Hello friends 🙂 well, I know it’s been a little while but the last Virtual Friday I showed you a few shops I like to go to and I also gave you hints of this next journey. Today we are exploring Valhal. Valhal is number one on our picturesque castles list. Basically this is a beautiful place to take pictures. One of the main reasons I love SecondLife is because of the user created scenery. Enjoy the pics :). You may remember this dress from Larnia. I modeled it last time. It was perfect for these shots.
In this post:Community helper peg dolls, pretend Krispy Kreme donuts, and bonus (Black Widow from the Avengers & pretend Pizza)
Hello friends 🙂 I hope you had a lovely weekend. It’s been crazy around here with all the second grade stuff. Also our homeschool group started back up and so did choir. So with our group, choir, and karate it’s been insane! Honestly, we finished last weeks crafts today. We started them last week but it took awhile to finish. We’ve just been so busy. Thankfully I have all but one to show you. We didn’t make the Doctor’s Bag. Most of these ideas are on Pinterest.
You can find worksheets too. Some of my community helper worksheets were from ABCteach and Enchanted Learning. So as I’ve mentioned before, August is all about health and safety…also self awareness & the community. This week we are learning about drug safety and hopefully I’ll have those crafts to post next Monday. So this past week we talked about firemen, policemen, doctors, etc…..basically jobs in the community…..even the Krispy Kreme man. Here are our crafts. Enjoy the pics 🙂
Pretend Krispy Kreme Donuts– I took the top of a Krispy Kreme Donut Box and folded it to make a mini box.
I mixed some salt dough (baker’s clay) and Michael and I shaped them into donuts. Recipe is at this link:
After they baked we painted them a brown wash (brown paint and water) the next day.
Then finally today we painted white for the glaze and put on real sprinkles. They look better without modge podge.
Michael wore his hat from Krispy Kreme.
Bonus: Pretend Pizza out of salt dough. I made this for fun.
Community Helper Peg Dolls-Â Â I had fun making these for Michael. I used salt dough and felt for the accessories.
Policeman and Robber
Mail Carrier
Doctor & Fireman
Fire truck– I had a hard time with the fireman but the family made a fire truck and that helps with identification.
We used a cracker box, wrapped it with construction paper, Popsicle sticks for the ladder, and yarn for the hose. Chris & Michael did most of the work.
Bonus: Black Widow from the Avengers. I finally finished Michael’s Avenger’s set. Michael was begging me for Black Widow. She was the simplest to make.
In this post: Two neat spots in Auburn, marriage blogs, & Hannah’s Shepherds Pie recipe
Hello friends 🙂 A couple of weeks ago we took a trip to Auburn, AL (not for the football…sorry fans). There are two things we love in Auburn. The first is Hickory Dickory Park which is a kid’s dream park. I love it. Second, is Earth Fare, a completely organic store. It’s one of the few stores where you don’t have to worry about checking the labels. Pics below 🙂
Earth Fare
My favorites from Earth Fare: Virgil’s sodas are a lot cheaper here. I haven’t been able to find these RAW bars anywhere else.
Hickory Dickory Park- Enjoy the pics
Of course there is a “clock” with a mouse…like the rhyme
I already shared this blog a couple of Wednesday’s ago. Still, I love this woman’s testimony and her unique perspective. A lot has changed since the women’s lib movement. I guess you could say for the good AND for the bad. The world rocks back n forth between extremes. Women are NOT property but we are also NOT men. God made us unique and beautiful in our femininity. The Peaceful Wife provides balance that comes from the Bible. Despite what you may have heard, the Bible actually treats women well and God commands that husbands lay down their lives for their wives….like Christ did for the church. Talk about pressure! Unconditional respect is just as important as unconditional love.
I may have shared this blog before too but I love Sheila’s balanced perspective on marriage and God’s plan for sex within marriage. My hubby and I were virgins when we got married and it truly is such a beautiful thing. I encourage all singles to save themselves for their future spouse. It is SO worth it!
Hannah’s Shepherds Pie– I got this from my best buddy Hannah. She got the recipe from someone else but when we ate it she forgot to add more mashed potatoes and I like it that way. So this is her modification. I like the balance.
Ingredients:
To Mix
2 lbs cooked ground beef (I used only one and it still tasted good)
can of tomato sauce
1 onion (I sprinkled onion powder)
garlic powder
corn
peas
Topping
1 pack of instant mashed potatoes
put pieces of butter all over top
Directions: Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Mix everything together then top it with topping and bake for 20 minutes.
Note: I’m aware that the proper name is Cottage Pie since we’re not using lamb……but most people in the states say Shepherds Pie so I’m going with it 😉
God bless & remember the High King lives! ~Amber Dover
I love this song and needed it today. God speaks in beautiful ways. I also like what the lead singer said at the beginning of this video. Enjoy. God bless and remember the High King lives!~Amber Dover
Lyrics:
You fought but you were just too weak
So you lost all the things you tried to keep
Now you’re on your knees You’re on your knees
But wait everything can change
In a moment’s time
You don’t have to be afraid
‘Cause fear is just a lie
Open up your eyes And He’ll break open the skies
to save Those who cry out His name
The one the wind and waves obey Is strong enough to save you
Look now is not too late
Lift up your head
Let the rain fall on your face
You’re not far from grace
You’re not too far from grace
And He’ll break open the skies to saveÂ
Those who cry out His name
The one the wind and waves obey
Is strong enough to save you
Break open the skies
to save Those who cry out His name
The one the wind and waves obey
Is strong enough to save you
I know the weight of this world can take you down like gravity
I know the current of yourself can take you out, out to sea
In this Post: Health & safety crafts (Sleep Mask, Box Telephone, & Paint Germs), health videos and info, good videos to teach kids safety (fire, strangers, etc…), apple “teeth” snack for Dental day. Also Manners place mats and napkins.
PS: please note that I have new subcategories on the right side of my blog. Now if you want to find lapbooks for instance you can just click the category. That’s for you Rachel 😉
Hello dear ones! I hope you’ve had a lovely weekend. I’m actually writing this post ahead of time like I like to do sometimes. It’s really Sunday and I’ve been in bed all day. Just my normal issues but hey my hubby got me chocolate and that cures everything! lol. He gets his boss chocolate to calm her down on the bad days (I love his boss), so I told him there were certain times where I needed chocolate too ;). ..also fast food and a chick flick but so far haven’t gotten them. He got me two large candy bars so I am satisfied :P. Moving on…..
This past week in homeschool Michael and I have talked about health and safety. We are studying the body in September (Lord willing) so we didn’t get too in depth about health. We basically talked about germs, getting enough sleep, and taking care of our teeth. Then we talked about fire safety, stranger safety, and how to call 9-1-1. We’ve talked about these things before but I think he’s finally at the age where it’s all sinking in. Oh, we also talked about manners.
Books we read (Pic below): anything with the Berenstain Bears is a go! The Body Battles book really helped Michael understand Germs. Though Michael is in 2nd grade, he is still only 6 yrs old and he still loves Curious George. Michael has been reading to our guinea pig Snowball. I’ve also noticed that he reads books of his own free will in his book corner. Yaaa!
Manners Matter paper turned place mat
Michael colored the pages and I used contact paper to turn both into place mats. Michael used the place mats as a guide to set the table. Now he has the guide memorized. They came from Danielle’sPlace.com
Manners Cloth Napkins
I saw this idea on Pinterest. You can buy embroidered manners napkins for 70 bucks. I decided to make my own using permanent markers. The problem was that some of the marker washed out completely and some faded….so much for permanent. A few survived. My favorite is “Elbows off the table Mable”. 🙂 Southern pride lol.
We watched the sleep video below and made this sleep mask out of foam. We tried the glitter hand sanitizer experiment to see how germs spread but I don’t think we had enough glitter for it to work.
Why do we need sleep? video
This was interesting to read:
“Other rejuvenating aspects of sleep are specific to the brain and cognitive function. For example, while we are awake, neurons in the brain produce adenosine, a by-product of the cells’ activities. The build-up of adenosine in the brain is thought to be one factor that leads to our perception of being tired. (Incidentally, this feeling is counteracted by the use of caffeine, which blocks the actions of adenosine in the brain and keeps us alert.) Scientists think that this build-up of adenosine during wakefulness may promote the “drive to sleep.” As long as we are awake, adenosine accumulates and remains high. During sleep, the body has a chance to clear adenosine from the system, and, as a result, we feel more alert when we wake.”
Paint Germs: Michael used a straw to blow around splattered paint. Then I added faces. We also watched the video below.
Why do we catch colds?
The next day we talked about Stranger Safety. I LOVE the Safe Side dvd with Safe Side Super Chick. It talks all about “Don’t knows” and “Kinda Knows”……also what to do if someone tries to grab you. I think it is a must for any parent.
Safe Side is pictured below with the other DVD we watched. I like Seemore’s Playhouse also because it talks about fire safety and taking care of your teeth in a fun way.
I printed out a body boundaries worksheet. You can find it on my Pinterest. I used Michael’s stuffed dog “Blew” (My Dad named him. It was his stuffed animal before he died and he was with Dad when he died.) for a “good touch/ bad touch” demonstration. Poor Blew was violated 😦 lol. Any who, I think Michael got the point.
I printed out the Happy tooth/Sad Tooth worksheets from Enchanted Learning. I put them on our cork board and pinned happy and sad food to them. Michael drew pictures of happy and sad food for teeth. We watched the Seemore’s Playhouse video on dental health. Then Michael ate a snack of apples with peanut butter and marshmallows for “teeth”.
Apple Mouths ~ Michael said they were tasty 🙂
We didn’t have any big Lego’s for a floss project. So I strung some foam blocks on a paper clip to make teeth. Then I put white play dough in between and Michael flossed the teeth with string.
We also watched the video below:
Why do I have to brush my teeth?
For Fire Safety we watched Seemore’s fire safety dvd. Michael colored a fireman sheet and he also drew a fireman with his art lessons. I set off the smoke alarm and we practiced a drill.
Cardboard Telephone
I found this idea online but didn’t follow the instructions. I rarely have tissue boxes so I used a paint box. Michael painted it and then he cut out the foam squares for the numbers. We glued all that on and I put two foam circles for the ear and mouth pieces. It was supposed to be a cordless phone but I added a “cord”.
We talked about 9-1-1 and Michael used the play phone to “call” 9-1-1. We practiced a couple of scenarios. I played the 9-1-1 operator. Once Michael told the “operator” that someone had passed away lol. He was supposed to say someone had passed out! We also pretended a robber was breaking in. Michael hid under his bed and “called” 9-1-1. He had to tell the “operator” his address and our names etc. He stayed on the line til the “police” told him it was okay to come out from under the bed. He did great. I’m so proud of him.
We took a break one day and just went to the park. It was nice to get out of the house and just BE.
Well, God bless and remember the High King lives! ~Amber Dover
PS: Next week (Lord willing) we will talk about community helpers. I’m super excited 🙂
He insists on obedience, however hard it may be, because no other way can bring blessing and good. God\’s severity with his children — is the greatest kindness.
Great post about how often we try to make things easy for our kids/ students. When really we should prepare them for hardship. Sometimes our “kindness” can be unkind. There is a lot more to this article than that excerpt. I hope you check it out. Balance of course…though I think most err on the side of overindulgence these days. We live in a child centered society and children were never mean’t to be raised in that way. God first, marriage second, and then children. If children don’t have a healthy environment of faith and two loving parents then they will lack. Plus, it’s horrible for kids to grow up thinking the world revolves around them just to find out that life is hard. Talk about a fast road to depression. God’s love is perfect and He doesn’t do “everything” for us. He allows pain and from that we develop character. We become strong through him. Our Heavenly Father is the perfect example for parents and teachers.
Enjoy the reblog! God bless & remember the High King lives!
Hello friends 🙂 This post will be shorter than my last couple of Sunday posts. I will spare you lol.
Pancake Muffins
These are super simple. You simply pour your favorite pancake mix (I used Dad’s recipe) into a muffin tin, add bacon/sausage, and then bake 14 minutes on 350. I also made sausage and egg biscuits. I used the biscuit recipe I gave you all awhile back and cooked scrambled eggs and sausage in it. These delicious eats were quick meals all week. I froze them and then we just popped them in the microwave to reheat. Don’t forget the syrup! 🙂
Encouraging Kids to Read
Teaching a child to read is one thing…..inspiring a love to read is another. How do we get our kids to read on their own for long periods of time? Family Fun Magazine had some great ideas that I want to share with you. Also Kindergarten Kindergarten has a great idea for a reading workshop on her blog:
Hook them on the story ~ I’ve been using this method recently. I was happily surprised. I read a little bit from “Nate the Great” then I gave it to Michael to finish. I didn’t tell him how much to read. It was an experiment. I was thrilled when he finished the whole book and acted like it was no big deal. Then he told me how the story ended since I really wanted to know :).
Keep it fun~ Family Fun gave ideas like watching a movie of a book they love, quizzing each other on book facts, and taking turns reading and predicting what will happen next. I believe reward systems like The Book-It program (earn free Pizza with Pizza Hut~ Michael loved this!) & accelerated reader are great.
Make it Social~ Family Fun suggests reading to a pet or having a family read-a-thon. My Dad and I read the Kids Left Behind Series when I was in Highschool. It was great to read together and to have something to discuss that we both enjoyed. Also this includes reading to your kids. I think family reading should happen no matter the age. I loved it when both my parents read to me. The most memorable time was when Dad read “The Christmas Box” several nights in December. I think I was in middle school. Read the Bible together, have bed time stories, and start early. I’ve been reading to Michael since he was a baby. Reading should be a normal part of your routine.
Offer Books as Treats~ Family Fun suggests the Book Fairy, Mystery Bags, and making a special reading spot. We’ve started doing this. I put a body pillow on my hope chest by the window. Michael lays on it and reads. It’s great because he can read upside down if he wants lol. We may have more elaborate reading spots in the future..
Think outside the book: Magazines on subjects of interest, Joke books, almanacs, and computers (I-Pad etc).
Read and Write~ Have kids write their own stories. Send Fan Mail to favorite authors.
Lastly, bring books to life. Family Fun suggests acting out different characters, having kids make sound effects, and changing characters’ names to names of family/ friends. I can’t wait to try this one :).
God bless & remember the High King lives! ~Amber Dover
PS: Here’s a sweet letter for stay at home moms (a lot of it applies to others as well. I just think SAHM don’t usually get recognition or paychecks. It’s nice to hear someone realizes staying at home is a real job):
Hello friends and welcome to Media Saturday. Today let’s have a look at Ice Age 4: Continental Drift. Usually after the third in an animated series I quit watching. The Land Before Time movies drove me crazy. But it was not this way with Ice Age. Sure Scrat isn’t quite as funny now as he was the first time. But he still brings a smile to my face.
(Pic removed in case of copyright issues)
I wouldn’t give this movie five stars….probably 3.5. It was satisfactory and a good movie to take my kiddo too. Ice Age 4 tells the story of how the continents became what they are. Those who follow this blog, know I don’t believe in evolution. I believe the Ice Age movies make fun of evolution rather than support it. That’s just my opinion.
In this part of the tale, Manny the mammoth butts heads with his teenage daughter Peaches as she deals with teenage drama. Meanwhile, Sid the sloth gets a visit from his not so loving family. It turns out they only came to drop off Granny Sloth. In the midst of this, the continents are breaking apart and Manny, Sid, Granny, and Diego (the Saber) float away on an iceberg. Manny, now torn apart from his family is determined to get to them. It’s a long and dangerous trip. The gang run into pirates led by a crazy monkey. Diego meets a female saber in the pirate crew and sparks fly. And throughout the movie we see Scrat on his quest to find his beloved acorn.
(Pic removed in case of copyright issues)
There are a few innuendos sprinkled here and there. Most likely they will go over any kid’s head. Sid’s family treats him and Granny Sloth pretty bad. But we learn that family comes in many forms and not always blood-related. We also see that every one has purpose…even if you’re past you’re prime or just plain clumsy.
My main concern was with the short film before the movie that featured Maggie Simpson. I think it was called the longest daycare. I don’t care for the Simpsons and the lack of morals the cartoon shows. The short film was a bit disturbing and definitely geared toward the adults. Sensitive kiddos won’t like all the butterfly smashing. The short did have a good ending at least.
Anywho, the feature film itself is worth the watch and will delight the kiddos.
God bless and remember the High King lives! ~Amber Dover
Welcome! My name is Amber Dover. I am a homeschooling mom, happy wife, and a devout follower of Jesus Christ. I am also a writer. I am currently working on "The Truth Seeker's Chronicles" (an inspirational fantasy/allegory). You will find everything from craft ideas to writing tips on my blog. So please pull up a chair and hang out :)
amberdover 