Viva Las Vegas

I am on my way to a girls weekend in Vegas! I am so excited a friend of mine is running a marathon and I will be enjoying from the sidelines with a drink and a book!

                                         Well I probably won't be drinking water! But maybe.

Mailbox Thursday

Here are your Thursday Activities

Colorful Craft: bracelets

This project results in an armful of decorative bracelets for any season.

Supplies:

• small colored envelope
• markers or crayons
• scissors

Steps:

1. Seal the envelope.
2. Draw designs on the front and back of the envelope.
3. Position the envelope horizontally. Cut the envelope, from the bottom to the top, into vertical strips.

Art Activity: T-shirts

This craft is a perfect fit for youngsters of all ages.

Supplies:

• construction paper T-shirt (See print link for pattern.)
• spray bottle of water
• water-based markers

Steps:

1. Use markers to color the shirt.
2. Spritz the shirt with water. Let the cutout dry.
3. Use a marker to write your name across the front of the shirt.

Print

Thanksgiving Craft: placemat

Have your children create these easy Thanksgiving placemats, inspired by Native American designs, for use during home or school harvest celebrations. To begin, break off prongs from several plastic forks, leaving three prongs on each fork. Dip the forks in fall-colored paint and then press them, in turn, on a 12" x 18" piece of construction paper. Continue this process, using various fall colors until desirable patterns have been created. Once the paint has dried, laminate the paper. Then punch holes along each end of the paper and thread loops of yarn through the holes to create colorful fringe.

WorkOut Wednesday

My Workout Progress:

    Today my mom and I enjoyed a detoxification foot bath at the Mustard seed. It was tons of fun and very relaxing. If you have never had this done and are into holistic medicine I highly recommend it. After that we have some time before my resting metabolism test. So, I took my mom to grab some lunch. When we were finished I went back to the Mustard Seed.

A resting metabolism test told me how many calories I burn in rest. This is fantastic because now I know exactly how many calories I need to burn in order to lose weight based specifically on how many calories I am burning just sitting. 

http://www.fitnesswave.com/portal/portal/getdunked/services/restingmetabolic

This test is a little uncomfortable. They plug your nose and then put a scuba mask on your face that you have to breath into as normal as possible. However, the results are fantastic because it gives you a readout of how many calories you burn when laying around so you know exactly how many calories you need to eat in order to lose optimal amount of weight.

Midweek Blues

A little car shopping with my sister and her finance over the weekend holiday.

Linking with: Midweek Blues

Reflections

This weekend I went shopping for Black Friday. K-mart opened up their doors on sales early. In fact hours earlier before other stores. While I was in line there was a lady in front of me that was yelling at the clerk because she felt that the vases she was trying to purchase was 17 cents more then they should have been. When it was my turn to check out, I asked the clerk how things were going. We discussed the fact that she was not able to eat Thanksgiving dinner with her family and that the employees who worked in the morning had to come back at midnight.

I couldn't help thinking, "wow, what a sacrifice these individuals are making in order to make a buck."

In made me think, why do we value a buck more then a person? Why is a deal more important then the family that sits around our table during the Holidays? And why do we not appreciate the people behind the counter that are giving up their Thanksgiving in order to earn money to feed their family?

It made me sad to think about all of the families who were without loved ones because we were out shopping.  It made me wonder was their a little boy at a table alone without his mom because if she didn't work she would lose her job? Where are our values America?

Weekend Reflection

I love this series by Janet Evanovich. I think she is a fantastic writer and she always brings the story to life. I have posted several things about her books lately, but I thought this picture summed it all up.

Linking with: Weekend Reflections

6 Word Saturday

A little laughter, a little drama

Linking with Six Word Saturday

Mailbox Thursday

Keep in mind some activities for those little ones on break to keep from pulling out your hair over the holiday season.

Decorative Tip: seasonal napkins

Save unused seasonal napkins from parties and special snacks to use as covers for student-made booklets. Cut student pages slightly smaller than the size of the napkins. Then staple the completed pages between two napkin covers. Not only are these covers durable, but students love the colorful designs!

Classroom Display: gourds

Celebrate the season with this attractive display. Invite each child to sponge-paint a copy of the gourd pattern (see print link) using brown, green, yellow, and orange paint. After the paint is dry, have him cut out his gourd. Then direct him to glue to his gourd a construction paper stem and a photo of his face. Mount the projects to a board with the title "We're Gourd-geous'!"

Print

MidWeek Blues

 Soon will be the Black Friday Deals and I will be once again heading out with my husband to gather up all of those dvd's we wait all year to buy. However, this year I will also be looking for video games, clothes, kitchen items, books and of course toys for the boys.  More importantly it will be date night for my husband and I as my children will be staying with my parents that night. Yea!

Take time to check out: Midweek Blues

6 Word Saturday

Diversifying My Career Choices for Tomorrow

Linking with: Six Word Saturday and if you have time you should check out http://www.myramblings.ca/ 

It is an amazing blog.

Weekend Reflections

                                            Nothing like a great cup of coffee on a cold day!

Linking with: Weekend Reflections

Pumpkin Recipes for Kids

Here are some fun recipes for kids with pumpkin I found.  I'll post pictures when I get to make some.  

1 Smoothie Operator

Stir 1 cup pumpkin puree into vanilla yogurt. Layer with granola for a parfait.

2 Sugar-and-Spice Pumpkin Seeds

Toss pumpkin seeds in melted butter, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice. Bake at 300°F until golden brown, about 30 minutes.

3 Pumped-Up Pancakes

Add 1/2 cup pumpkin puree and 1/2 tsp pumpkin-pie spice to your favorite pancake batter. Cook, then top with a dollop of pumpkin-flavored whipped topping (next).

4 Mousse Head

Fold 1 cup pumpkin puree and 1 Tbsp pumpkin-pie spice into 2 cups whipped topping. Use a dollop on top of hot chocolate.

5 Pumpkin Snowballs

Combine 1 cup oatmeal, 1/2 tsp pumpkin-pie spice, 3 Tbsp pumpkin puree, 1/4 cup brown sugar, and  

6 Puddin' Pie

Combine 1 packet instant vanilla pudding, 1/2 cup milk, 1/2 cup pumpkin puree, and 1 tsp pumpkin-pie spice. Pour into a premade graham cracker crust. Chill two hours.

7 Oats and Honey

Stir 1/4 cup pumpkin puree into prepared oatmeal, and top with a sprinkle of cinnamon and a drizzle of honey.

8 Quite a Spread

Stir pumpkin puree and pumpkin-pie spice into cream cheese. Spread on toast or bagels.

http://www.parenting.com/article/pumpkin-recipes

Thursday Mailbox.com

Well the Holiday season is upon us and there is always fantastic craft ideas to keep the little ones busy. Hope you enjoy.

Literacy Idea: letter matching

Reinforce letter matching with this fun Thanksgiving activity. Attach a simple turkey body cutout to a wall. Then label pairs of construction paper feathers with matching letters and place the feathers on the floor. Invite a volunteer to choose a feather and then look for its match. When he finds the matching feather, prompt students to jump up and strut around the room while gobbling like turkeys. Then help the child attach both feathers to the turkey. Repeat the process for each remaining pair of feathers. For a different skill option, program pairs of feathers with matching uppercase and lowercase letters.

Wednesday Work-Out Update

New Running shoes.

I was going to go to the runner's den in Phoenix today. It is a place that analyzes how you run in order to provide a better running shoe for you. They look at what part of your foot hits the ground in order to give you the shoe that will let you be successful. Then they talk to you about increasing your ability to run long distance. However, time got away from me and I didn't want to put it off another week. So, instead I went to Sketchers. My favorite place. I needed new work shoes, so I purchased some bright pink ones to keep my spirits peppy. Then I found some that are specific to other work outs and then running shoes. Merry Christmas to me. And tomorrow I begin running at 5:00 AM

Tuesday Midweek Blues

We were a little bored being at the swim meet for so long. So, we found ways to entertain ourselves. My little one killed it this weekend and I was very proud. He shaved seven seconds of his backstroke and finished first in his heat on the freestyle. I love watching him. And helped motivate him to complete a flip turn, by negotiating with either video game time or cleaning up dog poop. Video games it was.

Midweek Blues

I love Janet Evanovich books and I have been re-reading them in anticipation of the new one coming out soon. Hot six is one of my all time favorites. There is never a shortage of funny things that happen to Stephanie Plum while she is attempting to be the bad ass bounty hunter.

Linking with: The Dusty Cellar

Science Project

My son has a science project each month that he must complete with a science buddy. This month he chose his brother. They had to place a variety of substances in water and then place it on different parts of their tongue to see where they taste it. The boys had a lot of fun.

Mailbox Thursday

Have fun with these great projects. Help your little ones get into school.

Fall Craft: corn

There's nothing corny about this decorative corn-on-the-cob craft!

Supplies:

• 2 brown paper lunch bags
• newspaper
• string
• 1/2" squares of colored construction paper
• glue
• ribbon

Steps:

1. Crumple the newspaper and stuff it into each bag until the bag is about two-thirds full.
2. Squeeze each bag to mold it into a corncob shape.
3. Tie each bag securely with string about one-third of the way from the opening.
4. Gently tear the unstuffed end of the bag into strips.
5. Glue the squares in rows on the smoothest side of each corncob.
6. Tie the corncobs together with the ribbon.

Paper Craft: tearing

The tearing process in this project results in a grand view of mountains and valleys!

Supplies:

• 12" x 18" blue construction paper
• 10" x 18" white construction paper
• 8" x 18" green construction paper
• cotton balls
• glue

Steps:

1. Tear a long side of the white paper.
2. Place the white paper atop the blue paper and align the straight edges. Glue the paper in place.
3. Tear a long side of the green paper.
4. Place the green paper atop the white paper and align the straight edges. Glue the paper in place.
5. Pull apart the cotton balls and glue them to the blue paper to resemble clouds.

Weaving Craft: basket

This basketmaking craft is a bushel of fun!

Supplies:

• large paper plate
• brown construction paper strips
• 2" x 18" brown construction paper handle
• shallow pan of brown tempera paint
• small sponge
• craft knife (for teacher use)
• glue
• scissors
• stapler

Setup:

Use the craft knife to cut parallel slits in the middle of the paper plate.

Steps:

1. Sponge-paint the paper plate. Let the paint dry.
2. Weave strips through the slits.
3. Trim any excess paper and glue the ends of each strip in place. (Staple the handle to the plate to make a basket.)

Weightloss Wednesday

It was so fantastic to be sick, because it helped me drop weight for the week. Now the key will be to keep it off. By glass is half full.

Our Halloween Fun

Here are some photos from Halloween. I still was feeling well when we went trick-or-treating but we have fun. There is always a great house that goes all out. Sorry mom, I don't have shots of the boy's costumes and neither does Jared, but this is what I do have.

Done with trick or treating. Happy Halloween!