Help With Spelling

Megan's teacher posts her spelling lists every week. No worries if your child's teacher doesn't use the website - you can enter in your own words and the program will test your child and help prepare for those Friday tests!


www.spellingcity.com


Happy spelling!!

Tip Junkie

I may be the last one to find this.....but I LOVE this website. Really cute and creative ideas!

www.tipjunkie.blogspot.com

I added a new section - "Mom Inspiration" - Feel free to add any other websites that you refer to often.

40 SUCKS

My friend Angi is crazy creative when it comes to crafty/food gifts.  This is the sucker tree she made for my birthday.....40 Sucks!!

Love it!!

Fleece ROCKS

I don't sew.....and I am not really motivated to learn right now, but every once in a while you have to create a costume for the school play.  That is why fleece rocks.  It doesn't fray or get nasty.....and it is extremely versatile.  Love it!!

I love Fruit by the Foot

Mini cupcakes.....Fruit by the Foot - LOVE IT!!!

Are you ready for some Football?

Just in case the girls want something to eat at the Super Bowl Party!  It also works great if you are hosting a shower.

Spinach and Artichoke Dip

Ingredients:

1 (8oz) pkg creme cheese

1 can (14oz) artichoke hearts, drained and chopped

1/2 spinach (frozen, chopped or steamed)

1/4 cup of mayonnaise

1/2 cup parmesan cheese

1 clove garlic, finely minced 

1/2 tsp dried basil or 1 tbsp fresh basil

1/4 mozzarella cheese

1/4 tsp garlic salt

Salt and Pepper to taste

Cream together mayonnaise, parmesan, garlic, basil and garlic salt.  Add the artichoke hearts and spinach (drain the spinach well), and mix until blended.  Spray pie pan with Pam, pour in dip, and top with mozzarella cheese.  Bake at 350 for 25 minutes or until the top is bubbly.

Can be served with anything - bread, crackers, etc.

An Hour to Live - An Hour to Love

At some point, I am going to learn not to read this stuff on airplanes!!  People stare when the tears start and I have to go back to a People magazine.

 

I LOVED it - such a great reminder to take advantage of every day and not put off those things that are the most important.  It is an interesting thing to think about --- If you knew you only had one hour to live.....Who would you call?  What would you say?

The Light Bulb and the Toilet Bowl

Lex brought his home from seminary this week - I LOVE IT!!!

The Light Bult and the Toilet Bowl

Have you ever tried to flush a light bulb down the toilet? Well, take it from me, it is impossible to flush a light bulb down the toilet.

WHY??

Simply because it floats. The only way a light bult ever sinks is if it cracks and takes on water.

Life is much like a light bulb in a toilet bowl. We are confronted with many challenges...careers, money, politics, relationships, injustice, tragedies, ill health, and so much more.

We must endure trials as a light bulb in a toilet bowl by floating above all the turbulence and crap that is dumped on us. The only way we (as a light bulb) will ever sink is if we allow ourselves to crack and take upon ourselves the unpleasant, negative effects of the elements and conditions around us.

So, in these chaotic times.....Let your light shine.....and don't get flushed!

Christmas Idea

Idea submitted by Janice Rawe:

Take your holiday story books and wrap each one individually. Put them under the tree. During each night in December, let your kids take turns selecting one book and opening it. Read the story as a family before bedtime.

On Christmas Eve, there is a special package. It is the Bible. Unwrap it and read the Christmas story from the book of Luke.

Christmas Craftiness

Lexie, Rachel and I gave the wreath a try!  We switched it up a little bit and added silver.  If you want to use gold, there are fancier balls to use as accents.  We all really like how it turned out.

Singingtime Fun

This works great at church, preschool, normal school choir - anywhere you have kids under the age of 12 who are singing!

Bubble-Blowing Billy
Take a full size poster board and draw a cute face and draw the mouth like he is whistling or blowing kisses. Cut a hole in the center of the mouth. Have another adult stand behind the poster board and put a balloon through the hole in the mouth. Tell the kids that the size of the bubble Billy blows will depend upon how well they sing. As the song is louder and the words are clear, the bubble grows. The kids will not see the adult, they will just see the cute face on the poster board with a bubble coming out of his mouth.

For older kids, you can blow the bubble until it pops. Cool factor for you.....and the kids get a big kick out of the loud pop!

Giving back during the holidays

We are always looking for experiences where my girls can give back. I saw this one the other day and thought it was really cool:

"On Thanksgiving, our family decides on a set amount of money to put aside, then we secretly spend it in a random, kindhearted way. Each of us has until Christmas Eve to complete the task. Then, we get together as a family and reveal what we did to the rest of the family."

The author returned to the nursing home where her Grandfather had spent the last years of his life and gave small gifts to the residents who didn't have families. Her Grandmother was thrilled on Christmas to learn of her random act of kindness.

I'm not sure what we're going to do this year - I'll keep you posted!!

Danish Christmas Tradition

Grandma Janice found this tradition to share - Her Mom's family is from Denmark.

Prior to the Christmas dinner, the family gathers around a bowl of "Grod." This is a cinnamon-laced rice pudding. A "magic" almond is hidden inside the Grod. Each family member takes turns eating a spoonful of the pudding. The person who finds the almond receives a prize.

Christmas Wreath

Check this out - LOVE IT!!

Styrofoam Wreath

Hot Glue

Cheap Christmas Balls

I think I can do it for under $20. I'll let you know how it turns out!!

Super yummy chicken casserole!

Chicken Cordon Bleu Casserole

1 lb. baby red potatoes, cut into chunks
1 lb. chicken tenders
1 bag broccoli florets
1 can cream of chicken
8 oz. cooked ham, cut into 1/2 inch chunks
1 cup shredded swiss cheese
1/2 cup milk
2 tbsp. chopped parsley leaves
1 garlic clove, finely chopped

Preheat oven to 350.
In microwave safe bowl, place potatoes and 2 tbsp. water. Cover bowl with paper towel and microwave 3-4 minutes until potatoes are fork-tender.
Add chicken and all remaining ingredients to potatoes and mix well. Transfer mixture into 13x9 casserole. Bake 50-55 minutes uncovered or until chicken loses its pink color and the cheese begins to brown.

Cornbread muffins

Here is a recipe for really good cornbread muffins. They are a little more cake-y and my kids love them. They are wonderful with soup!


Sweet Cornbread Muffins

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
2/3 cups granulated sugar
1/2 cups yellow corn meal
1 tbsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/4 cups milk
2 large eggs, beaten
3 tbsp. butter, melted

Preheat oven to 350. Grease or paper-line 18 muffin cups.
Combine flour, sugar, corn meal, baking powder and salt in medium bowl. Combine milk, eggs, vegetable oil and butter into small bowl. Add to flour mixture stir just until blended. Pour into muffin cups.
Bake for 18-20 mins.

Oplatki

Here is the tradition - I really dig this one:

Oplatki begins with simple wafers (flour and water - think of the wafers used during a Catholic Mass).  The wafers are etched with Christmas images - The Nativity, Christmas Star, etc.

The family gathers at the table for the meal on Christmas Eve.  The eldest family member present starts by taking a wafer.  That person breaks off a piece of the wafer and passes the remaining piece to someone else at the table with a blessing, a simple expression of what you desire for that person in the coming year.  It can be any type of blessing - health, love, happiness, good grades, successful marriage, faith to overcome a current difficulty, forgiveness for negative feelings or words during the past year, etc.  You continue until everyone at the table has offered a blessing to someone.

I don't think I'm going to be etching a Nativity into a Oplatki anytime soon!  So, I'm thinking.....red and green vanilla mini-wafers and instead of passing the broken wafer, you just pass the small bowl and each person takes a wafer and offers the blessing.  

If you have found anything else that sounds cool - post it!!

Holiday Traditions

I like to try different things around the holidays with the girls, and it is a great opportunity to learn about another culture or way of celebrating. Last year, I found a cool box game from England.

Anyone have any traditions to share? Maybe from living in another country, or learning about your heritage, or even marrying into a new family and picking up on something new?

Recipes

Anyone have a good recipe for cornbread?

I'm still looking for better things to do with chicken too!!

Thumbelina

So at six years old and 37 pounds.....Megan is quite the girl!! She is usually the most social one, but school has been interesting lately. Some of the girls have started calling her Thumbelina because she is so small. We keep talking to her - ignore them, walk away, let it go! I don't think she has any idea how to do any of that. So, she keeps mouthing off.....and they keep calling her Thumbelina. See the cycle of fun? Ideas?