Your Great Grace

"It’s there in the newborn cry.  There in the light of every sunrise.
There in the shadows of this life.  Your great grace.
It’s there on the mountain top.  There in the everyday and the mundane.
There in the sorrow and the dancing.  Your great grace.  Oh such grace....

It’s there on a wedding day.  There in the weeping by the graveside.
There in the very breath we breathe.  Your great grace.
The same for the rich and poor.  The same for the saint and for the sinner.
Enough for this whole wide world.  Your great grace.  Oh such grace...

There in the darkest night of the soul.
There in the sweetest songs of victory.
Your grace finds me.  Yes your grace finds me."  -Matt Redman. 

In the Christian world, we  have a lot of terms that we use. 
"Christian-ese". 
Like me, you may have been with a group when something like this was said:  "We pray before every game & last night God really showed up!  We won!"
"God answered, and we had a great turnout for VBS."

Now, we learn when we are very, very little, with the visual aid of a traffic light, that sometimes God says "Yes" and sometimes God says "No" and sometimes God says "Wait."  (and that the 'wait' answer is usually the hardest)

And we learn to "pray without ceasing."  (1 Thessalonians 5:17)
And we learn that "the effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much."  (James 5:17)
And we memorize "you do not have because you do not ask."  (James 4:2)

We certainly pray & we ask.
I remember when I was quite small, closing my eyes & praying so earnestly that when I opened them, there would be new Strawberry Shortcake dolls for me!  I had no doubt that God was capable of doing that!  I just didn't know if He would. 
As I got older I learned to understand prayer better.  The incredible closeness to God that comes with confession & thanksgiving & praise during prayer time.  Of course, supplication too. 

Like the person who proclaims that God has 'shown up', we pray before sporting events.  Before nearly every meal.  Before bed.  When we get in the car to drive somewhere.  When we're scared.  When we're thankful.  When we need something.  When we've received something.  The list could go on forever.  Big, big things that are truly too big for us to handle.  (..for we do not know how to pray as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words.  -Romans 8:26). I have certainly experienced these times of groanings.  We pray for the little, little things:  Baby chicks will hatch.  Corn will grow.  Little, scraped knees will feel better.  And we all know that if God cares about a sparrow, the commonest of common birds, how much more must He care about me?

We begin to realize & experience that prayer is alligning our wills with God's will.  Prayer is communicating with God. Prayer is drawing us into relationship with God.  
But is prayer changing God's mind?  Is it changing what happens?  Is it working in that way?
Hezekiah's prayer was answered.  Abraham asking God for mercy if 10 righteous people could be found.  But we know that God knows the end from the beginning.  (Isaiah 46:10)  We know that God does not change.  (Numbers 23:19).

Did God not 'show up' when Aaron died?
Were not enough people praying when Cheryl died of cancer?
If the house burns down and the business fails, does that mean that God didn't answer?

Does winning a soccer game indicate some kind of approval by God?

At the heart of this is what every Christian hears repeatedly from non-Christians; some version of the following:  "If your God is a loving God, why do bad things happen?"

We know that "He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous."  (Matthew 5:45)

Why pray then?  Is prayer just some sort of communication that is psychologically comforting to us, but doesn't really mean anything?  If the answer doesn't lie in particular wording or volume of prayers, what is the answer?  How do we 'get' the answer that we want?

C.S. Lewis says:
Can we believe that God really modifies his action in response to the suggestions of men? For infinite wisdom does not need telling what is best, and infinite goodness needs no urging to do it. But neither does God need any of those things that are done by finite agents, whether living or inanimate. He could, if he chose, repair our bodies miraculously without food; or give us food without the aid of farmers, bakers, and butchers; or knowledge without the aid of learned men; or convert the heathen without missionaries. Instead he allows soils and weather and animals and the muscles, minds, and wills of men to co-operate in the execution of his will. “God,” said Pascal, “instituted prayer in order to lend to his creatures the dignity of causality.” But not only prayer; whenever we act at all he lends us that dignity. It is not really stranger, nor less strange, that my prayers should affect the course of events than that my other actions should do so. They have not advised or changed God's mind—that is, his overall purpose. But that purpose will be realized in different ways according to the actions, including prayers, of his creatures.

Melvin Tinker says:
God has the power and wisdom to use our prayers as he sees fit and to do what we could never imagine. If he weren't all-powerful, there'd be little point in praying. If he weren't all wise, it'd be dangerous to pray; after all, who'd want to ask an all-powerful but foolish person to do anything? But God is both perfectly wise and infinitely powerful, which is why you and I can pray with confidence.

 If prayer was only 'good' for helping me understand God better, it would be enough.  If prayer only accomplished a changing of my heart, it would be enough.  However, prayer's power doesn't end there.  My words are not bouncing off the ceiling.  We are called to pray like Jesus did.  We are told to pray.  We are given the privilege to participate in the process.  

"Having granted the human race a measure of self-determination, He would be hard-pressed to steamroller it when people misuse it...." -Gracia Burnham.

I wish we wouldn't say that "God showed up."
I wish we wouldn't say that God has 'answered' prayers, only when it was been a 'yes' in the way that we wanted, even in the way that seems good and right.  

It's hard to understand.
So God knew, He knew, when my fiance was lovingly stroking my foot at our rehearsal, in the gorgeous yard of my great-grandparents, when my soon-to-be-husband was choosing a special verse for our wedding program, for our lives, (1 Peter 3:15, btw), he KNEW that 6 years later it would all be over!!  That is painful.  
It is painful & hard to understand how James could die.  (Actually, I don't like to use the word 'die' anymore, for Christians.  I prefer moved to heaven.)  Well-loved.  Well-prayed for.  Serving our country.  "To think that providence would, take a child from his mother while she prayed, is appalling..." -Natalie Grant.

I think remembering to have a correct view of God is important.  Learning & knowing who He is.  

• God shows up just as much when the soldier comes home and when he does not. 
• God shows up just as much when the court results seem to be against all that God would want for families as when the results are 100% what we asked for.
• God shows up equally for the mom who has been given the joy of 8 babies to love & hold as it does for the mom who has deep, unrelenting grief over her empty arms.
• God has heard our prayers when our marriages stay together & when they fall apart.  

 God is good all the time.  All the time, God is good.
He wants good things for me.
He can use all things for good.
I will continue to seek His face.  I will continue to petition.  
I will recognize that~ the situations that don't turn out like I had hoped, (and prayed), and the sad things that happen in life due to living in a fallen world, God can teach me so much through these!    

Homeschool Mom Encouragement Gifts

14 little bags line my piano & my piano bench, waiting for some moms to come over tomorrow.
14 little bags filled with some things practical & some things symbolic & hopefully all things encouraging.

"I believe that God placed your children with you as their mother. 
On purpose.
We are all unique.  Personalities.  Giftings.  Situations.
Single moms.  Moms who work.  Moms who have pressures & burdens & griefs that have nothing to do with homeschooling.
Kids with special needs.  Parents who require special care.  Deaths to grieve.  Court troubles.  Finances.  Life.

Some of you have adult children who were homeschooled all the way through & some of you are just beginning your homeschooling journey.  Some will homeschool for 6 months or 1 year.  Some more.

The unique dynamics of your family- of YOU, is a gift to your child!

(give carbon paper to each mom to rip up!!)
That is why we will somewhat ceremoniously rip up our pieces of carbon paper!!  It is not productive to compare.  It destroys contentment and we are not made to be like the homeschooling mom sitting beside us!

One of the burdens that I have chosen, at times, to carry around through a lot of my homeschooling is wishing that I was more like Person X or did as much academically as Person Y or was as organized as Person Z.

And~ I do think that planning well & evaluating what you need to tweak or change is important.  However, the truth is, I have done the best I could with where I have been at life.  And I bet the same could be said for all of you!

For me, I've had exterior pressures that have made my homeschooling more challenging.  Your pressures look different, but they are still there.  So- evaluate yourself, take ideas you like from others, but don't compare.  You are more amazing than you realize!  No one will be as invested in your child as you are!!

Not just for cutting out the comparisons, but also for cutting out some good things so that you have enough margin in your life.

Another thing I have had a hard time balancing is housework!  So these tips are from the one who does not have it together, to all of you who have to be doing a better job than I am! 
Basically, train & teach your child to do more!  (Our family has a long way to go with this!)  

As homeschooling moms, it is challenging to find time for ourselves.  Our children are always with us, which we love, but it's hard to get a break when we need one!

'I need  a break!'
Recharge.  You can't pour yourself out constantly and not put anything back in.

Remember to leave time & space for your other relationships, besides your kids.  Your husband, friends & family.

I cannot recommend enough Cynthia Tobias' book, 'The Way They Learn.' 
We are all unique!  Some of our children are going to excel at traditional academics.  Super!  Some are not.  That doesn't mean we give up on academics, but perhaps we don't measure their success in the same way.  We all have something to offer the world! 
Remember that success is measured in all kinds of ways!
“The place God calls you to is the place where your deep gladness and the world’s deep hunger meet.”
― Frederick Buechner

Lastly, this is a reminder that YOU are the mom & teacher that your kids need right now!"

 

1.  planner:  "A well-planned day and/or week does help!  (No guilt though!)  Evaluate & re-adjust as necessary.

2.  Tide:  "Teach your child how to do a load of laundry."

3.  Dusters:  "Put that active kid to work!  Hey!  You're a homeschooling mom!  Cleaning time is hard to come by!  5 minutes of dusting on the daily schedule!"

4.  Page:  "Margin.  We all need it in our lives!  Don't forget!"

5.  Heart:  "To remember that homeschooling is a season.  Don't put all your apples in the homeschooling basket.  Invest in your marriage, (if applicable), and your friendships and other important relationships."

6.  White flag:  "We all need to raise the 'surrender' flag sometimes & take 5 minutes.  Or 50.  Or the rest of the day.  (Cut yourself a break.  No guilt zone.)

7.  Bandaids:  "For when things get a little rough."

8.  Bubble bath:  "Take a break!  Re-group!  Time for yourself."

9.  Bubbles:  "To help you keep the day fun & to show off your bubbly personality."

10.  Energy bar:  "For when you need a little extra energy."

11.  Notepad & pencil:  "For recording the things you want to remember: The funny sayings & blessings."

12.  Tissues:  "For the tears.  Yours.  Theirs."

13.  Hot cocoa & tea:  "Take a break.  Relax.  Enjoy."

14.  Chocolate:  "Because we all can use a treat now & then."

15.  Eraser:  "Everybody makes mistakes.  They are our teachers.  Learn from them."

16.  Ruler:  "Important to remember:  Success is measured in many different ways."

17.  Button:  "Some things are just better left unsaid."

18.  Scissors:  "To cut out comparisons & busy-ness."

19.  mirror:  "YOU are the mom & teacher that your child needs right now!"

`also, a personal note, a list of favorite books, and some teacher reward stickers.

Our Favorite Homeschool Resources & Non-Fiction Books

I have already shared about some of our favorite fiction books in this blog post:  http://carmelhillbillies.blogspot.com/2015/04/fictional-chapter-books-air-for-our.html
And of course since then we've thought of several other favorite fiction books that we love & that I left out!  Micah, almost 12 years old, just discovered the Fablehaven series by Brandon Mull and is currently devouring them!

But for this post I want to share some of our favorite resources & books, including favorite curriculum, that we have used, discovered, and/or liked during these past 6 years of homeschooling.  This is not a comprehensive list & is only what floats to the very top at this current moment!  For example, our experience with Abeka Language, grades 1-2 was very good.  The phonics repetition was great & helped Micah a lot with his reading.  (Noelle was already past that by the time she started homeschooling.)  Also, we used Abeka readers through grade 5 and found them interesting & helpful.  However, I'm not including them in this list, even though we had a positive experience.

Also, and I mention it a couple of times in this post, many, many of these resources were used as a springboard for more reading & learning & activities.

Social Studies:
(History is my favorite, so I want to do this one first!)

1.  A Child's History of the World by Virgil M. Hillyer.
  We have gone through this volume two different times over the course of our homeschooling.  Once aloud and once, a couple of years later, with independent reading.  This is a big-time favorite & has often provided as a catalyst for us to 'dig deeper.'  For example, when studying the section on Marco Polo, the first time around, it piqued Micah's interest, so we then checked several books out of the library about Marco Polo and learned more.

2.  "21 Activities for Kids" series.
  We did:  George Washington for Kids:  His Life & Times with 21 Activities by Brandon Marie Miller.  Abraham Lincoln for Kids:  His Life & Times with 21 Activities by Janis Herbert.  Franklin Delano Roosevelt for Kids:  His Life & Times with 21 Activities by Richard Panchyk.  We also did partial ones on broader subjects, such as the Revolutionary War.
  These books provide great ideas for fun projects, (for example, we made plaster masks for our faces), as well as ample information on the subject of the book.  I guess I should say a blanket statement that many of our resources were a springboard for more resources.  For example, perhaps they learned about Morse code in one of the '21' books, and wanted to learn more, so then a book was checked out of our library specifically about Morse code.

3.  "Wicked History" series of books
  Micah read these last year & just loved them!  And boy were they wicked!  Napoleon, Stalin, Hitler, Alexander the Great, Hannibal, Attila the Hun, Ivan the Terrible, Genghis Khan and Vlad the Impaler and more!  If you are worried about or sensitive to your child reading some gory details, you may want to avoid these books.
   This would be a good time to mention that we have made great use of inter-library loans!  Our library had a few of these books, but the rest of them we borrowed from other libraries.  I'm so thankful for the ability to use these resources free of charge!

4.  Little Passports
  I believe that Little Passports now has a monthly club option for the American states as well as countries around the world.  When we purchased it, the only option was countries and that was a good choice for us.  It was fun to receive & open our monthly package & to use the code to go online & to do the activities provided.

5.  Leagues & Legends
  This Geography curriculum, put out by Veritas Press, for the 'Grammar Level' is a fun way to learn geography.  The audio CDs & the repetition provided make memorizing easy.  There are 4 separate sets:  North, South, East & West.  The accompanying workbooks include fun recipes and crafts to make as well.

6.  Disney's 'The American Presidents' DVDs
   I ponied up and purchased this collection of four DVDs.  Each DVD is about an hour and is quite interesting.  To quote what Amazon says:  "Each DVD includes short-form Presidential biographies, era overviews for historical context, and thematic segments such as “The Making of the Presidency” and “We the People”. The DVD content is based on National Curriculum Standards and features interviews with political luminaries such as Sam Donaldson, Wesley Clark, Paul Begala, Melissa Harris-Lacewell and many more. Try the interactive whiteboard content on every DVD — it’s an exciting, competitive game that uses video clips, photographs and quotes to test students’ understanding of the Presidents, their political positions, and why they matter in the American story."

 Math:
  I have only ever used Abeka Math & Saxon Math for textbooks.  They are my only experience & I think they are both very good.  I would heartily recommend either/both of these mathematics curriculum to anyone.  What is hard is switching back & forth, as they are put together at slightly different levels. 

1.  Abeka Math
   One thing that my son really appreciates about Abeka is the high-quality paper, the illustrations & the colors!  This may not sound important to most people, but we all have components that we prefer to have our best, individual, learning environment.  Micah is highly visual & strongly prefers the illustrations & color!  In fact, Micah has only used Saxon once & that was for grade 2 and when we began the year & he saw his math paper, he threw it on the floor and said that he wasn't going to do that!! 
  I have read many reviews for and against both Abeka and Saxon, talking about the spiral approach of one and not the other.  I've taught quite a few years of both & feel that Abeka holds its own academically.  It's a strong program.
 
2.  Saxon Math
  The biggest advantage, in my mind, of Saxon is that the lesson is in the student book.  If you have a student who can work independently, (and this is a big advantage that many homeschoolers have- that they have this ability), Saxon allows for the level of self-teaching that works for your particular situation.
  Just like Abeka, I feel that Saxon is academically strong.
  My oldest is in 8th grade, so I cannot speak for Saxon high school math.  My understanding is that because Geometry is included at many levels of Saxon, they do not have a separate year for it.  Some homeschool families choose to supplement with a separate Geometry curriculum.
  
Science:

1.  Apologia Science
   This is the only year that we have used Apologia, and only Micah used it.  I think it's fantastic!  We used the textbook and workbook combination.  Packed with information & extension activities, it's been a successful year of Science for us!  (Just the other night, while eating meat for supper, Micah tells us all he learned about tapeworms that day! ICK!)  Land Animals of the 6th Day.  Swimming Creatures of the 5th Day.  Flying Creatures of the 5th Day.  Exploring Creation with Astronomy.  Exploring Creation with Botany.  Exploring Creation with Human Anatomy & Physiology.  And more.  

2.  The Rainbow Science
   This is our 2nd year with Rainbow Science for Noelle.  It is both delightful & challenging.  From Cathy Duffy:  "Serious science is coupled with a light-hearted approach and lots of hands-on activity for this two-year course targeted at junior high level...The course is also unusual because the text is intended to be used for two years. In the first year, students study physics and chemistry, and in the second year they study biology and applied science.  The Teacher’s Helper is a guide for the text as well as the labs, covering both years. The first year’s lab set includes both durable equipment and consumable supplies plus a lab workbook. For the second year, you need additional equipment, supplies, and a new lab workbook, all of which is sold as a “year 2” set. I really enjoy Dr. Dobbins personal, friendly writing style, and I think most junior high students will too..."  (We agree!)
 
3.  Special Activities
   Dissecting owl pellets & frogs, (in celebration of Leap Day/Year!), are experiences we will never forget!  I would suggest taking advantage of local stores, (we got the owl pellets at The Rock & Art Shop in Bangor), as well as ordering unique items online. 
  The Great Outdoors!  How many lessons have we learned through catching salamander eggs & watching goats being born & tromping through estuaries??  We're talking about resources here & the natural world is one, GINORMOUS resource! 

Language: 

1.  Shurley English
  I am a fan!  I have learned things teaching Shurley English that I absolutely never learned when I was in school!  The 'jingles' are catchy, and like anything put to music, are helpful with memorization.  Shurley emphasizes writing and diagramming sentences.  The teaching part can be a bit awkward and wordy and isn't quite as user-friendly as some Language curriculum is, but in my opinion it's quality makes up for that. 


2.  Ralph Fletcher 
   Ralph Fletcher is unusual.  He is the author of picture book, chapter books, young adult novels, and poetry.  But he also writes books for young people who are interested in writing.  When Noelle was 9 years old she discovered Ralph Fletcher & it was through reading, studying, and applying his book:  Live Writing.  At 9 years old she fell in LOVE with writing and has been writing ever since!  (She's working on a book that is quite good!)
  Noelle also read some of his novels, as well as Poetry Matters and How to Write Your Life Story.

3.  Magic Tree House Books & Research Guides
  I wrote about these books in my post about reading fiction, however I need to mention them here because the experience, content, and triumph Micah felt about reading so many books at a young age was great to experience and watch.  Basically, when Micah was 7 years old he read all the Magic Tree House books and non-fiction research guides that were available at that time, 68 books!  The books start out very easy but get more challenging & more interesting as the young reader grows.
  In Micah's case, he also had a little passport and after reading each book would answer questions online and print out a sticker to glue on his passport.  This was very motivating to him.
  The non-fiction guides were very interesting!  Some were History & some were Science.  Perhaps some could be labeled as Fine Arts.

4.  Pizza-Hut Book-It Program!
   You are probably familiar with this program.  Open to K-6th graders, students can read to earn personal pan pizzas for several months of the school year.  Homeschoolers are welcome.  Look online early because sign-up is in the summer.

5.  Quality Picture Books
   When my kids were younger we enjoyed reading nearly all of Jan Brett books, writing her a letters, and hearing back from her.  We also read nearly all of Robert McCloskey books and a few others too.  There are many quality picture books available and they are worth the read!  Of course, I happen to believe that picture books aren't just for little people!

6.  Abeka 'Read & Think' Books
   I loved using these books!  The student has a certain amount of time to read the one-page or less story or information, flip the paper over, and answer questions about it.  Measures comprehension.  The kids thought they were fun & I liked using them. 

Other:

1.  Contests!
   We did not do a lot of contests, because finding the quality ones, which are free to enter, takes a considerable amount of time, as well as taking the time to teach to & enter the contests!  
   Although we never won anything, my favorite is probably 'Letters about Literature'.  We have entered this several times.  It provides a wonderful opportunity for a student to write a letter to a book's author, living or not, and tell the author how the book inspired them, changed their lives, etc.  The Letters about Literature website contains samples, lesson plans, and lots of helpful information.
   You may know that Noelle won an Olive Garden "Pasta Tales" essay contest several years back.  She won a $100 Olive Garden giftcard and a $500 savings bond.  Micah was a finalist in a JIF peanut butter sandwich contest.  He just barely missed out on an exciting trip to NYC, but he garnered some attention and received a very cool JIF gift basket!  He also won some prizes in a 'Get to Know' contest.  These types of successes help bolster self esteem.  
  There are many contests out there and although I can't remember the specifics, we have also done poster contests, Science ones and other essay ones.

2.  Mike Venezia's books
   These are some incredible books!  I purchased nearly all of the 'Getting to Know the World's Greatest Composers' ones as well as 'Getting to Know the World's Greatest Artists' ones.  They are picture books that are interesting and really do give the reader an overview of the person that they are about.  He also has a series about scientists & inventors, and maybe more beyond that.

3.  VIDEOS!!
   Jack Hanna & Richard Weiss & Jeff Corwin & Marty Stouffer were our homeschool companions for years!  David MaCaulay's videos.  A million Animated Hero Classics, learning about all kinds of people.  Videos about different cultures & countries.  On & On the list goes.  I believe we checked out and watched every video our library had to offer!!   

4. Memoria Press' LATIN courses
   We never got very far in this curriculum, but it was user-friendly, easy to implement and use.  Many levels are available.

5.  A Young Scholar's Guide to Composers by Melissa E. Craig & Maggie S. Hogan.
   We did not finish this curriculum either, but it is very good.  :)

6.  Find Some Resources!
  Every area has museums.  Homeschool groups.  Field Trip groups.  Historical places.  Other moms.  Experts in certain areas. Make your own path & find the resources that will work for your family.  Our local art museum has an amazing Young Curators progarm.  Also, local libraries provide book clubs.  We have participated in many of those and we truly love our local library and librarians.  The options under this one are endless!


~I have no doubt that within moments of posting this, I will think of 10 things I should have added to the list!  (That's why it's helpful that I can edit, although I rarely take the time to!!) 

 

Our 'May the 4th' Celebration

The very first time I saw the Star Wars movies, the only Star Wars movies at the time, was my freshman year of college, (1994-1995), at Philadelphia College of Bible.  It was a Saturday & a student group had set up a Star Wars marathon:  All 3 in one day, one right after the other.

I noticed that Luke Skywalker's appearance changed & was told that he was in a severe accident between movies.  Frankly, I don't remember any other impressions.  Even now, I can't claim to be a true fan.  I don't dislike Star Wars, I'm just not very 'into' Science Fiction & I can never understand what is going on in the movies!!

We really did it all wrong with how we introduced Star Wars to Micah!  In February, 2014, we were on vacation as a family & decided to watch Star Wars, since most of the movies we watch as a family are more on the 'Girl Movie' side of things.  (Not that girls can't like Star Wars!!)  However, we were unable to rent the 1st movie.  So instead we watched what I call 'the 2nd movie', but what is actually Episode V:  Star Wars: the Empire Strikes Back.  (I fully recognize that this approach makes no sense!)  Micah loved it.  Hannah, Noelle & D~I'm not so sure!  While on vacation Micah purchased a Star Wars Lego set at Sherman's Bookstore.  We also watched Episode VI:  Star Wars: Return of the Jedi.

To make mixed-up matters worse, I found Episode I: The Phantom Menace at Goodwill, so he watched that one.  He bought more Star Wars Legos.  He watched episodes of The Clone Wars.

It wasn't until a couple of months ago, Valentine's Day, 2015, that he was able to finally watch 'the first movie':  Episode IV:  Star Wars:A New Hope!!  (He did say that this helped explain a few things!!!)  I wasn't able to afford the DVDs for him for his Valentine's Day gift, but for a few dollars each I bought him Episodes IV, V & VI on VCR tape!  Hey, they will do for now!  And really, he was thrilled and more than satisfied!

For this upcoming 'May the 4th' Celebration, I ordered him used copies of the remaining two movies.  Episode II:  Star Wars:  Attack of the Clones came in the mail on Saturday & we watched that one last night.  Micah is hoping that the final one, Episode III: Star Wars:  Clone Wars, will come in today's mail.

So that is how we got to today~ A quick & silly & fun little celebration, in the midst of a busy day, to celebrate Star Wars!

There must be presents!  (My kids have been pretty spoiled this last year of homeschooling!)

 

Today is busy because we have a homeschool Literature Fair in Hampden, we have our regularly scheduled Monday activities:  Noelle has dance & she volunteers for 2 hours at the Boys & Girls Club.  Plus we have the unexpected things, such as three jakes within 10 feet of our property!!  (They got away!)  So I put all the food out this morning & basically said, "Go for it!"  We ate our breakfasts & our lunches out of the food!

I looked online for ideas that would be fairly easy to do, inexpensive & would not involve too much of an overload of sugar!

 At 10:00 last night I looked at this watermelon & said, "I will give you 10 minutes!"  So this was as deathstar-y it got in that time period!

 See what we did here!?  Plus, with feta on the side!

However, if you give your kids light sabers...

sometimes they knock over the bantha milk, even though you promised your son that if he let you borrow his Star Wars legos that no food would get on them!  Ah, we are keeping it real!!
Note:  No tears were shed over the spilling of this milk!  :) 

 

Then, for fun, we played a few very quick games!

1.  Destroy the Deathstars!

Even 'big kids' like an excuse sometimes to play with bubbles!

 

2.  Jedi Mind Trick!

I had the kids each pick a number between 1-10.  Then I had them do a series of things to it, such as +6, -1, +3, -5, +4, etc.  Then I had them subtract their original number from what they had.  Then, I was able to guess their final answer, and they were amazed that not only did I guess correctly, even though they started out with different numbers, they ended up with the same one!  I used the force!

3.  Firing Proton Torpedoes into the Deathstar's thermal exhaust port!

Piper really liked this game!

4.  Feel the Force!  (A Tasting Game!)

Both Noelle & Micah were blindfolded & fed the same items.  At the count of three, they said aloud, at the same time, what they thought the item was!  Micah won by only one point & it was fun!  Some were easy & some were hard, (coffee creamer!) and apparently the lemon was not a favorite!  (On that one, Micah guessed lime & Noelle guessed kimchi!)  The stormtrooper water came in handy!

May the 4th Be With You!

Frozen Banana Treats ~A Recipe Post

This is so easy, I'm not sure it can be called a recipe! 
It is a favorite of ours.  Kids love them.  It's a fairly healthy treat.  Plus, kids like to help 'make' them.  (More like 'assemble' them!)  Today is one of the warmest days we have had yet this year.  A perfect day for a summer-ish treat!

You will need:
Firm bananas
popsicle sticks
Yogurt
Sprinkles  (optional)

Added bonus:  This snack is kosher, (at least if you use these sprinkles.)  When one has a friend who is Jewish Orthodox, one starts to notice when something is kosher or not!

Note:  These days we typically buy whole milk, plain yogurt.  And I could have used that, with or without some agave nectar, but I chose to go with flavored yogurt.

Peel bananas & cut them in half. 
Insert popsicle sticks. 

(Sometimes I accidentally break a banana or push the stick in too far.)

Roll in yogurt. 
Add some sprinkles.

Place in freezer until frozen.

Enjoy!