Weekend Special: Creative Parenting, Man of Steel, & Virtual Oceans June 30, 2013

In this post: A weekend combo of Virtual Friday, Media Saturday, & My Family Rocks! Sunday. Come visit virtual oceans with me as a mermaid in Second Life. I’ll review the new movie Man of Steel. Also, Lisa Whelchel’s book “Creative Correction” and how it’s helping us.

Hello dear ones! I hope you are well. I know my posts have been few lately. I ask for your prayers. Many of you know that I found out I don’t have Ehlers Danlos (what my Daddy had). I have found out that something I do have, Endometriosis, can actually cause a lot of the symptoms I’m experiencing. The more it grows the worse I feel and mine can’t be lasered out because of where it is.

I don’t like or trust most main stream meds. So I’ve started taking a natural progesterone cream that’s supposed to help shrink things. I can tell it’s doing something because of my fake pregnancy symptoms. It’s worth it to shrink the endo. though. I’m just even more fatigued than usual. I’m just having a hard time putting one foot in front of the other. So please keep me in your prayers and also about the inflammation in my joints (mainly my fingers). That’s been particularly bothersome lately and I hate feeling limited & weak (a pride thing I guess).

Now moving on, below is a pic of my yard in Second Life. My avatar got a new hairdo and clothes. But we will get back to Second Life later. First, I want to share this awesome devotional I’m doing.

Some of you may remember Lisa Whelchel from “The Facts of Life”.  Anywho, she’s now a homeschool mom and housewife. She wrote this great devotional called “Creative Correction”. I’ve been writing a lot about parenting lately. Michael is in a new stage which I’ve found seems to happen at age seven. So it’s not unusual that we are having new challenges with him and because of that our parenting methods have to change with the stage. I am all about heart based parenting. I don’t want my kiddo to look good on the outside but be a mess inside. I want to help him develop character by pointing him to Christ. That’s harder than it seems because I have my own failings and often I feel I am exhibit A of how not to act. I’m often asking for Michael’s forgiveness. If Michael sees anything in my life of value I guess it’ll be that God is merciful to me and that I do have a repentant heart. I am trying.

So I’m on this journey to learn how the Heavenly Father parents and how that translates to human parenting cause obviously I’m not God and I’m not allowed to make some of the parenting choices he makes. The whole “I brought you into this world so I can take you out” thing only applies to God lol. And I’m very thankful that stoning is not permitted under the new covenant. Though the New Covenant story of Ananias and Sapphira brings chills to me.

“Creative Correction” is a great resource for this adventure I’m on. Lisa points to God’s word and helps us see how the Heavenly Father parents. She also gives several tools parents can use ranging from scripture to activities and parables. The pictures below show an object lesson from the book.

You need several big stones (or in our case pecans), rice, and a jar.

First, Michael filled the jar with rice and tried to fit the pecans on top. He wasn’t able to fit all of the pecans.

Then he filled the jar with pecans first and they all fit. He was able to pour most of the rice. The lesson is that when we put the big things first (like spending time with Jesus, school work, and chores), we are able to fit the little things in too (like video games and t.v. etc). But if we put all our time into the little things that don’t matter much we usually don’t have time to finish the important things. Also it’s a message to put God first and how he helps us order our day. This can also be an object lesson for money and spending.

These object lessons and parables are so much easier than harping on issues over and over again. When Michael is being negative I just say “look for the pony, son“. That comes from the story of the optimist and his brother the pessimist. The pessimist gets toys for his birthday and sits around and complains about having to read instructions and get batteries. The optimist gets horse poo and dances around because he knows with all that poo a pony has to be around somewhere.

Lisa lists several scriptures that I haven’t thought to use before. I can vouch that scripture really works. Slowly but surely I’m seeing how the repentance corner is affecting Michael. He used to say “I can’t change” all the time. Now he’s been saying “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” (Phil 4:13 KJV). It is a slow process but focusing on the inward man takes time. It’s all about looking at the big picture…not just wanting outward obedience in the moment.    I am learning a lot about how God parents me as well. I find I have some of the same struggles that Michael does but on a deeper level.

Wondering what the repentance corner is? Read this post: https://amberdover.wordpress.com/2013/05/26/my-family-rocks-sunday-redneck-drive-in-repentance-corner-summer-fashion/

Anywho, if you get a chance I encourage you to check out Lisa’s book. It comes with video sessions as well but I didn’t buy them.

• Media review for Man of Steel

(By Eva Rinaldi  Uploaded by MyCanon (Man Of Steel Cast) [CC-BY-SA-2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)%5D, via Wikimedia Commons )

The fellas and I saw “Man of Steel” for Father’s Day. My first impression is “amazing! Stinkin’ awesome!” But the adrenaline rush is gone and now I can give a somewhat decent review.

Positives: Super Man has great character. He makes a hard choice in the end that has some long time fans disappointed but I feel he had no choice. I won’t spoil it for you.  Clark Kent’s adoptive parents are very loving and his Dad makes a great sacrifice for his son. There’s also this wonderful message about how to deal with bullying and being a bigger man. There is nothing sexual in the movie unless you count a guy making inappropriate remarks to a waitress (which Super Man defends the lady). Super Man isn’t perfect and has weaknesses so he is not godlike (something that I worried about).  Lois Lane and Clark Kent both make hard decisions and side with their morals over their fears and pressure from others. So when it comes down to it, Super Man puts all the other super heroes to shame when it comes to integrity and goodness. I would much rather my son emulate Super Man than Iron Man or Spider Man.

On that note, if you’re one of my readers then you know I believe media can be used as a teaching tool. I believe parents should talk to their kids about what they watch and listen to. We can shape the messages they receive subconsciously from media. So though I think Super Man is a better hero I want my son to ultimately try to be Christ-like. So we did have a talk about how Jesus is real and He is like the biggest super hero because He is God and He is perfect. Michael and I talked about the differences between Super Man and Jesus.

Negatives: The action scenes are super intense and in my opinion too intense for most kids (especially littles). My son is probably too used to action scenes (from Avengers and Lord of the Rings etc). So it didn’t bother him at all. When he was younger we used to watch the old Star Trek series as a family. Man of Steel was one big adrenaline rush and from the previews/commercials to the action scenes it was all about testosterone. LOL It’s definitely a man’s movie though obviously women can enjoy it as well. The villain is very dark and doesn’t care if he wipes out the human race. So there is violence and lots of it. Also there are probably a couple of curse words sprinkled here and there. I honestly can’t remember any of them but you can check out pluggedin.com and read a detailed review.

In conclusion, Man of Steel is a great movie but I’d keep the littles home until they are mature enough to handle the intensity and the thematic elements (like genocide). Upper elementary and middle schoolers should be fine and I’d recommend this movie above the other action movies this Summer.

• Mermaid exploration in the virtual ocean of Second Life

 So I decided to become a mermaid and show you some great underwater worlds in Second Life. It was extremely difficult to find a modest mermaid outfit. The one I’m (my avatar lol) wearing actually doesn’t have a tail. It just has pants so I used a different tail. The sand skirt and the scaly top is very modest. So the combo works for a modest mermaid. Now I can’t guarantee that these sims will always be family friendly and that everyone will dress modest. Heck…even The Little Mermaid isn’t modest. But for the most part I ran into few merpeople and the ocean bed was pretty secluded.

Here’s my hat with little baby mermaids and sea shells. I’ve got a scaly tattoo on my face. Most little girls like to pretend to be mermaids in the pool and this grown up little girl is no different ;).

You can see the great seahorse necklace if you click on the pic below.

• Cave Rua Water Gardens

Visit Rua (160, 202, 11)

This is a small place to swim but there’s a good bit of plant life and some interesting statues.

• Safe Water Foundation: Mermaids of Phantasien

Visit Mermaids of Phantasien (122, 126, 3)

Now this is a great place to swim but you will probably run into more merpeople here. That can be a good thing if you’re looking to reach out to others but if you’re trying to avoid seeing immodest dress and role play that involves Greek/Roman mythology then it’s best to proceed with caution. There is a calendar with a list of events so you can choose the best time to explore.

The Safe Water Foundation supports merpeople and underwater life in Second Life. I’m not sure what they are safe from though….virtual pirates? The Phantasien area has a neat underwater play area. There’s lots to explore here.

Like ruins and shipwrecks…

Here’s a nifty castle that someone lives in. You have to message them to get a tour. It has an octopus garden by it.

The colors and the realistic sea life are just breath taking.

Bernie’s Hideaway is a cute underwater club. You can sit at the table and talk with merfriends…or in my case, fish.

You can dance in the big blue. The dances are made especially for mermaids and were very fun. You may wonder how virtual dancing can be fun…well it’s never been hard for me to put myself in a character’s place….whether I’m reading a book, watching a movie, acting in a play, playing video games, or exploring virtual worlds. You should ask my Hubby how seriously I take Nancy Drew games. I MUST solve the mystery! Role players won’t find it hard to pretend.

I love this pic. I just want to start singing Disney’s The Little Mermaid. “Up where they walk…up where they run…” Yes Mom, I still pretend to be Ariel.

Part of your world!!!!!!!!!!

Anywho, I’m done ;P. So I hope to have more underwater worlds to show you next time and I’ve found more educational places to visit. I only get on Second Life a couple of times a month. I hope no one’s shocked. I don’t spend all my time in the virtual world. I have school to teach and a house to clean… a bunch of crazy animals to take care of (I mean the cat and such…not Chris and Michael he he he 😛 jk honey….testing to see if you actually read my blog lol.)

So maybe I’ll get the time to do massive exploration one day. 

I hope the reviews etc have helped or entertained. God bless & remember the High King lives! ~Amber Dover

PS: I love getting sweet comments. It means so much to me. If you have resources that you want to share or just want to say hi and chat…please drop me a comment. 🙂

Crafty Monday: Disney Countdown~Lil’ Mermaid, Nemo, & Monster’s Inc June 24, 2013

In this Post: Crafts, fun, and food with The Little Mermaid, Finding Nemo, and Monster’s Inc.

Hello dear ones! I hope you’ve had a lovely week. Looking at my pics, last week looked like a breeze. The truth is the first part of the week was crazy because of family stuff and swimming lessons. We caught up late Wednesday night. I spent a good bit of the week on the phone with family. I am so thankful we made it through the week and have something to show for it! Moving on…

This is week 3 of our Disney Countdown. I’ll post links to the other weeks at the end. I was excited about this week because I love The Little Mermaid. It was the first movie I saw in the theater as a kid and it was with both my parents before they divorced. Throw in Nemo and you’ve got a brilliant ocean themed week.

First, I want to show you our new pet fish Yoda. Actually we have Yoda the second. The first Yoda (shown below) died after Michael tried to handle him. But the fish look so much alike I didn’t bother with another picture. Our mouse Cinderella sadly had to be let go. Her OCD wounds were too bad.

A couple weeks ago we got our Disney planning dvd in the mail. Michael and I got very excited watching it.

Michael started swimming lessons last week which also went very well with our ocean themed week.

Here’s our craft we did when we watched  Finding Nemo. I found these aquatic paper plate crafts at the Dollar Tree. They look just like Nemo characters.

Monday and Wednesday we watched The Little Mermaid & Ariel’s Beginning. Here’s Michael making hand print mermaids.

We learned a bit about coral and Michael painted a cardboard coral reef with fish. He drew fish around the mermaids. Then we added the Nemo characters and a nifty hermit crab.

Sand Cake ~ Instead of dirt pudding this is sand cake. It’s made with vanilla creme cookies crumbled up (sand), whip cream, and vanilla pudding. I thought the bucket and shovel added a nice touch.

Each week I’m giving Michael a Summer writing assignment. To fit the theme I had Michael tell his favorite part of swimming lessons. I added the diving gear to his picture. It’s very short but looks cute.

We did this great Coral Reef lapbook and watched a video on coral.

Chris helped Michael make a telegraph from his inventions kit.

We practiced a bit of Morse code.

If you’d like to find more ocean themed posts start here:

https://amberdover.wordpress.com/2012/06/11/crafty-monday-lighthouse-an-ocean-view/

There are 4 parts to last years ocean series. Each part has a link to the next at the end of the post.

Not only is Monster’s Inc by Disney now but Monster’s University just came out in theaters. So we just had to watch Monster’s Inc. and have a monster themed party before watching Monster’s University. 

I made several paper doors and put them on a blue table cloth. We have Monster’s University cups that came with kiddie combos at the theater. One has Mike on the lid and one has Sully. I found the Monster’s University notebook at the Dollar Tree.

Michael had “Monster” oatmeal. I put a bit of blue food coloring and added blueberries.

I cut an eyeball out of white and black felt and pinned it to a green shirt. Here’s Michael’s “Mike Wazowski shirt”.

I put together these monster (Sully) shoes out of cardboard boxes and paper.

Monster Cookie Dough Dip ~the recipe is on my Pinterest link at the end of this post.

I didn’t take a picture but I also made “Monster granola bars” which looks similar to this but not as unhealthy.

Proof we do eat healthy sometimes lol…

Michael colored these Monster bookmarks and we made them to look like Mike and Sully.

Here’s Sully at work. I love how these bookmarks work.

Here’s Michael in his monster glasses, shirt, and shoes.

Pillsbury had these Monster’s University sugar cookies.

I cut out the table cloth and hung it in the home school room. I’m trying to have the area surrounded by Disney by the time we’re ready to go there.

I forgot this pic when I first did this post. Here’s Michael and I at the movie theater with Mike and Sully.

Disney Countdown 1: https://amberdover.wordpress.com/2013/06/10/crafty-monday-disney-countdownpinocchio-the-princess-and-the-frog/

Disney Countdown 2: https://amberdover.wordpress.com/2013/06/17/crafty-monday-disney-countdown-tinker-bell-peter-pan/

My Disney Pinterest link (remember email sub. to come to my blog to see the links)

http://pinterest.com/doverette/disney/

Monster’s Inc Pinterest Link

http://pinterest.com/doverette/monster-stuff/

God bless & remember the High King lives! ~Amber Dover

PS: Tune in next week (Lord willing) for Alice in Wonderland and Beauty & the Beast.

Disney Countdown #4: https://amberdover.wordpress.com/2013/07/01/crafty-monday-disney-countdownalice-in-wonderland-beauty-and-the-beast/

Hear the Writer Roar! Tuesday: Kiss of Grace June 18, 2013

Hello dear ones. I thought I’d share another poem today. Watch out…I may get in a habit of this lol. Again please don’t copy but you can give the link. I wrote this years ago during a hard time in my life. I know it’s hard for people to hear that Christians and those with good families can also deal with bad depression. But I know that Jesus has gotten me through some doozies and that I am completely weak without him. So I guess this is me boasting in my weakness. I’m going through a hard time right now with an ill family member. So please keep my family in your prayers. God has always got me through in the past (even when I couldn’t lift my head) so I know he will get me through now. That doesn’t mean there won’t be pain and sorrow. I just look to His arms to hold me and my loved ones. Anywho, here is my poem.

Kiss of Grace

by Amber Dover

March 27th, 2008

Come on. I need a rider on a white horse,

I’m dying in this hell.

Everyday it gets harder to be strong,

I don’t wanna fail.

But I bleed inside,

please kiss away my pain.

I’m ready to fall off the edge,

I’m begging for the rain.

I wonder if I scream will anyone hear?

If I cut myself will they see my fear?

I’m so desperate,

but I have a life to live.

I have a family,

I have such beauty to give.

Jesus, I can’t hide and I can’t escape,

so I give you my all.

You have to rescue my heart,

God, please don’t let me fall.

I’m struggling,

struggling just to stand.

I’m drowning in weakness,

please hold my hand.

God bless & remember the High King lives! ~Amber Dover

Crafty Monday: Disney Countdown~ Tinker Bell & Peter Pan June 17, 2013

In this post: Celebrate the four seasons with Tinker Bell and play the pan flute kazoo with Peter Pan.

Hello dear ones! I hope you had a lovely weekend. This is the second post in my Disney Countdown series. You can see the first here and it has my opinion on Disney spirituality:

https://amberdover.wordpress.com/2013/06/10/crafty-monday-disney-countdownpinocchio-the-princess-and-the-frog/

Tinker Bell may seem very girly but I believe fairy tales have aspects that appeal to boys too. So in our count down we aren’t segregating boy and girl movies.  Instead I decided to focus on the parts of the movies that would appeal to my son. We will definitely be seeing princesses at Disney since I’m going too. Michael and I have struck a compromise.

I made a Tinker Bell table display using round styrofoam, moss, a Tinker Bell peg doll (made at Christmas time), and various lost things (buttons, pins, marbles etc…). Tinker Bell collects lost things.

I love the Tinker Bell movies. Each one follows a season. So each day we watched a movie and celebrated that season. Michael wanted to make a display too so he put our Terrance fairy on this one. We used glitter for pixie dust. Terrance is a dust keeper. You have to have pixie dust to fly ;).

Here they are together…

Spring with Tinker Bell (Movie: Tinker Bell 2008)

Spring was fun :). We watched the movie then I whipped up a batch of:

Pixie Dust

• baking soda
• food coloring
• glitter

with Magic Water

• vinegar 😉

You can see up close that it really sparkles.

Then we made MAGIC MUD by sprinkling pixie dust in a mud puddle and spraying Magic water to make it fizzle.

We then scooped the mud to make mud pies and mud paint.

Michael doesn’t like getting muddy so he used a shovel.

This was his first time making a mud pie. He sprinkled pixie dust on top to make it really colorful.

The colors didn’t really show up for paint but the glitter stayed.

Michael painted a Star Wars fighter jet (or something like that).

I wrote this. It really glitters.

We made a couple of mud cupcakes too.

Cement Garden Stone

We got this kit at Hobby Lobby.

Michael decorated the wet cement with stones.

I wrote his name. You can see it better when it’s dry.

Summer with Tinker Bell (Movie: Tinker Bell & the Great Fairy Rescue)

This was easy because we’re already in the season of Summer.  We made Koolaid Popsicles with a Popsicle mold.

Watermelon Smiles Portrait

We did some tinkering with Michael’s inventions kit. This time we made a generator that lit up a light bulb. Tinker Bell is a tinker after all ;).

We put on glow in the dark bracelets and watched fireflies in the back yard. The flash lit it up but if you look closely you can see little lights on the left side.

Our garden is finally growing. We have several tomatoes.

Bubble Wrap Hop Scotch

This was not what I expected. We had to jump hard to pop even one.

Mainly the wrap stuck to our feet.

Then we tried it with shoes. Michael is wearing Chris’ flip flops.

There wasn’t much of a difference but it was still fun to just hop indoors.

Glow in the Dark bowling

Michael enjoyed this the most. Chris and I sat on the couch to bowl lol.  I put glow sticks in jars and we used whatever we could find to knock them over.

First we used a plastic pumpkin but later a football. The flash lit everything up again. The room was actually really dark.

Michael made a Summer Reading book.

On one page he writes the title and the other he draws a picture from the book. He’s also getting rewards when he finishes a book. Rewards depend on the grade level and length of the book.

Fall with Tinker Bell (Movie: Tinker Bell and the Lost Treasure)

Fall is my favorite season. It was nice to celebrate it early.  The house was still rather warm even with the air conditioning. So it was a little weird but we had tomato soup and grilled cheese sandwiches for a Fall supper.

We played a couple of my favorite Autumn games.

Bobbing for Apples

Doughnut on a String

Determined to get the doughnut…

I got Michael a baby pool last week so we can play with it this week for Nemo and The Little Mermaid. It turns out that pools are also good for reading spots, doing puzzles, and playing with Lincoln Logs. Who knew!

Winter with Tinker Bell (Movie: Tinker Bell: Secret of the Wings)

We were going to make snowflake sugar cookies but didn’t get to it. Instead we had cinnamon rolls with hot chocolate.

I’ve planned writing assignments for each week. This week Michael wrote about his favorite season. It just happens to be Winter. The paper has snowflakes on it. You can also see him sporting his Ring pop which I call the Ring of Truth. He earned it for being honest for several days. He’s working on a sneaking problem.

Peter Pan

So I thought I would catch Michael laughing but every time I took a picture he’d stop. So here’s Chris and Michael watching Peter Pan. Chris is staring at the kitty in his cone of shame (poor Chester- btw he’s doing much better) and Michael looks like he’s asleep.

Chris helped Michael make a pan flute kazoo out of toilet paper rolls and wax paper. I wanted to make a real bambo0 pan flute but couldn’t find bamboo. Michael had a blast with this cheap instrument.

It was a slow enjoyable week at home. No VBS or anything. But swimming lessons start soon. Chris is able to be home during the day some. with his new school schedule. Yaaa!

Join us next Crafty Monday for The Little Mermaid and Finding Nemo (Lord willing).

Disney Countdown 3: https://amberdover.wordpress.com/2013/06/24/crafty-monday-disney-countdownlil-mermaid-nemo-monsters-inc/

God bless & remember the High King lives! ~Amber Dover

My Family Rocks! Sunday: Liam’s Lorax Party June 16, 2013

Hello friends! Last weekend, my BFF Hannah threw a Lorax birthday party for her son Liam. He turned 5. She did some nifty things and maybe you can use these ideas for your own party.

Truffula Tree cupcakes

Truffula trees from pool noodles. We did these for Dr. Seuss’ birthday. For more Dr. Seuss ideas check out my post:

https://amberdover.wordpress.com/2013/03/10/my-family-rocks-sunday-dr-seuss-birthday/

The truffula trees on the cupcakes are cotton candy. They melted from the humidity so had to be replaced when it came time to eat. The punch bowl has a Lorax mustache on it and the punch is orange. The straws have little mustaches on them. Too cute Hannah!

The # 5 pinata

Candy Truffula seeds!

Hannah made these candy mustaches herself using a mold. Very neat :).

Humming Fish Fishing game

Olivia (Liam’s sister) and Liam (the birthday boy) enjoying pizza.

Olivia sporting a mustache :).

The kiddos made Thing 1 and Thing 2 bookmarks.

Liam telling his best buddy Michael (my little) a secret. I’m glad Michael wore orange. He matched :).

Liam was too excited to wait to eat his truffula tree lol!

Happy Birthday Liam! It’s hard to believe he’s five already. Thanks Hannah for letting me share all the time.  It was a fun party!

God bless  remember the High King lives! ~Amber Dover

Happy Father’s Day!

Enjoy these 3  Father’s day vids. Two are hilarious and one heart warming. Happy Father’s day and remember to honor the Heavenly Father! Remember email sub. to come to my blog to see the links.

Yo Daddy Battle~ Rhett and Link

Dad Life 2010

Courageous Final Scene

Well, me and my fellas are heading to see Man of Steel (Super Man) for Father’s Day. I pre-bought the tickets and put it in Chris’ card. There ain’t no super man that compares to a good father…ultimately the Heavenly Father but it’s true for humans too.  A loving and wise father is the manliest of men and a hero in my book.  Note to the fellas: ladies love a man like that. Even if you’re not a Dad you can still protect the innocent, defend a lady’s honor, and stand for truth.  James Bond can take a hike.  Tell a “real man” thank you today…whether Father, husband, brother, uncle, or friend.

God bless  remember the High King lives! ~Amber Dover

PS: I miss you Daddy. Enjoy your Father’s day with the best dad ever and tell Moses, Job, and Paul I said hello. Love always your rug head/ honey bear.

Crafty Monday: Disney Countdown~Pinocchio & The Princess and the Frog June 10, 2013

In this Post: Puppet peg dolls for Pinocchio; Gumbo, Beignets, and fireflies for Princess and the Frog. Summer writing crafts and shaving cream fun. Also a look at Disney spirituality and how to deal with it.

*Next post in series here: https://amberdover.wordpress.com/2013/06/17/crafty-monday-disney-countdown-tinker-bell-peter-pan/

Well, I guess it’s out now. We are hoping to go to Disney World. I went as a kid but Chris and Michael have never been.  I’m not sure exactly when we’re going but I have somewhat of a count down going on. We are taking a break from official school middle July until sometime in August. We will still be learning but not “officially”.

I wanted to do themes each week…like a camp. So I mixed Disney with corresponding themes. For example, Finding Nemo and ocean week.  I want to fit as many Disney movies as I can in before we go to the most “magical” place on earth. So we started last week with Pinocchio, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, and The Princess and the Frog. The plan is to have three or more Disney movies each week along with related crafts, games, and food.

I kept Pinocchio simple with just one craft. Michael and I made peg doll puppets. They don’t really work with the strings but they look neat and can be played with like dolls.

Michael made Pinocchio and I made a girl doll that’s actually in another Pinocchio movie (not by Disney). I think her name is Twinkle.

First, we drew an outline of the faces and clothes with pencil.

I cut Popsicle sticks and pinned them for arms.

Then we painted the dolls.

Then we added ribbons for the strings. I glued hair and fabric to Twinkle.

• The Princess and the Frog was really fun.

We had food from the movie. Tiana is one of my favorite princesses (if I can pick a favorite). She’s all about working hard and using her head. The jazz music is great too. So we listened to New Orleans jazz while doing school work.

• Gumbo found here: http://www.diabeticlivingonline.com/recipe/soups/chicken-and-sausage-gumbo/

PS: I didn’t add chicken. I had way too much sausage.

Warning: It’s delicious but it will clean you out!

• Beignets!

http://yumm.com/recipe/17496/easy-beignet

So they didn’t turn out perfect squares. Several of them were flat like funnel cakes  (tasted like it too). This was simple and yummy. Maybe one day I’ll figure out how to hit the grease just right.

Michael was tickled pink to eat Gumbo while watching Tiana make gumbo.

I drew this picture for Chris and put it in his lunchbox. I wanted him to have some of the magic :).

By the way, I like to draw in my spare time. I have to look at tutorials or a picture of something to draw it. Lately, I’ve been caught up in nostalgia and drawing Sailor Moon characters. I was a big Sailor Moon fan as a teen.

Moving on…

• Frog and Lightening Bug/ firefly craft

Now the really cool thing about this picture is that it glows. We put glow paint on the moon and firefly (Ray~ man I wanted to cry when Ray died. Disney movies do this to me). My camera couldn’t take a picture of it glowing.

I’ve got a lot to say about Disney spirituality but before we get to that, here are a few other things we did this week.

We’re doing a bit of Summer writing each week. This week we read a couple of Summer poems. Michael copied part of “Summer is Coming” by Goodale onto this flip flop craft.

Then he wrote a Summer bucket list and glued together this paper bucket and shovel.

Home made Moon Sand with flour and baby oil

Chris and Michael put together this motor from Michael’s inventions kit (bought at Hobby Lobby I think).

Shaving Cream on the Slip n’ Slide

I moved things around. Now Michael can actually use his Lego table. I put his desk in the living room.

Michael and Chris playing with Lincoln logs.  You can see the kitty is getting spoiled since his surgery.

I’m still getting things ready for the 2013-2014 school year. Teddy is helping :).

I have my fuel lol…I’ve yet to finish planning but I did get the whole Disney Countdown planned…all nine or more weeks.

I organized the homeschool room. Some of you won’t be able to tell the difference but I did move several things. Pardon the AC in the middle of the room. It keeps the room from becoming a sauna (thanks Stacie!).

The Lego table is now where it can be used and now our nook with the mural can be used for reading.

We’ve started a Summer reading program where Michael can earn tickets from me. You can see the books in the bucket. Michael’s already earned an ice cream and a peg doll set he can decorate on his own. Harder books equal better rewards.

• Disney Spirituality

*Heads Up- this is long so I put it at the end for those who really are interested. It’s my opinion and not up for debate in the comments. Take it or leave it 😉

So I really like Disney movies. I grew up in what I call the golden age of Disney. My first movie at the theater was The Little Mermaid and with both my parents (they weren’t divorced yet). I saw Aladdin on a “date” with a little boy AND my parents. I was probably nine lol.  My Dad and I both about cried during The Lion King.  Beauty and the Beast, Pocahontas, and Toy Story came out. My Mema (Dad’s mom) bought almost every movie on VHS for me. So I’ve passed down a lot of movies to Michael and because we still have a VCR we’ve found several Disney movies on VHS for cheap.

There are some great values in Disney movies but there are also many bad messages direct and indirect.  One issue that I think many Christian parents deal with is the spiritual side of Disney. Yes, there really is one.  Some people choose to ban Disney and others just overlook the magical/ spiritual aspect. There is a third option and this is where I am as a parent.

Using media as a tool

So I believe honest communication is the best way to stay connected to your kids and to teach them.  I believe we can use the spiritual sides of Disney to teach and discuss. We as parents don’t have to just let our kids be brain washed with whatever spiritual lesson Disney is sending. We can teach kids critical thinking by asking questions. I believe this should happen with all media. We should know what our kids are exposed to and use it as an opportunity for learning.

(Note: I often use the word “magic” flippantly in my posts but I hope that you can tell the difference when I’m talking about the real life magic, not slight of hand but sorcery…conversing with spirits..telling the future and such. I don’t support the real thing. And my definition of witchcraft is according to the Bible, not what other religions determine.)

We watched The Hunchback of Notre Dame last week too. Now there are several lessons in this movie. Esmeralda dresses and dances like a hoochie (just being honest). She’s a gypsy and through out the movie gypsies are persecuted as thieves and witches.  So Michael and I talked about how the way Esmeralda dressed and danced wasn’t pure but she had a loving heart. God looks at the heart not the outward appearance. We were able to talk about this theme throughout the whole movie. The jester sings in the beginning “Who is the monster and who is the man?”. We see that Quasimodo looks ugly but has a beautiful heart. His master on the other hand is a legalistic hypocrite and pure evil.

The movie also features Catholicism. We are not Catholics so Michael and I talked about the difference in our Christian beliefs. The persecution of the gypsies brought up the evils of racism. Some of these lessons Michael could get on his own, subconsciously by just watching. But other issues he needed to learn from me….like modesty and that we don’t pray to Saints (only to God). Also the evils of palm reading which is a real form of witchcraft. The Bible forbids fortune telling.

I really like The Princess and the Frog but it also has some dark spirituality. It’s one of the scarier Disney cartoons. Voodoo is the magic in the movie and voodoo is very real. The movie shows the Shadowman as the evil voodoo guy but then it shows an old granny who lives in the bayou as being the good side of voodoo. So Michael and I talked about voodoo in real life and how there is no good side. According to the Bible (what we follow), there is no good real life magic. Dabbling with sorcery and talking to the dead is forbidden because the “dead” are really familiar spirits (demons that mimic the deceased). The real spirits of people either go to Heaven or Hell. There is no in between life.

The Shadow Man plays with tarrot cards among other things. These things are dark and dangerous. In real life they open you up to demonic forces and should never be dabbled with. Even if you ban Disney, your kids may come across these things at school. We homeschool but still we saw a pack of tarrot cards at the Dollar Tree in the kids section! I was horrified. The Ouji Board and horoscopes are evil as well. If God wants us to know anything in our future he will tell us. I don’t want to hear what the dark side says. Even if they are somewhat right there’s always a dark twist.

Now obviously if a kiddo says “Gumbo gumbo in the pot” and pretends to play magic nothing will happen. I’m not saying be paranoid. But a kid’s curiosity may lead them to Google real magic or check out those neat looking cards. That’s the danger with make believe magic in movies. It can sometimes lead to the real stuff and more so if a tiny bit of real magical elements are in the story (why I think Harry Potter should be approached with caution if not avoided). But you don’t have to be afraid of this if you are frank with your kids about the dangers of real life magic and sorcery. They need to know the difference between what’s fake and real.

My Dad was a minister the last part of my childhood but he dabbled in Wicca and came in contact with Voodoo before that(we lived near a big voodoo town. Small town. Big hoodoo). He warned me with his own stories and that kept me from dabbling in magic because the opportunity was there at public school and also with neighborhood kids.  I was definitely the type to try what I saw on movies and since I was sensitive to seeing demons and such I was a prime candidate for all that. Thankfully God saved me young and kept me from the direction I was going.

Anywho, this is getting long but I want to end this by pointing out that even if you avoid all magical movies it’s wise to discuss the dangers of real life sorcery with your kids. Once they leave the house they will most likely come in contact with the occult somewhere. The draw can be tempting. The scary thing is that the so called “control” someone thinks they have with a spirit guide etc is all backwards. The spirit (demon) is really doing all the controlling and all the tricks. The allure of controlling others is an illusion. It’s sad because when we rely on other things instead of God to determine our future we are worshiping idols and missing out on the best God has for us.

Lastly, wishing and praying are two different things. Wishing on a star is a big Disney theme. We don’t pray to stars in this house. That would be idol worship. There’s nothing wrong with dreams but we firmly believe in our family that God determines our future…not fate. So we don’t indulge in such a vague spirituality. It’s fun entertainment but it’s pure fantasy. Michael knows that. I would worry if he didn’t know the difference. I pray he has such a love and trust in God that he leans on God for all his desires. You can’t have a relationship with a star (unless you’re Ray the firefly but that’s another story lol…Evangeline!).

So we have fun with make believe but we know what’s real, what’s fake, and what’s dangerous. So I won’t be sharing my opinion of Disney spirituality every post on this count down lol…..just this one. But I figured it needed to be said that I don’t take these things lightly. I also don’t ban Disney. So there is a third option if you choose it.

God bless & remember the High King lives! ~Amber Dover

My Family Rocks! Sunday: Les Mis’ Date Night June 9, 2013

In this Post: “Les Miserables” Date Night (ha! the name of the movie, not the quality  of the date lol), Chester’s recovering from getting declawed, VBS, & Michael learns how to play Rummy.

Hello dear ones! Well, it’s been an interesting week. Chester got declawed Monday. More on that later. Let’s start on a happy note. Michael had VBS most of last week so Chris and I had plenty of time alone. One night we rented “Les Miserables” 2012 version aka Les Mis’ (much easier to say). *Note: Date details after movie details ;). We saw the movie in the theater and for the most part loved it except a couple of scenes (namely with the innkeeper and his wife….eww…such perverts). The good thing about DVD is that you can skip through bad scenes. Les Mis’ is definitely not a kids movie. I do like how it tells a story of God’s grace and the end is EPIC. People clapped in the theater. I think I cried.

If you want to know what I’m talking about (you should really watch the movie first), go to Youtube and search “Les Mis do you hear the people sing finale”.

I get chills every time I hear the song. Here’s what Wikipedia says about the book the movie is based on:

Beginning in 1815 and culminating in the 1832 June Rebellion in Paris, the novel follows the lives and interactions of several characters, focusing on the struggles of ex-convict Jean Valjean and his experience of redemption.^[1]

I haven’t seen any other adaptations but Hugh Jackman was amazing in this movie. He represented God’s grace while Russell Crowe (playing Javert) represented legalism. I think all of the actors and actresses sang really well. Like I said…it was epic.

Lyrics from “Do You Hear the People Sing”

“Enjolras: Do you hear the people sing? Singing the song of angry men? It is the music of the people Who will not be slaves again! When the beating of your heart Echoes the beating of the drums There is a life about to start When tomorrow comes!
Combeferre: Will you join in our crusade? Who will be strong and stand with me? Beyond the barricade Is there a world you long to see?
Courfeyrac: Then join in the fight That will give you the right to be free!”

Read more: LES MISERABLES – DO YOU HEAR THE PEOPLE SING LYRICS

The EATS

 So I saw this date night idea on Dating Divas: http://www.thedatingdivas.com/just-the-two-of-us/dinner-and-a-movie-les-miserables/

I didn’t have time to make an invitation etc but I did buy some “French” food.

Menu:

• Soft Cheese from France
• grapes
• roasted duck (pre-made just had to be warmed)
• frog legs
• French Bread
• a box of chocolates

So I found the frog legs at Piggly Wiggly. Chris fried them. He did everything right and they sort of tasted like fried fish. But Chris said it didn’t taste like what he remembered. I had never had frog legs before and I think the very thought of eating a frog made it hard for me to chew. If someone had told me it was fish then I think I could’ve enjoyed it.

I had never had duck before either. I was in a hurry so I got the pre-made stuff (all I could find anyways) at Publix. The orange sauce smelled like Pinesol to me. I think the meat would’ve been just fine had I left the sauce off. So despite disliking the meat, we did fill up on French bread dipped in melted butter with soft cheese spread on top. I wasn’t sure I’d like the cheese but I think I’m addicted now. Chocolates are always right and yes I ate most of them.

Kingdom Chronicles VBS

Michael went to VBS at another Baptist church since they were doing their’s at night. I really liked the theme. Michael learned about the armor of God in a medieval setting. He showed me how to juggle scarves one day. Here’s a pic of the awesome castle set.

Michael learns to play Rummy.

It was such a pleasure to finally be able to teach lil man how to play a “real” card game. “Go Fish” gets boring after awhile. Once he’s mastered Rummy maybe we will go to Mexican Rummy and even Canasta. I was taught card games at an early age and played with both sides of my family. It was such a joy playing Mexican Rummy with my Mom, Granny, Sister, and Aunts.

Canasta was serious at my Dad’s with my Mema and Uncle. It’s such a game of strategy and I think before my Dad became a minister he would gamble with friends. Once Dad got so upset he threw his cards across the table. It’s humorous looking back. The “Way” family never was much for losing. But the “Frye” side (my Mom’s side) always talks trash. I don’t know how many times my Sister and I have threatened each other over cards…though we are sweet as pie any other time. As long as no one takes remarks too seriously then “All is fair in love, war, and _____”(insert any card name in the blank lol). Yes, I taught Michael that phrase. I have to pass down my Daddy’s ummm wisdom. 😉

Winchester  AKA “Chester” gets declawed

I know there is much debate about declawing cats. I’m not opening comments up for that debate. I just wanted to share our personal experience and some of you may be interested in Chester personally since I often talk about our pets on here. They are very much apart of the family.

You may remember that Chester, our black male kitty, has a rage issue and is bipolar. Many things I can put up with….jumping on counters, stealing food, and even scratching the furniture…but scratching my child and then scratching me from my arm to my foot is unacceptable. Chester can be very sweet but he also has an inner tiger/monster. Chris calls him the devil cat. I don’t want any of us to get cat scratch fever and I didn’t want to get rid of Chester. We’ve had him since he was a kitten and I’m pretty sure no one would adopt an aggressive male cat.  So declawing seemed the only option and it wasn’t something we had planned for or budgeted for. We just had to.

Our vet uses laser surgery which is supposed to be more humane and less painful. I think it started that way. You can see from these pics that Chester was doing well. His paws looked fine (compared to pics of other types of declawing). He wasn’t bleeding…no stiches because he was lasered. He was a bit sore but still moving around good.

But then…

He started biting his skin and fur out. Now I think he’s infected or just sore from biting himself. So we had to bring out the cone of shame that he used after he got fixed. We’ve also been helping him to the litter box (now filled with newspaper…loving the smell ugg). Chris washes the kitty’s paws with alcohol and puts Neosporin on the sores. We tried putting sock mittens on his paws so they wouldn’t bleed everywhere and get dirty but he acted like he couldn’t walk with them on. He’s spent all week laying with us on the couch or bed.

The Kitty prefers Chris’ chest as his bed.

I was thinking he was hopeless until just now when he got out of his “socks/mittens” and stole half my cheeseburger off the table.  So we will be contacting the vet probably tomorrow and seeing if they can give the kitty something for pain and check if he has an infection. I hope they don’t charge us since no one said anything about him biting his skin out. We were told that most cats play with their paws right after the laser surgery and are just happy. Mom thinks Chester is searching for his claws…now do I feel guilty.

Good news is that Chester will definitely be with us forever no matter what he does. I am thankful that he can’t attack our face with his claws. I’ll keep you updated on his health. I think the cone of shame will give his paws a chance to heal and hopefully he won’t have the urge to bite them anymore. I really hate having to put that thing on the kitty but it’s for his own good. Meanwhile, Chester is getting lots of treats and affection. In fact, he’s gotten away with a lot too lol.

Oh, please pray for our mouse. Cinderella’s OCD is so bad that she picks herself (reminds me of myself). I found this is common in mice. She overgrooms. Her smell is horrible and that’s weird for a female mouse. She’s so nervous when we hold her that we haven’t in awhile. I put things in her cage for her to play with but she ignores them. At least she plays on her wheel at night. I put medicine on her wounds but she reopens them. I’d give her a new playmate (Snowwhite died) but I’m afraid she’d pick them and the smell would be too unbearable. I’m thinking of getting a baby sock and making her a sweater to keep her from picking her back. I’ll let you know if it works.

Tessa (dog) and Snowball (guinea pig) are just fine. Tessa just needs a Summer shave and the “pig” is sick of carrots and keeps chattering at us. So that’s it for another look into life at the crazy farm.

God bless & remember the High King lives!

~Amber Dover

Keep up with all my date posts:

Other Date ideas:

Inspirational Wednesday: Scandal of Grace June 5, 2013

Hello dear ones, I heard this song at church tonight and I wanted to share the video with you. Email sub. please come to my blog to see the vid.

God bless & remember the High King lives! ~Amber Dover

Scandal of Grace by Hillsong United

Crafty Monday: Summer Here We Come! Plus More Character Crafts June 3, 2013

In this post: Memorial Day lesson, end of the year party, squirrels, finishing The Hobbit, summer fun begins, & planning for next year. Also Crafts about controlling the tongue.

Hello dear ones! I hope you’re having a great day. We began last week with Memorial Day. In America it is a time to honor the soldiers who have passed. Chris had off of work and had no class. Michael just did his devotions and spelling and had the rest of the day off. My husband is a veteran and he deployed twice to Iraq before he was disabled. I wanted to honor the memory of Chris’ friend Daniel that died in Iraq. So we took a trip to the Veteran’s cemetery and laid yellow flowers on the graves.

I guess you can say it was a Memorial day lesson in Homeschool. I had Michael read the markers to see where the people served and what branch they were in. You can also tell their religion by the symbols on top. After that we said a prayer for soldiers and for Daniel’s family. We talked about how the soldiers died to keep our country free and also how Jesus died to keep us free. On the way home I mentioned that we are soldiers in God’s army. We don’t fight men but rather dark forces. We are to be a light in this world.

Here are our crafts from the week before. We continued our character study and focused on controlling the tongue.

This tongue craft is adorable: http://www.biblesongsandmore.com/2012/07/20/the-tongue/

The happy face has nice things on it’s tongue and the mean face has bad stuff. The tongues can be pulled out and put back into the mouth.

“Like golden apples in silver settings so is a word spoken at the right time.” ~Proverbs 25:11

Here are our golden apples with nice words written on them.

Idea from: http://www.tutusteaparties.com/2012/10/tot-school-fall-apples.html

So this one was just thrown in there. We didn’t even get to the story but Michael has heard it before.  This is the fiery furnace with Meshach, Shadrach, and Abednego in it. I probably just mutilated their names.  There’s also the fourth person in the fire, one like the son of man (Jesus shows up in the old testament too!). If you haven’t heard the story, the 3 guys get thrown in the furnace because they won’t bow to Nebuchadnezzar’s statue. The furnace is so hot it burns the people who open it but when the King looks the 3 guys are unsinged and doing fine. Then he sees a fourth man with them. The context points to this fourth man being God the Son protecting them.

http://bibleschoolteachers.blogspot.com/2010/10/fiery-furnace-craft.html

Math~ So we’ve been learning a bit of multiplication. Michael got really excited when he learned the trick to the 10 times table. He’s started calling himself the multiplication master lol! He even wrote the tables on his own to show off.

Michael finished reading The Hobbit! Go lil buddy! We never got to more Hobbit crafts but Michael did draw this great picture of Smaug.

As a reward for reading the whole book, I got Michael a Hobbit Lego set.

Squirrels…

We’ve got many squirrels in our yard. They invaded Michael’s closet one year and left empty acorns everywhere. So far we haven’t had that this year.  Anywho, so lil man wanted to learn about squirrels.

I got this squirrel fact book on Kindle:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B008G39V12/

We also read Beatrix Potter’s Timmy Tiptoes:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0085G922I/

We watched a squirrel family one day (another fun thing about homeschooling). You can see the critter on Michael’s play set.

Hannah had an extra squirrel craft from Fall. So Michael put it together.

I got a good picture of our little bird, whom I haven’t heard lately :(. He was singing on the boat near our homeschool room window and then we’d see him out the kitchen window when we were at the table. I think I got too spoiled by his music. (Edit: I actually saw him yesterday after I wrote this. I was soooo excited.)

This post is a combo of two weeks. Last week, we didn’t do any crafts. It was a very laid back week. We enjoyed a few free/cheap summer activities.

So this slip n’ slide was just 5 bucks at Family Dollar and it will last at least all Summer.  It’s great for floating toy boats but not a good guinea pig bath. We never tried the mouse on this (she’s anxious enough) but the cat, dog, and guinea pig didn’t like it. I was surprised Tessa (our dog) didn’t like it since she wades in ponds.

So there’s this great Summer bowling program. Two free games a day for kids. We just had to pay for shoe rental. I’m thinking we should buy our own shoes. If you’re in the states you ought to check it out:

https://freebowling.amf.com/

Other bowling companies may be doing this as well.

Our park has a splash pad. It’s all the fun of a water park (almost), for free.

Michael and I homeschool year round but we take breaks here and there. I’m planning on taking a longer break this Summer but learning will be happening without official school. Learning opportunities are everywhere not just in workbooks.

Our homeschool group takes a break for Summer but we still meet sometimes just to hang out. We had our End of the Year party when my sister was here. Jenn and my mom came. I was so happy my sister finally met my buddies.

Hannah and Rachel had the place super snazzy with Summery decor. We all brought BBQ potluck food.

I made my peach cobbler:

Southern Peach Cobbler

From the Odum Community Cookbook (Note: this is not my hometown but not far from it)

by Jeanette Bass (actually it belongs to this lady but I’ve adopted it as my own lol)

Ingredients:

1 cup sugar

1 cup self-rising flour

1 stick butter

1 can peaches (sliced with juice)

3/4 cup of milk

Melt butter in baking dish. Add sugar, milk, and peaches, mix well. Add flour and mix until well blended. Bake in 350 degree oven until top is golden brown. Serve with or without whipped cream; you can also sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar.

A few of us brought old curriculum etc to exchange. I picked up several neat items.

Hannah read a couple Summery books and an extra story that the kiddos begged her to read.

Our group is much bigger than this but not all Mom’s want their kids’ pics online. We did take a big group photo though. Here’s a pic of Hannah’s kiddos (Olivia and Liam) with Michael.

I’m thinking this will be a yearbook picture if I can get my butt out of a rut and actually make one!

Olivia and Maggie (Rachel’s daughter)

So now the time has come to get all of that curriculum together. I’m also planning Summer activities. June is going to be busy with swimming lessons and VBS. So school is going to be very light and will stay that way through mid July. Then Lord willing mid July through the first part of August school will be officially out. Though we will sit on our bums some we will also have some crafty fun so stay tuned!

Pic: Getting ready to organize and plan. You can tell I’m ready by the Dove chocolate on the bed.

Yes, so after many hours and too many chocolates I did get my materials organized and I formulated a plan f0r next year. But still it’s bare bones. I haven’t got to the meat yet. My buddies have there stuff altogether in one (mostly) with Five in a Row curriculum. I looked at Beyond Five in a Row but we already spent a lot of money on what we have. So I think I’m going to take the Five in a Row concept of tying the subjects in together and reading books that go along with it. I’ll let you know what I decided when I get it together. That will be a post within itself.  It’ll be a fun challenge and I’ll get to choose what books I want him to read. I’ve got several in mind :).

God bless & remember the High King lives! ~Amber Dover

PS: When do you start planning your year, homeschoolers? Do you have a particular snack or ritual that goes along with planning?