Our Summer Notebooking Journal

We did a little bit of notebook journaling last summer, but not too much since it was our very first official break from school "stuff" and learning since she was 18 months old (poor child!).

This year, her notebook journal is one of her things to do daily. The best part is seeing her enjoy her daily activity.

It has been so much fun to pull this together for her and to see her look forward to certain pages in her notebook.

Would you like to do one with your children?

Here are the supplies you will need.

Notebook
Crayons
Pencil

That's it! You probably already have all of these things at home!

You could definitely make it bigger or more elaborate if you chose to, but this is really all you need.


One thing I did was to make the pages relevant to what we were doing on a particular day, and geared some pages toward things she needed review on. I also thought it would be fun for her to learn cursive over the summer, but not with a "school" feeling.

Now, how about some ideas for your notebook? Feel free to add these pages and ideas into your child's notebook. (I will be adding to this list throughout the summer as I add pages to her notebook. If you follow on Facebook or Twitter, I'll let you know when I have added to the list.)

1. Write the number 6 six times. Draw six blueberries (we went blueberry picking that day). Color them blue.

2. Draw the kind of dog you wish you could have. Guess how to spell Sarah and Alyson's big dog's name. (These were the friends we were visiting that day.)

3. Copy one sentence from any book that you want. (Reviewing copy work)

4. Trace your hand. Count by 5 for each finger. Decorate! (Reviewing counting by 5s)

5. We are going to learn cursive! Trace my A's. Trace my a's. Great job!

6. Write 6 cursive A's. Write 6 cursive a's. Draw something that starts with and A. Spell it.

7. A page with 9 math problems equivalent to what she did at the end of first grade.

8. (I drew a "princess" dress) Color and decorate her dress.

9. Name 5 things that make you happy.

10. (cursive) Trace my B's. Trace my b's. Write 5 A's. Write 5 a's.

11. Find John 11:35 in my Bible. Copy it.

12. Say this 3 times. "1 minute= 60 seconds. 1 hour= 60 minutes. 1 day= 24 hours." Draw a clock.

13. Draw our family.

14. Trace your foot. How many inches is it? ____________in.

Do you notebook with your child over the summer? 
Do you have any ideas for pages to include in a notebook journal? Share them in the comments. We would love some more ideas!

This post has been linked up to A Mama's Story, The Squishable Baby, Happy and Blessed Home

How to Make the Most of Your Summer

This post contains affiliate links.

I mentioned at the end of last summer that it was our best summer yet.

It truly was.

I felt as though we had taken each and every day of our summer and squeezed as much fun and adventure out of it as we possibly could.

I certainly did not do it alone.

As someone who at that point would much rather stay at home, I needed help in finding ways to get out with the kids and enjoy this season of lazy days, rainy afternoons, and looser schedules.

I discovered that our community was filled with opportunities for us to make memories together and individually by keeping my ears (and eyes- Facebook) open for announcements. Here are some of the things we found here in our county that worked really well for us last year. I am sure your county would have similar activities for you to enjoy.

Library classes- Our library system does a series of classes throughout the entire summer. They are educational, entertaining, and the kids really had fun. We brought home meal worms and planted seeds last year as two of the activities the library provided.

Our library also has a Summer Reading Program that encourages children to spend at least 24 hours worth of time throughout the entire summer reading. At the end, children can earn a ticket to see the Tampa Bay Rays play. Our sports loving family really enjoyed this, and Addie was so proud that she had earned her own ticket!

Check your local library system's event calendar to find out the activities they have lined up for the summer.

Arts and Crafts- We discovered that Michael's Arts and Crafts Store has a program called Passport to Imagination which runs all summer long, three days a week. The cost of the 2 hour class is $2 per day. Addie developed a great relationship with her teacher, Miss Maureen, and still gets hugs when we go back for the Saturday classes.

Movies- Check into your local movie theater's schedule to see what they are offering for children during the summer. We have a couple of theaters in our area that offered free or $1 movies once or twice a week. We really took advantage of these times. It was a great way to get out of the house but still be in the air conditioning.

Fruit Picking- Here in Florida we kick off our summer break with blueberry picking. It is always a great way to get us outside and we bring home pounds of blueberries for a fraction of the cost of buying them in the stores. What fruit comes into season in the summer in your area? Look into where there may be a U-pick farm and have some fun!

Season Passes- Do you have season passes to a local theme park? Summer is a great time to use them and get the most out of that pass. On evenings when you find yourself wondering what you could do, pull out that pass and enjoy your theme park for a couple of hours.

July 11th- Don't forget that on 7/11 each year, 7 Eleven offers free Slurpees!


VBS- Vacation Bible School is a free week long program that churches offer to their communities. Many times, the churches in an area or community stagger their VBS weeks so that parents can utilize as many of these programs as possible.

Beaches and/or pools- Are you located near a beach? Are you a part of a community that gives you access to a pool? Do you have friends who invite you over to use their pool? Does your area have a sprayground? These are all great ways to get out into the summer sunshine, keep cool, and get that summer glow. Just be sure to keep the sunblock generously applied, hats on small heads, and lots of liquids on hand.

Cow Appreciation Day- One thing that our daughter looks forward to each summer is Chick-Fil-A's Cow Appreciation Day. The idea is to dress like a cow (as much or as little as you want). For minimal participation you get a free chicken sandwich. For more participation you get a free meal! Each year, we haven't paid a dime for our dinner.

Sporting Events- Baseball season is under way and football season is gearing up. Summer ballgames are almost an all-American must! Some ball fields will allow you to bring in your own food which helps to keep costs down to a minimum.

Football is also gearing up. Our local team (the Tampa Bay Buccaneers) has a Fan Appreciation evening and open the gates (free of charge) for the fans to watch a night practice and fireworks. Check your local team to see if there are any free fan events happening in the summer.

American Girl Movie Premier- I don't know how it is in your house, but in our house the summer television premiere of the American Girl Doll of the Year movie is a big event. It is a free night, we do not have to leave the house, Addie gets to pick out her own fashionable outfit, and I give her a special hair style using my hair supplies. It's a tradition.

Make the Most of the Holidays- Memorial Day, the 4th of July, and Labor Day are all considered summer holidays. Why not make the most of these with crafts, special snacks, and activities? My 4th of July Pinterest board was a huge help to me last year in coming up with a week's worth of stay-at-home activities and fun.

100 Days of Summertime- I think my biggest inspiration for getting out and living life last summer was the 100 Days of Summertime e-book by Jen Tankersley from ListPlanIt. This book was filled with daily ideas from celebrating the big holidays to celebrating the simple days of summer and a slice of watermelon. Each page had me living in the present, but it also helped me prepare early enough for the bigger moments in summer so I could sit back and enjoy those times, too.


I hope I have given you some ideas on how to make this summer your best one yet. I think the most important lesson I learned last year was to make a big deal of the little moments. Those are the moments that our children will remember for a long time to come.

The Archives | A Grand Idea

Do you have stuffed animals everywhere?

Then you will want to see this short post from the archives, on a quick, easy way to store those stuffed buddies. It truly is A Grand Idea!

Family Night

Growing up, Friday night was Family Night.

Family night was the night of the week that we looked forward to. My mother was the one in charge of planning for it and setting it up, but my father was a big part of the participation as well.

Mom's family night had several things in place that we could always count on.

Bible study/story time

The most memorable part of growing up with Family Night for was the missionary story my father spent weeks reading to us about a family with little blond haired girls that went to minister to an indigenous group of people. Every week I looked forward to hearing the next chapter.

We also went through many devotional series that my father bought for the different stages in our lives (childhood, pre-teens, teens). The devotionals always presented scenarios that made us decide- in our living room with our parents and our Bible- what our split second choice would would be if we ever found ourselves in those situations. Those lessons really stuck with us throughout our growing years and I credit the time my parents put into both daily in our devotions and during our family nights for impacting the decisions that my sister and I made as young adults.

I think he still has them........

Special dessert

My parents were very frugal when I was a child (one income family, dad was in the ministry, etc.), but on family night, my mother would splurge and buy a special dessert for us to enjoy. If I remember correctly, that was when I had my first taste of a Klondike Bar :)

Movie/activity

My father would video tape a movie during the week (do you remember what a VCR was?!) or he would rent one on his way home from work that day. Then we would sit in the living room with our special dessert and watch our movie. Some nights, rather than a movie, we would play a game together- Uno (which has been known in our family to go for ever!), Parcheesi (my personal favorite as a kid), Guestures, etc.

Eventually as Faye, my sister, and I grew into high school and college, Family Night died out because of youth group activities, college classes and functions, and, of course, I met this really cute guy who wanted to take me out ;)

Now that the baton has been passed on, we have begun implementing Family Night in our home. Right now, Addie has more participation than Ian does. We allow her to stay up a little longer on Friday for it while Ian's bed time is pretty much set in stone.

Because Addie is such a creature of habit, we read her evening devotional as our Bible study before we begin. If we read a special devotional, she is smart and sassy enough to try to talk us into reading her "Bible" after Family Night was over just to get us to prolong bedtime.

This is also the night where I either buy or make a special dessert for our family. And I make sure that it is something that everyone can eat in the living room with little or no mess so we can enjoy our movie at the same time. For ideas, check out my Pinterest board on Special Desserts.

We love our Netflix account, Redbox, and Blockbuster for getting our Family Night movie. We have seen two of the Alvin and the Chipmunks movies, Wreck It Ralph (not a keeper for us), the Madagascar movies (we love 1 and 3), the Little House shows, a few of the American Girl movies, and others that I cannot think of just now.

We have also done special activities, like the family tree we worked on this past Friday. Aunt Kristi gave Addie a book for girls called Just for Me! My Family and our first activity was to make a family tree. My friend Terry, not knowing about this activity that I was planning to work on with Addie sent me a link on how to make a child friendly family tree. We took this activity by steps, making the tree and making and cutting out the apples (Thank you, Cathy R for the Cricuit cartridge!) prior to Family Night. Then, with Daddy there to participate, we put it all together. (We are still gathering some photos of great-grandparents so they can be scanned and reprinted. Don't want to cut any originals since they are not digital.)

Some Family Nights take more planning than others. Some take no effort. Some take a little fore thought. Some weeks I come up with our movie and dessert that morning. Some weeks (like the week of our family tree) I have to plan a week ahead. The planning is unimportant in the grand scheme of things. What matters is the bond we develop as a family.

As kids, we loved Family Night because it was a night when we did not have to share our parents with anyone in the congregation, phones were "taken off the hook," and it was literally "us four and no more." Today, with Facebook, Twitter, text messaging, phone calls, etc., it is important to shut everyone else out of our world for just a couple of hours to show our children just how important they are to us.

Friday night may not work for you and your situation. What night would work? If you try it, I'd love to hear about it. Feel free to share what you did. If you blog about your Family Night, leave your link in the comments. We'd love to get some ideas!

The iPad and the Bucket List

We recently came into the 21st century and purchased an iPad. We had looked into the Windows Surface but chose the iPad because it was something that could be used by the entire family.

We found so many educational apps for the kids (mostly free) and also some for "mindless" fun. Not everything they do has to center around education.

It is such a nifty little contraption, but, if we're not careful, it is so easy to spend quite a bit of time on it. We have put our own time limits on it for ourselves, but we have also found ways to put limits on it for the kids that do not make them feel that something wonderful is being with held from them.

Enter the Bucket List.

Currently our "bucket" is a wonton soup container.

In the mornings while I am doing my morning tasks, if Addie wants to have a bonus time playing the iPad, she has to complete five of the tickets in the bucket to earn 20 minutes of Pad Playtime. (My oven timer moves quickly in increments of 10, so it is 20 minutes instead of 15 so I don't have to sit there and push each minute)

Our tickets are:

• Read to Ian 15 min.
• Play a game 15 min. (with me)
• Vacuum (hand held) Ian's high chair and under your area of the dining room table
• Quick dust the living room (Swiffer duster or a damp rag) 
• Vacuum (hand held) next to the front door
• Help put away dishes
• Read a book for 10 min.
• Vacuum (hand held) the bathrooms
• Color 15 min.
• Put everything in your room away
• Play in your room for 15 min. (she takes Ian into her room to play)
• Play with brother for 15 min. (she was excited when she picked both of these in one day!)
• Read the flashcards set up around the house
• Put shoes away
• Play with Play-doh for 20 min.
• Do some puzzles for 15 min.

Only 7 are "help around the house" type of tasks. The other 9 are to ensure that she plays, reads, or interacts with others before getting lost in her "dress shop" or Ice Age Village or Webkins World.

The five "tickets" that she pulls out are not returned to the bucket until all of the tickets have been done once. Then they are shaken up and put back for another cycle.

Addie also gets 30 minutes after completing her school time well, and if behavior has been good throughout the day, there is a chance for a little more time after dinner.

Her "tasks" are based on the list of things children should be able to do at certain ages listed here. The first time she did some of these things, I had to walk her through to show her how it is done. Now she just zips through because she knows what is waiting for her.

Now, if you'll excuse me, both kids are napping, which means it's my turn to play with the iPad!

Flash Card Review

Part of learning is having a review time. Not really a fun time.

Unless......

Your review flashcards are really keys that you have to solve in order to unlock the door you want to walk through!

A friend of mine posted on Facebook a few months ago that she had put flash cards on a couple of her doors in order to make sure that her son was getting the review that he needed (she homeschools her four children- she's amazing!). I loved the idea and decided to throw in a little Mickey Mouse Clubhouse by saying the flash cards were keys that Addie had to solve.

She wants them on every door now!

But....

I refuse to put any on the bathroom door.

When ya gotta go, ya gotta go...... and there will be no math drills in order to use the potty.

A Great Deal

I know it is only September, but if you are like me, you are always thinking ahead..... to the New Year and beyond.

Saturday, as I was going through the my favorite money saving websites, I found this great deal for a one year, custom made planner using your photos. Here is the one I made for this coming year.

For first time customers of Paper Coterie use the code Welcome2012 at check out for a $40 credit (the planner I made cost $34.00) and all you have to pay is shipping and handling (which for me was $7.00). It makes for a beautifully personal calendar/planner and could even be used as a gift.

Mom's Rules

This week I will sharing my mother's rules for behavior when at some one's house, or as she titled it "Things That You Need to Teach Your Child When Visiting Some one's Home." As with last week, I will putting my mother's ideas in bold type (and sometimes rewording since these were ideas she quickly jotted down) and the adding my input in italics.

This may sound a bit silly, but it is kind of neat for me to find my mother's notes and then add to them. It feels a bit like we are co-writing this post. (Miss you, Mom!)

*You do not open the refrigerator in someone else's home. Doors are closed for a reason. It is just a general rule that is understood in the adult world. When a child opens your refrigerator and looks inside for something they want, they do not know if what you have is all you have of something, if it has been designated for another purpose, or if it meets the special needs of one of your family members. Our refrigerator is the only one Addie is allowed to open.

*Ask for water when you are thirsty in someone else's home. Many times our children are accustomed to having juice or milk when they are thirsty. But when you are at someone else's home, you don't know what they have available. But I think it is safe to say that everyone has water. And water is cheap.... at least for now. So teach your children to ask for water. Of course, the hostess may offer something else to your child, and then your child is free to choose something other than water. There are a few homes that we go to where Addie has been told to ask for whatever she wants, but this came from the homeowners (one being my sister).

*You do not jump on people's furniture. This is a given. Hopefully your children are not allowed to do this in your home, so they naturally would not do this elsewhere.

*You do not go into people's rooms without permission. Many times, the host/hostess will naturally tell your child where they can go to play while you visit, but sometimes that is not the case. Teach your child to sit quietly beside you if that is the case or bring something for your child to play with on the floor. But exploring the home of your host is not an option.

*If you are served food in some one's home, do not say, "I don't like this! I want something else." Eat whatever is served on your plate or say no thank you, but do not ask for something else. Kids are picky. I know. I have one picky eater.... my little one will eat anything he can get to his mouth! But we are teaching Addie that she is not to say, "I don't like that!" She has also learned that whatever is put before her is all she gets. Your hostess put in a lot of time and effort into what she prepared to serve and having a rude reaction to her preparations is very defeating and unkind.

*Don't take toys away from the child you are visiting. Thank him for sharing with you. It is easy for children to get attached to a toy or game or item that another child has, but when it is time to leave, our children need to know that they leave only with what they came with unless they were given a gift. They cannot take the other child's toys with them which puts the host family in an awkward position and is certainly embarrassing for the visiting family as well.

*Make sure that before you leave you help put the toys away. Even if you didn't take them out. Teaching this to our children at home makes it easier for them to do when they are someone else's home.

*Don't run around in the home you were invited to. You are visiting a home, not a park.Again teaching your children not to run in your home makes it second nature not to run in the home of another. Things can easily be broken, not to mention your children can be hurt.

*Do not ask the people whose home you were invited to, "Can I stay?" Let them suggest it. Asking out of the clear blue if they can stay over night can be another awkward moment for your host family. They may have plans for the next day, or they just might be ready to say goodnight and close the door and really do not want to entertain anymore. Whatever the case, your child needs to know that when the visit is over, it is over. Unless the host family asks if the child can stay (remember from yesterday, we want to have children that others enjoy). Then it is up to you the parent, not your child, whether or not the visit continues for them.

I hope you enjoyed reading my mother's rules (and, yes, my sister and I had to follow these rules growing up). I know that I have enjoyed the refresher course. And because I love having goals to work towards with my children, I will be adding a few of these items to my list that I had forgotten about.

Pinterest | Brilliant Ideas

As you see from the button on the side bar, I am on Pinterest.

What is Pinterest? I copied this right from their website so you can hear right from them, what they are all about.

Pinterest is a Virtual Pinboard.

Pinterest lets you organize and share all the beautiful things you find on the web. People use pinboards to plan their weddings, decorate their homes, and organize their favorite recipes.
Best of all, you can browse pinboards created by other people. Browsing pinboards is a fun way to discover new things and get inspiration from people who share your interests. To get started, request an invite.

Soooooo........

I find myself on there several times a week, browsing, searching, and putting specific notes in the search box.

Here are a few of my recent finds, which I think are absolutely brilliant and I plan on doing in the near future.

1. Emergency Information Carseat Sticker 
2. Homemade Alphabet Book
3. Etch Your Pyrex
4. Quilt Made from Your Favorite Baby Clothes

Enjoy being creative! .....or just "Pinning" creative ideas :)

A Question.....

This little guy has gotten a taste of the "good stuff." Real food. And he loves it! So much so, that he is doesn't want to eat his baby food..... not that I blame him. That stuff really is gross. Who came up with the idea to puree meat? Ugh!

Yesterday, I ended up giving him some chopped bananas and cut up blueberries and Cheerios. I also picked up some cottage cheese and puff snacks.

So, I had a question for you all.

What are some food ideas for my little guy that are doable for me and safe for him? He only has two teeth right now.

I posed the question on Facebook and got some great responses, but I would also like to hear what you all have done with your own little ones.

Many thanks from us!

Another Grand Idea...

...from Family Fun Magazine. It took three weeks worth of newspapers to pull this off for a total of 5 minutes of pleasure for one little 18 month old. The structure is not as solid as the magazine pictured it to be, but the togetherness it brought in building it was priceless. As I began putting it together today, my sister-in-law, Angie, helped me in holding the pieces so that I could staple, and my niece, Alyssa, held and played with Addie to keep her entertained while we were working. You really need more than two hands for this project.

 

Take 4 sheets of stacked newspaper, and roll them into rods using tape to secure the ends. You will needs 25 rolls. Make 5 triangles with your rods and staple the rods together. Staple the 5 triangles together. Use rods to conect the tops of the triangles. Take the remaining 5 rods and staple them together as a leggy star. Staple the ends of your "star" to the points of the triangle. Let your child enjoy!

 

You may need to hold the top of the dome up as your child plays. Ours lasted for literally 5 minutes...maybe less. But Addie had a lot of fun, and that was worth the time put into building the "dome".

A Grand Idea...



I can say that because the idea isn't actually mine.

I have mentioned in a past post that I received a subscription to the Family Fun magazine as a gift from my aunt who we lovingly call GrandTiti. In the September 2009 issue there is a great idea using a bean bag.

If you are like us, you have cute stuffed animals of all shapes, sizes, and kinds coming out of every nook cranny and crevice in your home, and no matter how hard you try, there is just no easy way to store them neatly on a consistent basis.

That is where this great idea comes in!

Take a bean bag and empty it of all of the little styrofoam balls (that is what is inside of the bean bags... I found out!). Replace the styrofoam with all of your child's squishy and soft animals and toys. The bag zips back up easily, and it can still be used as a seat.

Such a grand idea!