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Showing posts from December, 2014

Christmas in my classroom!

I sure wanted to keep Christmas in my classroom and had fun in the process.   This is just one little bulletin board but we had fun with the lights and talking about Christmas wishes- wishes of not GIMME GIMME and I WANT but what it would look like if everyone had a warm bed, a house, a car to drive...etc etc.    How did you keep Jesus in your classroom this year? 

Family Christmas Time!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!  The presents have been unwrapped and travels to and from are all complete.   Still trying to get some rest in before going back to work next week but have a huge to do list of things I want to accomplish before than!   First let me recap our Minnesota and Wisconsin trips!   We first drove to Minnesota and spend some time with my husbands family.   It had been several years since we actually got to spend Christmas with any of them so this was extra special this year!   We truly enjoyed each other and played some fun games and ate some great food!    Next was Wisconsin and thankfully the drive was not very long!   We went to my dad's house and again ate some great food, played some fun games, and even baked some cookies.    Time went extremely fast but seeing family is so important to us all!   Since I am the one who lives the furthest away it always seems to be hard to get to other family events.   I sure miss my family!

DIY Crayon Melted Ornaments

I have seen these ornaments for the last couple years and I finally took the time to make them.   It was fairy simple but, t his activity is more for the adults or older children.   What I did: -Used a butter knife to get crayon shavings -Kids help put shavings in the ornament -Used a hair dryer to melt crayon shavings.   The hair dryer does get the ornament hot so children should not hold ornament.   If you keep hair dryer in one place for too long the colors will run together and blend and turn dark or even brown.   The key is to get it warm enough to melt it just a little bit but not melt to a liquid where it will run all over.   I used glass ornaments so be cautious with glass as it is very breakable.  

Best gift ever--- Heartfelt

I loved loved loved Great Grandma's present to my daughter this year!   Some of you probably read my post after Thanksgiving sharing a cute picture of my daughter and her Great Grandma baking. During Thanksgiving they made some cookies and I took a couple adorable pictures!   So Grandma printed one of the pictures and pasted it in a junior cookbook and wrote my daughter a lovely letter!   It will be a treasured item for many years to come!   Good job Grandma on a great gift idea!  

Book Review: The Christmas Bible Doodle Book

With more than 50 stickers and loads of unfinished scenes, this Christmas Bible Doodle Book invites kids to get sketching. Activities include dot-to-dots, Scripture fill-in-the-blanks, step-by-step directions on drawing angels, poinsettias, and more, plus plenty of prompts and space to practice---just add pencils, crayons and imagination! My Review:   Let me be honest and I wanted to do this more than give it to my kids!   Thanks Zondervan for sending me this book in exchange for an honest review.  I was not paid for this review and all opinions are 100% mine. As much as I wanted to hide this book for only me to have fun my daughter is currently sitting next to me doodling on many pages!  She is having fun and I am enjoying watching her draw and imagine.    The beginning of the book also covers the scriptures of the Christmas story so we can keep Christ the center of this season! This is a great Christmas gift idea for any family!   Zondervan sells this great book for on

Merry Christmas 2014

Merry Christmas The kids are eagerly counting the days to Christmas by adding a new ornament to the advent calendar/tree every morning!  (Thanks Stephanie Matson for this awesome new tradition) 2014 was a fast year with many projects completed.   We officially have been in Iowa for a year in June!  We have fallen in love with our small and quaint little town but enjoy the fun in the Quad City area area as well!   Anthony has been busy as usual with projects around the church.   The long process can be exhausting at times but Anthony is a very hard worker.   We were blessed to have his brother, Adam, here for 6 weeks helping with a few projects.  The main focus for the church building would be the basement.   We have added windows to every classroom, redone the floor, made a mothers room, organized and purged some unneeded items, and took care of mold issues!   There were several helpers for each project and we were very thankful for them!  Anthony also finished writin

Christmas Book Giveaway: The Perfect Christmas Pageant by Joyce Meyer

About the Book: The popular Everyday Zoo series for young children by beloved and New York Times bestselling author Joyce Meyer continues with The Christmas Pageant, a heartfelt and humorous story about the true meaning of Christmas. When Hayley Hippo is asked to direct the annual Christmas pageant, she decides this will be her Christmas gift to Jesus and she sets out to make everything perfect. However, after a series of disappointing mishaps, Hayley and her friends learn that they don’t need to be perfect. They realize that Christmas is not about the glittering lights, the perfect setting, or an impressive show, but about Christ. My Review:   Many of you have seen my other reviews on Joyce Meyer's children's books, " Which Way to Prayer " and " Field of Dreams."   My kids have become huge fans of the Everyday Zoo characters that Joyce has created and are constantly asking if there is a new book in the series. Thank you Zondervan for sending me thi

Harvest Snaps Review

About Harvest Snaps: Good-for-you and great taste can be hard to come by these days, but for us they’re like two peas in a pod. Inside every bag of Harvest Snaps we combine taste, quality and simplicity. Sprinkle that with the passion we have for fresh, natural ingredients, and you get one "snaptastic" snack. When it comes to "what’s inside" Harvest Snaps, it all starts with the clean flavors and essential nutrients Mother Nature intended. Our  Snapea Crisps  are made with  all-natural peas  – 70%* to be exact – while our  Lentil Snaps  come packed with 65% authentic lentils and their powerful combination of nutrients. With each handful (yes we said handful) your body will soak up Vitamin B, calcium, iron, folate, potassium and dietary fiber. Finish that off with a high level of protein and fiber and you’re sure to feel satisfied without feeling sluggish. Not to mention, these snappy little snacks are gluten-free**! Of course, you can’t have good ingre

Spend or Save

Money. So much money to spend. I mean, with Christmas right above the horizon, and the New Years even closer than that? It's getting pretty tedious when you consider how the zeros in your bank account keep disappearing. Aren't you tired of it? I mean, how can you just go around shops, buying stuff and so absent-mindedly giving your cash away like there's no better option? Oh, you think there isn't? That explains everything. Alright, let me give you a really good way to buy all those presents and other stuff without using up your entire paycheck AND savings. Overstock. Yes, I won't even beat around the bush. Shopping at Overstock will make all your problems go away. You wan to know why? Because of the overstock discounts they provide. I mean, consider the following question - how much are you going to have to buy for Christmas? I imagine quite a lot, especially if you have kids. Now, think about everything you're going to buy. You've probably memorized h

DIY Christmas Ornament Head Band

Tis the season to be Jolly!!!!   I took that to the next level this year and made a DIY ornament headband for my daughter.  Let me be honest... I waited till the night before her school Christmas program to go dress shopping and so my daughter and I were out shopping till 9pm and then I still got home and made her this adorable Christmas ornament headband!   CRAZY only a little bit... LOVING my sweet girl is worth it.   If you own a hot glue gun then this headband is already half way done!   Pick up some smaller ornaments and plug in the glue gun and start decorating the headband.   I ended up making two because it was fun and I thought they were so adorable that I plan on wearing one next week before we are on Christmas break.  Make it as simple or as crazy as you want it to be.   Use different sizes for an added dimension!   I might have been a little sleepy but when she woke up and saw her headband her smile and excitement for her concert increased at least by

Oriental Trading Review

A huge thank-you to Oriental Trading for sending me these items in an exchange for an honest review.   I was not paid for this review and all opinions are 100% mine.   One thing my church does the first week in December is play an active role in the community for the annual Christmas Walk.   During the Christmas Walk all the business's pull out deals and other free fun to get more people in town and shopping in the stores.    This year our church handed out free hot chocolate, coffee, and snacks.   We also had a free craft thanks to Oriental Trading!   There were so many mess free activities to chose from their site that it was hard to narrow down the choices.   I knew I wanted it to be simple and mess free as parents don't want to walk around with wet glue or paint.  So I was very pleased to find the many choices for the magic color products.   The magic color items are black but when you use a scraper tool you will scrape and see the bright color underneath.   It m

"Banded" Review and Giveaway

YOU CAN LOOK GOOD. AND FEEL GOOD. BANDED™ is different than other no-slip headbands You’ve got headbands …one that stays put through an entire workout, one that fits comfortably all day, and one that is fashionable. Unfortunately, you don’t have one headband that does all three at the same time. We created BANDED™ no slip headbands just for you. Quite simply, we provide a better headband product for women than any other product on the market. YOUR PURCHASE FEEDS A CHILD We support Amazima, founded by Katie Davis, and their mission to feed, educate, and encourage the orphaned, poor, and vulnerable in the country of Uganda. For each headband you purchase we provide Amazima the funds to provide 3 meals. My Review: I really wanted to be cool and wear a headband across my forehead but I got the headbands that are a bit too big...or maybe my forehead is a bit too small?  Even though I didn't wear them on my forehead I loved wearing them the traditional way!  

Book Review: "A Star for Jesus"

Book Description: Beautiful illustrations and playful rhyming text bring the story of Jesus’ birth alive for young children in  A Star for Jesus .  This board book, die-cut to enhance the shape of the star on the front cover, is a perfect gift to help little ones understand that "God made the stars and put them up high to shine down on earth from up in the sky." But long ago God made a special star. He put it in the sky to send a message: "Jesus our Savior has come …" About the Author and Illustrator: Crystal Bowman  Crystal Bowman loves writing books for kids. Her books come in all shapes and sizes and many of them have become best sellers. Whether her stories are written in playful rhythm and rhyme, or short sentences for beginning readers, she tries to make them so enjoyable that kids will want to read them over and over again. "But the most important part," she says, "is to teach children that God loves them and cares about them very muc

Book Review: Weird & Wonderful Creations

Weird and Wonderful Creations  is a bind up of the nonfiction Made By God series. With photos and facts showing children the wonders of God’s creation, this collection includes four complete early reader titles as well as over 200 additional facts throughout the book. Some of the creatures featured include whales, tarantulas, bats, sea turtles, and more. All facts align with the Common Core Standards for informational reading for young readers. Weird and Wonderful Creations  includes: Spiders, Snakes, Bees and Bats Big Bugs, Little Bugs Sea Creatures Poisonous, Smelly, and Amazing Plants My Review: My kids have sat down with this book just paging through the pages in awe of the splendid pictures.   This book is one that is going to keep your son or daughter busy for some time... which is always a positive when it is a book and involves learning and God.   I love all the facts that are in this book but the best part is still the focus on reminding the reader that God

The First Christmas Ever-- Book Review

A simple retelling of the Christmas story, from the angel’s visit to Mary to the shepherds’ joyful praise of the new born Baby, this small format paperback,  The First Christmas Ever  is sure to be popular with young readers. Using the vibrant and popular artwork of Dennis Jones, families can share this timeless story of God’s love each holiday season. Dennis Jones  Dennis Jones loves to draw.  His artwork can be seen in books, magazines, games, toys and Sunday school curriculum. He’s illustrated several children’s products including the Read with Me Bible and the NIrV Super Heroes Bible. Dennis lives in Indiana with his wife Karen and has two grown sons. My Review: The illustrations in this book made me giggle!   The comic like pictures and the humorous facials on each face really made me laugh out loud.   Mary had some really great facial expressions.   I love how even in comic like illustrations the story still portrays the true reason to celebrate Christmas!   JESUS!

Relax, Revive, Rejuvenate: Reducing Tension Aches and Headaches

Tension aches and headaches are a big problem for many people, and they can interrupt life on a daily or weekly basis. Most people just take an over-the-counter pain relief medication to treat the aches and pains, but this is merely treating the pain, while eradicating the problem will take some deeper treatment. Taking over-the-counter pain relievers regularly on a long-term basis can have harmful side-effects to your digestive system. Here are a few remedies that can help eradicate muscle tension and headaches, when done proactively and over the course of time. The MELT Method The MELT Method is a low-impact exercise method that can offer  lower back pain relief   and joint pain relief. Joint pain and lower back pain can compound to cause tension headaches and general aches. It is a proactive approach to pain relief that will gradually reduce the pain you experience, when you do it regularly. The MELT Method brings balance back to your body by helping rehydrate connective