Friday, October 29, 2010

Ghosts of Halloweens past...

While Halloween is not our favorite holiday, we do like to dress up! The kids love to pretend to be something different for at least part of a day! We have a box of costumes and pull them out to look through them each year, and these costumes (below) are some of the ones in there!

 Here is a walk down memory lane of our kids in costume on Halloween. I love looking at the variety of them all and seeing some of the same costumes used over and over!
Rebekah as pumpkin 1999
Rebekah as bumblebee-2000
Princess Rebekah 2002
Rebekah as M-n-M-2001
Caleb as Superman-2003
Rebekah as cheerleader- 2003

Rebekah as Goldilocks- 2004


This was the year that Joshua and I dressed up as
Papa Bear and Mama Bear! :-D


Caleb as Baby Bear- 2004


Rebekah as cat- 2005

Caleb as football player- 2005

Mallory as pumpkin- 2006

Caleb as Buzz Lightyear-2006

Rebekah as bunny- 2006

Rebekah as Princess Leia- 2007

Caleb as race car driver- 2007

Mallory as bumblebee- 2007

Caleb as Spiderman- 2008

Mallory as M-n-M- 2008

Rebekah as cowgirl- 2008


And finally, last year...
Mallory as Dora the Explorer- front- 2009...

and the back... :-D
Bethany as "Boots" the monkey from Dora the Explorer- 2009

Caleb as Batman 2009

Rock Star Rebekah- 2009

This was the year that I dressed up as a nurse. :-D

Aren't they cute? I love seeing all of Caleb's superheroes and all of Rebekah's animal costumes! The kids are all different in what they like... Rebekah is so girly in her choices! :-D

Check in next week to see the costumes from THIS year! 

Thursday, October 28, 2010

Why am I a princess?

me in a crown...
Why am I a princess? My dad, Gerry Mulder is not a king, we may have royalty WAAAAAY back in our lines, but I doubt it. My Mom Muriel is not a queen, she is not royalty, although my Dad may treat her that way sometimes on her birthday or their anniversary. So why am I, Jill, a PRINCESS?

Well, I am a daughter of THE KING. What king? King Jesus! Jesus is the Lord of my life, the Master of all, the one that I live for and pledge allegiance to. I try to live for Him each day and do things that honor Him. I am thankful for His grace, love and strength that helps me do all that I do. He is an amazing God!

SIlly princess socks





Here is an excerpt from a book that I read which talked about this very topic.


“Cinderella”, the beloved fairy tale of our youth, captures wonderfully Satan’s tactics as the Storyteller. As you remember, Cinderella lived with her stepsisters, a shrewish pair who made her sleep with the coal in the furnace room and had her convinced she would never be more than a maid. I remember thinking as I looked at the pictures of Cinderella in my child’s storybook, “Doesn’t she know how beautiful she is? Can’t she see she is so different from her stepsisters both inside and out? Why doesn’t she just look in the mirror?
But the voices of the stepsisters were loud and Cinderella could only see in her mirror darkly. She continued to take her abuse and serve them right up until the invitation to the Prince’s Ball came. When Cinderella shyly suggested that she might like to go, the stepsisters mock her to scorn for thinking that she would fit in with people of such grace and beauty. As she helps them stuff into their costumes and does her best to hide their ludicrous ugliness, they continue to mock her foolishness in thinking that the prince would ever want anything to do with her. When God’s grace comes in the form of Cinderella’s fairy godmother and dresses her in a beautiful gown, she does finally look in the mirror and sees clearly her great beauty, but she believes it is all due to magic. 
Of course, the prince recognizes her as the one he has been looking for all his life. He spends the evening dancing with her, totally enraptured in her presence. As the clock strikes twelve, Cinderella fears being exposed for the homely housemaid she believes she is, and runs from the room, losing a glass slipper in the process. Even though she still has the other glass slipper in her possession, she does not come forward when she hears the prince is searching the city for the one who can wear the dainty shoe.
Once again, the stepsisters’ voices has convinced her that she is contemptible in soul and body, good only for the homeliest of tasks. Fortunately for Cinderella, the prince is a romantic who will not give up searching the city until he has found her, and they live happily ever after. And so it will be with us who are the beloved of the great Prince who is Jesus. It is this destiny that so enrages our enemy and makes him determined to destroy the love affair that he can never have a part in.
                    -From the Sacred Romance by John Eldredge and Brent Curtis  (pp109-110)

I even own a Cinderella purse!
I do LOVE Cinderella, it is my favorite fairy tale. I love the idea that she worked, although she was royalty and that she was rewarded for it, by being invited to the ball, even though she was considered a servant girl in her own home. I love how the prince searches for her, and doesn't stop until he finds her. Just like the parable of the lost sheep,  the lost pearl  and the Prodigal Son in Luke 15. That is how Jesus, the King of Kings, the Prince of Peace, searches and longs for YOU. Are you letting Him be the Lord and King of your life? Have you asked to be His child and part of His kingdom forever?

 You can read more about how to do that here: http://www.campuscrusade.com/fourlawseng.htm

 Here are two cute princesses that live at my house!
Princess Bethany, age 10 months
Princess Mallory age 3


Are you His Princess? Don a crown today! :-D It's kinda fun!

Wednesday, October 27, 2010

Wordless Wednesday

Well, almost wordless!
Here are a few pictures from my and Rebekah's night out this past Friday.

Painting pottery at Angelo's
We had a great time! She is growing up so fast...

Tuesday, October 26, 2010

"Overnight" by Amy Grant


This is a new song by Amy Grant, from her new "Somewhere down the Road" CD,  that we have been listening to a lot lately. I like this song because it seems to speak to me about mothering, and many other situations in life as well. I want so many things to happen easily, to want to use the "easy button" instead of going through the work, pain (possibly) and trials of teaching and learning something day by day. It would be so much easier to resign, give up, go elsewhere sometimes, but I believe God wants us to stay, learn to believe and trust in Him, and He will work in us. Some things just take time. He wants us to be patient and persevere.  I hope you enjoy this song too!

"So, you've handed in your resignation,
Contemplating why nothing turns out right.
A little fed up with all the disappointments,
So what's the point in wasting any time?

It's only temporary, 
So what's your hurry?
No need to worry,
Don't you know that...

CHORUS:
If it all just happened overnight,
You wouldn't know how much it means
Yeah, If it all just happened overnight,
You would never learn to believe,
What you cannot see,
Oh, What you cannot see.

I feel like my pace is at a standstill.
Do I wait till it falls into my hands?
A long highway ahead,
Getting started,
Steady hearted is what I think I am.

There's something to be said,
For experience,
Who knows what's ahead,
Keep on going...

CHORUS
If it all just happened overnight,
You wouldn't know how much it means
If it all just happened overnight,
You would never learn to believe
What you cannot see,
Oh, What you cannot see...

(Take it a day, a day at a time)
One foot in front of the other,
(Take it a day, a day at a time)
No need to hurry, hurry.
(Take it a day, a day at a time)
It won't happen overnight
It won't happen overnight

Have a little faith,
(Have a little faith)
Must appreciate,
(Must appreciate)
Every single day,
Don't give up, no.
(repeat)
CHORUS
If it all just happened overnight,
You wouldn't know how much it means
Yeah
If it all just happened overnight,
You would never learn to believe
What you cannot see
If it all just happened overnight,
You wouldn't know how much it means
If it all just happened overnight,
You would never learn to believe
What you cannot see.

Have a little faith,
(Have a little faith)
Must appreciate,
(Must appreciate)
Every single day,
Don't give up, no.
(repeat)


Christian lyrics - 
OVERNIGHT (FEAT. SARAH CHAPMAN) LYRICS - AMY GRANT 

Monday, October 25, 2010

The Couponizer!

What is the Couponizer? It is a Coupon organizer and I love mine! I have tried a few accordion files and organizing systems for my coupons, and this is my favorite so far! I had a few envelopes tapes together that I used for a while. I used an accordion file that I used for a while. Then my hubby got this for me for FREE! (The best price of all!)

Here is how it works: The Couponizer is a wire-bound book that has pockets in it, on each page for different categories, such as Bread and Bakery, Baking and Staples, Dairy, Meat, etc., It also has a coupon mat (the CoupStacker) to lay out your coupons in each section, and then you place them in the pockets under the category.
My coupons are cut up and ready to organize...

The CoupStacker laid out, showing categories...

Coupons organized on CoupStacker...

Couponizer open showing categories & pockets....
Then before I go to the store, I take my Couponizer out and pull out coupons that I may need that week. I place them in the pocket toward the front called "Coupons to be used on this shopping trip". As I go through the store, and find them items that I need, I place them into the "Checkout" pocket. Then when I get to the checkout in the store, I just grab them out of the pocket and hand them to the cashier! There are also pockets for coupons that expire this month, and coupons in the back for eating out, entertainment, services, shops and retail, receipts, etc.,

So you're thinking, that's nice and all, but where can I get one?
Go to this place to find out more and order one of your own:
http://www.thecouponizer.com/


My couponizer is well-used and well-loved... I think I need a new one! The plastic case that it comes in is falling apart, and the zipper is broken! I love to have all of my coupons in one place...So what if you can't afford one of these couponizers, or you think you don't or won't get into couponing this much.... Here is one that I got at Michael's... It works well too because I can put this into my purse.



And finally, here are some websites where you can get some free coupons to print, if you don't get a paper or don't get many coupons in your paper:

www.redplum.com
http://coupons2.smartsource.com/smartsource/index
www. coupondad.com
www.mashupmom.com
Http://hip2save.com
There are more sites to add, but these are some of the best to get started. I hope you can save some money! And don't forget to take your own canvas bags to the store too, most stores give 5 cents back per bag! I keep mine in my van all the time!

Saturday, October 23, 2010

Sonlight curriculum







What is the Sonlight curriculum?
"Sonlight Curriculum is a Christian company specializing in literature-based homeschool curriculum programs. We provide complete curriculum packages and individual resources and materials so you can build the preschool or K-12 homeschool curriculum that best meets your family's needs. Sonlight is based in Littleton, Colorado and serves customers in over 150 countries worldwide.
Instill in your children a life-long love to learn. Prepare them to engage new ideas. Challenge them to impact the world. We're here to provide you with the tools you need to inspire your children to learn and grow. These articles are available for you to explore and learn more about how we seek to serve you." (from the Sonlight website)

https://www.sonlight.com/


If you do order from Sonlight, you can get a discount, and I get reward points if you enter my rewards code: DD20185975


Or just use my rewards link: http://www.sonlight.com/rewards/DD20185975


If you are looking at homeschool curriculum, check out Sonlight. It is Christian based, and we love sitting on the couch reading books together. Rebekah has been reading plenty of books on her own too. It is such a great way to learn about the world and people in it, rather than read a boring textbook! Rebekah is studying world history this year, and it is a great way to learn more about it- by reading a wonderful, engaging book (lots of them are Caldecott and Newbery Award winners!).  I love their program that if you order $150 or more, you are part of their club, and entitled to free gifts and loads of great information.


Check out http://www.sonlight.com/why-sonlight.html for some great articles about Sonlight that may help. I particularly appreciated "27 Reasons NOT to Buy Sonlight," "You can teach your children--with confidence--from your first day" and "How Literature-Rich Homeschooling Awakens Your Child's Natural Passion for Learning."


I suppose that's enough info for now. Ask away if you have questions!

Friday, October 22, 2010

Fun snack recipes for kids!

Here is a great end to my blog week on kids that I have inadvertently done! We are not HUGE fans of Halloween, but it is a good reason to discuss how Jesus is the light of the world and darkness can not overcome HIS light. We like the dressing-up part, and getting to carve pumpkins together, as well as getting to learn & make crafts about owls, spiders and bats. Well, here is something fun... have a great weekend!

Here are some great Halloween snacks for kids...
These are not spider cupcakes, I couldn't find an image of them,
but these are cute little ghosts!

Spider cupcakes
Chocolate icing
Red thin licorice
Marshmallows
Raisins
Toothpicks
*Amounts will vary based on how many cupcakes you need to make and how many kids there are- great for preschool classes!


Bake and frost cupcakes with chocolate icing (the darker the better). Place 2-3" strips of red thin licorice as legs (8 on each). For the head add on large marshmallow and 2 raisins for eyes, using toothpicks to hold.

I liked the ideas of pumpkins hiding in the white icing...

Sample of popcorn hand...

Popcorn hands
popcorn
candy corns
plastic gloves (not rubber)
prange ribbon

Fill glove with one candy corn in each finger (like the nail). Fill glove with popcorn and tie with ribbon. You can even add spider rings inside the ring finger for fun!

Enjoy these, and here is another place to find Halloween recipes. I love Family Fun magazine! There are so many ideas for all kinds of fun! http://familyfun.go.com/halloween/halloween-recipes/

Thursday, October 21, 2010

Playdough recipes

I have several recipes for playdough, and I honestly have not made it for a while. I think we made some this past spring in homeschool and the kids loved it. As a teacher, I will tell you that play-dough is great for their little hands, because it builds important small motor muscles used in writing. It can be messy, but I've found that homemade play-dough lasts longer and is less crumbly than store-bought, as well as being cheaper. There are lots of books you can buy that might give you ideas of things you can make in your kitchen besides play-dough, such as this one...

The Ultimate book of Kid Concoctions: More than 65 wacky, wild & Crazy concoctions by John E. and Danita Thomas (found on Amazon.com for $3.18+)


This is another great recipe book for mothers, called Feed Me, I'm Yours by Vicki Lansky. My mom gave me this book years ago, and I used it often when making baby food for my babies. It also has great recipes for homemade playdough. It is a great book for new moms. (It costs $8.50+ on Amazon.com)

Here are three basic play-doh recipes:

Play-dough
2 cups flour
1 cup salt
1/2 cup cornstarch
1 Tbsp powdered alum (or cream of tartar)
2 cups water
1 Tbsp oil

In a 2- quart bowl, blend flour, salt, cornstarch and alum. Whip in water and oil until mixed. Microwave on high for 4-5 minutes stirring every minute until mixture is thick and lumpy. Cool on flat plate. Knead on floured surface until smooth. Mix in food coloring as desired. Store in jar or ziploc bag in refrigerator.  This has a good texture, but does lose some color when dry. Costs about 73 cents to make!

Play-dough 2 (no cornstarch)
2 cups flour
1 cup salt
2 cups boiling water
2 Tbsp oil
4 tsp alum
food coloring

Mis dry ingredients. Mix in wet ingredients. Place all in saucepan on stove and cook over medium heat for 3-5 minutes. Keep stirring until a solid ball forms. Let cool and smoosh!

No- Cook Play-dough
2 cups all purpose flour
1 cup salt

Mix together and add 2/3 cup water slowly. Add food coloring. That's it!

Play-doh additions
Coconut oil (instead of vegetable or canola)
Kool-aid- smells good, adds bright colors
Pumpkin pie spice

To play with- tongue depressors/ popsicle sticks, toothpicks, straws (cut into small pieces), plastic knives/ silverware,  etc., Get creative! Also you can look at yard sales or Goodwill for inexpensive play-dough toys. That's what I did, and my kids LOVE our bin on play-dough stuff. Also an easy thing to ask for on birthdays/ Christmas (aka stocking stuffers!)

Enjoy playing and making these with your kids!

Wednesday, October 20, 2010

Wordless Wednesday

Well, almost wordless!

Bethany has been doing this a lot lately... 
Isn't she a cute little reader? :-D


Tuesday, October 19, 2010

What every child needs

This is another great MOPS book that I read several years ago and really enjoyed. I found it to be enlightening to what my kids needs really are needing on a day-to-day basis. I keep this printed (see below) and on my fridge so I see it often and am reminded that I need to hold my kids close, affirm them, discipline them, guide, respect and play with them. It allows me to hope with and for them, and allow them to be independent and grow (which is bittersweeet! Do I really want them to grow up?! They're so cute and funny now! :-D ) But there is lots of joy to every age...

So here are the nine basic needs of children. Print it out and keep it where you can pray and do this for your kids. It is important to them, and God gives the help we need. I hope God loves me these ways too, as I am HIS child...


WHAT EVERY CHILD NEEDS
SECURITY- Hold-me-close-love convinces them they are unconditionally loved.
AFFIRMATION- Crazy-about-me-love underlines that they are cherished
FAMILY- Fit-me-into-the-family-love- significance and sense of belonging
DISCIPLINE -Give-me-limits-love- protection of boundaries for life
GUIDANCE- Show-and-tell-me-love- what they need to know in life
RESPECT- Let-me-be-me-love- accepts them for who they are
PLAY- Play-with-me-love allows them to do the work of play
INDEPENDENCE- Let-me-grow-up-love- permission and freedom to mature
HOPE- Help-me-to-hope-love- conveys an eternal perspective, there is more 
to life than just today.

Monday, October 18, 2010

Things to do with preschoolers

 A while back I posted things to do with toddlers and two's... so here is another edition! (or addition... ;-D)
I know I always need activities to keep my 4 year old Mallory busy, and it is really nice to be able to pull out something fun and wonderful, as well as educational and entertaining at the same time! I;'ve gotten ideas from lots of places for this post. Some of these things I used to do when I was a preschool teacher ages ago. It was such a FUN job! Now I have my own kids and find myself needing to dig back in the depths of my memory for some of these things! I've gotten ideas from a few homeschool moms that have written books and articles, and from some magazines I subscribe to. So whether you homeschool or not, these are some great things to keep those little hands and minds busy! (And maybe the mouth! :-D)

Items to keep on hand for preschoolers:

        *Workbooks
Coloring pages and colored pencils
*Wooden puzzles
*Matching games
*Board books
Lacing boards (yarn goes through numbered holes to create a picture)
Flash cards
*Stickers (lots of stickers!)
*Blocks-small, cardboard, foam, wooden abc
Pipe cleaners and beads, pasta, etc... 
Pizza tray with magnets 
Sandpaper with crayons 
Sticky foam shapes
Nuts and bolts (especially for those little boys)
Hole punch w/paper
        Plastic canvas and yarn

Create a “Pretend Box”
Musical Instruments 
Kitchen Instruments (pots, pans, spoons, etc.)
Dress Up
        Hand and finger puppets 
Legos w/people and animals
Create an Outdoor Activity box:
Rice, pasta, beans, water, or sand play 
Sidewalk chalk 
Things to sort: bears, crayons, candy 
Stacking buckets
Block puzzles
        *Dry erase/chalkboard/magnetic board –tabletop 
Magnifying glass 
Plastic insect container 
Paper and pencil for drawing


Create an art box:
 Apron
 Easel/lapboard
Paint, paintbrushes
Crayons, colored pencils, etc.
*Coloring books and plain paper
Finger paint and paper
*Glue or glue sticks
*Construction paper (and plain typing)
*Scissors
Random counting/creating supplies: pop- sicle/stirring sticks, straws, pasta, etc.

Paint-finger, water color, tempera, dot, paint pens
*Play dough, clay 
Cotton balls, pom-poms, and tweezers
DVD/Video/Music box:
Favorite movies 
Educational tapes 
Audio books 
Library books
Switch these out weekly to keep them fresh!

MORE IDEAS:
Use tweezers with any small button, cotton balls, etc.,
Tray with spoon and styrofoam or sponge pieces
Eye dropper with water dish
Tongs with plastic balls
Spoon with miscellaneous pieces
spoon with letters
sort nuts into baskets (with shells on)
Sort bowl of buttons, marbles (be careful with little ones around- don't want to choke!)
Tongs with plastic worms
assorted spice containers with lids- open, fill, close, shake, etc,.
Poker chips into can
Ladle with misc. pieces
*Chalkboard with eraser
Rubber stamps


*These are things I use often and have found to be invaluable!

I've also got a buch of boxes I can pull out and use easily. They have different thigns to pour and scoop in them. It can be hard to keep them contained to the box, so keep them in the kitchen under supervision. In my plastic bins with lids there are: playdough and different rolling/ cutting items, bubbles and blowers, beans and different scoops/ spoons, (you could also do rice) and cotton balls with scoops/ spoons. 

You can find lots of great coloring pages on the internet under nearly any topic. If you want some Biblical ones, here is the best website: http://children.calvarychapel.com/site/curriculum.htm
Just click on the topic in blue toward the left and you'll get coloring and activity pages for a variety of Bible topics. I use that site every week!

Another book I use is called:

You can find it on Amazon.com for under $10 or so. Hope this helps you find something new to keep your little kiddos busy!

Friday, October 15, 2010

Funny Friday


Here's an extra picture for the weekend. This is the kind of silly stuff I get on my camera when my kids find it!

We're such fans! (not)

Here are some pics of the kids & Daddy in their jerseys. Of course, Rebekah's hot pink one is not a real jersey, but it kinda looks like one. All of the others are not playing for the Broncos anymore, but we still like to wear them. Bethany and I are so left out...

85, 86, 87...
Oh wait, Mallory has 84! So now it's 84, 85, 86, 87!
Showing them in the mirror...

FYI- Mallory's is #84 Shannon Sharpe; Caleb's #85 is Ashley Lelie; Joshua's #87 is Ed McCaffrey, in case you can't see that... :-D We're goofy, huh?
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