Gift List #3

Here's list #3! These are gifts that are different, or not so different, but neat altogether. If you haven't done so already check out list #1 and #2.

This is the Specialty Gift Box from Lucero. This has just about a little of everything they offer. Balsamic vinegar, olive oil, dipping oil, and a lemon artichoke tapenade. I bought my Dad the award winning olive oil and the dipping oil for his birthday this past year. He loved it! I make homemade french bread to go with it, and it is DIVINE! This company has tasting rooms in Portland, OR and California. So, if you're close by give 'em a try! They have many other options, but this is my favorite assortment. $65

These my friends, are Baby Proof books. We all know babies and books are not a  great combination. At least if you want to keep your books till the next generation. Plus, these nursery rhymes are classics, and now a days the classics are flying out the window. Perfect price for these six gems! $25

These are absolutely adorable. Ava loves these Finger Puppet Board Book Series! There are plenty of different kinds of animal books as well. They range from $4 to $7. 

I like classic pieces for the most part. But I also think every woman needs statement jewelry. Francesca's has so many delightful pieces that could dress up any outfit. These Barbados Circle Chandelier earrings are dressy but simple and totally cute! And for $22 you can't beat it with a stick!

Have a great Thanksgiving week!

Dannielle

Thankful Pumpkin

For the month of November, we are doing Thanksgiving, thankful, and turkey crafts. This week we did a Thankful Pumpkin. I'm gonna break it down for ya... ;)

What you will need:

2 or 3 orange sheets of construction paper

1 sheet of green construction paper

black washable marker

tape

scissors

Ok, besides this table being scratched to heck and back, see the tape hanging off of it? Be prepared to have plenty of tape on hand in this matter. 

Cut the orange paper into strips (lengthwise). About 1 to 1 1/2 inches long. Start writing "I am thankful for..." and then put what you are thankful for. This was an opportune time to talk about what we are grateful for. I mentioned to Aiden that no matter what we can always be thankful for something. Make sure that your character is free from the love of money, being content with what you have; for He Himself has said, "I will never desert you, nor will I ever forsake you," Hebrews 13:5

Aiden with his thinking cap on...

I wouldn't give Ava scissors, and she is getting at the age where she had got to do whatever Aiden is doing. Here she is practicing with a crayon. That lasted to about 3 mins. He he. 

Okay, here goes... you want the thankful statement to be on the outside. So, you take two strips and put them in a "V." The wideness of the "V" will determine how many strips you will use. As you can see in the next photo, Aiden's "V" was wider. 

Here's the final project! It turned out better than I thought. Mine was starting to fall over to the side so I put an apple in the middle to keep it straight. Aiden's however, is sitting just right. For the vine and leaf, I just freehanded two spirals and two leaves. Cut them out and tape the vine onto each pumpkin. After you have cut out the leaves, roll each one up for just a minute. It makes it look more realistic. 

This was such a great crafting experience for me. Aiden enjoyed it too, but it was nice for me to communicate with him about being thankful. 

A+ for great family fun!

I hope y'all enjoy!

Dannielle

Gift List #2

If you haven't seen the first list, check this out. 

See, I always have a hard time finding cute, fun, enjoyable gifts that my family and friends will like. Yes, it's always easier when they know exactly what they want, but that doesn't seem to happen to me unless they are 15 and under. 

Each week until Christmas I will post a list of gifts and where to get them. 

These are soft slippers from H&M. These are perfect for young boys. Aiden would love these! Winter is always the best time to have slippers, and these are super fun and comfy looking too. $12.95

Ok, first of all, let me just say I love Anthropologie. Their style is just my style. We have the same style, you know what I mean? 

Here is the Polka Pleats Apron. I think it is beautiful. If you cook or know someone who does, y'all need this. They also have it in black and red. $32

This is a total dude gift. How do I know this, you may ask? My husband found it and said he wanted one. It's a Power All. Its name is completely fitting. It powers all. Well, let's just say it powers all small things and some big things, like a vehicle. Great to have for a man, or a young driver, or heck just any driver. I rescind my previous statement. Everyone needs this. Ha. $100

If your child is anything like mine, they would love this. This has some serious learning opportunities and fun for the family. This is definitely on my Christmas list for Aiden this year. I know he will just love it. $12.95

Until next time,

Dannielle

What Do You See?

As a kid, did you ever look up at the clouds and see shapes such as dinosaurs, or dragons walking across the sky? I did. I still do, but not with just clouds. For some reason whether its the ceiling, tile floor, or plywood if I stare at it long enough I can see a picture unfolding. I call it imagination or crazy. I can't figure out which.

This is my ceiling. For some reason it screams the wild west. Ha. I guess it could be anything. I see a small buffalo on the edge of a cliff as if he's about to make a big jump to the cliff in front of him. I see horse-like figures rearing up all over as if it is a big wild western war. 

What do you see? Besides me being certifiable. Ha. 

Maybe I should have drank more coffee ~ Dannielle

An Apple A Day

Courtesy of www.flazingo.com 

Apples are absolutely amazing! Wow, now that was an alliteration. We've all hear the saying, "An apple a day keeps the doctor away." While it is fun to say, it is however, not really true. Gosh, how I wish it was. 

I was on my way to physical therapy yesterday, and like most mornings I drank coffee, and like most mornings, I forgot to eat. Now, I don't mean I forgot to eat like all day till lunch. God no! I love food. But coffee suppresses my appetite, so for about an hour or so after I drink it I am not hungry. I guess I should eat before I drink coffee, but who does that?! Ha. 

As I am getting the kids ready I remember that I need to take ibuprofen before my appointment, so it can do its job during and afterwards. Then, I remember I didn't eat... Ugh. I don't have time for food at this moment! I quickly grab an apple and some dry roasted peanuts. After I drop the kids off and drive on my way to therapy, I start on the apple. I start thinking about all the good things about apples. I then proceed to take a selfie of me eating an apple. Please forgive me....

I promise I am not angry, and I promise I am laughing at myself right now. I hate taking pictures of myself. Period. 

An apple is the perfect on-the-go snack. It is relatively small and super sweet. Unless it is a granny smith apple, which we all know is tart, but is the best for baking!!  

Apples act like a toothbrush. If you're going to eat one, eat it after a meal. 

As you get older, you realize that fiber is your friend. An apple has about 4 to 5 grams of fiber in it. Make sure you eat it with the skin! 

Physicians say a high fiber diet reduces the risk of diabetes, heart disease, and obesity. An apple is just a piece in that puzzle. 

My kids love apples! Aiden especially loves them with peanut butter. I also love them with cheese. Cheese makes everything better! 

There a tons of other benefits to eating apples. Too many to mention. Click here for some more benefits. These are my favorites. Plus, I'm not trying to write an informational essay of the benefits of apples. I'm done with papers. Unless, I go back to college. Which I might. One day. 

Grab an apple and feel good for yourself!

I'm an apple eatin' fool! 
D

Hello November

Courtesy of James Wheeler

By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail.  With each new month comes new tasks.  I always have the best of intentions to get ahead and start things before they HAVE to be done. But to be honest, it doesn't happen as I have planned. So, with that being said, here is a way for us to keep each other accountable! We can do it!

First of all, there are 54 days until Christmas! I love Christmas. I LOVE Christmas. Have I told you I loooooove Christmas? This is the time if you haven't already to get your shopping list together. I mean who, how much, and what kinda stuff. Budgeting isn't fun, but it is a great way to purpose your money. You will know how much you are going to spend and you wont have to freak out December 26th.

Since this is the month of Thanksgiving, you might be doing a lot of cooking. This is a good reminder to check your fire alarm batteries. Test your fire alarm and CO2 monitor! If you're not cooking, be thankful, and test your fire alarm and CO2 monitor!

Our lease renews every December, so I have gotten in the habit of wiping walls and baseboards twice a year. Once, now before the rental management company comes and takes a look at the house to make sure my munchkins haven't destroyed it. The second is six months from now. Magic Eraser gets the job done and done quickly!

Holiday Cards! I do not get my photos professionally done. I love photography, so this is a way I can use my creative streak. Nothing against professionals! Start thinking how, where, what time of day, outfits for the family, and when. You can use Shutterfly or tinyprints. This of course takes more time and effort, but the result is something that is original and ALL yours. You can't beat that with a stick. You just can't.

Happy November y'all!
Dannielle

Little Girl All Grown Up

Ava is now 19 months. She is getting to that point where she is transitioning from an infant to a young girl. With that being said, there are these cute pajamas that are in her size now! See, she's very petite. She is at the bottom of the normal growth chart. She could probably still wear clothes that are 12m but they wouldn't last as long. 

These button down pjs are absolutely precious! When I showed her her new pjs, she said, "Awwwe!" She was excited to put them on knowing that they were different. She ran to the mirror and twisted her torso back and forth staring at herself in the mirror. I had never seen her react that way to clothes. She's definitely all girl. 

In my family, for Christmas Eve, we open one gift. They are pajamas. We usually let the kids open a toy gift as well. I will have the Christmas pajama set for her to wear Christmas Eve. 

I got these at Target. I mean Target is my all-time go-to place for just about everything. If I can't find it there I go to Amazon. I literally don't have any shopping in my town. I have to drive forty-five minutes. Ugh! But... I love the country. 

These are super cute as well! There are other choices in the Target link that I posted up top, but these are my faves. 

Do y'all have any pajama's that y'all love for your little munchkins? 

Happy Halloween Eve!

Dannielle 

The Evolution of a Smile

Don't you just love that stage of a baby when they actually understand the concept of smiling for pictures? I sure do. 

When Aiden was Ava's age, I had to ask to see his teeth for him to smile at me. For about a year or see after that every time he smiled for pictures, he had this huge teethy grin! It's so cute to look back on now.  

Ava on the other hand has taken to picture-takin' quite well. It might be the fact that I've got a huge phone screen, because she loves to look at her picture after it was taken. Back in the good ol' days I used my phone for calling and my camera for taking pictures. 

This is her "I'm happy and it's bright outside," face. 

This is her, "Oh you're taking a picture... of ME," face. 

"Cheese!!!"

I hope y'all have a "cheesy" day! 

I Never Would Have Believed This

Ok, first of all, forgive the mess. Remember, I am still unable to get up and do normal Mommy things like clean. I should be walking without crutches in about one or two days! 

Second of all, here is Ava. Besides the fact that she has the cutest lil' ponytail ever, she is enamored with the TV. This is not some ordinary tv program that rots the brains of adolescents. This my friends is an educational DVD. Some of you may have heard of the DVD series called School House Rock. They have one DVD that is all of them rolled into one! It's the 30th anniversary edition. 

I was introduced to this by a mommy friend. I initially thought this was the best for my son. He enjoys it, but it has become a lifesaver for me with Ava. Ava does not like being in the car for long periods of time, and this has made all the difference.  Let me tell you, it will have your kids singing along, and you'll remember things that you have forgotten as well! 

So, if any of you are looking for tv programs to watch, and that are completely wholesome and educational... this is it! 

By the way, this was ten minutes later...

Let me know what y'all think!

Have a great week ~ D

I Can Walk Again!

Well, sort of ...

I finally went to my post-op appointment. I have been waiting for this day it seems longer than a week and a half. 

He says, I can start putting weight on my leg, but I still have to use my crutches. So that means I still can't hold my babies and walk at the same time. Or hold anything rather. Pooh. 

Starting Monday I can start full weight bearing if I feel comfortable. I think I can! I think I can! 

I met another therapy patient at the physical therapy facility I go to the other day. She had surgery twice on her knee cap because it was moving. Or something like that. She had to be on crutches no weight bearing at all for six weeks! Six weeks! I was only like that for a week and a half. I was about to lose my marbles! I could not even imagine it. Like. Seriously. Six. Weeks. 

I can even get my leg wet! Well, I could get it wet before, just not the stitches. But, I didn't want to take any chance on getting the stitches wet, so I didn't wet my leg at all.... Let that sink in. You do not even want to know how hairy my legs were. I felt the need to profusely apologize for each raunchy hair at my appointment. Thank God razors have been invented. 

So, for the mean time, my little sweetness has to get her hugs and loves in bed, or in a chair, or in a Huffalump's hair (take that Dr. Seuss!)

Bye y'all!

D

The Art of Gift Giving

Giving a gift to someone special is well, special. The gift shows how you may feel about them, and how well you know them. I love to give gifts that are different. I am not always able to give those creative gifts every year, because frankly, I can't find anything or it's too dang expensive. Everyone loves gift cards and money. I still give those kind of gifts too. These gifts aren't expensive, but they are different, and really neat. Yes, I just said neat. Ha.

I found this cute Sideways Initial Necklace on Etsy. There are three different finishes to choose from, and it's only $34! 

                                         

Every woman/girl wants that go-to eye shadow pallet that never fails. Wait no more! This is it. This is Too Faced's Natural Eye Neutral Eye Collection from Sephora. Get this for $38!

I don't drink whiskey, but my husband does. I just think that this is the coolest thing! The Whiskey Ball comes in a one, two, and four pack option. There are also gift options available. The two pack option is only $19.95. 

Everything from this site is magnificent and not to mention beautiful! The prices are great and it will make any mother, grandmother, aunt, sister, or friend feel special. This candle is $30 and would pair nicely with a hot bath and LolliaLife.com bath bubbles.

Happy shopping!

Like Daddy Like Daughter

As much as it stinks being stuck in my bed or my reclining yard chair. I am so grateful to know that my kids are taken care of. Hubby has exceeded expectations for this last week that he's helped with everything.

To be honest I was a little excited about not having to run to every cry and need. Us mothers need our time to ourselves every now and then, whether it's from a getaway weekend or surgery. With this time of me not being available, Ava has really taken to him which is just what we all needed.

With Jeremy being gone every two weeks for two weeks this time has allowed her to really get to know her daddy and only her daddy. He would bring her into the room and lower her down so I could give her a kiss and she would start to fuss. That might hurt some mom's feelings, but not me. That child has been attached to my hip for the past one and a half years. Not to mention growing inside of me for nine months. I love her to pieces don't get me wrong. It was nice to see that attention focused elsewhere.
                                             

Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. <3

What's Been Going On

The worst is over. Surgery is done, and now recovery and healing is the road in front of me.

It all started 6 years ago. I was playing co-ed softball with the church I was attending. My brain thinks I'm athletic, however, my body does not. I struck the softball (which by the way is not soft as I'm sure many of y'all know) and as I rounded first base I split secondly decided to slide into second base. Now let me tell you, I've never learned how to slide nor had I done it before, but alas! I was successful. I was safe!! As I mentally patted myself on the back, another batter struck the ball and I was off to third base.  Again, I thought that I could try sliding again since it worked so well the first time. Wrong!!! As I tried to slide, I ended up basically just falling on my left leg and heard a huge pop. Super painful! I didn't have any insurance at the time, so I just crutched around for a while until I could walk on it again.

All this time my leg has been popping in and out. Finally, about a month ago my leg popped out for the last time. It would not pop back in, so to the doctor I went.

Last Monday I had ACL reconstruction surgery. I was so nervous for the surgery. I had never been put under anesthesia before. But surgery came and went without fail. Thank God! I even entertained the thought of writing goodbye letters to my family! Crazy I know.

This is after and before picture.

And let me tell you that the two days after the surgery were the worst! Way worse than I expected. Crying, throwing up, and severe pain was the basis of my first two days post op. I was told the each day would get better and better, and yes it does.

In my reclining yard chair haha ~ D

2014 - 2015 2nd Grade Curriculum Tried And Tested

Yes, it's been forever since my last homeschool post.Please forgive me! We've decided to do year-round school, and so far we are on day 56. We officially started June 9th. I strive for a 4 day school week, but since we took time off to go out of state with Hubby a couple of times we are going to do 5 day school weeks for a couple of weeks. My plan is to take off sometime around the holidays, and then one week a month after the first of the year.

Needless to say, I feel like I am just now getting the swing of things. It's definitely a work in progress. We have had some time to go through the curriculum now. Some of it I kept and some of it I didn't.

As I mentioned in the last post I didn't have a curriculum for History/Geography/Social Studies. I found this The Story of the World.

Pros:

It mentions reading material that some has been available through my local library.

It gives questions to ask throughout each chapter to make sure your little one is comprehending the material.

It also has hands on projects to do with each chapter. Aiden loves hands on projects. What kid doesn't?!

The price isn't too bad. Together for both activity book and chapter book is a little over $30.

Cons:

There are no tests or worksheets that test their knowledge.

There really aren't any pictures in the chapter. It would be nice if Aiden could see some images to reinforce the reading.

Overall Grade: B

For English we use Abeka. Right now I only found the need for Language 2 and Spelling and Poetry 2 books.

               

Pros: The worksheets are great. They are fun to look at, and also are full of learning!

Overall Grade: A

For Math we use the Arithmetic 2 and Tests and Speed Drills from Abeka.

            

Pros: The worksheets just like the English ones are also engaging.

The math seems to be very well spaced out. Not too much information at once. It kinda dabbles in a topic and then backs off. This allows me to find supportive information and other worksheets on sites like TeachersPayTeachers.com and KhanAcademy.org

Overall Grade: A

For science we are using Apologia. There are different categories of science in the Apologia textbooks. We started with Exploration of Creation with Astronomy and the Notebook Journal.

            

Pros: I really like having a journal assignment book that goes along with the text.

There are awesome projects to do. Aiden has loved them all.

There's not too much reading material. Doing a chapter a week is definitely doable, depending on the pace you are at.

There's a reading plan to go by if you choose. It tells you what day to do what to make sure you coursework is even each time.

Cons: I don't completely believe everything that the author believes. I just simply skip those parts.

Those are the texts that we have in our curriculum. As I've mentioned before, I use other sites to supplement his teaching.

Overal Grade: B

Here are the sites that I use:

Hubpages.com

Spellingcity.com

Havefunteaching.com

Allinonehomeschool.com

Funbrain.com

Kids National Geographic

PBS Parents

If y'all have any that are worth mentioning please let me know! We're always looking out for different sites to learn from!

Hope y'all had a great weekend!

Watching Harry Potter for the umpteenth time (not by choice, but rather lack of choices) ~ D