Silly Bunny, Easter is About Jesus

I find it very sad that Christian parents are having to constantly fight the world to keep Christ as the center of our holidays. Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny seem to be the two we struggle with the most as they are at the forefront of our two most important Christian celebrations.

My little boy is currently in love with all things Bible - and I absolutely love that. He is always some Bible character or telling us a Bible story or, more recently, asking questions about Jesus and His death on the cross. This Easter in particular, he is very interested in the story of Jesus and His resurrection which made me all the more excited to do some fun things with my kiddos to celebrate this special time of year.

On the Tuesday before Easter, I gathered my two oldest and we made an Empty Garden Tomb! First, we went outside with a bowl and our garden shovel....

We found a nice patch of grass and dirt and dug it up and plopped it into our bowl.

....we found a pretty flower too

I was too busy keeping little hands away from the knife to document, but once inside, we took a semi-large potato and I cut off one end, then made a small hole for the inside of the tomb. We took the tip of the end I had cut and used that as the stone door to cover the opening.

Nathan ran outside to gather some rocks....

Then he ran up to his room and got his toy Jesus that He HAD to put beside the empty tomb.

Very proud of himself!

Our spunky little helper, all covered in chocolate

To get these great paper banners, you can click here for the free PDF file

over at FreeFunEaster.com. 

Our finished work! 

Once we finished, we settled down with our favorite Easter DVD, He is Risen, from the Nest Family Series. I used to love this DVD as a child and now I am very happy that both my children love watching it as well.

**On a side note, we also love the new Superbook DVD's.

On the Saturday before Easter, we brought out the Resurrection Eggs and had a wonderful time teaching our kids more about the significance of Good Friday and Easter Sunday. They gathered up all 12 eggs in record time, then we ran back inside with our Bible and Resurrection Eggs pamphlet.

As each egg was opened, they discovered a special symbol inside that told the story of the last week of Jesus' life, ending with his resurrection. I highly recommend this great alternative.

It's so important to saturate our children with the things of God. I encourage you to do all you can to make each day, especially our beloved Christian holidays, completely and utterly about Jesus.

Christmas Countdown Ideas for Kids

The holidays are here! In just a few days, we will celebrate Thanksgiving and then the Christmas countdown will begin! Now that I am a wife and mommy, I have began building traditions with my own little family and I dearly love making memories with my husband and my kids. Today I'd love to share with you the Christmas countdown activities for this year. We won't necessarily do them in this exact order, but the goal is do them all and have fun making memories that will last for years to come. So here we go!

1. Read the Christmas story

2. Unwrap new Christmas PJs and a new Christmas book/movie 

3. Have hot coco and cookies

4. Open your special ornament to put on the tree 

 5. Mail Christmas cards 

6. Shop for one special gift for a family member 

7. Make a Christmas CRAFT with Mom 

8. Have a family Christmas movie night - with treats!

9. Polar Express night! (Look at Christmas lights in PJs, with hot chocolate) Link to ticket here

10. Decorate Christmas cookies

11. Gather old toys to donate to charity

12. GRINCH night! (Grinch punch, Grinch cookies, and Grinch popcorn!)

 13. See Santa at the Mall

14. Go on a hunt for Mistletoe

15. Make Christmas pancakes (with cookie cutters and sprinkles!)

 16. Go to a Christmas play or party 

17. Take a Christmas bubble bath!

 18. Make a Gingerbread Nativity

 19. Have a living room Christmas dance party!

 20. Color Christmas printable pages

 21. play a board game together as a family!

22. Have a picnic by the Christmas tree

23. Make Candy Cane syrup!

24. Sing Christmas carols together

25. Have a birthday party for Jesus!

Click here for the free printable!

What about you? What are some traditions and fun activities you do each year with your family?

Our Frog Theme in 3K

A couple of weeks ago, we began a "Frog week" in School where I let Nathan choose a specimen to study and learn about. It has actually become frog month because we have studied them slowly so we can retain and enjoy. It's been a timely theme as our porches have been the home of quite a few frogs lately. Much to my disgust....

Anyway.

We started by going to the Library to pick out a book on frog facts. We chose "All About Frogs" and have loved learning about the differences between frogs and toads, all the different species of frogs and toads, and the cool things each are able to do. Nathan is fascinated by learning how far they can hop and the funny croaking noises they can make.

Thanks to PreschoolMom.com, I found this nifty printable explaining the life cycle of a frog. Nathan liked learning about tadpoles and how they change as they grow - just like we do! He said, "I was a baby...now I'm a big boy. One day, I'll be big like daddy and have a beard!" Yep. From tadpole to toad, buddy. ;)

We also had a frog-themed treat at lunch one day! FYI, this is not a picture of my attempt to make the frog-apple-with-marshmallows-grapes-and-chocolate chips. Mine wasn't near as good. But this is what I was shooting for. And Nathan knew it was, in fact, a frog so although it is probably more along my lines of a Pinterest fail, it was a complete success in his eyes, which is all that counts. :)

photo credit

We ventured outside and found frogs. :) Both Nathan and Selah had a jolly time finding them, squealing as they hopped, and chasing them all over the yard and the porch. Selah finds it necessary to blow on any small critter and then scream at it. Nathan has taken to wanting to smash anything smaller than him. Needless to say, they had to be under some heavy supervision. :)

Getting out of my comfort zone, we also caught a frog. Or, to be more accurate, I caught a frog. I'm a bit disgusted by small critters, but I managed to catch a small frog on our porch and brought it in for a few hours to get a close up look as we went through our All About Frogs book. Nathan loved staring at its legs and had a little too much fun trying to make the small amphibian hop in the jar.

Lastly, we began the Frog and Toad series, which we have all enjoyed reading. :)

I'm not sure what theme will be next. Nathan has expressed an interest in spiders, but I'm not sure mommy can handle that one. Might be a good father/son project to do with daddy.....

Our Favorite Preschool Apps

Though we are using lots of books, notepads, printables, and dry erase books, I have been utilizing my iPad for some of Nathan's education. He loves learning through interaction and so today I am sharing my favorite Apps that we currently use in our 3K schooling. :)

Bible for Kids

We love this app. This is probably Nathan's favorite game to play. It's full of Bible stories and is very easy for him to use. He loves listening to the narrator tell each story and the touch-activated characters and animals. I highly recommend getting this on your phone and your tablet! :)

Abby Monkey Basic Skills

This preschool game is among our favorites for matching skills, counting, shapes, colors, and patterns. Nathan loves making a train with the correct patterns and I love that it is both fun and super educational!

Counting 123

This is a very simple app that teaches toddlers to count from 1 to 20. They use everyday things your child sees like animals, food, and toys to engage them and keep them motivated. 

A5 Tracing

I'm using this app a lot more now that we have officially started 3K. This tracing app is wonderful in teaching your child how to properly write his/her upper and lowercase letters, their numbers (1-10), and over 20 basic shapes. It's very cute and very easy to use. Nathan absolutely loves it.

Fun Spanish

We want our children to learn Spanish and there is no better time to start than early on! Fun Spanish came highly recommended and I have been pleased with it thus far. It's designed for kids ages 3-10 and includes lessons, games, and music. Nathan has loved it and I'm learning some things as well. :)

iBooks

Though I am not a fan of  reading books without actual HOLDING a book in my hands, iBooks has been a huge help in those times when our library does not have a certain book we want to read. Currently, we are reading Frog & Toad Are Friends and we are using iBooks to do it. It's been very beneficial and we will most likely continue to use iBooks in the future -- especially since we don't have to worry about crayon markings on the pages!

What about you? What are your favorite preschool apps? :)

A Fun Project!

Have you seen this cool canvas art on Pinterest?

photo credit

Adorable, right? Well, we tried it out recently and it was a big hit! I am already planning to make a "faith" and "hope" for our walls. This is an easy, priceless, and fun project for your little ones (who am I kidding? YOU too!) to do!

* Canvas. Wal-Mart sells a set of two large canvases for less than $10.

* Fingerpaint. We used Crayola's Washable fingerpaint. It sells for $5.99

* Tape. Any painters' tape is perfect.

* Imagination

Simple. Fun. And meaningful. 

Getting Sand Off Of You and Your Kids

Last week we vacationed at the beach. It was thoroughly enjoyable listening to the sound of the waves and watching my little boy play with his daddy. I like the beach. But I'm not particularly fond of sand. Oh, I love walking on it and looking at it, but I do not like how it gets everywhere. It is impossible to leave the beach without having sand stuck to your skin. I am a very organized person who likes things neat and tidy and so sand all over the place just doesn't go on my list of an easy-peasy experience. And going to the beach with a baby and a toddler, well, let's just say I wasn't looking forward to the cleanup post-beach trip.

But I discovered a - dare I say miracle working - sand remover! Baby powder. Yes, your everyday baby product. When my little boy tossed a handful of sand onto me, all this momma had to do was rub some baby powder on and voila! the sand came right off. I can't tell you how exciting it was for me to be able to sand down myself, my husband, and my kiddos with something so simple. Try it, mommas. It works.

25 "Almost Free" Things to Do Outside With Little Boys

My little boy loves playing outside! But coming from a family of all girls, there have been times when I have had trouble coming up with fun activities for us to do. And maybe you have been in those same shoes. So here is a list of fun (and almost free!) things that we can do - outside - with our little man!

1. Make Sidewalk Paint
2. Color with Sidewalk Chalk
3. Blow Bubbles
4. Go for a walk
5. Make S'mores
6. Have a water gun fight
7. Make a Garden Rock Caterpillar
8. Go Exploring
9. Play in the mud
10. Make or buy a Slip 'n slide
11. Finger paint
12. Feed the ducks
13. Play frisbee
14. Wash the car
15. Have a water Balloon fight
16. Build a fort
17. Fly a kite
18. Go on a bug hunt
19. Catch fireflies
20. Play sidewalk games like Hopscotch
21. Make Soap Mud
22. Play hide-and-seek
23. Make Windchimes
24. Wash the dog
25. Have a boy-themed picnic

 

Ideas for Homeschooling Toddlers

My husband and I plan to home school our children. To be honest, I'm intimidated. I want to do well yet I do not look at myself as a great teacher, but I am trusting God's Word which says I can do all things through His strength. If He says it, I know by His strength I can do it. Although Kindergarten for my eldest is still a few years away, I have been thinking on my plans to teach for quite some time. While praying about the future and asking God, "how am I supposed to do it??" it was as if He spoke to me and said, START NOW.

Light bulb.

Of course. I can begin right now teaching my toddler, working our way up while instilling learning skills in him and building confidence in myself. Below are some ways I am beginning to teach Nathan early. Every baby step counts. Every intentional effort made goes a long way.

• One thing we have is the Your Baby Can Read Deluxe kit. I will say that we do not do this every day. We have had this for almost a year, Nathan is 22 months old... and he cannot read. However, he recognizes some of the words and he enjoys the DVDs. Also, simply setting a time to sit down with the flash cards and picture books teaches him to 1) sit still, 2) observe what I put in front of him, and 3) work on retaining skills. Repetition helps. I am glad we have the kit, but I would never expect or push others to purchase it as it can be pricey. You can easily create your own version of it.
           
• I dearly love this adorable ABC Wipe-Off book I picked up at a Christian bookstore. I love the fact that it is a wipe-off, meaning I can reuse it. And I love how easy and toddler-friendly it is. Nathan has always enjoyed colors and so this helps familiarize him with the ABC's and how to write them.
            
• Nathan's favorite is his Magnetic ABC's. I put them on our refrigerator and he not only likes to take them off and put them back on, but he likes it when I put them in order (A, B, C, D, etc) and when I spell words and names. Again, this is simply getting him familiar with the letters of the alphabet but it is also lots of fun for him!
             
• Picture books. If you have children, you likely have several children's books. And we all know that children's books are full of pictures. I like to sit with Nathan and read to him. When we look at the pictures, I try to point out every single thing I can think of. (i.e. See the grass? Grass is green. We have grass outside, see? **proceed to window or door). If there is a dog in the picture, I point it out, make the animal sound, try to encourage him to do what I do. Children's picture books are great tools!
          
• We count. Yes, that's it. Every day we count to ten. I use my fingers and show him how to use his. I count his toes. I count his fingers. We count his shoes and his toys.
            
• Nathan has this adorable Match Game that he loves. It is simply a three-piece puzzle of a person (police officer, cowboy, soldier, etc) . We do this several times a week. He also has a fabric match game a friend of mine made for him that he enjoys as well.

I am very careful not to push him. Some parents teach their babies to learn big things at early ages. This is completely fine with me, but personally I want my babies to be babies. I don't want to push him so that he grows too fast. The early years are so short. Therefore, we have our toddler school three days a week and it's always in short durations and in basic things (ABC's, 123's, recognizing animals and objects). It isn't much, but it is enough to begin building good learning skills.

Making Christmas Memories with your Toddler

With little Nathan at 20 months, it is much more fun this year as we celebrate Christmas. He is curious, anxious and, if I'm reading "toddler" correctly, he senses all the excitement in the air.

If you are a new parent or in need of a few ideas for Christmas traditions, below are 5 ideas to add a little more fun to this wonderful season!

1. Decorating the Tree. Maybe it came from my mother, but setting up and decorating the Christmas tree is a big deal to me. I always have Christmas music playing and each of us - as a family - put our ornaments on the tree. This year, little Nathan hung his own "Baby's 1st Christmas" ornament from last year. My husband hung ornaments from his childhood and so did I. It's a special tradition we share.
      
2. Christmas movie night. I love Christmas movies. Each year, I buy one new holiday film to add to our collection. This year, Nathan and I had a special night where we watched Polar Express with milk and cookies! Each year we, as a family, sit down with The Nativity Story. Maybe you will want to make Grinch punch and watch How the Grinch Stole Christmas or possible make snowflake cookies while viewing White Christmas. Movie nights are always fun and special.
      
3. View Christmas lights. This Christmas, we plan to take an evening and go for a drive to view the Christmas lights. Do some research and find a place to go! Some towns have their own little village/community where they host a Christmas light display! Children always love it.
        
4. A Christmas Eve breakfast. On my Dad's side of the family, we always celebrate Christmas Eve with a big breakfast. All the aunts, uncles, cousins, and grandparents come together and we cook a festive and hearty breakfast each and every Christmas Eve. Among all the food, one significant tradition of ours is always fried cheese and salmon. But make it your own! Maybe your breakfast is chocolate chip pancakes in the shapes of Christmas trees. Or apple spice oatmeal. Use your imagination!
       
5. Explaining Christmas gifts. Children are very interested in the wrapped packages under the tree. Nathan has thoroughly examined the bows and the ribbons. It's important - even at his young age - to explain WHY we give gifts. Christmas is not about receiving toys and clothes and goodies. It's about GIVING...because God so loved, He gave. Begin a tradition where you sit down with your children and explain gift giving to them. Then help them come up with a special gift to give to others.

Sidewalk Paint

With the temperatures becoming a little less unbearably hot, I have been looking forward to playing outside with Nathan a lot more. Soon, it will be too cool for him to splash in his kiddie pool, so I have been brainstorming and trying to find fun activities for him to do - both inside AND outside. I hit the bulls-eye when I discovered and tried the idea of sidewalk paint yesterday. WHAT FUN!

Nathan LOVED it but, to be honest, I think I had more fun than he did! Here is the recipe that I used for our sidewalk paint:

• 1/4 cup of cornstarch
• 1/4 cup of cold water
• 6-8 drops of food coloring

Put the cornstarch in a small plastic bowl and slowly mix in the water. Then add your chosen color of food coloring and stir together. Then pour into your choice of paint holder (I used a muffin pan). Repeat with each color.

Being my first time to try this, I only used about 4-5 drops of food coloring instead of the suggested 6-8. I was curious about it staining Nathan's skin and the sidewalk, so I watered it down a bit. As it dried, it lightened up considerably and had a chalk-like texture. It easily washed off of him and my muffin tin. Next time, I plan to use more food coloring so the paint will be more vibrant.

the paint in my muffin tin

Nathan getting ready to check it out

"interesting..."

He got it on his face and thought it was funny

Our finished product. I'll let you guess which artwork

belongs to Nathan and which belongs to me. :p

This was a fun project that we will be doing again and again in the near future! And it was so cheap!

Cornstarch - $1.00
One box of assorted food coloring - $1.95
Water - free!
Muffin tin - already mine
The memories and fun made - TOTALLY priceless!