Archive for the ‘Family Life’ Category

Breakfast in Bed

Wednesday, July 24th, 2013

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My kids made breakfast in bed for me and for my husband Alan last weekend. They handed us menus of the different breakfast foods that were in the house. The night before, my 11-year-old son asked his father to buy bacon for his breakfast in bed the next morning. I was surprised how eagerly Alan went to the store to buy this item.

Breakfast-in-Bed-4The children set up a CD player and asked where the classical music was. They put the CD into the player and made sure they knew how to work it the next morning, so that we could have classical music with our breakfast.

I’ve slowly taught my children to cook over the years. Cracking eggs was one of those messier things to learn. My son Stephen is now quite good at it, so I didn’t even need to get out of bed at all for a hearty breakfast to be served.

It didn’t matter that the toast was cold and that the eggs were overcooked—it was the thought that mattered. The kids did it by themselves for the first time ever. And they grinned from ear to ear as they brought in the trays and placed them on the bed.

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Linked to Family Fun Friday

Growing Your Home Library Without Breaking Your Budget

Monday, June 3rd, 2013

home-libraryI bet you’re wondering how I grew my home library to over 2,000 outstanding, high-quality books without spending hardly any money. I myself sometimes marvel at how God has provided over the years.

When planning my homeschooling for the upcoming school year, I always start by committing the year to God and asking Him what areas to study. We go through history chronologically, but all the other subjects besides math are delight-directed until high school, depending on what we haven’t studied yet.

Anyone who has done unit studies successfully is able to pull together lots of fun books on one topic. You can do this by going to the library, but I prefer to own the books so that they are always available to me. (I like to preview all the books as well, and only have the very best.) When I write down what topics we will cover for the following school year, the books practically pop out at me wherever I look. Here are my favorite places to find books:

  • yard sales
  • second-hand stores
  • used book stores
  • used books on Amazon
  • Craig’s List
  • library book sales
  • used curriculum sales
  • gifts from friends or family

Back when I first got married, I didn’t have the basic Bible study tools like a concordance, Bible dictionary, handbook about Bible times, maps and charts, etc. I asked myself who would feel joy if I studied the Word of God? My parents decided to get me the whole set, which was on sale, for Christmas. Our whole family is closer to God now because we have proper Bible study tools, and the credit goes to my parents. I have no doubt they will be rewarded in heaven. That set of books was not cheap, even at 50% off. What I’m saying is that if people are going to buy your family Christmas presents anyway, make known specific books that you can’t wait to purchase.

After getting the bulk of my books at yard sales and second-hand stores, can you believe that I actually made money off books, and I could buy whatever I wanted—even new books—from my list? I know you’re eagerly waiting on the edge of your seat for my secret, so here it is: I buy hardcover children’s classics and coffee table books at yard sales for fifty cents. Then I turn around with a large stack of almost-free books that look new, and I trade them in to a used book store. My used book store also sells new books, and I often get a trade-in value of $80! I do this in the summer when yard sales are in profusion. I never buy children’s books that are from a book club, because they are worthless. I’ve learned over the years which books have higher trade-in value, and which ones get rejected. But with practically no money, I’ve acquired over 2,000 outstanding, high-quality books for my home library that my family uses profusely in our homeschooling.

17 Creative Ways to Use Cookie Cutters

Monday, May 13th, 2013

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Here are 17 creative ways to use cookie cutters! Each of the activities are hot-linked to the tutorial that will show you exactly how to do each activity and tips to make your projects more fun. Your kids will have a blast as you go through these simple, exciting activities:

#1 Fruit Shapes: I give you tips on how to cut fun shapes out of fruit.

#2 Shape Books: Shape books can encourage young writers to write fun stories, descriptions, or summaries. The booklets are just their size.

#3 Sandwiches: Make these cute shape sandwiches, perfect for taking to your next tea party.

#4 Tissue Paper Art: Make wonderful tissue paper art, such as flowers or stained glass windows.

#5 Pancakes: Make pancakes the shape of cookie cutters. I warn you about my mistakes.

#6 Bubbles: Use a cookie cutter as a bubble blower! (Includes link to more bubble activities.)

#7 Patches: This is how you can make a fun patch for your clothing.

#8 Gift Bags: Gift bags are another one of the many creative ways to use cookie cutters, and the recipients of your gifts will enjoy getting their gift in a unique bag.

#9 Quesadillas: Go south of the border with your cookie cutter mania. These quesadillas are simple and will delight your kids.

#10 Jello Shapes: These jello shapes are easy to make and disconnected from the cookie cutter more easily than any other food.

#11 Garlands: These garlands will make people feel special and only take 15 minutes to make.

#12 Dolls and Pillows: Some cookie cutters lend themselves well to make a felt doll. The gingerbread man cookie cutter is fabulous for this toy.

#13 Rice Krispie Treats: Here is the recipe for Rice Krispie treats, as well as tips on how to get them to come out better.

#14 Scrapbooking: When you need a specific shape for your pictures, you can slap down the picture, grab a cookie cutter of the desired shape, and trace around the cookie cutter.

#15 Soap Shapes: Make beautiful shaped soap without having to buy an expensive kit.

#16 Jam Tarts: Make these easy jam tarts with ready-made pie crust, jam, and a cookie cutter!

#17 Sand Shapes: Ideas for how to use cookie cutters effectively in the sand.

Creative Ways to Use Cookie Cutters #13: Rice Krispie Treats

Monday, May 6th, 2013

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Why not create wonderful shapes for your Rice Krispie treats by using cookie cutters? Start by getting the following three ingredients:

  • 3 tablespoons of butter
  • 1 package (10 oz.) of regular marshmallows
  • 6 cups of Rice Krispies cereal

Melt 3 tablespoons of butter in a large pot over medium heat. Open a bag of marshmallows and dump those in. Stir constantly until the marshmallows are melted. If you want to add a fun color with food coloring, now is the time to stir it in. Remove the pot from the stove, and dump 6 cups of Rice Krispies into the pot. Stir.

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Spread the mixture into a greased 13 by 9 by 2-inch pan. Make sure the pan is greased, or you will sorely regret doing so. Pieces of Rice Krispies will fly through the air in all directions as you chip away at it with a table knife, trying to salvage what you can in desperation. Take my word for it: Grease the dish.

Place the dish in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes.

Take the dish out of the refrigerator and press the cookie cutters into the the Rice Krispie treats. Use a metal spatula to scrape under the treat so that it doesn’t break apart when your children grab it with their bare hands in their eagerness to eat these yummy Rice Krispie treats!

If your kids are not in the kitchen, you might have enough time to dip the treats in almond bark chololate. Just melt some chocolate almond bark in a pot, and dip the top of the Rice Krispie treat into it. Yum!

Stay tuned for more fabulous ways to use cookie cutters…