 100%; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;" width="500" /></a><br />
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This is a blog/business sponsored giveaway. The full list of sponsors can be seen on the Rafflecopter entry form: <a href="http://www.designdazzle.com/" style="-webkit-transition-delay: initial; -webkit-transition-duration: 0.1s; -webkit-transition-property: all; -webkit-transition-timing-function: ease-in-out; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; color: #eaa7a7; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank">Design Dazzle</a>, <a href="http://measuredbytheheart.com/" style="-webkit-transition-delay: initial; -webkit-transition-duration: 0.1s; -webkit-transition-property: all; -webkit-transition-timing-function: ease-in-out; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; color: #eaa7a7; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank">Measured By the Heart</a>,<a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop/TheGreenGrassGrows" style="-webkit-transition-delay: initial; -webkit-transition-duration: 0.1s; -webkit-transition-property: all; -webkit-transition-timing-function: ease-in-out; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; color: #eaa7a7; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank">Where the Green Grass Grows Designs</a>, <a href="http://www.thejohansonjourney.com/" style="-webkit-transition-delay: initial; -webkit-transition-duration: 0.1s; -webkit-transition-property: all; -webkit-transition-timing-function: ease-in-out; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; color: #eaa7a7; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank">The Johanson Journey</a>, <a href="http://sugarplumit.com/" style="-webkit-transition-delay: initial; -webkit-transition-duration: 0.1s; -webkit-transition-property: all; -webkit-transition-timing-function: ease-in-out; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; color: #eaa7a7; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank">Debbie Kennedy Events & Design</a>, <a href="http://www.theprettypartyshoppe.com/" style="-webkit-transition-delay: initial; -webkit-transition-duration: 0.1s; -webkit-transition-property: all; -webkit-transition-timing-function: ease-in-out; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; color: #eaa7a7; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank">The Pretty Party Shoppe</a>.</div>
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Rules: The giveaway is open worldwide to all participants age 18 and older. If the winner resides outside of the U.S. they are required to pay shipping or opt for PayPal cash in exchange of the prize. The giveaway is open until midnight EST October 18, 2013. One winner will be chosen randomly through Rafflecopter. The winner will be notified by email from hello@prettymyparty.com. Please make sure that email is on your safe email list and doesn’t end up in your spam folder. The winner will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. The winner will be announced on Pretty My Party after the giveaway ends.</div>
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Disclosure: This giveaway is blog/business-sponsored and is in no way associated with Canon, Nikon or any of its products, Rafflecopter, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram, Google+, Pay Pal, or any other social media platform. Pretty My Party and those bloggers and businesses participating receive no compensation to promote Canon or Nikon products, especially digital cameras.</div>
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Remember: The more entries you complete, the better your chances are of winning the prize. Unlock the chances at the end to earn even more points!</div>
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Good luck!</div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-126822147195089787.post-24450278058874965432013-10-07T08:41:00.000-07:002013-10-07T08:41:19.902-07:00October Fave FiveI CANNOT BELIEVE IT IS OCTOBER! Like two more months until the end of the year...how the heck did that happen?<br />
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Well, another month and another fave five!<br />
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<b><u>Trader Joe's All-In-One Facial Cleanser</u></b><br />
I have been using the Oil Cleansing Method for nearly a year now and am really happy with it. But, I've noticed that my skin has been a little dull lately and picked this face wash up during my last trip to Trader Joe's. At $5, if it didn't work, I wasn't out a fortune.<br />
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To my surprise, this stuff actually rocks. I still use my oil to take off my eye makeup but, this stuff is strong enough to take off my makeup but gentle enough to not tear up my face. If you are looking for a pretty good, but inexpensive face wash, try this one out!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6kUFOkvQ8kVWg3wTsVniSW5xGSeNCS6BwO9KhCc15WaUdzpBIGrxPQZ_xZPSZvXrTF-nOjtbu_Zu-u9ecxI91hXTK1Qdh4r8PdhOFeZEJakn7l7uXpDpj4eOYMWTg57VocGywpwjQB0U-/s1600/TJs-Face-wash.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6kUFOkvQ8kVWg3wTsVniSW5xGSeNCS6BwO9KhCc15WaUdzpBIGrxPQZ_xZPSZvXrTF-nOjtbu_Zu-u9ecxI91hXTK1Qdh4r8PdhOFeZEJakn7l7uXpDpj4eOYMWTg57VocGywpwjQB0U-/s320/TJs-Face-wash.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<b><u>Buxom Full On Lip Gloss</u></b></div>
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I admit it - I'm a lip gloss gal. I like to try lip glosses all the time. Cheap, expensive, tingly, colorful, sparkly and bright...you name it, I'll try it. But, low and behold, I have found one that I <i><u>REALLY</u></i> like and might make me a loyal customer. </div>
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Buxom Full On Lip Gloss is a tingly, lip plumping (well, on me not so much) lip gloss that really has some staying power and isn't goopy. All things I like. I bought the mini kit from Sephora and I really can't decide which color I like best! I am using Cherry Flip a lot, which is a color I probably would not have pick out based off of what it looks like at first glance, but it's a cute pink that isn't too loud. The tingle in the lip gloss lasts for a really long time, so if you don't like tingly lip glosses, don't pick this up!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMdmIfFnBN5jZTwwQ2cb2kOWBMUpfPI5-LM5jOetqo-alpf7cX-cQVngpZ-FLQMAIfV10Ufg8o2UWK8TW0NwvXoVYLmdwHhNI-F7W5Bgyxhw5VBiPSAp7BMJCYHStBHPrQOaNSe8ooAVCu/s1600/buxom-big-healthy-lip-cream.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMdmIfFnBN5jZTwwQ2cb2kOWBMUpfPI5-LM5jOetqo-alpf7cX-cQVngpZ-FLQMAIfV10Ufg8o2UWK8TW0NwvXoVYLmdwHhNI-F7W5Bgyxhw5VBiPSAp7BMJCYHStBHPrQOaNSe8ooAVCu/s320/buxom-big-healthy-lip-cream.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<b><u>Elizabethan Desserts</u></b></div>
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This has been my favorite dessert place for about the last five years. Only problem, or shall I say the only <b><i>BLESSING</i></b> is that it is about 45 minutes away from our home. But, now that Brady has Brain Highways class right across the street from Elizabethan Dessert's new location, I have been there every Sunday enjoying their delicacies! My go-to dessert is their Grasshopper cupcake. <i>Oh minty my</i>. If they are out of those delicious little yummies, I usually get a Magic Bar which is made with all sorts of magicness. </div>
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If you are ever in the Encinitas, California area, definitely stop by and have a little good ol' American dessert. Their St. Louis Ooey Gooey Bars even made Bon Appetites' Top Desserts. Seriously LEGIT. Visit their website <a href="http://www.elizabethandesserts.com/" target="_blank">HERE</a>.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVWmCtQMunm5ar9OxM8M8tu6BwYH1ZjlHItyrQshjtBWzgFqRJ0Qw952ZaDr-uU0P9BBDtq607NQFH5kA6VT7BjYeNJVds_YAdE3W1NKM_76QBVCjmnCtnggwnNW7z0HAi5UzStxAPzu_E/s1600/Grasshopper.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVWmCtQMunm5ar9OxM8M8tu6BwYH1ZjlHItyrQshjtBWzgFqRJ0Qw952ZaDr-uU0P9BBDtq607NQFH5kA6VT7BjYeNJVds_YAdE3W1NKM_76QBVCjmnCtnggwnNW7z0HAi5UzStxAPzu_E/s320/Grasshopper.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Their cupcakes come in mini and regular sizes. I know, who the heck buys a mini cupcake?</td></tr>
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<b><u>Personalized Silicone Cup Bands</u></b></div>
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One thing that has almost made me bat-sh*t crazy with my two boys is their fierce possessiveness over their water bottles. Well, not so much Brady, but Wes is uber possessive over his favorite water bottles. If Brady even dares look at Wes' water bottle, especially his new <i>Jake and the Neverland Pirates </i>stainless steel water "canteen" from the Disney Store, Wes' flips his lid! Poor Brady! And, poor hubby! He innocently will give Brady Wes' cups and that just causes meltdowns all around! Wes is crying because "it's MINE Daddy! MINE!". Brady is crying because "Daddy gave it to ME!" and Dave is about to cry because he can't stand the whining! </div>
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So, to make it very CLEAR to everyone and end the water bottle madness I purchased these silicone cup bands and they are seriously awesome. Each boy picked their own color - Brady picked green and Wes picked blue and I had their full names debossed on each. </div>
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They fit really nice and snug on their water bottles and they are great for many reasons. Because each boy has their own "color", hubby can easily tell who each cup belongs to. Crisis averted. But, one unintended benefit is that each boy can read and identify their own cups. Another cool thing is that Wes is trying his hardest to remember how to spell his last name and he can do this independently now (sometimes long last names are a pain!)</div>
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There are four in a pack and I ordered and received them in less than a week. Super sweet! Visit <a href="https://www.etsy.com/transaction/152055222?ref=fb2_tnx_title" target="_blank">theinkjunkie on Etsy</a> to order yours!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyl9bV_rosRTtGSOAbWfrkuK71wJAWFceYMODFdyoZQxYPulCHQF7ISh3JJ0aTHA1TM35eDc5YI1dSys8ibBa-hn_Ydx1xW1tgpEziSHE_sCAITXu2YlhB5VAmXz1k6iFfiMYN3qMb91Yp/s1600/CupID+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyl9bV_rosRTtGSOAbWfrkuK71wJAWFceYMODFdyoZQxYPulCHQF7ISh3JJ0aTHA1TM35eDc5YI1dSys8ibBa-hn_Ydx1xW1tgpEziSHE_sCAITXu2YlhB5VAmXz1k6iFfiMYN3qMb91Yp/s320/CupID+2.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHmJ7mc2EX04JRoTkwVmJvq_GFRfBovjmIjP9htzqhcpZzOuGLkncCI69P-GjvJ1Vx_Wi7llLqfFkl73SgM2QlE5G5fwnCtdrAbmZrF6e_MbyZZ_g7qXOuiSyRPncZbl7n3rBsrKDAfPLL/s1600/CupID.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHmJ7mc2EX04JRoTkwVmJvq_GFRfBovjmIjP9htzqhcpZzOuGLkncCI69P-GjvJ1Vx_Wi7llLqfFkl73SgM2QlE5G5fwnCtdrAbmZrF6e_MbyZZ_g7qXOuiSyRPncZbl7n3rBsrKDAfPLL/s320/CupID.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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<b><u>Smarty Pants Vitamins</u></b></div>
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Finding a vitamin that Brady will take is fairly difficult. It seems that a lot of vitamins are coated with sugar, which he hates! I had found a vitamin that worked for us, but we also had to supplement with Fiber and Omegas separately. Each morning he had a ton of things to take!</div>
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A friend had recommended Smart Pants vitamins and I was a little hesitant trying something new with him. But, they had a money back guarantee so I decided to give it a go. What I really like is that Brady can take one vitamin that contains not only his daily vitamins and minerals, but his Omegas and Fiber as well. I'm all about streamlining Brady's supplements wherever I can!</div>
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Besides liking what's<i><b> INSIDE</b></i> the vitamins, I really like what's <b><i>NOT INSIDE</i></b> them. They are free of high fructose corn syrup, artificial colors, flavors or preservatives. They are also gluten and casein-free. </div>
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And, if you want to know the best thing about Smarty Pants...they make a 1-for-1 matching nutrient grant to a child in need through their partnership with Vitamin Angels. Visit their website <a href="http://smartypantsvitamins.com/" target="_blank">HERE</a> for more information on their products</div>
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Hope you are already enjoying your Fall! </div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-126822147195089787.post-61709855340154328672013-10-04T14:48:00.000-07:002013-10-04T14:48:11.066-07:00It's Fall Ya'll!Hey everyone!<br />
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Sorry! I've been M.I.A. for the last month. I needed to take some time to rest and give my current life perspective a tune up! We've had an, well, EVENTFUL September and now that I've taken some time to just LIVE life and enjoy those mundane moments, I'm back and rejuvenated!<br />
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So, today, I want to share what I have learned over the month of September...<br />
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<b><u><i>Nothing in life is guaranteed. </i></u></b><br />
Nothing in life is absolutely guaranteed. You could be a good person. You could eat right, exercise and take your vitamins. You could do everything right, but, there is a strong chance that something will happen that will shake you right to your core.<br />
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Our dear friend, Patti, was recently diagnosed with Stage IV Hodgkin's Lymphoma. She is one of the most kind, funny and boisterous women I know. When my water broke with Brady, the first person I called was her (she wasn't home, but thankfully her hubby, Jeff, is equally awesome and he WAS home!). She's a "go-to" person; the person you want by your side when you need comfort. But, one uneventful day I received a call from her husband and he told us she found out she had cancer. The pit of my stomach just clenched up. While no one ever deserves cancer, she was not the person this should happen to. <b><i>(To lend her a prayer and read about her journey, please visit her blog at <a href="http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/champatti411/mystory">http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/champatti411/mystory</a>)</i></b><br />
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But, some times the most tragic circumstances bring about the most beautiful things. The amount of people who have come together to rally behind this beautiful woman is magical. It is really inspiring how much love has been shown for her. And, it is this love that makes me realize that I don't want those who I love to ever not <b><i>FEEL</i></b> that type of love every day from me.<br />
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<i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;">I have decided that:</span></i><br />
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<li><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;">I will NEVER go to sleep without telling my hubby and boys how much I love them</span></i></li>
<li><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;">I will NEVER let my boys drift to sleep without hearing me tell them something specific I was proud they accomplished that day and that I love them with all of my heart</span></i></li>
<li><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;">I will never let the mundane things get in the way of doing something genuine for someone else</span></i></li>
<li><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;">Things can be rescheduled...so if something fun comes up I want to do, reschedule the things that can be rescheduled so we can just have fun!</span></i></li>
<li><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;">Make someone else happy every day, even if it is a stranger. Everyone is experiencing their own struggles, so making someone's day may be a blessing for us both.</span></i></li>
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<b><i><u>My husband is my rock</u></i></b><br />
Things have definitely been trying on my marriage over the years. Not so trying that I have felt like my marriage was ever in danger, but it has definitely been hard. I have forced myself to take a step back and look at my interactions with my husband as if I were a bystander watching us. There are definitely times where I am not as kind as I should be. My patience wears thin and my worries have made me weary and tired. And, with that, my vows of commitment to honor my husband and all he does for us has made it to the bottom of a long list of priorities. This is something I should have never let happen.<br />
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I look at what this wonderful man does for his family...He is present for his boys. He provides a very comfortable life for his family. He makes sure to allow his wife respite from her motherly duties (oh, how dramatic that sounds!). He picks up clutter, fixes dinner, scoops dog poop, kisses boo-boos, puts up with Pinterest projects, says, "No, your butt doesn't look big in that" and does not ever complain that it is too much. He makes sure to give me credit for all that I do, which is invaluable to me and my self worth, which I've struggled with ever since I made the decision to be a stay-at-home-mom. What I have realized is that I do not sincerely honor him for all that he is. And, I <b><i>SHOULD</i></b>.<br />
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<i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;">With this realization, I have committed to honoring him each and every day. Even if it is for the little things because it's the little things that really do matter. I'll keep you guys updated how I face this challenge this month because I don't want to ruin the surprises for him! </span></i><br />
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<b><i><u>My kids are my miracles</u></i></b><br />
Every day brings their challenges, especially with kids. Uh, I should add, especially with a special needs kiddo. And, with those challenges, I have realized how frustrated I get with them and how much I let them KNOW it. I spend more time being frustrated than I do being encouraging and supportive.<br />
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And, I get it...the days are short and my list of things to do are long, so it's easy to become easily flustered and frustrated when they delay and fret over little things. But, really, they are little and they are supposed to make mistakes and be curious about EVERYTHING. I need to stop treating them as if they are TRYING to make my day difficult and stop to appreciate the moments that I'm able to teach them. Those moments when they want me to help them will eventually end and I need to seize the moment while it is here.<br />
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<i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;">I promise my little ones that I will start making an effort to slow our days down and let the learning moments happen. I've been whining that they are growing up so fast, but really, I haven't taken the time to enjoy them like I should. I am going to join in on the wonder of learning new things and their vivacious curiosity. If only adults would take time to be amazed by the small things our children are fascinated by! </span></i><br />
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So, in essence, I've realized that I've needed to slow down. I need a slower paced life. I need to enjoy my boys each day, not wishing for bed times to hurry up and for their cherub faces to be sleeping (and quiet). I need to be a better friend, a better mom and a better wife. I need to focus on taking care of today and stop worrying so much about tomorrow. I need to remind myself that nothing in life is guaranteed. I need to remind myself that I'll never get today back so don't wish it away!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-126822147195089787.post-14751052356133724662013-09-04T07:20:00.000-07:002013-09-04T07:23:25.752-07:00My Fave Five - SeptemberWAHHHH! Summer is almost over! I'm holding onto summer with every thread of my being! Well, that's a tad bit dramatic. But, summer is not <b><i>OFFICIALLY</i></b> over until my birthday on the 21st. I mean, <i>officially </i>the <a href="http://www.almanac.com/content/first-day-fall-autumnal-equinox" target="_blank">Autumnal Equinox begins on September 22</a>, so I'm keeping it all about summer until then! No, really. The whole Autumnal Equinox thing - that is a fact. I didn't make that up...although I probably would have if it weren't true.<br />
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With all that gibberish said...my five favorite products are all summer related!<br />
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<b><i><u>Honey Bronze Shimmering Dry Oil</u></i></b><br />
This Honey Bronze Shimmering Dry Oil from The Body Shop is just awesome! It adds a little bit of shimmery bronze to my legs, which they definitely need since I didn't get a summer tan this year! Slather a little on your collar bone and shoulders for a nice highlight while sporting your maxi dresses!<br />
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I absolutely love the light scent. It reminds me of something from my youth, but I can't quite place it. And, for being an oil, it doesn't leave a oily feel, which is nice when you are melting away in the summer heat!<br />
<b><i><u><img alt="Click for enlarged view" class="product" data-sku="honey-bronze-shimmering-dry-oil" imagename="honey-bronze-shimmering-dry-oil" src="http://www.thebodyshop-usa.com/images/packshot/products/large/honey-bronze-shimmering-dry-oil_l.jpg" title="Click for enlarged view" /></u></i></b><br />
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<b><u><i>Dragonfruit Lip Butter</i></u></b><br />
The Body Shop has this lip butter at the registers. It is super silky and not sticky, stinky or weird tasting. It is not tinted, but it gives your lips a little lighter shade of its natural color when you wear it.<br />
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I should admit that I am a marketing company's dream because I am a sucker for impulse buys like this. The thing that sold me is that you receive chips that you use to select which of three organizations you want to receive 100% of the profits from the sale of the lip butter. The organizations to chose from are WeStopHate, Big Cat Rescue and Sprout Up. I chose WeStopHate, which is an organization that created a movement to help stop bullying and empower youngins to believe and love themselves. To me, it was an easy sell!<br />
<img alt="Click for enlarged view" class="product" data-sku="dragon-fruit-lip-butter" height="320" imagename="dragon-fruit-lip-butter" src="http://www.thebodyshop-usa.com/images/packshot/products/large/dragon-fruit-lip-butter_l.jpg" title="Click for enlarged view" width="320" /><br />
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<b><u><i>Salux Exfoliating </i></u></b><br />
I have been buying this skin cloth for a long time but it comes in especially handy in the summer. With all the shaving, self-tannin' and sweatin' that occurs in the hot summer months, I find that this little skin cloth helps a lot! It is just rough enough to give you a good scrub, but not too rough where you feel assaulted! It's also long and thin enough to use on your back without an extra person, handle or wand. Just add your body wash, get a good lather going and that's that! Easy peasy!<br />
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<img class="fullScreen" height="203" src="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/91TcZkwT19L._SL1500_.jpg" style="height: 475px; margin-left: 81px; margin-top: 10px; width: 746.9818913480885px;" width="320" /><br />
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<b><u><i>Essie Sunday Funday</i></u></b><br />
This color has quickly become my favorite summer shade. It's a coral type pink, with the tiniest amount of shimmer. And, if you have olive skin tone like I do, it makes you look tanner than you are! 'Nuff said.<br />
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<img alt="" id="main-image" rel="" src="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/31OKFepsmVL.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; display: inline;" /><br />
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<b><u><i>Good Hair Days Magic Grip Hairpins</i></u></b><br />
Since I cannot bring myself to cut my hair, I've been wearing it up all summer to avoid from melting in the summer heat. And, because I have super fine hair, it doesn't easily stay up with just a rubber band or without using a gazillion bobby pins. But, alas, I found these Magic-Grip Hairpins and they are seriously all sorts of awesome. I normally only need about two of them and they hold my hair in place and don't give me ouchie head and headaches. If you have a Sally's Beauty Supply, you can normally find a good selection there.<br />
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<img class="fullScreen" src="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/71CbqXXgkcL._SL1000_.jpg" style="height: 475px; margin-left: 206.5px; margin-top: 10px; width: 495px;" /></div>
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Hope you are enjoying the last few weeks of our summertime! And, since September is my birth and favorite month all year...I'm going to give away all of my SEPTEMBER FAVE FIVE products to one lucky winner! The winner will get (1) Honey Bronze Dry Oil, (1) Dragonfruit Lip Butter, (1) Salux Exfoliating Cloth, (1) Essie Sunday Funday Polish, and (1) Package of Good Hair Days hair clips! Just enter below! It's that easy! </div>
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<b><u>Links</u></b></div>
<iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/cm?t=missmomv-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=B00BXS0KH6&ref=qf_sp_asin_til&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe>
<iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/cm?t=missmomv-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=B007IAE5WY&ref=qf_sp_asin_til&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe>
<iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/cm?t=missmomv-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=B0041TDMZ6&ref=qf_sp_asin_til&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe>
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<a href="http://www.thebodyshop-usa.com/skin-care/lip-treatments/dragon-fruit-lip-butter.aspx?cm_re=09TeaTree13-_-SubBL-_-DFLB" target="_blank">The Body Shop Dragonfruit Lip Butter</a><br />
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<a href="http://www.thebodyshop-usa.com/whats-new/honey-bronze-products/honey-bronze-shimmering-dry-oil.aspx" target="_blank">The Body Shop Honey Bronze Oil</a><br />
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<a class="rafl" href="http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/396b333/" id="rc-396b333" rel="nofollow">a Rafflecopter giveaway</a>
<script src="//d12vno17mo87cx.cloudfront.net/embed/rafl/cptr.js"></script>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-126822147195089787.post-54107271273085403132013-08-27T13:00:00.003-07:002013-08-27T13:00:38.034-07:00Sommerfly Sleep Tight Weighted BlanketsIn past posts, I have discussed our difficulties with Brady's sleep issues. <i>*Knock on wood*</i> For the last 6 or so months, Brady has been able to sleep through the night! We tried several things along our road to slumberland. Some things worked, some things absolutely did not. But, one of the things that seemed to have helped was giving Brady a weighted blanket to sleep with.<br />
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The suggestion of using a weighted blankets had been given to us by several people. But, for various reasons, we just didn't hop on it like we should have. First off, weighted blankets are <i>expensive</i>. We didn't know anyone we could <i>borrow</i> one from, so that was not an option. <i>Secondly</i>, I had no idea which one, which brand or which weight to buy. So, me being me, I began my research and quest to find the very best weighted blanket for our nocturnal son.<br />
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In my research, the things that mattered most to me were:<br />
- Price<br />
- Material<br />
- Durability<br />
- Washability<br />
- Customer Service<br />
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There are <i>SEVERAL</i> weighted blankets on the market. There are hand-made ones with custom fabrics. There are ones with removable weights. There are ones with fancy designs. But, what caught my eye about one in particular was its unique design. I mean, come on...a blanket with a unique design? Yes, this unique design is what sets apart this blanket from the rest.<br />
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The one with the design that caught my eye was a beige corduroy Sleep Tight weighted blanket from <b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue;">Sommerfly</span></b>. The reason the design was intriguing is because it had a "U" shaped cutout to allow the blanket to lay over the shoulders, rather than a straight edge that would lay across the shoulders. Another feature that I liked was that it wasn't incredibly thick or "bubble" looking like some of the other weighted blankets. And, because this is for a child, I wanted a blanket that didn't require anything but tossing it in the washing machine to clean it. And, <b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue;">Sommerfly</span></b> met that requirement, too!</div>
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Like I mentioned, weighted blankets are not a cheap item. They are quite the investment. But, when you are about at your wit's end with no sleep, you would gladly pay the amount for some sleep! We chose a small 8 lb. weighted blanket for our son, Brady, which ran us $166.00. Sommerfly's website has a very useful sizing guide to assist you in selecting the appropriate weighted blanket.</div>
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We noticed a remarkable difference in the calmness Brady exhibits when under the weighted blanket. When covered with the blanket, he does not move. It instantly calms him. He likes his blanket so much that he has named it his "HUGGY BLANKET". Each night as we tuck him into bed, he first asks for his "brown blanket" followed by his "huggy blanket". And, on the occasional night when he awakes for a moment, as soon as he is returned to his bed and the weighted blanket is draped over him, he drifts back to sleep. Below is a photo I had to get stealth like of Brady with his weighted blanket. It's not the best photo, but you get the point! Normally, he has the blanket pulled up over his shoulders. But, because it's been a little bit warmer these last few weeks, he prefers to have it pulled down a little.</div>
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Now, I can't end this post without telling you that I was really impressed with Sommerfly's customer service. I'm just a person who believes that if you are investing in something like a weighted blanket, the company should be able to answer your questions and assist you in making an informed decision about their product. Sommerfly employs several wonderful occupational therapists that are more than qualified and happy to answer your questions and help you select the most appropriate product for your needs. </div>
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So, if you are in the market for a weighted blanket, I suggest you consider Sommerfly. We found that Brady's use of a weighted blanket not only provided him sound rest, but gave US much needed sleep as well. We even travel with his weighted blanket! It's on our packing list right after underwear and before toothbrush! And, we even turned my father-in-law into a Sommerfly weighted blanket user! He has his very own 25 lb. weighted blanket! </div>
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For more information about their products, please visit them at <a href="http://Sommerfly.com/">Sommerfly.com</a> . </div>
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<i>*This is NOT a sponsored post.*</i></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-126822147195089787.post-69139792213787487402013-08-17T07:07:00.001-07:002013-08-17T07:07:51.763-07:00Lighter Beef Pad-Thai Last week I shared that the hubster and I are trying to cook lighter dinner entrees. We have really stepped out of our comfort zone of heavier pastas, potato and rice laden dishes and embraced more things like spaghetti squash and cauliflower based selections. We have been sticking with this challenge pretty religiously for the last month. Much to our surprise, we have really enjoyed many of our new selections!<br />
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One of Dave's favorite new dishes is this lighter version of Pad Thai. Rather than using the traditional rice noodles, this recipe uses spaghetti squash. While it requires a little more prep work, it is very delish!<br />
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Another switch-a-roo this recipe calls for is PB2. Have any of you tried it? It's powdered peanut butter that contains 85% less fat calories than your traditional peanut butter. I had to order it from Amazon.com, but, I think I'm going to try and use it in more recipes so it's a good investment in my opinion!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0O_kTCF9OfXmFTDnvw_5RjNwpZMUmv7NJW0ACnLZpgV5xZ-AdQ4k5OWd7MS7BJy7bOv-SLb2XmnEuRGzNPCnjj95nLBscpTgwKlFFsgY7T8erQ-g1rfvWrJYyjEuykVTsbEqMOp5GCw9K/s1600/pb2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0O_kTCF9OfXmFTDnvw_5RjNwpZMUmv7NJW0ACnLZpgV5xZ-AdQ4k5OWd7MS7BJy7bOv-SLb2XmnEuRGzNPCnjj95nLBscpTgwKlFFsgY7T8erQ-g1rfvWrJYyjEuykVTsbEqMOp5GCw9K/s320/pb2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<b><i>Again</i></b>, I totally forgot to take a photo of the finished product. Soooowww-rrrryyyy! I basically was so hungry, I shlepped it in a bowl and dug in! But, trust me, it's yummo! And, to get a two thumbs up from hubby is huge! <b><i>Hubby approved stamp of approval!</i></b><br />
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Well, let's get down to the nitty gritty...<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqgKom7uNfHuP7Xx9ojSaVeQzx9n1R4WsS3Auqi3t1QJ4_p1NfUhnJiCXwnM246PsXG3J04OJpg7TQ3BE3EQqM4pFdazaREmlhccegOC7a8OG5AlPbI_GPu_BV6Q528lSaffD8wqGRdyMV/s1600/IMG_2640.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqgKom7uNfHuP7Xx9ojSaVeQzx9n1R4WsS3Auqi3t1QJ4_p1NfUhnJiCXwnM246PsXG3J04OJpg7TQ3BE3EQqM4pFdazaREmlhccegOC7a8OG5AlPbI_GPu_BV6Q528lSaffD8wqGRdyMV/s400/IMG_2640.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Clearly, I make it a point NOT to include all of the ingredients in 1 photo because that would make TOO much sense.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b><u><br /></u></b>
<b><u>Lighter Beef Pad-Thai</u></b><br />
<i>Adapted slightly from www.sandyskitchenadventures.com</i><br />
<br />
<b><i>What You'll Need </i></b><br />
3 1/2 cups of cooked spaghetti squash<br />
1 cup of shredded/chopped cabbage<br />
1 1/2 to 2 lb. boneless flat sirloin steak tips (or similar)<br />
1/4 cup reduced sodium beef broth<br />
4 Tbs. PB2 Powdered Peanut Buter<br />
1 Tbs. rice wine vinegar<br />
2 Tbs. red cayenne pepper<br />
1/4 tsp ground ginger<br />
1/2 tsp garlic powder<br />
1 tsp minced garlic<br />
dash of red pepper flakes<br />
<b><i><br /></i></b>
<b><i>Optional garnishes</i></b><br />
2 Tbs. dry roasted peanuts, chopped<br />
Chopped cilantro<br />
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<b><i>The How To</i></b><br />
Preheat your oven to 375. Cut the spaghetti squash in half length wise. Scoop out seeds, being careful to leave the flesh. Place cut side up in a casserole dish or baking sheet. Bake for 40-50 minutes or until cooked. Let cool before scooping out fleshy noodles. Set aside.<br />
<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We like our meat</td></tr>
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<br />
In a small bowl, combine beef broth, powdered peanut butter, rice wine vinegar, soy sauce, cayenne pepper, ground ginger, garlic powder, red pepper flakes and minced garlic. Set aside.<br />
<br />
Season your steak. I used Montreal Steak Seasoning. I prefer to let my steak sit out a bit (about an hour) before I cook it. Grill (or cook however you prefer, I used a grill pan) your steak. Set aside to rest and cut after giving it some time.<br />
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Coat a large skillet with cooking spray (I use my Misto). Add spaghetti squash, cabbage and sauce. Heat over medium heat until warmed through and cabbage is slightly wilted. Add beef. Garnish and serve!<br />
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Makes 3-4 GENEROUS servings.<br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-126822147195089787.post-3128284266865771292013-08-16T08:43:00.000-07:002013-08-16T08:43:15.583-07:00Back to School Giveaway!I'm so happy to be partnering with our bloggy friend <b><a href="http://www.Prettymyparty.com/">www.Prettymyparty.com</a></b> to bring to you a fabulous and spectacular <b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #741b47;">Back To School Giveaway</span></b>!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLdF3lF3Y3-Cr0hvfW41DeoLr4s3kL4Xt-1QsxhR1Y7sWbcA5_SNSIGPwU8hbr-Orj_i0K3yFAbDPqCTkFxSrcDNoeBeH_CIT1obtN21vhXzCtIGaF1vErVkKq47Im1hMuTQjhagYAuSFD/s1600/-63FI8cZsIn4MA3_-GOQDETjQyo5ivG1sBaZnhWD0UE.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLdF3lF3Y3-Cr0hvfW41DeoLr4s3kL4Xt-1QsxhR1Y7sWbcA5_SNSIGPwU8hbr-Orj_i0K3yFAbDPqCTkFxSrcDNoeBeH_CIT1obtN21vhXzCtIGaF1vErVkKq47Im1hMuTQjhagYAuSFD/s320/-63FI8cZsIn4MA3_-GOQDETjQyo5ivG1sBaZnhWD0UE.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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With our kiddos going back to school soon, who couldn't use a little extra help to pay for all of those pesky school supply and new clothes expenses? I know, I sure could use the help!<br />
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The <b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #741b47;">Back to School Giveaway</span></b> will start <b><i>today at 9 a.m. PST/12 noon EST</i></b>. There will be <b><u><i>2 winners</i></u></b> who will each receive a<b> $450 Visa gift card</b> toward their back to school necessity purchases! The giveaway will <b><i>end 8:59 p.m. PST/11:59 p.m. EST on August 23rd!</i></b><br />
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My friends, it's pretty easy to enter! See below for the ways you could earn <b>EXTRA</b> entries! Good luck to everyone!<br />
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And, don't forget to stop by and see all of the wonderful ideas at <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: purple;"><a href="http://www.prettymyparty.com/">www.prettymyparty.com</a></span>!<br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-126822147195089787.post-72775991310803860002013-08-14T13:25:00.000-07:002013-08-14T13:30:32.621-07:0010 Odd Facts About MoiHubby and I often laugh about our oddities. It makes for interesting conversation because often times, when I tell him something odd about myself, it floors him. Even after nearly 10 years together, we surprise each other!<br />
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So, I'm about to reveal <b><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red;">10 ODD</span></i></b> things about me. Things you probably wouldn't have guessed in a million years.<br />
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1. I am afraid of <b>popping balloons</b>. AND the sound <b>canned biscuits</b> make when you open them. So afraid, that I will not blow up and tie a balloon. And, I close my eyes when opening canned biscuits. </div>
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2. I am completely addicted to <b>reality tv</b>. If I am sick or feel like veggin' out completely, I will turn on a marathon of any reality show and watch. I've watched the one about rattlesnake wranglers, Buck Wild, Teen Mom, Guiliana and Bill to name a few. Right now, embarrassingly to admit, I am watching Total Diva. Yes, me, sensory bin and slightly crunchy mom watches TOTAL DIVA. (I'm totally covering my face as I admit that).</div>
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3. I look into people's showers when I use their bathroom. It's not like I care what's in there - but for some reason, I need to make SURE there is not an axe murderer or sociopath waiting for me to pop a squat before making me their next victim.</div>
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<img height="393" id="irc_mi" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgN2hhtATpdoEMlpNcSh7upYGx_R3JrKKWYZ4GsBubb8BkiftTl80NUBBZfierhG3hpZpTw7i0RAkNa-KvENDPYC0kvyqX3J9b6wgXCLztA91Fh1rs7rZDfw7Db5qm8WrxnWbG7FqLbQQMl/s400/scary-shower-curtain.jpg" style="margin-top: 0px;" width="260" /></div>
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4. I cannot hold something if I'm laughing hard. My husband finds it hilarious to ask me to squeeze his finger if I am belly laughing. It's physically impossible for me to to do it. I would be toast if I had to hold onto a cliff while someone told a joke. I have to add this fact to my list of reasons never to rock climb, too.</div>
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5. I have a secret crush on <b>Brody Jenner</b>. Yes, from the Hills and Keeping Up With The Kardashians. AND <b>Taylor Kinney</b>. Yes, Lady GaGa's boyfriend. I have problems. I have a hall pass from hubby in case my seductive powers capture them and they can't refuse. I mean, look at them, can you blame me?</div>
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<img height="199" id="irc_mi" src="http://image.motortrend.com/f/features/consumer/1203_brody_jenner_reality_tv_star_celebrity_drive/35986481+w799+h499+cr1+ar0/Brody-Jenner-headshot.jpg" style="margin-top: 0px;" width="320" /> <img height="256" id="irc_mi" src="http://www.hdwallpapersinn.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/taylor-kinney01.jpg" style="margin-top: 0px;" width="320" /></div>
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6. I love, love, love french fries. I'd rather eat french fries than a fancy meal any day. I love them with ketchup, ranch or bleu cheese dressing. I often convince my kids that we are getting fries as a treat for them, but REALLY it's for me. </div>
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<img class="rg_i" data-sz="f" name="JT0x-n6OyYqiwM:" 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" 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7. I consume myself with some pretty serious stuff during the day like autism, parenting, finance, education stuff. So, to cleanse my palette, I often read PerezHilton.com and Dlisted.com before I go to sleep. It's my after dark secret!</div>
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" 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8. I am both fascinated and deathly afraid of snakes. I often devise a plan of escape for several different scenarios of encountering rattlesnakes. I know EXACTLY what I'd do if I saw one in my kitchen, in my yard, in my garage or even in my driveway. I spend way too much time thinking about it. I am both repulsed and intrigued at the thought of them.</div>
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<img height="221" id="irc_mi" src="http://californiaoutdoors.files.wordpress.com/2011/11/rattlesnake_dfg.jpg" style="margin-top: 0px;" width="320" /></div>
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9. My dream car is toss up between a Chevrolet Suburban and a Masarati Quattroporte. Wonder which one I have a better chance of getting in this lifetime?</div>
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<img height="179" id="irc_mi" src="http://www.mhtwheels.com/images/gallery/2006_Chevy_Suburban_Carnal_B_1.jpg" style="margin-top: 0px;" width="320" /> <img height="192" id="irc_mi" src="http://carsfolia.com/icim/maserati-quattroporte/maserati-quattroporte-02.jpg" style="margin-top: 0px;" width="320" /></div>
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10. I don't know how to iron clothes to save my life and choose my clothing accordingly. </div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img height="393" id="irc_mi" src="http://t2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTK2vU3nGUjQLr4bPTr89KF_Q9VR-bh2ttZhSoBCEvS2rNHQ1O5Aw" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; margin-top: 0px;" width="240" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>That's not me, but if you added about 15 lbs., flip flops, flabbier thighs and a hyper child tugging at my leg, it COULD be me. Just sayin'.</i></td></tr>
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So that's my oddity package in a nutshell. Hope you are enjoying your week!</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-126822147195089787.post-81643045370064018372013-08-12T13:10:00.003-07:002013-08-12T13:15:54.147-07:00Mother Goose Time - Little Inventors Week 1This was our first week of the Little Inventors themed box. I wasn't quite sure HOW interested Wes would be with inventors, but to my surprise, he's actually really into it! Here are a few highlights of our first week!<br />
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<b><i><u>Hold the Money Invention</u></i></b><br />
The first activity we did this week was <i>Hold The Money Invention</i>. We attempted to create our very own box to hold our money for the activity, but it did not hold up too well. <b><i>Boo</i></b>. But, alas, we had a clear acrylic box that served as our money holder for the "learning" part of this lesson.<br />
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I had Wes make a "deposit" of $10 into our money box. We took turns drawing "invention cards" and "withdrawing" the item's cost from our box. Not only did Wes practice counting, but we worked in a simplified discussion of how when we go to the store, each item has a "cost" or price.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizJNN_ovB0yx8iiw12J4l9bRclkSzNMauAwkuyM8RYRMPjBBqj5tmlN3I2gyK71hL8Dp35aFPlGl9N0aJOET0ChX2izDe3kYmcjHQktNrUi_vO4r31iaCUdrXsunhyYV4a9vKMiSqCEG_G/s1600/IMG_2661.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizJNN_ovB0yx8iiw12J4l9bRclkSzNMauAwkuyM8RYRMPjBBqj5tmlN3I2gyK71hL8Dp35aFPlGl9N0aJOET0ChX2izDe3kYmcjHQktNrUi_vO4r31iaCUdrXsunhyYV4a9vKMiSqCEG_G/s400/IMG_2661.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">You can spy "Falco Falcon" still chillin' in our household. We still read the feathers daily!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0ELe5oFTbcFJ73XEftHjtwGnf_N-xfLK-evaA3F2hJWDFJdv6qhJ0rlv5Cp6NI7JaKAqtmen-ij8ZhMKRNdvEhA3foo6-F8dAzJSGQmhRI9uUp-U2JMjqV9rTL1ulAewRS1a9ncj_QvL7/s1600/IMG_2663.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0ELe5oFTbcFJ73XEftHjtwGnf_N-xfLK-evaA3F2hJWDFJdv6qhJ0rlv5Cp6NI7JaKAqtmen-ij8ZhMKRNdvEhA3foo6-F8dAzJSGQmhRI9uUp-U2JMjqV9rTL1ulAewRS1a9ncj_QvL7/s400/IMG_2663.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Making a "withdrawal"</td></tr>
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<b><i><u>Tote-Along Toolbox</u></i></b></div>
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One of Wes' favorite activities of the week was making his Tote-Along Toolbox. We started by coloring all of our tools. </div>
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Wes then painted his tool box.<br />
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When the toolbox was dry, we attached our handle and label.<br />
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After the toolbox had a chance to dry completely, Wes added his tools (well, and a couple of other things like die-cast cars). He has been toting his toolbox around all week!<br />
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<b><i><u>Who Invented That</u></i></b><br />
We have referenced the included poster several times in our week. I actually have left it out on the counter for Wes to refer to whenever he feels like it. In this particular activity, I had Wes select a "magnifying glass" and then we found the object on the poster. On the reverse side of the magnifying glasses were facts about inventions, such as who invented the phone and how there is a wheel in almost every machine invented (gears, wheels, dials, etc.)<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Looking for his wagon</td></tr>
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<b><i><u>Building Words</u></i></b><br />
Wes really enjoys Mother Goose Time's word building exercises. This week we worked on "cat", "bat", "car" and "start".<br />
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<b><i><u>Sticky Designs</u></i></b><br />
We had a lot of fun making our sticky design. I used the enclosed plastic bag to have Wes "design" his glue blob.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Don't forget what great fine motor and proprioceptive work squeezing glue can be!</td></tr>
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When he was finished with his designed, I had Wes place his yarn to so that we could hang it afterwards.<br />
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We finished the sticky design with sequins and glitter.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Everything is better with some glitter, right?!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Finding out by that the glue wasn't dry!</td></tr>
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<b><i><u>Book of the Month - Doctor Maisy</u></i></b><br />
The book of the month is <i>Doctor Maisy</i> by Lucy Cousins. And embarrassing fact is that Wes was introduced to the Maisy series through Chick-fil-a and the small books included in their kids meals. After reading the story, we broke out our doctor's kit and role played the storyline.<br />
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<b><i><u>Que Es?</u></i></b><br />
One thing I really appreciate about Mother Goose Time's curriculum is that they introduce Spanish through very simple and easy to do lessons/activities. I am by no means fluent in Spanish, but being so close to the border, we get a ton of practice with Spanish influenced street names, foods and places. Bonus is that I'm learning right alongside him! On a side note, Mother Goose Time also includes activities that teach and review many words in American Sign Language, too. As a matter of fact, we learned "thank you" this week as well!<br />
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This activity introduced Wes to the spanish words for "wheel", "flashlight", "glue" and "telephone". I used the same teaching technique as Nick, Jr. (Thank you Nick Jr. for the informal training!). I simply would prompt, "In English we say "Wheel". In Spanish we say "Llanta". We would repeat it several times and I gradually faded my prompting until he filled in the words himself. I'm definitely making this one a <i>ziploc bag on the go</i> activity.<br />
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<b><i><u>Sticky Bandage</u></i></b><br />
We are working a lot on teaching empathy, which is not an easy task for a 3 year old. I use anything as a learning opportunity for my young Wes. This activity really used a fun way to teach about empathy, while making it fun and catchy!<br />
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We started off by coloring our little boy (still unnamed).<br />
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Next, we recited the poem, which basically spoke about how the boy twirled around, scraped his knee, got a band-aid from his daddy and a kiss for his ouchie.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Getting little boy a band-aid</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kissing little boy's ouchie</td></tr>
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After we were done adhering our band-aid and giving little boy a kiss on his ouchie, we role played the poem and acted out the parts. Wes loved this so much that he actually reenacted it at his well-child check up at the doctor's office.<br />
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<b><i><u>What Begins with B & Journal</u></i></b><br />
We practiced writing the letter "Big B" this week. We practiced several pre-writing strokes like "up to down" and making "bumps". I did a tiny hand over hand, but surprisingly Wes is moving along beautifully with independent writing. After he made a "B" he was happy about, we gave it our stamp of approval (which is a monster stamp) and we placed it in our Little Inventor's journal.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoNikMJMknk9bm7EP2sj-gpyFoeC8HgFWAFzvrzNlDVT4-yKsXcvrq9BEo84GgkRj382wZiMuldVtR7tLqfTTZwE7nPs42pRk1Dl2CUfdp-oHUA313ZIDDM0rVmNy29nbyIrflu8uZeQL9/s1600/IMG_2692.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoNikMJMknk9bm7EP2sj-gpyFoeC8HgFWAFzvrzNlDVT4-yKsXcvrq9BEo84GgkRj382wZiMuldVtR7tLqfTTZwE7nPs42pRk1Dl2CUfdp-oHUA313ZIDDM0rVmNy29nbyIrflu8uZeQL9/s400/IMG_2692.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Selecting the "perfect B"</td></tr>
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<b><i><u>Memory</u></i></b><br />
Memory is a fun game to play and pretty versatile to adapt. We have played memory in the past with the cards flipped facing up, matching items, to make it easier to grasp the object of the game. This time, we placed ALL of the cards facing down and gave it a go. Much to my surprise, Wes needed very little help and really enjoyed remembering where he saw the cards. Another <i>ziploc on the go</i> activity!<br />
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<b><i><u>Vacuum</u></i></b><br />
This week we also made a vacuum with the included cardboard tray, tube and paper bag. Wes painted his vacuum blue because it's his favorite color. I've already caught him trying to vacuum up his cars. You'll notice in the photos that he is STILL playing with the globe beach ball from last month's Little Artist curriculum box!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">So proud of his "invention"</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Just tidying up...if only it was REAL!</td></tr>
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As you guys already know, we LOVE our Mother Goose Time lessons. If you want more information on how you, too, can bring Mother Goose Time to your little ones, please visit them at <a href="http://www.mothergoosetime.com/">www.mothergoosetime.com</a>.<br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-126822147195089787.post-61408384144261246022013-08-07T00:00:00.000-07:002013-08-07T00:00:12.846-07:00Why I Rarely Feel SympathyDo you guys like rambling non-sensical posts? Oh, good! I do, too ;0)<br />
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I am going to put this out there...<b>I rarely feel sorry for people</b>. That may come as a shocker to some, but I want to open the discussion on why, even in the saddest and lowest points of my friends' lives, I will not feel sympathy <b><i>FOR</i></b> them.<br />
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People always comment, "I don't know how you do it". But, I rarely take that as a compliment because for me, I know no other way but to be resilient. That's not a pat on my back, by any means. But, I think that what keeps me sane, is that I keep telling myself that no matter how rough or sucky it gets, there's always a way out and that way out really is up to me. I may ask for help. I may ask for lonely solace or laughing fits with a friend who knows that my coping mechanism is denial disguised as self deprecating comedy. But, I never allow myself to feel helpless for long. Thankfully, neither do my friends. And, believe me, my friends have done a great job helping me feel empowered exactly when I need their help. Kudos to awesome friends - you know who you are! I think one of the best decisions I have made in life is to surround myself with people who keep me up, not down.<br />
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Okay, back to my explanation. I'll set the scene for an example to further explain my point...<br />
My friend is having a really, really hard time adjusting to a new baby. Sleepless nights, poopy diapers, regressing siblings, flabby tummy, spit up on everything, dirty hair and insurmountable demands are growing...but, I do not feel<i> sympathy </i>for her. Say what?! <i>Bad friend alert! Bad friend alert!</i><br />
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Do I feel her pain? Heck Yes, I do. But, will she survive it? Yes, I'm confident she will. Will I help her? Heck yes, again, heck yes I will. I will bring her dinner, I will listen quietly as she talks about how sucky it is. BUT, I will reassure her that it will get better and maybe help her get a plan together so she can get some sleep or alone time. Because, regardless if I've <i style="font-weight: bold;">felt</i> the same feelings, I do not feel <i>sympathy or sorry</i> for her. I feel <u style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">empathy.</u> Let's discuss the difference...<br />
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Let me get all preachy teacher for a sec so we are all on the same page with the difference between sympathy and empathy. Hang in there...<br />
Sympathy and Empathy could be these few examples:<br />
<ul>
<li>You feel great <i>empathy</i> with those who are poor, so you volunteer at a non-profit to help them</li>
<li>Your friend's mother passed away so you send your <i>sympathies </i>for her loss</li>
<li>Listening to your friend about her struggles being a parent of a micro-preemie gives you greater <i>empathy</i> towards her and you decide to help watch her other child while she visits the NICU</li>
<li>A great tragedy occurred in your hometown so you send a letter of <i>sympathy</i> to the victims</li>
<li>You feel <i>emphatic</i> to your friends pain when she is going through a messy divorce and take her out for a drink to lift her spirits</li>
</ul>
In other words, you seek to identify <i>with </i>someone you are empathic towards. Not feel sorry for them. Feeling sorry implies you pity them. See, with empathy, there's no pity or grieving involved.<br />
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When I see a friend struggling, I do not feel <i>sorry</i> for her. I feel sorry that she has to experience pain, but I do not feel sorry <i>FOR</i> her. I know that she is strong enough to find her way. I feel the need to help her <i>out of</i> her low point. How does one do this without feeding into this pity party? EASY. You give encouragement. You lend a hand. You hold their hand and help them up. You listen, but you don't let them wallow in the "woe is me" stage. You help them find their way up that steep hill. But, you don't drag them up. If you are giving <i>sympathy</i> to them at the bottom of the hill, you are really just waiting <i>with them</i> at the bottom of that hill they are facing. Help a friend in a bind by REFUSING to give sympathy, but offer a helping hand. Because feeling sorry doesn't help. It never will. Empathy leads to helping.<br />
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So, if you are feeling low, don't ask for sympathy. Ask for help. Don't complain, ask for help gaining clarity, creating a clear plan. Yes, venting is something we all do. But, venting quickly turns into endless <i>complaining</i>. Complaining keeps you in the quick sand. Until you stop the complaining, funny or not, you'll never move forward.<br />
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This has been a struggle for me. Oh, it is one of my daily internal battles. Most days I have to tell myself, "Suck it up, buttercup". I'm not lying. I literally have to tell myself that almost EVERY DAY, and several times at that. I refuse to allow myself a pity party because for me, it would be easy to do. Cake and ice cream included, because it is a party after all. But, for me, allowing myself to REMAIN in that frame of mind only exacerbates the problems. It's a slippery slope to climb. It starts with self pity, followed by envy, followed by solicitations for sympathy, followed by self pity, which all leads to helplessness and falling faster into the quick-sand of life. "Suck it up, buttercup. Make a plan, keep moving forward".<br />
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So, if you have a friend who seems to always bounce back and you find yourself saying, "I wonder how she does it?", know that this is probably her secret weapon to keeping herself resilient. She probably doesn't give much sympathy out either. Getting to this point was a game changer for me. Will it be for you?Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-126822147195089787.post-233796480675306502013-08-06T10:35:00.001-07:002013-08-06T10:35:53.147-07:00Italian Summer Squash CasseroleWe have been trying to make more dinner meals without starch these days. This quest to lighten up our meals has made us step out of the hum-drum of weeknight dinners and explore some different recipes. Some have been hits and some have been major flops.<br />
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One thing I love about summer is the freshness of summer squash. Maybe it's just me, but I love zucchini and squash in the summer because it tastes different - BETTER. And, well, it's cheaper. So, I stock up on it and try to eat it in as many dishes as I can.<br />
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We tried this recipe late last week and it was yummy! It was even yummier as left overs!<br />
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<b><i><u>Italian Summer Squash Casserole</u></i></b><br />
<i>adapted from Sandy's Kitchen</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>You will need:</i><br />
10oz - 1 lbs. cooked 93% (or leaner) ground beef or turkey<br />
1 1/3 cup 2% reduced fat mozzarella cheese, shredded<br />
1 cup 1% cottage cheese<br />
1 cup tomato puree, canned or fresh<br />
2 cups sliced zucchini<br />
2 cups sliced yellow squash<br />
1/2 teaspoon garlic<br />
1/2 teaspoon salt<br />
2 teaspoons basil*<br />
1 teaspoon oregano*<br />
4 teaspoons reduced fat parmesan cheese<br />
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Makes 4 <i>GENEROUS </i>servings<br />
<i>*You could probably use Italian Seasonings in place of these ingredients </i><br />
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<i>Directions</i><br />
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray your casserole dish with olive oil (or pam) and set aside. Brown ground meat. When cooked, mix meat with tomato puree, garlic powder, salt, basil and oregano until well mixed.<br />
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Layer zucchini and yellow squash at the bottom of the casserole dish. Pour tomato/meat mixture over the squash layer. Spread cottage cheese over the meat mixture and then top with mozzarella cheese. Sprinkle parmesan over the top. Bake for 25 minutes or until cheese is slightly browned.<br />
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I totally forgot to photograph the final steps and the final product, but I assure you that it was YUMMY! </div>
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Enjoy!</div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-126822147195089787.post-19162809169363855492013-08-02T09:03:00.000-07:002013-08-02T10:15:37.807-07:00August Fave Five<b><i>Woo-wee</i></b>! August is upon us, folks! Can you believe it? <b>FOUR</b> months until the <b>END OF THE YEAR!</b> Craziness! For information on where to find these items, see the bottom of the post!<br />
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<b><i><u>sugarSNAP Files Customizable Diaper Bag Organizer Mesh Pouches</u></i></b><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkcSk62n7VDOcfcVxALIvS1m0NENIr5UNAeoIQ3LLQi562mN0cgZRfGSJfmFo-LeayELz1iavjCmroHq6lMODxgBrBtOOrWwLOznO4twypK9R1wmUoaOkx_25fmHAXWbUWfTvRDgwGYRKL/s1600/SugarSNAPFiles.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="350" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkcSk62n7VDOcfcVxALIvS1m0NENIr5UNAeoIQ3LLQi562mN0cgZRfGSJfmFo-LeayELz1iavjCmroHq6lMODxgBrBtOOrWwLOznO4twypK9R1wmUoaOkx_25fmHAXWbUWfTvRDgwGYRKL/s400/SugarSNAPFiles.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Let me start that I have been on an organizing kick. I'm sort of/kind of past the diaper bag toting days, but I'm still lugging a bunch of things for the boys in my purse. Actually, I have so much kid crap in my bags, that it often times becomes such a cluttered mess and I can't find <b>ANYTHING</b>. It makes me so frustrated to open my purse and see the snacks, receipts, wipes, toy cars and lip glosses in a messy heap. So, when I discovered these little "file" bags, I was on it like white on rice. I decided to spend the <i>EXTRA</i> $2 for the customizable bags and I have quickly organized my bag into a "filing system" where I can easily find anything I'm looking for. </div>
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The best part about these "files" are that you can remove any of the <i>file</i> bags from the ring and toss into another bag or hand to a child (or any hubby, stranger, fabulous friend that you are pawning your spawn off to). The "files" I created are "Technology", "Wallet", "Me+Mine", "Big Kid Stuff", "Snack & Supplies". </div>
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<b><i><u>Stella & Dot How Does She Do It Bag</u></i></b></div>
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When I got the sugarSNAP files, I realized that they were a tad bit too big for my current mom bag. So, <b><i>OF COURSE</i></b>, I bought another bag. Probably didn't need to, but <b><i>I DID</i></b> and I love it! I got the Stella & Dot <i>How Does She Do It</i> Bag from my gal pal <b>Frances</b> and I'm loving the Navy Stripes. It's really summery and nautical (complete with a cute anchor charm), with a bright orange lining. What I love the most is it is a glazed, but not shiny canvas. This is the biggest perk to a mommy of two boys. Another really lovely feature is that it has an internal water bottle pocket and a pocket on the outside perfect for your phone. My sugarSNAP files fit <b>PERFECT</b> inside. I added the cross body strap and now I'm ready to be <b><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red;">SUPER MOM</span></i></b>!</div>
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<b><i><u>Nike Air Miler</u></i></b></div>
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Late July we went to Disneyland for a few days and I knew I had to bring a good pair of walking shoes. In the last month I've noticed that my go-to walking shoes were becoming increasingly uncomfy. So, off into researching mode I went. When I read the reviews for these shoes, one thing that was consistent was that they were ultra comfortable and light - just what I was looking for. Not only were these shoes super easy on my feet, they didn't require any breaking in. They were just so comfortable right out of the box. So, if you are in the market for some new walking shoes, check them out. </div>
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<b><i><u>Shea Moisture Red Bush & Babassu Baby Lotion</u></i></b></div>
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For the most part, we use the whipped body butter that I make (click <a href="http://missmomvocate.blogspot.com/2013/06/the-most-amazing-body-butter.html" target="_blank">here</a> for a tutorial). But, the only problem with that body butter is that it melts pretty easily. This makes it hard to take on the go or stash in the car. And, since I pretty much forget to put lotion on my kids each school morning, I find myself doing it before we get out of our car before school. So, I purchased this bottle to bring with me. It smells heavenly. So heavenly, I've been using it myself! What I like most about this lotion is that it's free of a lot of yuck stuff like parabens, mineral oil, synthetic fragrances and colors. I just recently went back and purchased a different fragrance that I plan on making my own sunscreen with (<i>tutorial coming soon!!!</i>)</div>
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<b><i><u>Bristle Blocks</u></i></b></div>
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On our last trip to Lakeshore, my younger son, Weston <b>BEGGED</b> for these Bristle Blocks. I was a little hesitant to buy them since a lot of the building block type toys require you buy MORE and MORE blocks and often don't work with other sets. Well, I'm afraid to say this, but this is TRUE for this toy also. <b><i>BUT</i></b> Wes has found so much enjoyment from them. And, me being <b>ME, </b>I have tried to use them in many different ways other than building to justify adding ANOTHER toy collection to our mess. And, you know what? Besides building with them, you can also use them for painting by using them to make stamped impressions, drag them to make lines or using the wheels as rollers. AND, <b>AND</b>, <b><i>AND</i></b> if you are crazy for playdoh...use them to make impressions there, too! So, because they are pretty versatile and keep my young one busy, they are a <b>HIT</b> in my book!</div>
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Happy <b><i>AUGUST</i></b> my friends! </div>
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<b><u>LINKS</u></b></div>
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<b><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red;">Stella & Dot How She Does It Bag </span></i></b>- <a href="http://www.stelladot.com/sites/frances">http://www.stelladot.com/sites/frances</a></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-126822147195089787.post-2314306803596535212013-07-31T09:29:00.000-07:002013-07-31T09:29:35.887-07:00Mother Goose Time - The Art StudioMother Goose Time has been a blessing to Wes and I. Their curriculum has allowed me to spend quality special learning time with my son. It is an extremely gratifying experience to be able to teach and watch your child grow.<br />
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This month has been art themed. What an amazing experience to explore different types and styles of art with Wes. Here are some of our favorite highlights.<br />
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<b><i><u>Water Lilies</u></i></b><br />
We had a lot of fun making a Monet-inspired impressionist water lily art masterpiece! What I loved most about this particular activity was the variety of steps it took to complete it. We started with using glue to attach our water lily pads onto our "canvas". If you have kiddos that are great with cutting, you can have them cut out the lily pads, too!<br />
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Second, we scrunched up some scrap paper to dip and stamp our water on.<br />
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We then stamped green to add texture and dimension to our lily pads.<br />
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Wes didn't have enough "stamping" so I allowed his to extend this activity on another piece of paper. Practice makes perfect!<br />
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Next, we glued the bridge on!<br />
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Last, we added our crumpled purple tissue paper to finish our lily pad flowers.<br />
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Ta-da! Perfecto!<br />
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<b><i><u>Framed Flowers</u></i></b><br />
Another favorite of ours was the framed flowers project inspired by <b><i>Monet's Chrysanthemums</i></b>. This is another multi-step project that allowed Wes to work on a variety of fine motor skills, like cutting, manipulating small objects and squeezing the glue bottle.<br />
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We started out by cutting circles from our pink hued papers. I couldn't snap photos because I'm still doing hand over hand, but you know how to cut circles, right?<br />
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Next, Wes glued his flowers were he wanted them. He's getting so good at controlling the glue bottle.<br />
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Next, Wes "stamped" chrysanthemums all over the page with a pokey ball using white paint.<br />
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Last, we attached our "frame". Masterpiece complete!<br />
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<b><i><u>Giving More than Money</u></i></b><br />
I really enjoyed the activity where we talked about <b><i>giving</i></b>. We talked about some times we choose to give things like our time, our heart and things we don't need any more. Wes and I decided that we were going to go through his toys and give some of the ones we aren't using to those who may find more joy from it than we are right now. I explained that some children don't have toys like we do and it would be kind to make them happy.<br />
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We also talked about how some times just giving hugs is something we can give to make others happy. We are really starting to encourage the boys to think of random acts of kindness for others. Starting small like holding doors open for someone or buying someone a cup of coffee are ways we will begin to model this for Wes.<br />
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<b><i><u>Flag of France Collage</u></i></b><br />
We started out by finding France on the world map. I explained to Wes that people who are from France are called French and so is the language they speak. He immediately asked about French Fries! Hey, he's making a connection so I'll take it!<br />
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We started our collage project by tearing up pieces of red and blue paper. What a great fine motor activity in disguise!<br />
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Next, we glue a line of blue paper on one side of the map to serve as our guide. We filled in the remaining space with blue paper as well.<br />
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Next, we did the same thing on the other side but with the red paper. Wes gets so proud of his art pieces!<br />
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<b><i><u>The Answer is No</u></i></b><br />
Wes and I talked about some times Mommy and Daddy have to say no to his requests for toys. I explained that some times we need to use our money for other things that are important and that we cannot always get things we want at the moment. We talked about the things we can do when this happens. One example we focused on is how we can make a plan to save money for a toy. Another example is maybe thinking of a way to use something we already have instead. I love that we are able to discuss and role play scenarios while driving home an important life message for Wes.<br />
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<b><i><u>Dot the Painting</u></i></b><br />
We also made a dot painting of rain on an umbrella. We started out the project by picking out the perfect blue for rain drops. I modeled for Wes how to dot instead of drag a q-tip to make drops. We made "plop" sounds while we dotted to represent rain falling on the umbrella.<br />
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Now, Wes wants to carry an umbrella everywhere! But, with no rain in our future, I let him have the umbrella, headed outside and turned the hose on! That on-the-fly activity was actually quite the blast!<br />
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<b><i><u>Too Much Stuff</u></i></b><br />
I really love some of the end of the lessons Mother Goose Time includes in our days. We spoke about what having too much may feel like and how we can deal with those feelings. We started out with a bag of rocks. I had Wes put the rocks in a cup. I asked Wes if he had a lot of rocks or not enough. Of course, he said he didn't have enough (perfect segue, kid). I explained to him some times we may see we have too much and a lot of the time we don't. I asked him to close his eyes and hold the cup. I poured water over the cup until it overflowed and dripped on his precious toes. While he found it funny, I explained to him that some times when we don't SEE we have enough, it'll eventually overflow our "cup" and run over making quite the mess for us to clean up. Some times when we don't SEE we have too much, we will eventually FEEL it.<br />
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We went back to our discussions about Falco and our lesson of being content. We talked about even if we SEE someone has more than us, we should be content with what we have.<br />
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This is definitely a discussion we have revisited over the last week. Whenever he starts to throw a tizzy about not getting something at the store I ask him these questions:<br />
"Do you have toys at home?"<br />
"Do you NEED this or do you WANT it?"<br />
"Maybe we can go home and do something to earn it"<br />
"Or maybe we can go home and pick out a few toys to give away so that we don't have too much"<br />
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<b><i><u>Paint Palettes</u></i></b><br />
I realized that I never explained to Wes how to use a dropper before. So, it was quite interesting breaking this task down step by step. But, now he's a pro!<br />
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Wes punched out his paint palette. We decided on the color blue. I had Wes add water to our cup to thin out the paint.<br />
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Next, we went through the step of using a dropper. We came up with a sing-songy script of "Squeeze then dip" to fill the dropper and of course, he totally got the squirting the paint onto his palette!<br />
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He loved making "bubbles" on the page and of course popping them!<br />
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We talked about how even on our palettes, we can find art!<br />
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I cannot believe that we are now at the end of July! Next month's theme is Inventor's Lab and I cannot wait! </div>
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Wes and I really, really, really enjoy the art projects this month. But, what I really enjoyed and appreciated were the lessons about financial responsibility and Falco's dilemmas. I think that while Wes is far from mastering skills like being disciplined or making choices with integrity and contentment in mind, it is definitely the foundations for life long characteristics that I want him to embrace. </div>
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I have one more review post of the last week of our Art Studio coming soon!</div>
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If you would like more information on Mother Goose Time and their curriculum, please visit their web site at <a href="http://mothergoosetime.com/">http://mothergoosetime.com/</a>.</div>
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-126822147195089787.post-88880173562625168562013-07-28T15:51:00.001-07:002013-07-28T15:51:11.807-07:00Whew...Made It Through This Week<span style="color: red;"><i><u><b>WARNING</b></u></i></span>: <i>I try not to get all sappy and boo-hoo too many times in a short amount of time, but I'm just going to get it all out. </i><br />
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All I can say is, "<b><i>Goodness, I'm glad this week is OVAH</i></b>". It's been a pretty tolling week for me. Well, let me rephrase this, it's been hard for my <b>entire</b> family. Brady started Kinder on Wednesday and a program called Brain Highways last Sunday. Both have been mentally, physically and emotionally demanding.<br />
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Our schedules are all haywire. To top off my nervous martini, Brady is now riding the bus home. I wait in my driveway with knots in my belly awaiting his return in the afternoons.<br />
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He has therapy until dinner. He asks me for a blanket, curls up on the couch reminding himself, "Brady don't fall asleep" waiting for bath time. He's exhausted. I'm exhausted.
Brady feels it. I feel it. My hubby feels it. Wes definitely feels it, too. It's definitely been a doozy of a week.<br />
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By Friday we finally started to resume our groove. It was on Friday during my walk back to the car from dropping my sweetest lil' Brady off at school that I noticed Wes was wearing the <u><b>OUTFIT</b></u> - the one Brady was wearing the day he was diagnosed. The<span style="color: orange;"> orange</span> polo and <span style="color: blue;">blue</span> plaid shorts. It made my heart ache to look at how little and innocent Wes is and recall that Brady was once that age. He was Wes' age when we had our lives shaken to the core. <b>A-U-T-I-S-M</b>. Like an earthquake, things never quite settled back to how they were before. It wasn't until I looked at the calendar today and realized that it has been <b>EXACTLY</b> 2 years since Brady wore that cute as a button outfit to that fateful doctor's appointment and I cried the <b>ENTIRE</b> way home. That's a lot of crying for someone who hardly EVER cries. I couldn't even speak to my friends. I was utterly crushed, deflated and devastated. I have never experienced debilitating hopelessness quite like that dark period of my life. It's emotional to even remember those days.<br />
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I would be lying if I said that I wasn't slightly melancholy that day and perhaps all this weekend. I feel a pang of envy again, just like I did that day two years ago. <i>Why him? Why us? What did I do to deserve this? Why was this happening to him? Why? Why? WHY?</i> The only difference is that back <i><b>THEN</b></i>, the pain was debilitating. <i><b>DEBILITATING</b></i>. Now, I can reflect and know it isn't happening <i><b>TO US</b></i>, it just happens. <span style="color: red;"><u><b>Crap happens</b></u><span style="color: black;"> (Well, you know the REAL saying. Just keeping it PG, folks)</span></span>.<br />
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But, then I remind myself of all of the beautiful things that have happened <u><b>BECAUSE</b></u> of it. Stay with me people. It's going to get all <span style="color: red;"><b>huggy <span style="color: blue;">r</span>a<span style="color: lime;">i</span><span style="color: magenta;">n</span><span style="color: orange;">b</span><span style="color: cyan;">o</span><span style="color: #351c75;">w</span> unicorns </b></span>up in here. But, I speak <u><i><b>my</b></i></u> truth.
I look at who I was <i>pre-diagnosis.</i> I'm much more proud of the person I am <b>NOW</b>.<br />
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I used to be some what self-absorbed and quite judgmental. <i>I admit it</i>. I judged and I judged a lot. Do I now? Sure, I think a little bit of judgment is just innately human. But, do I judge like I used to? <u><b>NO</b></u>. I have a lot more empathy for people these days. We are all struggling. Maybe not the same way and perhaps some are more apt at coping with their own struggles than others. I am definitely more capable of living with our struggles than I was two short years ago.<br />
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I know that life is not easy, but I do know that I have so much to be thankful for. <u><b>SO MUCH</b></u>. I live a fairly comfortable life. I really have no complaints. And, if I do, I try not to air them out too much (i.e. FACEBOOK) because that's just asking for sympathy and sympathy is not progress or helpful. I turn to my friends to get me grounded and back on my feet.<br />
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I feel much more connected with my husband. I think we were just kind of living the good life before our son was diagnosed. I think that it was a serious slap in the face that not only was life <u><b>NOT</b></u> easy, but really forced us to define who we really were and what are convictions were. I think before I was pretty convictionless (did I just create a new word? <i>I think so)</i>. Now, I am pretty steadfast in what is important to me and what I will stand up and fight for. On the flip side of that same coin, I also know what is just not worth my time.<br />
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I think I'm also quite a better parent than I would have been without my son's diagnosis. Did I have any idea what the hell sensory play was or how important some of those development milestones were to my child's future? Um, no. I think I spent MORE time deciding what my son should wear, what diaper bag I'd carry and maybe if I should buy Pampers or Huggies. Seriously, if Brady was content (and he was extremely content), then I was doing a <u><b>GA-REAT</b></u> job. But, now that I know just how to be a better parent, <span style="color: red;"><b>I AM A BETTER PARENT</b></span>. Not part-time, but <b>ALL THE TIME</b>. All who know me understand just how entirely I am committed to my kids. We are a pretty damn strong family unit.<br />
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I have found some of the very best friends to include in my support system. These friends include my virtual ones! I probably would have <b>NEVER</b> crossed paths with some of these people if my son hadn't received his diagnosis. Don't get me wrong - I'm never trying to FIX my son, but I try and HELP him achieve the very best and ensure he has the absolute brightest future. So, when I say I probably wouldn't have crossed paths with these fabulous friends, I wouldn't have if I wasn't searching out all of these resources. But, what has resulted is this beautiful web of confidants that I rely on for not only information, but emotional elevations in ways most people could not provide unless you walked the same path.<br />
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I know that Wes will be a better person for it. He knows nothing other than acceptance and kindness. He will only know compassion and understanding. He doesn't see that Brady is different and he idolizes him in ways a little brother should. He won't have the TYPICAL sibling bond, but perhaps it'll be stronger because we all fight for Brady and cheer him on. His goals are ours and we work WITH and along side him, which has made us all stronger.<br />
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I feel much more clear on where my life is headed and feel in possession of a very concrete purpose. Clarity is such a gift. I'm a helper and I've tried to help anyone who needs it. I don't need to be a <i><b>leader</b></i>. I don't need to be the <i><b>planner.</b></i> I don't need to be the <i><b>coordinator</b></i>. I just want to help, which some times is the more important role. If you need information that I have? <i><b>You go it</b><b>!</b></i> Need advice I can lend? <i><b>You go it</b><b>!</b></i> Need a book I have? <i><b>You go it</b><b>!</b></i> Need to know it will all be okay? <i><b>You go it</b><b>!</b></i> I now know I am a helper in every capacity of my life. And, I'm happy with that role.<br />
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Is having a child with Autism fun? Um, no. Let me repeat, it is not. Not at all. Is it challenging? Did it affect my marriage? Yes, in fact it sucked really bad at times (the challenges, not my marriage). But, it is also rewarding in ways that you could not even imagine. To have your autistic child accomplish something that you thought he'd never do is something like experiencing a miracle. Ever witness someone throw a dance party because their kid tried a new food? Call your husband in the middle of the store because he answered a question spontaneously!? Welcome to Autismland, where parties are ragers and wine flows! To have your child do something you were told probably wouldn't or couldn't happen is great. Especially when you can stick your tongue out and tell someone to suck it. Well, that last part may all occur in my head, but it's pretty gratifying even if it's just fantasy.<br />
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People...what I do know for sure is that I'm going to have sucky weeks like this last one. But, doesn't everyone? That's life. I'm just so thankful for all of the things that are so great, knowing that some times it's going to be a little rough and uncomfortable. Well, I may be wrong, but heck, that's what gets me through the rough patches ;0) So, people, listen here, because this is quite important...if you have a sucky week, try to put your life in perspective. The things that are challenging are not fun, but don't lose your shizz over it. These same challenging circumstances may be making you the BETTER person you want to be. Just breathe. Or drink wine. Works for me!
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-126822147195089787.post-69133562735507261142013-07-23T00:00:00.000-07:002013-07-23T00:00:01.648-07:00Brady is Now a KinderSchool starts for Brady on Wednesday (I know! A WEDNESDAY, say what!?). And, the start of this school year has brought on a wave of intense anxiety for me. YES, for ME! (Hear the violins???) See, the start of school year is a very stressful thought for most ASD moms. Sure, all moms experience a little stress when their kidlets go off into school for the first time. But, let me explain to you a little more why I am sort of terrified about it.<br />
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First of all, if you don't know, Brady has Autism. You wouldn't know it if you saw us passing you. It's not something that he physically exhibits (well, most of the time, at least). And, he LOVES school. I am not terrified he will have a bad time there. I'm certain he will enjoy it and he will fall in love with his teacher. And, like everyone else, they will fall in love with him.<br />
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What I am most terrified of is that now he will be facing all those big kids. This isn't preschool anymore. All of those big kids that will probably make some comment about Special Ed (he's beginning the mainstreaming process this year) and God forbid, use the "R" word. I know, <b>I KNOW</b> with a certainty that they will not know the hurt they will cause by doing this. I know, because I was once a kid their age. But, luckily, Brady will probably not care one bit at this time. But,<b> I WILL</b>. I have yet to experience it, but I know it will not be easy. It's dreadful thinking about it. The last thing I want to do is be the mom who unleashed her wrath on a grade school child. <i>Serenity now....</i><br />
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I know that one day Brady will be hurt by being excluded. That he will yearn to be "normal" and not know why he is different. He will wonder why he has extra work, therapy and all the things that "normal" kids don't have to endure. I will have to answer those questions one day. I'm glad I have some time to think it over a bit.<br />
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But, what brings on the worst anxiety is facing all the moms.<b> YES! THE MOMS!</b> The moms who just don't understand why I don't have time to do things like afterschool activities and volunteering. Why we can't just "skip" a day of therapy. Why we can't just be like them. It's because we are not. NOTHING like them. After school, Brady has therapy until dinner. <b>UNTIL DINNER five days a week</b>, people! He gets home from school and immediately has therapy. And, that's just ABA therapy. And, trust me, other moms will think it's a little over the top. "Why don't you just have LESS therapy?" Why? Because I want the best for my child and therapy is part of it. We don't do therapy because it's fun.<br />
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I will probably get the pity nod as I have to deal with a tantrum, because I'm sure it will happen eventually. But, really, I've been dealing with tantrums for a while, so they don't faze me. I'm sure I'll get a few, "Oh my! He's certainly vocal" comments here and there. Maybe I'll have to explain he has Autism. Maybe I won't. Depends on how tired and cranky I am.<br />
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But, what will be tough is dealing with the judgment. Judgment from those who have never walked my path. Judging my decisions, my actions, the tone and perhaps the fact that I will ignore some behaviors. Judging the amount of (or perceived lack of) discipline I have for my kids. I'll probably have to endure the torturous "Have you tried" suggestions. I'll answer probably seven billion times whether I think vaccines caused it, whether we are gluten free, is he like Rain Man, or "Have you heard of Temple Grandin". I'll annoyingly watch people talk to my son as if he is incapable of comprehending what they are saying (and just for the record, he DOES UNDERSTAND and you don't have to speak S-L-O-W). Just thinking about it kind of makes me physically and mentally tired.<br />
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I will be up at night thinking of what any new behavior means. I will wonder if services will be cut and if they aren't if he will be getting the appropriate level of services he needs. I will pray each day that his good spell of sleeping will not be disrupted by the stresses of not only a new school but a longer school day. I will wonder if his aides are nice to him, if he is scared or perhaps if all my worrying is for nothing. I will be conflicted with the amount of demands placed on him - for he is only 5. I will ponder if I'm doing the right thing, if I'm acting the right way, if I'm too hard or too lenient.<br />
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I know I bring a lot of this anxiety on myself. It's needless worrying for the most part. But, nonetheless, I worry. So, when you see me and pass judgment, remember, YOU, the mom giving me the judgmental glance (because we can all tell), are the LAST thing I need to worry about. But, for some damn reason, I spend time worrying about you. URGH!<br />
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Rather than side eye me, try this. Give me a smile. Give me some room. I want to be like you, but I can't. My circumstances don't allow it. I'm not bitter and I am over trying. Don't give me the guilt trip for not helping out at the damn bake sale. Don't think I'm lazy for not selling your magazines or participate in the next fundraiser. Don't think I'm being rude if I cut you off. It's probably because I can tell that my son is about to lose it because he has his head set on getting a sprinkled donut like I promised him and is growing impatient with my petty conversation. Don't get mad if I took up soooo much of the teacher/principal/fill-in-the-blank's time because of my kid's "issues". What you can do is understand that I don't want to be rude, pushy, flippant, whatever you think I am. I don't want to be on a perpetual soap box educating everyone about my son's Autism. It's not what I want to do. I just don't have the energy.<br />
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Know that I don't need your sympathy. My life is not horrible. It's far from it. We are happy and we DO have fun. Just not with you. Ha! Ha! I just had to put that in there.<br />
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Hey you other moms, what you can do is not tolerate your child demeaning another child for their disabilities. You can refuse to allow your child to treat another child - special ed or not - any differently than they would want to be treated. You can do this by doing it and modeling it for your kids. Your kids are a big mirror of yourself.<br />
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What I <b><u><i>DO WANT</i></u></b> is for my son to have the same experiences and memories of school as your child. I don't want to have to deal with the MOMS. So, with that, what you can do is just be nice. That's all - just be NICE. Simple as that. Oh, and don't take my parking space. I may just flip out.<br />
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So, THAT, my friends - that, in a large, long-winded nutshell, is why the start of school is stressful for me. WISH ME LUCK!<br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-126822147195089787.post-64906188678044518002013-07-22T12:41:00.000-07:002013-07-22T12:44:43.007-07:00Sensory Play - Biodegradable Packing PeanutsPlaying is a kid's job! It is our job as their parents to make sure that they are good at it! Fun play experiences don't require that you dump a ton of money into toys. Some of the most fun things to do don't require a lot more than a good imagination. I love play products that are:<br />
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- FUN</div>
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- Inexpensive</div>
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- Versatile</div>
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- Not complicated for me or the kiddos</div>
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Sure, I'm all in for Pinterest-style bake, mix and create type of activities. But, sometimes, the best fun is the kind you have when you are required to use your imagination playing with pretty ambiguous materials. With that, I introduce you to my new friend, <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red;"><b>Biodegradable Packing Peanuts</b></span>. </div>
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In my Mother Goose Time curriculum, Wes and I had a blast making these cool cactus plants. Making them wasn't incredibly complex. In actuality, they were pretty basic skills. But, for a budding mind, <b><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red;">BUILDING</span></i></b>, in any form - hard or easy, is extremely rewarding.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgan3ZkBpZ-LwAZ_MSwuGuXUO92RKbtObjSUGmARAF3uVrJKVlKZzBVjN0F0hnXv997Wv3nWeKtzmbGfLazNaOqovjysETo7HSJlglaNTq-N_erT-wE_QCl7AmnYRc7KIWFvkOvVi1brdbN/s1600/IMG_2519.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgan3ZkBpZ-LwAZ_MSwuGuXUO92RKbtObjSUGmARAF3uVrJKVlKZzBVjN0F0hnXv997Wv3nWeKtzmbGfLazNaOqovjysETo7HSJlglaNTq-N_erT-wE_QCl7AmnYRc7KIWFvkOvVi1brdbN/s400/IMG_2519.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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Wes loved the cactus activity so much, I quickly googled cornstarch pellets and found out that the cactus materials were very similar to biodegradable packing peanuts. I found a huge bag at Office Depot for about $11. And, when I say HUGE bag, it's about half my size and bigger than Wes. </div>
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Packing Peanuts are extremely versatile! Since I purchased a GINORMOUS bag, we have played with them in many different ways. We use them to build most of the time. Wes absolutely loves to create things with them! Simply supply a pile of packing peanuts and a moistened paper towel (you can put it in a bowl) and let your kid go to town! Of course, you probably will need to model how to do it a few times, but Wes was really quick to pick it up and do it independently!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dipping</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Attaching</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"I'm building Momma!"</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Starting another creation</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUvxCKjmD4YlGCP4SWpsQWTy01JV0AiXyJwMFKrmEqiMcYNGhE2Ech8d-eq6njgjZGvYdUusY3Qlte5SFSfs62RfyClhtkoV4ymWROejkLkb9EcNdJAFQ1bIR8LwTSqE1N7wViYrJ7z3Sb/s1600/IMG_2553.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUvxCKjmD4YlGCP4SWpsQWTy01JV0AiXyJwMFKrmEqiMcYNGhE2Ech8d-eq6njgjZGvYdUusY3Qlte5SFSfs62RfyClhtkoV4ymWROejkLkb9EcNdJAFQ1bIR8LwTSqE1N7wViYrJ7z3Sb/s400/IMG_2553.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Look Momma at what I make!"</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUKGNCrverX_G_2ahczQyIpoPdBQvwO81OVTBARJQEwNUWDUC2Mqes637odGKrEN5wDBc8U8wvoz705UEcbYVhzMl8aCsU0qt3vqPlzrWu1wZ87i5nIthAlZHqtzAFe8Xgxm_vcGCEcQxH/s1600/IMG_2554.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUKGNCrverX_G_2ahczQyIpoPdBQvwO81OVTBARJQEwNUWDUC2Mqes637odGKrEN5wDBc8U8wvoz705UEcbYVhzMl8aCsU0qt3vqPlzrWu1wZ87i5nIthAlZHqtzAFe8Xgxm_vcGCEcQxH/s400/IMG_2554.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"It's squishy!"</td></tr>
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I am not quite sure what Wes created above, but he sure was proud of it. I think he said it was an octopus, not sure.<br />
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You could easily paint your creations, too! Simply create, dry and paint! These are also very easy to add to paper art - you can glue to a painting or drawing as clouds, boats or as Wes likes, SUBMARINES! Really, you can use them in so many ways!<br />
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Additionally, these little peanuts are a fun addition to a water based sensory bin. Or if you aren't sensory bin believers, just toss them in the water table outside. As you can imagine, they start to dissolve in the water. But, when they start to dissolve, they get gooey and smooshy. You know, if you have boys, anything SLIMEY is a good thing to play with! Heck, you can create something, like a snowman and let it dissolve in the water! So cool!<br />
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And, if you have time to kill at the doctor's office, local eatery, etc. bring some of these suckers with you in a bag. You can use a baby wipe or stick a wet paper towel in another snack bag for them to moisten the peanuts with. I don't know about you, but keeping a variety of activities keeps my kids pretty content when forced to wait!<br />
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Of course, if you have little ones that still like to try eating things, I'd skip it for now! They are biodegradable, but I'm not sure how they would do in little ones tummies!<br />
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I hope you try them out! Split a bag with a friend! Super cheap but super duper versatile for your little explorers. ENJOY!<br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-126822147195089787.post-33918528528550222062013-07-16T13:11:00.001-07:002013-07-16T13:31:37.052-07:00Mother Goose Time - Art Studio Week One<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Last week we began our Art Studio Mother Goose Time curriculum. Perfect timing, too! Wes is really into making art!</div>
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As with all of their monthly curriculum boxes, this box included a lesson plan book, calendar and some other items for the month. I decided to hang our calendar and "art easel" in the living room where we spend most of our time. Wes and Brady really enjoy talking about what day it is and we start our day with the calendar!</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our art easel with our shapes of the day</td></tr>
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Each day's piece for the calendar is a piece of art work, like the Mona Lisa for example. When we attach the calendar piece, we also look at the included art print so we can talk about it. Wes said Mona Lisa looked mad! (If you look closely, you'll see Wes' journal from last month's curriculum! He loves looking at it!)<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7eQPnPaWhwZWb97a04wOs-H6TlGMYCXtDAi1kj3NC5m2dIlKrN2__AUoe5mipeIkzfFNT0Jydjpyty-XP91BuQvtddcEXilwI1zoI7NPeXTClmrujD2CoBKuRx0MSjNeIwwfuNtG8e-ss/s1600/IMG_2572.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7eQPnPaWhwZWb97a04wOs-H6TlGMYCXtDAi1kj3NC5m2dIlKrN2__AUoe5mipeIkzfFNT0Jydjpyty-XP91BuQvtddcEXilwI1zoI7NPeXTClmrujD2CoBKuRx0MSjNeIwwfuNtG8e-ss/s400/IMG_2572.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">New calendar location!</td></tr>
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<b><i><u>Falco the Featherless Falcon</u></i></b><br />
I *heart* the Falco the Featherless Falcon activities for this month. Falco is a falcon that lost all of his wings looking for coins. Rather than being content with what Falco had, he become slightly obsessed with finding as many as he could get and with that he lost all of his feathers and his ability to fly. There's a story book that went along with the activities.<br />
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We made a nest for Falco, which we visit each day. I included a colored picture of Falco in the nest. I colored Falco and let me tell you, it is so therapeutic to color like a child for me! I haven't done that in ages, but man, it's still as cool as it was when I was a little kiddo! The nest is filled with his feathers, each of which talk about things like discipline, contentment and integrity to name a few. The feathers also contain little stories which we talk about. The lesson plan book contains some catchy saying to get the kids to remember the word and meaning. For example, "D, D, Discpline - Don't give up!"<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhWbd2v0MhHe55cU_tZqhodBZ0XrGq8x7nVMcjiHMBfXn-IiBIAbbYlZ_WpkcYfp_xUfzlb-0kZxpHkIil7TQhG4TFcceUP1HpsWLCq4lAAIj2MizY2uXR0pKtrZjxjCntmMQ6BlKZzovZ/s1600/IMG_2573.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhWbd2v0MhHe55cU_tZqhodBZ0XrGq8x7nVMcjiHMBfXn-IiBIAbbYlZ_WpkcYfp_xUfzlb-0kZxpHkIil7TQhG4TFcceUP1HpsWLCq4lAAIj2MizY2uXR0pKtrZjxjCntmMQ6BlKZzovZ/s400/IMG_2573.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wes finding the "Discipline" feather - that's not it!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnMaGZ3ByHGx17y7j6GYHTigQ_xYMcxUHEyd5pmOrsX2BlJoNu2FMQOXmbEloBdR25HafHLG7XI0wMTWI5IRzqZ6y8SozBUCd4POiisT229KbwhkBSv9aPzC3_4fKPxJugGxeh-GwndMjH/s1600/IMG_2574.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnMaGZ3ByHGx17y7j6GYHTigQ_xYMcxUHEyd5pmOrsX2BlJoNu2FMQOXmbEloBdR25HafHLG7XI0wMTWI5IRzqZ6y8SozBUCd4POiisT229KbwhkBSv9aPzC3_4fKPxJugGxeh-GwndMjH/s400/IMG_2574.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Finding the feathers also works on letter and color recognition in disguise!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyMCWKDgXCJjRDEXzAucW90YNy19Q0O6IO7mEgTV_TlSi7oh0B9RhyphenhyphenScuBzQCGh9nXvu0MPd34j-P8M3S2oRQZo9ZyUG9vA9jtC8OgOjfBks0e3NqTcKViVV_kJhnshLKAV1aTkT1UHxfY/s1600/IMG_2575.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyMCWKDgXCJjRDEXzAucW90YNy19Q0O6IO7mEgTV_TlSi7oh0B9RhyphenhyphenScuBzQCGh9nXvu0MPd34j-P8M3S2oRQZo9ZyUG9vA9jtC8OgOjfBks0e3NqTcKViVV_kJhnshLKAV1aTkT1UHxfY/s400/IMG_2575.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wes pretending to read the scenarios</td></tr>
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<b><i><u>Self Portrait</u></i></b><br />
Wes made a self portrait one day. We proudly displayed his portrait and dated it, because you bet I'm saving that for his memory book!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEwCF7qTNoA9TSEdY9Ht4FbGPHMypUrrpWYKhHv52_E__u7cgzI0mq0skOzhIGEb7Ur768jY2zgbWc8tjWuLJtvMLBOeoWCGpBy2CE5qxiZ1LsBPDmvuM5YLeqEVVpyhjTkXhUMa7naLIv/s1600/IMG_2576.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEwCF7qTNoA9TSEdY9Ht4FbGPHMypUrrpWYKhHv52_E__u7cgzI0mq0skOzhIGEb7Ur768jY2zgbWc8tjWuLJtvMLBOeoWCGpBy2CE5qxiZ1LsBPDmvuM5YLeqEVVpyhjTkXhUMa7naLIv/s400/IMG_2576.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Drawing his self portrait</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFAcxpd3lrKyfZ1v75DpZrbqIJooONRmuxfVIUxhGWLz87XQ0G4xFD46DARDwaYyJCaFW-C1DBCeaK6dySozdth3pYhgng3frsDa7BZBKBgNSQfVWQEC3gkZQJLr3ueqTeDp_HGTm1NMJu/s1600/IMG_2578.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFAcxpd3lrKyfZ1v75DpZrbqIJooONRmuxfVIUxhGWLz87XQ0G4xFD46DARDwaYyJCaFW-C1DBCeaK6dySozdth3pYhgng3frsDa7BZBKBgNSQfVWQEC3gkZQJLr3ueqTeDp_HGTm1NMJu/s400/IMG_2578.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pretty good! I only helped with the eyes!</td></tr>
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And, as a carry over from last month, Wes had to draw the letter "H" on the back. He's pretty much mastered writing "H"! It's so amazing since he's really able to write it legible now!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg332fdV5lUDCKc22e3XLspbMPt-CqQTIk8pRYR0HfNKDI-SQ1gpLuAvhzxNyvC6nbuq5vNDfdsf3zhDAVhg14YkNG74l_I8OskG9wPmT7fw7g2WpRZ-7BYZA6KaHOVv0KRkMUROc6wWCeK/s1600/IMG_2579.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg332fdV5lUDCKc22e3XLspbMPt-CqQTIk8pRYR0HfNKDI-SQ1gpLuAvhzxNyvC6nbuq5vNDfdsf3zhDAVhg14YkNG74l_I8OskG9wPmT7fw7g2WpRZ-7BYZA6KaHOVv0KRkMUROc6wWCeK/s400/IMG_2579.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hard to see but his letter "H"</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Framed and ready for display</td></tr>
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<b><i><u>Italy</u></i></b><br />
This week we also talked about the country Italy. We found Italy on our included globe beach ball. Once Wes was able to identify it independently, I would toss the ball and when I caught it we would try to find it together. I'm quite amazed, actually. Wes has pretty much been able to find Italy any time I've asked him.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH2mnlmI6fsKGc05jWW_xbejcVcktdf0gy9UOwmrMlGJ5DyX69IOMs_vQPPzNFZ8_c96SM6Wzjv0wyNpIyXi0LNF0PZCYcQdDmTAlaoU0peu2xVtxJEgjTfkrYKAIjxsdnofmptEhOHwLS/s1600/IMG_2581.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH2mnlmI6fsKGc05jWW_xbejcVcktdf0gy9UOwmrMlGJ5DyX69IOMs_vQPPzNFZ8_c96SM6Wzjv0wyNpIyXi0LNF0PZCYcQdDmTAlaoU0peu2xVtxJEgjTfkrYKAIjxsdnofmptEhOHwLS/s400/IMG_2581.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Finding Italy<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span></td></tr>
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One of the week's activities included making an Italian flag. I reminded Wes that we spoke about Egypt's flag a while ago and how every country has their very own flag. This activity was fairly easy, but I love how it gave him some practice on copying for an example (which I pulled up from Google). He was so proud of his flag we had to FaceTime with Grandpa to show it off!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIQb4QQbM6M_xnAl7iqOrcZdmuHJrbiKVqi3pHSQmlJVgVsyF6V0EvRD0npkfjZLI95fki1sV24YK-gdV81FscFePsYkr7qKjHWJH3nfkU7reYkXs4lFhhGQRixAdt6fP-s6zCIEmzQE32/s1600/IMG_2582.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIQb4QQbM6M_xnAl7iqOrcZdmuHJrbiKVqi3pHSQmlJVgVsyF6V0EvRD0npkfjZLI95fki1sV24YK-gdV81FscFePsYkr7qKjHWJH3nfkU7reYkXs4lFhhGQRixAdt6fP-s6zCIEmzQE32/s400/IMG_2582.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Italian Flag</td></tr>
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<b><i><u>Printmaking</u></i></b><br />
We also worked on printmaking. We started off by separating our foam rectangles. We then decided to make some triangles from the rectangles to make our stamps more fun. With the included materials, this activity was fairly easy! We glued our shapes to our cardboard stampers and brushed the paint on and stamped gift tags and paper bags.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgX2tMNZ2vGLg5FDzW2Jj13rHDHx5Gb4vOA2qPXy_5y-el5cMKNduj30vs80xRJ5B8ze-ie8BpWTZl2Rbr1L6z_iaU_MCOHqdbFo6GtxDeB7O-bW1Cv50lg8KVgOhcgvOKnGsbhagAXNyoT/s1600/IMG_2583.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgX2tMNZ2vGLg5FDzW2Jj13rHDHx5Gb4vOA2qPXy_5y-el5cMKNduj30vs80xRJ5B8ze-ie8BpWTZl2Rbr1L6z_iaU_MCOHqdbFo6GtxDeB7O-bW1Cv50lg8KVgOhcgvOKnGsbhagAXNyoT/s400/IMG_2583.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Making stamps for print making</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkh4EOeU1SZWLYEqjXubb7O7OKjqPMwq7Z6MpUAF25UeD6tFNvLwO88ZAzIyBrVy1UfY90JxtTHX9JlxRXdclqqa5BZG5Vq1ztxYEIG1zFXLmMXPHPRUX3Nd_TDRTd0DGfT25ZjEgfyU7V/s1600/IMG_2584.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkh4EOeU1SZWLYEqjXubb7O7OKjqPMwq7Z6MpUAF25UeD6tFNvLwO88ZAzIyBrVy1UfY90JxtTHX9JlxRXdclqqa5BZG5Vq1ztxYEIG1zFXLmMXPHPRUX3Nd_TDRTd0DGfT25ZjEgfyU7V/s400/IMG_2584.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Arranging our patterns</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQGCK1PqYAZxxSfyyy4rgrgsywTI23L5eMdPkZpWIhGInuF7CCBwkWN_G1Hl5nxj_jyABypCEAAw37Eo3vLKUr8Q4djl0xypxxajqSQgdfWsUT0TqRHkfXInpdwUZ4oUs3tz2PHGlTfMQt/s1600/IMG_2585.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQGCK1PqYAZxxSfyyy4rgrgsywTI23L5eMdPkZpWIhGInuF7CCBwkWN_G1Hl5nxj_jyABypCEAAw37Eo3vLKUr8Q4djl0xypxxajqSQgdfWsUT0TqRHkfXInpdwUZ4oUs3tz2PHGlTfMQt/s400/IMG_2585.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our stampers</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxHuxyU254Ki8GCIwghCetZwrL0Qn2yJ7nnVe7bwXY78zVJm3rcw_1QKlCYIjIw45Z1ySYHICWd9g5Sp2ZNl_fAdcYcYkPrpN_F9cd1ztRvGk0ty7oQhgQGUou2SzwZMGmoQCXYrO7VsmW/s1600/IMG_2591.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxHuxyU254Ki8GCIwghCetZwrL0Qn2yJ7nnVe7bwXY78zVJm3rcw_1QKlCYIjIw45Z1ySYHICWd9g5Sp2ZNl_fAdcYcYkPrpN_F9cd1ztRvGk0ty7oQhgQGUou2SzwZMGmoQCXYrO7VsmW/s400/IMG_2591.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Painting on the "ink"</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuGwv2CmWdg9jHkKPNxJdjKKLDLeHkXXQnywkP-Uc3Pt9Ykg7wBlF0cbfw9I2QXl6TvqfZsa6NAkupeOQOq7sQC2_GH1HUTi_bXW1qMneR5nOGs67yq72TeMhY1zpb7HKAW571X_tZPJqM/s1600/IMG_2592.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuGwv2CmWdg9jHkKPNxJdjKKLDLeHkXXQnywkP-Uc3Pt9Ykg7wBlF0cbfw9I2QXl6TvqfZsa6NAkupeOQOq7sQC2_GH1HUTi_bXW1qMneR5nOGs67yq72TeMhY1zpb7HKAW571X_tZPJqM/s400/IMG_2592.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our first print</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpHJ5U-6yT_GROu2GDbOyh1TUukL7Dra7Rp8YqzFpXHvug0bCOcB7eL50UsDDhW8CTcNwKoWuM2syoKpNgxqPnWq3yN0ziZXfnB_Wqclk1F_DuSaAf-qHQT9wDCHiMg0up8GlnCwqhoSH1/s1600/IMG_2593.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpHJ5U-6yT_GROu2GDbOyh1TUukL7Dra7Rp8YqzFpXHvug0bCOcB7eL50UsDDhW8CTcNwKoWuM2syoKpNgxqPnWq3yN0ziZXfnB_Wqclk1F_DuSaAf-qHQT9wDCHiMg0up8GlnCwqhoSH1/s400/IMG_2593.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Printing on a gift tag</td></tr>
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<b><i><u>Don't Get the Wolf</u></i></b><br />
If you've been following our journey with Mother Goose Time, you know that I love using some of the activities on the go. I simply put them in a ziploc bag and slip them in my purse to keep the boys busy when we are required to wait. This is one of those activities. We adapted this game slightly since it was just the two of us. We made it sort of like a matching/memory type game, except whenever we drew the Italian Wolf, we had to run around and howl like a wolf! Then when he tired of that, we used them as flash cards. The cards were of Italian icons like the Leaning Tower of Pisa, the Italian flag and the map of Italy, to name a few.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1T1u0DRjm5HBSYEpXalLUEtXpR1AWemHCdrL09y6rDFQjZdb6Ie-b-JXDh2ly2tm-ezM1ZZRIzyb0Z3OwMI2MLsHVlK6UxHzmGD-cFdqqM62ugwpRnqHEE-akCF1HI9n0o7Fr5gob_pLI/s1600/IMG_2588.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1T1u0DRjm5HBSYEpXalLUEtXpR1AWemHCdrL09y6rDFQjZdb6Ie-b-JXDh2ly2tm-ezM1ZZRIzyb0Z3OwMI2MLsHVlK6UxHzmGD-cFdqqM62ugwpRnqHEE-akCF1HI9n0o7Fr5gob_pLI/s400/IMG_2588.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Matching</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">He loved the Italian Wolf</td></tr>
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<b><i><u>Upside Mural</u></i></b></div>
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We also did a mural by taping paper under the coffee table and using our rolled and frayed foam "brushes", just like Michelangelo. It was super fun, but I didn't snap and photos because I was painting right alongside my little artist.</div>
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<b><i><u>Girl with a Pearl</u></i></b></div>
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We also made <i>Girl with a Pearl </i>with the included materials. We used black construction paper, brown paper bag, a blue napkin and a white bean for the earring. We crumpled the paper bag for texture and folded the napkin to make it a head scarf. We used the actual art print as reference and tried to "copy" from the original. I have the admit, his "copy" was pretty good for a 2 year old! Well, he'll be 3 in a few weeks, but still - pretty impressive!</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlqFH2yhfEY8faNMwVUYdogL5OpAFYRKh20nFS1Oz5_p6ort2Whss_9KWrn3hsFK49Ohw-2Sq1yVeuNYsPaGPCh73mOgo71c_ExkPSa47RsotQLmpvR2FVQSatMhbe_r94Pm86F24_MpYj/s1600/IMG_2595.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlqFH2yhfEY8faNMwVUYdogL5OpAFYRKh20nFS1Oz5_p6ort2Whss_9KWrn3hsFK49Ohw-2Sq1yVeuNYsPaGPCh73mOgo71c_ExkPSa47RsotQLmpvR2FVQSatMhbe_r94Pm86F24_MpYj/s400/IMG_2595.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Crumpling for texture</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6Ymd_2kcZ0qAtZxaPV8yJu5SG7AMeCLtmihLWA52AbMpLOI910sVPUXigt4aVHxE8QjMRekmnW4BqJUvRcKDlFGNBP61GEBbWWmd6T3RX49iwxi_S_WuODqA2WFT5nWwgPimAGaSBcENY/s1600/IMG_2596.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6Ymd_2kcZ0qAtZxaPV8yJu5SG7AMeCLtmihLWA52AbMpLOI910sVPUXigt4aVHxE8QjMRekmnW4BqJUvRcKDlFGNBP61GEBbWWmd6T3RX49iwxi_S_WuODqA2WFT5nWwgPimAGaSBcENY/s400/IMG_2596.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Drawing on her facial features</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOwkLt6SCERqJHT7TM68gu4OU8qSskYIOlIyOVbDvr_IqnBbTm9qyENdkx47XjGgEbu56ZydVHzEQZYIT96l770UnF1zKYfxsUV07gmR6erHCvx49t9FAmgkaobOSbDYzD2oMbYoMzpMNw/s1600/IMG_2597.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOwkLt6SCERqJHT7TM68gu4OU8qSskYIOlIyOVbDvr_IqnBbTm9qyENdkx47XjGgEbu56ZydVHzEQZYIT96l770UnF1zKYfxsUV07gmR6erHCvx49t9FAmgkaobOSbDYzD2oMbYoMzpMNw/s400/IMG_2597.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Showing off his art</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU8gYP5EFOHomGrPv1b6l5nu-SFnayva4FaPD-yf15qWqizRgDRIIe2ADh_cbG0o5YRH22YNsKjDjv0ejJq61Dtz0DqL9fq8jUYcLxIeMfuXEPlAsBwJp_GfjlVxrsWK6Pbd_kqKRg0XZP/s1600/IMG_2598.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU8gYP5EFOHomGrPv1b6l5nu-SFnayva4FaPD-yf15qWqizRgDRIIe2ADh_cbG0o5YRH22YNsKjDjv0ejJq61Dtz0DqL9fq8jUYcLxIeMfuXEPlAsBwJp_GfjlVxrsWK6Pbd_kqKRg0XZP/s400/IMG_2598.JPG" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Finished artwork!</td></tr>
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<b><i><u>Book of the Month</u></i></b></div>
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The included book for this month is Bear in Sunshine. Wes really enjoys reading it each day.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiedl3lrUaG7ypUKDgbxNUv2MMUKEKI5EcApN1SwillSKFMjSaIhxhT9EjBVFJ-JrDInVFzH_VA6vAZXQwE0SU6pwJHMgSEIxAzn7am5PWPSj9YprXzm-fqvL2_ygwQ_ClIHXTCm7d4zCqe/s1600/IMG_2601.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiedl3lrUaG7ypUKDgbxNUv2MMUKEKI5EcApN1SwillSKFMjSaIhxhT9EjBVFJ-JrDInVFzH_VA6vAZXQwE0SU6pwJHMgSEIxAzn7am5PWPSj9YprXzm-fqvL2_ygwQ_ClIHXTCm7d4zCqe/s400/IMG_2601.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<b><i><u>End of Day Pay</u></i></b></div>
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Now, explaining financial responsibility is something I have wanted to begin young with the boys. I truly do believe that you can't do it young enough. With both boys, we have been very good about letting them know that you have to exchange money for the things you need, but financial responsibility goes far beyond just the exchange of money. I love that this month's curriculum also talks about this daily for the month. </div>
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We have spent each day talking about how to earn money. We talk about that you have to do tasks and jobs to earn money you need. Wes earns $5 dollars each day if he completes all of our activities. At the end of the day, he earns his money and he places $1 in his Give and Save envelopes, and $2 in his Spend envelope. He gets to decide where the other $1 goes. He has to pay $2 each day for his art supplies.</div>
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We spend the end of each school session talking about topics like why we save, why we give and how we earn and spend on things we need like food and art supplies. We explain giving, saving and spending through play. For example, we will have him go through a bunch of gross motor drills like jump up and touch your toes. Each time he does something we give him a shape. Then we talk about earning and how daddy works to earn money so we can buy the things we need. Then we do the activity again, and instead of shapes, we earn money. There are similar activities each day to go over a variety of financial topics. The lessons are completely simplified - but we ARE dealing with a 3 year old! So, it can't be too complex!</div>
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I feel that while it is only introducing the topic of financial responsibility, it is definitely laying the foundation to continue our lessons about it. And, Wes LOVES to EARN his moola!</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj50NAfU00DQU-UjAi7euHjwZ0gjXbS3-GG98IB8OiD8rxJ_1Tc__Tse61_laccQEjTr_QvzwjHxzewl5UK1cOtKk-6qb5r7jV5uPZlUrBb2S5g_EFd5O9gZ2yuLoksMXs_4cMYAjvZ-KYh/s1600/IMG_2590.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj50NAfU00DQU-UjAi7euHjwZ0gjXbS3-GG98IB8OiD8rxJ_1Tc__Tse61_laccQEjTr_QvzwjHxzewl5UK1cOtKk-6qb5r7jV5uPZlUrBb2S5g_EFd5O9gZ2yuLoksMXs_4cMYAjvZ-KYh/s400/IMG_2590.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Earning" a triangle</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmHm7Ur2XxKiPTZVeK1eXrjMGyrZSw9F3HoESWWETk5Ar8cNQtj_Y1S68Yghx58xiM1LBF1lnXKqzNo_CqAG7fWfpZH2gY8ICGe2raiaPi6YnytrTbxSyw_zGeuvXHs9xhxHdHlL9fK8Oy/s1600/IMG_2600.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmHm7Ur2XxKiPTZVeK1eXrjMGyrZSw9F3HoESWWETk5Ar8cNQtj_Y1S68Yghx58xiM1LBF1lnXKqzNo_CqAG7fWfpZH2gY8ICGe2raiaPi6YnytrTbxSyw_zGeuvXHs9xhxHdHlL9fK8Oy/s400/IMG_2600.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our money envelopes</td></tr>
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We are really enjoying the activities in the Art Studio box! It's spurred all sorts of extended activities for us!</div>
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For more information on Mother Goose Time, please visit their website <a href="http://mothergoosetime.com/">mothergoosetime.com</a>.</div>
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***And, in case you are wondering - we are still working on being solid with our potty training. That is why in most photos, you'll see Wes has his undies and no pants on! Trust me! We do not live in a nudist colony! I promise!</div>
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-126822147195089787.post-11586097639794748052013-07-07T16:14:00.000-07:002013-07-07T16:26:23.169-07:00Mother Goose Time - Last Week of Cowboys, Dunes and Deserts This week marked our last week in the Cowboys, Dunes and Deserts theme box. This month has really been a blast for Wes, Brady and I. We have really enjoyed the topics, activities, games and books in Mother Goose Time's boxed curriculum. These are some of the highlights from this last week.<br />
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One really cool activity that we did (and have done over and over several times already) is drawing a night time sky. We used the included black construction paper, white chalk and star stickers to create a night time sky. What I thought was super cool was Wes decided to make all of his stars "shooting stars" all on his own. We poked small holes near the stars to help them shine! I don't know why I never thought of using white chalk on dark colored paper, but it is something we will do a lot more of!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1NKVqUNppoqRGhqCQyKDDVUTutoMbck39CQGbj1BrOj94t5BKeyIv76uwIAfyxGtbGCYGVXiIq4ZONXX6Sdrn-1PJPk9EU8boghKn5C6wNfR-gV1ZWT07PAPBq1ag7pntJR0fYNEy4xHw/s1600/IMG_2525.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1NKVqUNppoqRGhqCQyKDDVUTutoMbck39CQGbj1BrOj94t5BKeyIv76uwIAfyxGtbGCYGVXiIq4ZONXX6Sdrn-1PJPk9EU8boghKn5C6wNfR-gV1ZWT07PAPBq1ag7pntJR0fYNEy4xHw/s400/IMG_2525.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wes deliberated on where to put the first star</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2lzG1iRf0mPJ2bmvLFxZkZd6V1ntRx4WX8lJS1ZgeKLQb6jiYYXNElwTZz0aUN6d4VSNdyBgppNsMx0BiCl4s0ErHMUUYFAecnddgTB2ys7ZuGU38MDER2WAqyS_lGRFsjIIgwtqfa7iJ/s1600/IMG_2526.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2lzG1iRf0mPJ2bmvLFxZkZd6V1ntRx4WX8lJS1ZgeKLQb6jiYYXNElwTZz0aUN6d4VSNdyBgppNsMx0BiCl4s0ErHMUUYFAecnddgTB2ys7ZuGU38MDER2WAqyS_lGRFsjIIgwtqfa7iJ/s400/IMG_2526.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pulling the stickers off of the sheet is a great fine motor activity in itself!</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghNErMS64A4CWfGtUEfUl4PhlBohn-7IPSYyjdnKjFSqKzwUIWyBjbHOsmOfxd_WrQ-FP4umdJgdQ4hKmJVTmb6KAkg5vKXVJVSIvBlXe1uEp4LyjGqNaoHA9w5bziVTq2Pq_0T91cAzz-/s1600/IMG_2528.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghNErMS64A4CWfGtUEfUl4PhlBohn-7IPSYyjdnKjFSqKzwUIWyBjbHOsmOfxd_WrQ-FP4umdJgdQ4hKmJVTmb6KAkg5vKXVJVSIvBlXe1uEp4LyjGqNaoHA9w5bziVTq2Pq_0T91cAzz-/s400/IMG_2528.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEEd_VTvcYMJUWjMwruhtbFUuesOpYeD3tDMmvpIDO33aZQ1i3l6KQ3eniHhjthHEDyhycNdJxUGyt2bSoTVf4-2OipAvz-GgIhdG9YzomjOcpO0v06oudU98NY0BLbZkxPmA6FJqr4_bM/s1600/IMG_2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEEd_VTvcYMJUWjMwruhtbFUuesOpYeD3tDMmvpIDO33aZQ1i3l6KQ3eniHhjthHEDyhycNdJxUGyt2bSoTVf4-2OipAvz-GgIhdG9YzomjOcpO0v06oudU98NY0BLbZkxPmA6FJqr4_bM/s400/IMG_2529.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Drawing a "mountain"</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEzJrwdp2WVvbzWfXyxlck5417s8muzmHwraMIJrkYCzMVC6ITuAgQG3KKtUd3N3RMzA1KGeP37K_p-DZRH17Y87LVRwRvpsnyo1sAuAoYtV6_p4Tb_bELVZgI5rpsplFMnsZZAXEc9bjo/s1600/IMG_2530.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEzJrwdp2WVvbzWfXyxlck5417s8muzmHwraMIJrkYCzMVC6ITuAgQG3KKtUd3N3RMzA1KGeP37K_p-DZRH17Y87LVRwRvpsnyo1sAuAoYtV6_p4Tb_bELVZgI5rpsplFMnsZZAXEc9bjo/s400/IMG_2530.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Creating shooting stars</td></tr>
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This week we talked about Desert Cotton Tails. We made our very own Desert Cotton Tails out of the included materials - brown paper bags, card stock, eye stickers, cotton and fuzzy pink nose. When the cotton tails were all dry and ready, we had a cotton tail race by putting them on our hands puppet style and hopping around the house.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Getting material situated</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGoKMTamC3SCczxxwq-_8Xs_cEb9fD0LBCQXL28TuqKflj52mVLPNuF-VphKSnwyYq_plWWM4kPKTazk3TRXHmBf93alE68idhk77RKgz7pBDkPKtCouBB3XCwuO6adoQxrJH_PzMbsyWS/s1600/IMG_2533.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGoKMTamC3SCczxxwq-_8Xs_cEb9fD0LBCQXL28TuqKflj52mVLPNuF-VphKSnwyYq_plWWM4kPKTazk3TRXHmBf93alE68idhk77RKgz7pBDkPKtCouBB3XCwuO6adoQxrJH_PzMbsyWS/s400/IMG_2533.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The finished bunnies</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjja-dKKS1pc42WGZPWB0PWzmCRRX09LFGPi6DMCMlN-48WGlXAiT7oCmnpwPlRLSMou-SQFzwhVb0DSMtHSRt-QL9nFTddcJR852fQeCSQAHW6QozZkVB93sMTa-8nQe60ZH5tqPzmA4C0/s1600/IMG_2536.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjja-dKKS1pc42WGZPWB0PWzmCRRX09LFGPi6DMCMlN-48WGlXAiT7oCmnpwPlRLSMou-SQFzwhVb0DSMtHSRt-QL9nFTddcJR852fQeCSQAHW6QozZkVB93sMTa-8nQe60ZH5tqPzmA4C0/s400/IMG_2536.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Proudly showing off his work</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirUZj17tBuJW1_uhx0jDMFujaHe3qDmjQHUh7i5O3_-NwEIGcXZPECRKz6Tn68dtjfDMm9O-RhRvT3KvldemxMvxT_FDxPEhPhME_Y34mUov7UWU9Ebbcc73pMYrqXQ1ZylMhbgqpxQL5D/s1600/IMG_2537.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirUZj17tBuJW1_uhx0jDMFujaHe3qDmjQHUh7i5O3_-NwEIGcXZPECRKz6Tn68dtjfDMm9O-RhRvT3KvldemxMvxT_FDxPEhPhME_Y34mUov7UWU9Ebbcc73pMYrqXQ1ZylMhbgqpxQL5D/s400/IMG_2537.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wes' girly bunny and Brady's "googly eyed" bunny</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-AKthxgJIaQOpYUNqi3m4UKNhBQvVwqoX7huh2TreaWzG85yyX2_NHcKFaGekGlalUJndSq3VjDNrtLYUi61mMxcH2TJy8gkpMULbjzT7LEczezZej5mQx_RbVYpy3FX-nLNgNZpgCG_f/s1600/IMG_2538.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-AKthxgJIaQOpYUNqi3m4UKNhBQvVwqoX7huh2TreaWzG85yyX2_NHcKFaGekGlalUJndSq3VjDNrtLYUi61mMxcH2TJy8gkpMULbjzT7LEczezZej5mQx_RbVYpy3FX-nLNgNZpgCG_f/s400/IMG_2538.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Complete with bushy cotton tails!</td></tr>
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One of the fun things we have been doing is adding to our journal all month long. This week I traced Wes' hand and we made a cotton tail out of it. With older kiddos, I imagine you could have them trace their own hands, but Wes still needs help with hand over hand on a lot of tracing/writing activities. After I traced his hand, I let him color it in. I later added eyes, a nose and whiskers. Wes pointed out that his cowboy (on the opposite page) was trying to catch the bunny with his lasso. Good luck with that one cowboy! I don't think I've ever seen a cowboy lasso a bunny.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtdF8uY_Mp-lAjRl2FUhPhgEHoDVTdRBybja2ITykMl9aHkeJE9edTGIOX2f9CZ9t6slbpKjpoMyLSfwQErx4sOHZ1_DFPwrzi7gj1NIvutUvR7E5pKWL-qgdIRuwmiBsl_bWLVCx7TBxj/s1600/IMG_2539.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtdF8uY_Mp-lAjRl2FUhPhgEHoDVTdRBybja2ITykMl9aHkeJE9edTGIOX2f9CZ9t6slbpKjpoMyLSfwQErx4sOHZ1_DFPwrzi7gj1NIvutUvR7E5pKWL-qgdIRuwmiBsl_bWLVCx7TBxj/s400/IMG_2539.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mommy and Wes making another journal entry</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh54I8DvhQ4u6lerlRVoUqgBmIUs2EqS0posPtsE4m9bVUxTVe6IgeVngv-3zh8SGTVpxST3NJlnIQ9SBb04blHxpLLV6mFWOsm9SLT2vFppXn5LGrdeAZrdwZlqjby9-rBRGSB3_U4mbmk/s1600/IMG_2540.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh54I8DvhQ4u6lerlRVoUqgBmIUs2EqS0posPtsE4m9bVUxTVe6IgeVngv-3zh8SGTVpxST3NJlnIQ9SBb04blHxpLLV6mFWOsm9SLT2vFppXn5LGrdeAZrdwZlqjby9-rBRGSB3_U4mbmk/s400/IMG_2540.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Coloring his cotton tail<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span></td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN9NvdQxTCTa60dbjATrGxXRCFJACY86EpwMUuTqoU0GAhCI0ON4Rdn-Fxps81Ogza1Qmj0YRRnRNod0MuLhXFElFPggMnPqNbUaXTPQYEWI-FGzzg_P1nh9lhWidbtbgREC1aMbsd1t_D/s1600/IMG_2541.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN9NvdQxTCTa60dbjATrGxXRCFJACY86EpwMUuTqoU0GAhCI0ON4Rdn-Fxps81Ogza1Qmj0YRRnRNod0MuLhXFElFPggMnPqNbUaXTPQYEWI-FGzzg_P1nh9lhWidbtbgREC1aMbsd1t_D/s400/IMG_2541.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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This week, we worked on size differentiation with the included animal activity. We worked on it several different ways. First we went over which each animal was, because by this time we had studied about each animal in previous activities. Then, I took two animals and asked Wes to identify which one was smaller or bigger. We did this with several match ups. I then mixed the animals up and asked Wes to get the one that was the smallest and put it first. Then he picked the next smallest, etc. Then we would do the same activity in reverse. </div>
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As I have mentioned before, I love that a lot of the included print materials and activities can be reused over and over. I have kept and stored a lot of them in ziploc bags to use as take along activities for doctor's appointments, eating out, etc. I bagged this one up and slipped it in our diaper bag.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNEoyiil6jfEv6t35xUJhjQuzVlN2h9_K6mqrpV-SihXo3bf1y6LNPaKSTTAQOsKR2TLO_RBBiyvTOGa1alSr3KweO0tR1Q-Ww5O7BIWt_wae6g6kfSolpuk6zwB2fSmWuMoM65gwxRzzf/s1600/IMG_2542.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNEoyiil6jfEv6t35xUJhjQuzVlN2h9_K6mqrpV-SihXo3bf1y6LNPaKSTTAQOsKR2TLO_RBBiyvTOGa1alSr3KweO0tR1Q-Ww5O7BIWt_wae6g6kfSolpuk6zwB2fSmWuMoM65gwxRzzf/s400/IMG_2542.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Putting his animals in order from smallest to biggest</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">So happy to get it correct!</td></tr>
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We also worked on patterning. This was another activity I packed away in a ziploc bag to revisit. There were enough cards to create several different patterns. What I liked the most is that the pattern cards were real photos of snakes and coyotes. I started off the patterning activity by withholding the cards, having Wes identify and articulate which animal came next. After a few rounds, I laid all of the pattern cards out and had Wes attempt it independently. Once his interest seemed to wane, we worked on creating a new pattern. Wes really enjoyed it!</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjma-Q3AJiXo-DQlxN9KJkNctIV_svSKWNSmpA4FweyxM54EDFAR9qxlI4nWlm4D1-p0A_pqeb1aIAfUv6-qRdKOi-dBr9DanW7NeIMr_wLhuuRzP1q8zmAzUSWOTF-Zyuk18F-_7O4yAB/s1600/IMG_2547.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjma-Q3AJiXo-DQlxN9KJkNctIV_svSKWNSmpA4FweyxM54EDFAR9qxlI4nWlm4D1-p0A_pqeb1aIAfUv6-qRdKOi-dBr9DanW7NeIMr_wLhuuRzP1q8zmAzUSWOTF-Zyuk18F-_7O4yAB/s400/IMG_2547.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Working hard to pattern</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh79OjO08upKdUCraYfzHobSLTiAeCRdYKrAzExDoa0MdgHXeK1n-aig0dcAH11FQOtF5dW0PnlOlRzODPLrXgi-mPeWlZqYLFN6t1F0TL3mbgGcEbB88d20DnXNk3NA2P1hUHdXCZHEZD7/s1600/IMG_2548.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh79OjO08upKdUCraYfzHobSLTiAeCRdYKrAzExDoa0MdgHXeK1n-aig0dcAH11FQOtF5dW0PnlOlRzODPLrXgi-mPeWlZqYLFN6t1F0TL3mbgGcEbB88d20DnXNk3NA2P1hUHdXCZHEZD7/s400/IMG_2548.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Matching the pattern</td></tr>
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Wes has really developed a passion for painting activities. This week we made rattlesnakes with the included materials. First, the boys painted ribbons to create their snakes markings. I have never thought to use disposable eyeshadow applicators to paint with. I will definitely be picking more up at the Dollar Tree next time I'm there! I know what you are thinking...I've never seen a rattlesnake with teal and pink markings either.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQYyerUzRlONp8aoaSVJxU1ozrJUrmFq80Fp35C7S-o9ESXxsB22RJbPrbeYcfshBjP8x07hRSSi1mM1f8Ak-w4h4gs1CEGzFlxnpy2216pGkzY6LxC38gcRD0JBfxtxUGsQAdEX1Nua5G/s1600/IMG_2556.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQYyerUzRlONp8aoaSVJxU1ozrJUrmFq80Fp35C7S-o9ESXxsB22RJbPrbeYcfshBjP8x07hRSSi1mM1f8Ak-w4h4gs1CEGzFlxnpy2216pGkzY6LxC38gcRD0JBfxtxUGsQAdEX1Nua5G/s400/IMG_2556.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Painting our snakes markings</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUdShXa1qNHSk3MwD65S6RR95h0V1I18loWq0tzUWrBA6WMa_yuz7U5FTzYYxLwt2an8CsnMuewHJTiiJH5fz0n9fGQ-Tr_cWksCkudtiHre-VUCrT8zkpDIj24ku-LaapjvCs-ty_Z5TO/s1600/IMG_2557.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUdShXa1qNHSk3MwD65S6RR95h0V1I18loWq0tzUWrBA6WMa_yuz7U5FTzYYxLwt2an8CsnMuewHJTiiJH5fz0n9fGQ-Tr_cWksCkudtiHre-VUCrT8zkpDIj24ku-LaapjvCs-ty_Z5TO/s400/IMG_2557.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wes painting</td></tr>
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Every time we paint, Wes ends up with this same hue of blue because he always mixes his colors together! But, come on! Talk about multi-tasking - it's another sensory activity to let them use the eyeshadow applicators to trace and draw in the paint! (Patting myself on the back for being a genius arm chair educator!)<br />
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Once the ribbons dried, we attached our rattles. The rattles were made out of the included skinny cardboard tubes and rice. The boys really enjoyed running around rattling their rattlesnakes.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLr-yrxuq9eVpfiR2f3mtJfWrXUsmAcQJk1qul-MDEBgZjBIJula7hOsRVGxqQiyhi6WhJAgZWJ3IrRjFvLgCv5_Nx3pg-YNKh38pct84v8uX0g22GtAcCdlp9A52go12-zhgQqhlMreXW/s1600/IMG_2567.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLr-yrxuq9eVpfiR2f3mtJfWrXUsmAcQJk1qul-MDEBgZjBIJula7hOsRVGxqQiyhi6WhJAgZWJ3IrRjFvLgCv5_Nx3pg-YNKh38pct84v8uX0g22GtAcCdlp9A52go12-zhgQqhlMreXW/s400/IMG_2567.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Brady with is rattlesnake</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wes with his rattlesnake</td></tr>
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Wes also took joy in pretending to be bitten by his snake and asking for band-aids. Silly kid!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Ouch! It bit me!"</td></tr>
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The final entry in our journal was drawing a snake with 18 diamond markings. Since Wes still has a hard time making defined shapes, I decided to alter the activity a tad. I hand over hand helped Wes draw the snake. Rather than have him attempt to draw 18 diamonds, I decided to draw them and have him count them as I drew. After we finished, I had Wes "check" that I drew 18 by counting them again. I have caught Wes looking through his journal book from time to time. I think he is really proud of the work he has created.<br />
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As you guys know, I really like Mother Goose Time. I really appreciate the quality of the included materials, variety of activities and the ideas that have been created as an offshoot of a lot of the topics studied as part of their curriculum. I feel that the format in which I have introduced a lot of novel topics for Wes has been effective in spurring his interest in continuing to learn about them.<br />
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I have been able to include my older son, Brady in a lot of the activities. Brady, who is on the Autism Spectrum, has enjoyed a lot of the sensory rich activities alongside Wes. It is so special to me to watch them enjoy each other's company and work together.<br />
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What I love the most about the curriculum is the amount of flexibility it has given us. With summer here, we have been out and about enjoying a variety of activities and day trips. When we have an activity planned, we simply attack the day's tasks when we get home. Potty-training? No problem. Too hot for clothes? No problem, clothing is optional. Don't want to change out of jammies? No problem, because learning can still happen in your bed-time's best. Not feeling well? No worries, either. You don't miss out because you can simply push your days activities back one day. Shoot! You can also entertain your sickie with the activities if they are still up for it because moms know that just because they are sick doesn't mean they don't want to play. Got a vacation or family visiting? You get the idea. You are in charge of your schedule, so you can adjust when you will do the activities.<br />
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And, one of the most valuable things is that I can easily adapt the day's activities to each of my children's skill level. While Wes may be advanced in certain areas like phonics, he is still only 2 and needs a lot of assistance with cutting and writing. And with Brady entering Kindergarten soon, he still benefits from a lot of the sensory rich activities and still enjoys a lot of the activities which reinforce a lot of what he has already learned and mastered.<br />
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You may notice that I don't complete a lot of the activities seated at a table like you would find in a traditional school setting. Getting a small child under the age of 3 to sit still at a table and work is more challenging that you can imagine. So, my solution is to allow Wes to stand or kneel for a lot of the activities, keeping him in a comfortable position to complete a task. In my opinion, learning often happens best when we are allowed to move and not REQUIRED to remain still! Another perk to homeschooling!<br />
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I don't regret the decision to homeschool Wes for the upcoming year. This month has taught me that it is not only feasible, but is time well spent. The curriculum has made it easy to stay on task and organized for a month's worth of lessons. Do I only teach what's in the curriculum? Heck no, but the curriculum has given us the momentum to explore and expand upon the activities and topics we covered in the month's theme. I typically spend about 2-3 hours on the Mother Goose Time's curriculum but as you can imagine, there are a lot more hours I have to fill! But, what I have found is that Wes is asking to revisit a lot of the activities we have done with Mother Goose Time's theme!<br />
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I have truly enjoyed spending this time not only teaching Wes and Brady, but seeing what they are really capable of and truly interested in. Building upon those strengths has been a memorable experience. I think I enjoy it just as much as they do!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">When asked if he was having fun, Wes responds with this face!</td></tr>
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I'm excited to continue working with Mother Goose Time's monthly curriculum. We just received the Art Studio themed box for July! I've already dug in and explored the included materials! Perfect timing, too, as Wes has really taken a liking to art! Wes has gone from a kid that was very hesitant to get his hands dirty to someone who really enjoys finger painting in just a month! I truly cannot wait to explore more art with him! And, Brady? He returns to school at the end of the month but I plan on working a lot of the curriculum's activities into our time together outside of school. Being on the spectrum, he really does benefit from a lot of the activities as they provide a broad platform to work on his sensory and social skills. Plus, the boys are really enjoying doing more and more together.<br />
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For more information on Mother Goose Time's boxed curriculum, please visit them at <a href="http://mothergoosetime.com/">mothergoosetime.com</a>.<br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-126822147195089787.post-16092864923561455802013-07-05T13:18:00.002-07:002013-07-05T13:18:35.506-07:00Sensory Play - Baked Cotton BallsI seriously love playing with my boys. Since school is out and summer is in full swing, I'm finding myself wracking my brain keeping things interesting for them. So, I've been exploring so many new sensory activities both inside and outside.<br />
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I have been toying with baked cotton balls for the last week or so. They are kind of odd - hard as a rock, but light as a feather. They are also a very versatile play material. We've played with them in several different ways. I've used them in my desert sensory bins. We've even tossed them around in a friendly game of catch. I've used them as a toss object/marker in Hopscotch. Painting them is super fun, too!<br />
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But, being boys, my sons like hammering and cracking them open. Heck, even stomping on them and crushing them to pieces seems to be something they love to do! Way to get that aggression out! Once cracked open, these baked cotton balls pull apart, creating a whole other sensory activity.<br />
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Another way to use these in a very messy play activity is to add them to a water sensory bin. When wet, as you would expect, these baked cotton balls eventually get goopy and slimy when they start to dissolve. Then pull the cotton apart. When wet, cotton feels a whole lot different than when dry.<br />
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They are fairly easy to make and most likely you already have everything you need to make them. If not, the ingredients are extremely affordable! All you need is 4 ingredients - flour, water, food dye and cotton balls!<br />
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Mix the flour and water in a 1:1 ratio. I normally just mix 1 cup flour to 1 cup water. After the flour mixture is mixed and all the lumps are worked out, add the food coloring until you reach the desired color. Get the kids to help out! It's a fun, kid-friendly activity to make them!<br />
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Drop a few cotton balls in the flour mixture, using two spoons or a fork to coat. I've noticed that with two spoons I get really coated cotton balls, which bake up super hard. If you want cotton balls that are easy to crack, with a thinner coat, use one fork to coat. Place on cookie sheet (I line mine with foil and if I remember, I lightly grease the foil/pan) and bake at 300 degrees for about 45 minutes.<br />
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I removed my baked cotton balls and let cool on a paper plate.</div>
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Another fun way to bake the cotton balls is into shapes. While still wet with the flour mixture, arrange the cotton balls into whatever shape, letter or design you would like. Make sure that the batter/mixture is touching each other. Bake just like the individual balls.</div>
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Hope you have fun with this activity! If you find a new way to use them, let me know!!!<br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-126822147195089787.post-29178383876280147732013-07-03T01:00:00.000-07:002013-07-03T01:00:06.200-07:00Asian Quinoa SaladI have been really enjoying our summer days. Iced tea, bathing suits, warm weather, long days - what is there not to enjoy? But, man oh, man! These last few days have been hot, hot, hot. The very last thing I want to do is turn the oven on or slave away over a hot skillet to cook dinner. So, I have been experimenting with easy and fast dinners that can be whipped up quickly, but are still hearty enough to appease my hubby's appetite! <div>
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One of our new favorite go-to dishes to make is this Asian Quinoa Salad. Not only is it easy peasy, but it is pretty healthy. It's full of veggies and pretty colorful, so it's the perfect summer dish! There are even several short cuts you can make if you are short on time, too. </div>
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<b><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;">Salad Ingredients</span></i></b></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;">1 cup quinoa</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;">2 cups water</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;">Chopped or shredded chicken (I use rotisserie when short on time)</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;">1 cup chopped red cabbage (or bag of shredded cabbage or cole slaw from the salad aisle)</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;">1 cup Napa cabbage (or omit if you'd like)</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;">1 cup shelled and cooked edamame (frozen works great!)</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;">1 red, orange or yellow bell pepper, chopped (I use baby bell peppers because that's what I buy)</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;">1/2 cup shredded carrots (can use bagged shredded carrots or even a bag of cole slaw)</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;">1 cup seeded and diced cucumber (english, regular or persian)</span></div>
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<b><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;">To make the dressing:</span></i></b></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;">3/4 cup lite soy sauce or tamari sauce</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;">1 tablespoon sesame oil</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;">1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;">3-4 tablespoons chopped green onion</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;">1/4 cup chopped cilantro</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;">1 tablespoon sesame seeds</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;">1/4-1/2 teaspoon grated ginger (I use 1/2 teaspoon)</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;">1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;">Salt and black pepper</span></div>
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<b><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;">This is how I make the salad...</span></i></b></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;">I use my rice cooker to make the quinoa. I take 1 cup of quinoa and add 2 cups of water. After I mix the quinoa with the water, I cook it in the rice cooker. Make sure to mix it and remove it from the rice cooker promptly when it is done to avoid it burning on the bottom of the rice cooker pan.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;">Put the cooked quinoa, chicken, cabbage, edamame, bell pepper, carrots and cucumber in a bowl and set aside while you make the dressing.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;">In a small bowl, whisk together soy sauce, sesame oil, rice wine vinegar, green onions, cilantro, sesame seeds, ginger, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;">Pour dressing over the salad and stir to combine. Taste and re-season if needed. Sprinkle with crunchy chow mein noodles if you feel like being fancy!</span></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-126822147195089787.post-5568961943561465112013-07-01T12:26:00.001-07:002013-07-01T12:26:43.413-07:00Fave Five for July!Holy Moly! How did July get here so fast?! We are in full summer mode around these parts! We have been spending a lot of time playing outside with the water table, ice chalk, spray bottles and just swimming in the pool! It's my favorite time of the year! So, most of the favorite things for me right now are things that have made living it la vida loca outside a lot easier! I'll put links for where you can find these items on the bottom of the post!<br />
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Hope you are enjoying your summer!<br />
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<b><u><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red; font-size: large;">Bio Ionic Curling Iron</span></u></b></div>
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Thank you, again, to my hair stylist Susan for turning me onto a fantastic product! She got me this curling iron and I am in <i>lurve</i>! I have tried several curling wands and while some of them worked on my hard-to-curl hair, it did it at the expense of several burned finger tips! Curling wands are sort of tricky and it's a trick that I cannot seem to master (safely)! But, low and behold, Susan turned me on to this curling iron that you can wind and rotate to get all of your hair curled! There is sort of a learning curve but once you have it down, it is extremely easy to use! Some of the great things about about this iron is that it has a digital display, heats up super fast, has a swivel cord so it doesn't get tangled and has a plastic end cap to protect your finger tips! And, even though it has a curling clip, it does not leave an indent in your hair! I have super long hair but it curls it super fast!</div>
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<b><u><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red; font-size: large;">Kidz Gear Wired Headphones</span></u></b></div>
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These are fantastic headphones for my little kiddos. We use them on our long walks for the boys to play/listen to their iPads independently and without disrupting the neighborhood with our obnoxious iPad Apps. The boys also use them in the car to watch videos so my hubby and I can listen to adult music that doesn't involve animated characters with equally annoying voices. The great thing about these headphones is that they are comfy and kid sized so they don't fall off of their tiny heads every 2 minutes. The other great feature is that the headphones come with an independent volume limit cable which can limit the volume to approximately 80% of the original maximum volume to make it even quieter for super sensitive ears. We also bought the carrying cases and they are easy to take with us on the go! They come in super fun colors, but because I like things to be pretty boring, I bought grey ;0)</div>
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<b><u><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red; font-size: large;">Bose SoundLink Bluetooth Mobile Speaker</span></u></b></div>
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With summer here, we are spending a great deal of our day outdoors! And, this mobile speaker set from Bose is coming in super handy this summer! It is super small, but it produces wonderful, crisp sound and best thing is that it has a rechargeable battery so you can use it without needing a power source to plug into! We have even taken it with us to the park! I can easily use my iPhone with it as well! </div>
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<b><u><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red; font-size: large;">E.L.F. Essential Shimmering Facial Whip </span></u></b></div>
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With the warmer weather, I rarely wear foundation or powder because it feels as if I just sweat it all off! But, I sort of feel naked without a tiny bit of makeup on. I picked this up at Walmart a few weeks ago and it gives you just a tiny bit of "glow on the go" and for $1, you can't lose. I use it as a highlighter above my cheekbones, under my eyebrows and a tiny bit on my forehead. I even put it down my shins last date night to give my legs a little bit more of a summer glow!</div>
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<b><u><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red; font-size: large;">Hobie Neon Stripe Adjustable Hipster Cheeky Bikini Bottom and T-Back Band Bikini Top by Aeropostale</span></u></b></div>
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This bikini is seriously cute! And, the best thing is that it is super cheap! I love the T-back bikini top that ties in the front. I hate tops that tie around the neck because for some reason it hurts my neck and a lot of the time pulls out my hair! Ouch! The bottoms tie on the sides so you can make it fit better by tying it tighter or loosening it up when needed to avoid that ol' muffin top! The cheeky rouching on the back make them even more flattering, too! They have this style in a few other prints as well but these bright stripes really feel like SUMMER to me!</div>
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What are some of your favorite things this summer???</div>
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Here are the links to the products above...<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><b>Aeropostale Bikini <a href="http://www.aeropostale.com/product/index.jsp?productId=16512946" target="_blank">Bottoms</a> and Bikini <a href="http://www.aeropostale.com/product/index.jsp?productId=16512916" target="_blank">Top</a></b></span></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-126822147195089787.post-39561525597213320002013-06-30T17:49:00.000-07:002013-06-30T17:51:20.871-07:00Mother Goose - Week 3We are still rocking and rolling with Mother Goose Time's curriculum! I'm going to highlight a few of our favorite activities from this week!<br />
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We have done a lot of handwriting practice on the included sheets. There was also a fun beginning addition cactus flower activity as well! We talked about the letter Y, color orange and the number 18 in similar ways we talked about H, 17 and brown in previous activities.<br />
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One fun thing I forgot to photograph was an experiment activity to discuss how a plant's coating helps it in the desert climate. We wet three paper towels - we let one lie flat, rolled another one and the last one we also rolled but covered it with wax paper. We placed them on a cookie sheet and allowed it to sit until the next day. We talked about how a waxy coating would help a plant stay moist because when it is super hot and sunny outside, things dry out. It's actually a perfect lesson this week because it is super hot outside! You may notice that the boys are half nekkid in most of the photos! Another great perk to homeschooling is that clothing is optional! Haha!<br />
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One thing that I appreciate about Mother Goose Time's boxed curriculum is that the activities re-use some of the materials from previous activities. We have used the foam squares in several activities this month. In this activity, we used the squares to match to pattern cards. There were three pattern cards to work on and we started with the easiest and worked up to the more complicated one. Wes loved this activity and I was happy to see he is really mastering the concept of size differentiation.<br />
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I began the easier card by only giving him the number/size pieces he needed.<br />
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As he mastered the easy card, I gave him more pieces than he needed. I wanted him to really think about which squares he needed.<br />
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We all know the story of the Tortoise and the Hare! I was happy to see that they adapted this old favorite to fit this month's theme. This activity included picture cards for the characters and a story prompting to read. Before we began, we practiced running in place really fast each time I said "Hare" and walking in place super slow each time I said "Tortoise". As I read the story, every time I read one of the animal character's names, I held up the corresponding picture card and prompted Wes to say what it was. I gradually faded the verbal prompting and he quickly picked up to say it independently. I really liked the activity because it was really fun for Wes to be so involved in it by running or slowly walking in place for the "hare" and "tortoise" parts, but also got him eagerly engaged because he wanted to name the picture cards. The story was printed in a nice larger font to allow for easy reading and contained <b>bolded</b> character names to make it easy for me to stay on top of which cards to use. As with most of their reading activities, there were some discussion points on the back to expand on.</div>
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This week we also made a "Where Is" book. We first went over each page and matched the animals to their pages before we glued them on. The fun thing about this activity is that it also gave us an opportunity to go over some Spanish since it is printed with English followed by Spanish translation underneath. After we assembled our book (and the glue dried), Wes colored most of the pages. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wes matching the animals with the right cards</td></tr>
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There was a fun sight words activity which we have turned into a "On The Go" activity as well. I hid the letter cards around our living room and placed the smaller sight word cards in a small pitcher. I had Wes pull a small sight word card and identify the starting letter. He then had to find the letter card and we went over the individual sounds (ex. <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red;">R</span> "Rrrr" and <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red;">UN</span> "Uh-nun"), followed with combining them to practice sounding out the word. I have taken these cards and put them in a sandwich sized ziploc bag and I have them in my purse for times we need to kill time on the go. They came in super handy when we ate out recently.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Picking the word cards</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Finding the letter cards</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sounding out our words</td></tr>
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Wes absolutely loves to color each days theme pictures as well.<br />
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One of the boy's most favorite activities from this week was painting and decorating tortoises. The kit included small bowls to paint as the tortoise shells, so we set out doing that first. Wes added glitter for some extra flair! We finished the tortoises by attaching them to the included tortoise die-cuts and adding googly eyes! There was yarn to attach for tortoise races, but Wes adamantly refused to add yarn. Who knows why, but yarn just wasn't going on his tortoise.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Brady's (left) and Wes' (right) tortoises</td></tr>
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One of the cooler materials I've seen in curriculum are these cornstarch pellets. I placed a wet paper towel in a bowl for Wes to moisten the pellets. When moistened, they attach to each other and stick together. Wes made a cactus in the included bowl. He was so proud of them! </div>
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Lastly, I wanted to mentioned that we talked about Egypt and where it is on the world map. The curriculum included a postcard sized Egyptian flag. I used that to talk to them about how each country has their very own flag, which led us to talk about the American flag and the significant symbols on it. Good timing since July 4th is just around the corner!</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Egyptian Flag</td></tr>
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Since beginning the curriculum, I have noticed that Wes is more aware of our surroundings. He spots a cactus and yells out "CACTUS Momma!". On a recent trip to the zoo, he was very interested in the camels, donkeys and snakes. I can really tell that he is very interested in the topics he is presented through the curriculum and that the lessons and their multi-sensory approaches have sparked an interest in learning for my boys!</div>
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We are also potty training Wes this week! It's been fairly crazy since he is not exactly excited about going #2 on the potty. So it's been quite the challenge (Another reason why he's half nekkid in the photos!). But, it's been really nice being home and being consistent with the potty training! Another huge perk to homeschooling! And, he's mastered peeing and have hardly had any accidents so far!!! Yay!</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wes and his Cars undies!!!</td></tr>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-126822147195089787.post-42710077346869356752013-06-27T00:00:00.000-07:002013-06-27T20:20:42.223-07:00CRYOOW DollsOne thing that I have discovered after having kids is that these little monkeys create a lot of artwork. Fingerpaintings, crayon drawings, glittered bombed and pom-pommed to death construction paper picasso inspired creations litter my house these days. I really wish we could keep and display each and every little masterpiece, but I'd end up on the next episode of hoarders. Okay, maybe that's fibbing a little bit. Each night, I guiltily place the bulk of the creations at the bottom of the recycle bin, right under the wine bottles and pray that they don't ask where all of their stuff went. I keep a few special pieces, tucking them away in their memory boxes. But, the bulk of it gets rotated to the rubbish bin after the obligatory weekly display in our living room.<br />
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I have to admit, some of the art pieces are just so sentimental because they show who my little ones were at that time. One day Brady came home from school with a painting of the Very Hungry Caterpillar. With a grin from ear to ear, he pulled it out of his back pack and eagerly awaited my approval. It melted my heart and I wanted that moment cemented in stone. I knew that I HAD to preserve and keep that painting forever. He was so proud he painted it and because he absolutely loves the story, we hung it up in his work area. But, I know that that fickle piece of paper will never make it through the years intact. What is a mom to do?<br />
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How do you make a meaningful piece of your child's art a keepsake? You have it made into a doll! Say wha!?! Yes, that's EXACTLY what I did when our dear little Brady presented me with that painting of his very, very favorite Very Hungry Catepillar! I have to admit, Brady isn't exactly artistic. He doesn't really enjoy creating artwork. It's just not his thing. So, for him to be ecstatic about his painting really means a lot! The piece was so meaningful for us. We were so excited to have <a href="http://www.cryoow.com/" target="_blank">Cryoow</a> make it into a keepsake memento. </div>
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The process is quite simple. It goes a little something like this.</div>
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1. You select your artwork and snap a good photo of it, making sure to get a close enough view of the artwork and its details. Like I said, we selected Brady's painting of the Very Hungry Caterpillar. We also submitted one for my friend's son, Mason. He's an amazing little artist for the young age of 8. He drew and colored a Gecko. These are the actual photos I used to submit to <a href="http://www.cryoow.com/" target="_blank">CRYOOW</a>.</div>
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2. You upload the photo at <a href="http://www.cryoow.com/">www.cryoow.com</a> to assemble your doll. </div>
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That's it! It's that simple! After about 2 weeks, you should receive your very own Cryoow doll all the way from Bali, Indonesia! We have talked about where Indonesia is and that how a new friend was coming to visit us from there. When we received the dolls, they were wrapped really cute in their own individual Cryoow bags with matching Cryoow bracelets. Brady thought it was super cool to unwrap. It was like Christmas in June!</div>
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These are the actual dolls next to the original art work.</div>
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It's amazing how closely the dolls resemble the original artwork. The detail they added really makes it a very close match to the drawings. All of the details are stitched on and the fabric seems very durable.</div>
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Cryoow also added a sewn on tag on the back for your kiddos saying, "This original Cryoow puppet was created by ______".<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghYwZzVsDBwezKjEwKNepjsWwWeZvOctF56eu2f4P6yFvq01VC2EwHUcAkpiLl6t90I8fnrFit-0EtGHpX8hpMkzHQtLTaWo5MDp4Uu_E8D_9ubQNqNloC9LQZYFGOBxcj4Epdq0SIOHon/s1600/IMG_2492.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghYwZzVsDBwezKjEwKNepjsWwWeZvOctF56eu2f4P6yFvq01VC2EwHUcAkpiLl6t90I8fnrFit-0EtGHpX8hpMkzHQtLTaWo5MDp4Uu_E8D_9ubQNqNloC9LQZYFGOBxcj4Epdq0SIOHon/s400/IMG_2492.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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They are phenomenal at making your child's art into a really cool doll. Look at some of these other examples of art turned into dolls. The attention to detail is pretty amazing.</div>
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What an amazing way to make your child's favorite drawing into a lasting keepsake. Like I said, this painting of Brady's was very special to us since at this moment in time, that is his absolute favorite book. And, because he was so proud of that painting we wanted to remember it forever. Brady absolutely loves his caterpillar doll! Just look at this grin!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Brady and his Very Hungry Caterpillar</td></tr>
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And, my BFF's son, Mason was so surprised when he got his Gecko! He thought it was so cool to have a doll made from his drawing! And perfect timing, they just got a real Gecko that looks JUST like his doll!</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mason and his Gecko</td></tr>
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Being the great company Cryoow is, they want to give one of you the chance to win your very own Cryoow creation! The winner will win one customized puppet, made from your submitted drawing! There are several ways to enter! See below for more details!!!
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<a class="rafl" href="http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/396b332/" id="rc-396b332" rel="nofollow">a Rafflecopter giveaway</a>
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Good luck everyone!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com9