A Mommy Talks

Weekly Wrap Up

2012-01-20T10:22:00.001-05:00

I’ve gotten out of the habit of writing about our school time this year. I’m just terrible at taking pictures while we are doing it. But I managed to take a few pictures this week during our reading time and thought I would share.

Language Arts

The boy and I have been working on his reading. Currently we are using Hooked on Phonics because we picked it up real cheap a couple of years ago because it was out dated. It was like $30 for 3 kits (K, 1st, and 2nd). My husband said we had to use it before I can buy any new reading curriculum. (I’ve got my eye on All About Reading.)

Anyway, getting off track a bit. So, in the picture above the boy is circling words that rhyme with mat. However, since I know that I want to sell this kit when we’re done with it, I just slipped a sheet cover over the worksheet page and gave him a dry eraser pen. It works like a charm!

We’ve also used our Education Cubes and inserts to practice reading words. (I recently won a membership through a giveaway!!) We used some of the ‘a’ word family cards and the letter cards. The boy would roll the two dice and read the word. Then we would talk about if it was a real word or nonsense word.

On this particular day, we were stuck indoors due to storms. So, to get the boy moving I decided to have him roll the dice down the stairs, go down read the word and then come back up. It was a great way for him to use up some energy. (You can visit the Show & Tell to get and share more Education Cube ideas!)

So, that was just a little taste of our week. How did your week go?

We’re linking up to: Preschool Corner and Weekly Wrap-Up.

Tiny Talk- Growing

2012-01-17T16:13:00.001-05:00

This is a one of my frequent conversations with the boy as of late:

“Seriously, you need to stop!”

“Stop what?”

“Growing. I want you to stay my baby forever.”

“No, I’m going to grow up to be like Daddy.”

There’s no way I would even try to talk him out of such a sweet goal.

Awake

2012-01-13T22:25:00.001-05:00

Awake. Today I woke up to life full of distractions. Today I stayed busy and never once thought of what today would have been. Today I walked through tasks, lessons and prayers, but deep down I wasn’t awake. Deep down my soul slept. Slept because if I wasn’t numb today I may have to experience more than I wanted to. But, now as the day turns to evening I am waking up. Waking up to the thought that today, today would be the day, a day of excitement and joy. Today if calendars were correct and timing was right. Today we could have been in pain, but a joyous pain. Instead I wake up today to the truth. The fact that on this day I don’t have the baby that we had prayed for. The baby that was conceived last May. Instead, I will have to wait to see her precious face. Today I don’t want to be awake.

This Cleansing Storm

2012-01-12T16:47:00.001-05:00

Swirling. Blowing.

Thick and bright.

The earth slowly

becoming a field of white.

In the stillness, in the calm

Safe and warm.

I watch it fall

this cleansing storm.

Quietly. Becoming

White and New.

Reminded of a man

who died for me and you.

A Better Ending

2012-01-11T20:55:00.000-05:00

2011 was a crazy year for our family. It was definitely one of those years that you are glad is over. Honestly, the first half could have been ok, but then came April. We were hit with things from every side. And just when it seem to ease up, we were knocked back down. It wasn’t until mid-November that we started to see a light at the end of the tunnel.

We didn’t let 2011 get the better of us, a matter of fact we saved the best for last. We ended that crazy year with some wonderful family moments that we won’t forget. The biggest was our family vacation to Walt Disney World.

It was a whirlwind trip. We spent 5 days on the Disney Resort and we visited every theme park. The boy was just the right height to ride most of the rides and the perfect age to meet the characters.

Unfortunately, he’s not a fan of the dark. So, we had to talk him through several rides the first time…and I mean the tame ones. Such as, Finding Nemo at Epcot.

Now, roller coasters that was a different story. Two of his favorite all times rides were found at Magic Kingdom. He rode Big Thunder Mountain Railway and Splash Mountain several times. I unfortunately got stuck in the front and had to walk around like this all morning…

Good thing the weather was nice.

It was such a blessing to end 2011 with this family vacation. I couldn’t have asked for a better ending.

If I learned anything last year, it is to count your blessings. Hold on to the good. It gets you through the rough patches.

1st Goal of the New Year- Done!

2012-01-04T08:11:00.000-05:00

It seems every year I go back and forth on whether or not I will be setting any resolutions. I rarely stick to them, so why set myself up for failure. Last year my goal was to read a book a month. And read I did. I think the reason I had success was it was doable, wasn’t extreme. Baby steps. So, this year one of our family goals was to pray more specifically for the people in our lives. I wanted our family to be set up to succeed in this area and I knew just what to do.

Thanks to a little inspiration from a friend, whom was inspired by none other than Pinterest, we created our very own Prayer Jar on New Year’s Eve. I made it real simple. I grabbed one of my mason jars and some tongue depressors and our family got to work. Later on I plan to dress it up a bit with some paint or ribbon. (Side Note: I’ve also seen a Prayer Pail on Pinterest. And just an FYI there are a lot of cute pails in the Target $ spot this week. I’m just saying.)

Ok, back to our Prayer Jar. Each tongue depressor has the name of family and friends we want to pray for. Plus, we also included neighbors, our nation’s leaders, co-workers and even church leaders.

Every evening before putting the boy to bed, we pull out two sticks and we pray for those listed. The boy loves it. We are only 4 days into the New Year and I feel great about meeting our goal.

Did you make any New Year’s resolutions? How are you setting yourself up to succeed?

2011 Blog Recap

2011-12-29T14:52:00.001-05:00

Ok so, Musings of a Housewife host a Blog Recap Carnival every year. I participated in it last year, but I don’t think I will this year. See, you’re suppose to share the first posts you write each month. Well, my first post aren’t always as fun as some others, so I thought I would share the favorite post of each month. I’m basing it off of how many views the actual blog post receive according to blogger stats.

January Potty Training- The Day I Lost it!: STOP MOVING! I was hot and getting hotter with every squirm.

For real. This was probably the lowest day in our potty training adventures.

February Dr. Seuss: I wanted to share what we started working on, just in case you need some ideas for celebrating Read Across America and Dr. Seuss’ b-day next week.

We had fun doing some wacky activities.

March Zoo Fun: This week we had a lot of fun with our zoo unit. The boy loves animals. So, he was very excited to see the new activities for this week.

April Handwriting, Counting & Eggs: This week I didn’t plan anything except our daily resurrection egg’s lesson and activities.

I know this one got the most views, but I think Praying for Worms was my favorite for the month.

May Finally Planted: We were so excited to finally get our garden planted this month!

Our very first garden was such a success. We are still using our canned tomatoes!

June Tiny Talk- Short or Long: While we were in the car the other day, I asked the boy if he liked my hair short or long.

July The Boy Does Portraits: While many artists preferred medium is paint and canvas our son opts for magnet and metal shavings.

We have one silly boy.

August My Crazy Life- Celebrations: Goodness, it has been a few months since I last wrote about the craziness that was taking place in my life last April & May.

September Ok, so September was a bad month. I was pretty absent on the whole blog. Actually, my posts started to thin out in May. So, the only posts I ended up doing in Sept were book reviews and giveaways. Here’s the ones I read: God Gave Us You, Raising a Boy and Llama Llama Home with Mama.

October What Are You Waiting For: Maybe this is a question some of you have been wondering since I started writing My Crazy Life posts in May.

November Best Way to Spread Christmas Cheer: is to walk around in Operation Christmas Child shoe boxes! And that is just what me and 100 or so others did Thursday in OCC’s Shoe Box Blitz.

I had such an awesome time participating in the Shoe Box Blitz. Did you know that you still have time to build a box. You have until the 31st of this month. So, don’t miss out on blessing a child this year.

December Christmas Ornaments 2011: I was going to participate in Jolanthe’s Christmas Ornament Show & Tell last year, but I just never got around to it. But this year, I’m not going to miss out..

So, those were the 12. The top post of each month. Its fun to see which ones were the most read.

What were your top 12?

Live Free this New Year

2011-12-27T08:07:00.000-05:00

Whoa! Did you see it? Did you hear it? Can you believe it? Did 2011 even happen? Where did this year go? Did it go by as fast for you as it did for me?

With the year quickly coming to an end, many of us will start to look back. Did we reach the goals we had set? Did we use the precious time that God gave us wisely? Many of us might be starting to think about those “dreaded resolutions” that are encroaching upon us.

Or is it just me?

My year has been crazy and my time management wasn’t what I wanted it to be. Oh, I started off with good intentions, but as the year flew by and my crazy life took over my time management seemed to go by the wayside. So, I want to get a jump on it for next year. I want to start off 2012 WITH the bang.

To help get me back on track I will be re-visiting one of my favorite e-books, Tell Your Time by Amy Lynn Andrews.

I’m going to be re-evaluating, setting new goals and adjusting my time budget. I hope to have it done by New Year’s eve. Like I said I want to start of 2012 with the bang.

If you don’t have this book yet. Go grab it! It’s a quick read and worth every penny. Read my original review if you’d like to know more.

Born to Die

2011-12-25T08:00:00.000-05:00

Praising God for His son, who was born to die, to bring us life.

Merry & Bright

2011-12-24T08:00:00.000-05:00

This song says it all.

Our Christmas card was a compliment of:

Dazzle And Shine Christmas 5x7 folded card

Make a statement with custom Christmas cards at Shutterfly.

View the entire collection of cards.

Gingerbread Fun

2011-12-21T09:33:00.001-05:00

This week we’ve been enjoying some activities that are quickly becoming traditions.

Linking up to Go Graham Go.

Tiny Talk: Probably Human

2011-12-13T07:23:00.000-05:00

This weekend at dinner the boy says to me, "Mom you're a woman, and you're probably a human."

Not sure where that leaves me, never pictured myself as a Stepford wife.

I’m linking up to: Tiny Talk Tuesday.

Sale Today Only: TRUTH in the TINSEL

2011-12-12T00:00:00.000-05:00

I have some exciting news for you!! Truth in the Tinsel is running a "12 Days TIL Christmas" sale for 20% off the book PLUS a free 12 day alternate schedule featuring the best 12 crafts!!! (A link will be included in the download.) It will be 24 hours only with code 12DAYS.

So, its not too late! For those of you who didn’t have time to get everything ready or you just weren’t able to start on Dec 1st (like me), now is the time to jump in! Get your Truth in the Tinsel today!

Need More?

Check out my review post.
Get a free day just by spreading the word.

Don’t Miss Out:

BUY IT! 20% off regularly price of $4.99 with the code 12DAYS! Today only! (12/12/11)
PARTICIPATE. Join other families as they go through the book by sharing your experiences on the Truth in the Tinsel Facebook page.

Disclosure: I am an affiliate, so if you purchase anything through an affiliate link, you give back a percentage to our family…so thank you!

Christmas Ornaments 2011

2011-12-08T10:47:00.001-05:00

I was going to participate in Jolanthe’s Christmas Ornament Show & Tell last year, but I just never got around to it. But this year, I’m not going to miss out.

Plus, this post will actually be a two in one! If you’ve been wondering why I haven’t posted in a while, well you are about to find out.

You see we’ve added a couple new ornaments to our tree this year and they will be packed full of memories every time we pull them out. Can you guess where we’ve been?

Yep. We recently returned from our family vacation at Walt Disney World! The ornament with Goofy was a gift to Lil’man from my mom to help him remember this special trip. The other ornament we picked up as our souvenir. The boy was the perfect age to enjoy most of the rides and still have the excitement of seeing all the characters. We had a blast! I’ll be posting about our week long trip soon.

Since I am sharing Walt Disney World ornaments, I thought I would also share one more.

This one was another souvenir we picked up. My husband and I honeymooned in Florida and one of the days we drove to the Magic Kingdom. The hubs had never been there before, so I was so excited to show him around. Of course, I’ve never been to Disney World, but being a Californian native I was very familiar with Disneyland. And the Magic Kingdom and Disneyland are pretty similar.

I love pulling out these ornaments and reminiscing on trips and all the memories that come with them.

Thanks Jolanthe for hosting the link up!

Why Do We Call it Christmas?

2011-11-25T15:15:00.001-05:00

I recently received Buck Denver asks…Why Do We Call It Christmas? DVD from What's in the Bible? to do a honest review.

About the DVD

With humor and tact Buck Denver and his puppet pals cover everything from cutting down trees, hanging stockings, Santa Claus and what these have to do with Jesus' birthday.

Run Time: approx. 60 minutes

You can purchase it for $12.99 (normally $14.99). However, right now they are having a huge deal. You can get Volumes 1-5 of Buck Denver Asks...What's in the Bible? plus the Christmas special for just $37.95 plus shipping & processing. (That's nearly 50% off regular prices.)

Here’s a little promo for it.

(In a reader? Don't miss out on the video, head over to the post.)

Ok, now what you all have been waiting for…here are my thoughts about Why Do We Call It Christmas?

Plus(es):

Funny – The silly characters appeal to most every child. The silly things the characters say appeal to the child within the parents. This is a children’s DVD that even the parents can enjoy.
Informative – I wasn’t even aware of the origins of some of our most cherished Christmas traditions. It was fascinating to hear the story behind Christmas as we know it.
Focused – While much ground is covered in the 50+ minute video the host, Phil Vischer, wraps it all up by saying that many of the traditions we hold dear point back to Jesus. They may seem silly when you think about it (hanging socks on a fireplace, putting a giant tree in your living room, etc.) but in some way each tradition tells a part of the Christmas story.

Wish(es):

Maybe more songs– I don’t think my 4 year old son enjoyed this Buck Denver video as much as What’s in the Bible?: Part 1. It didn’t seem to have as many songs, which is what appeals to him the most.

In the end I recommend this DVD for every family. It will balance out your Christmas DVD collection by doing an excellent job of putting the focus back on Jesus.

A Mommy Talks Review Disclosure: The featured product for this review was provided to me, at no cost, by What's in the Bible? All opinions expressed are my own. I am an affiliate, so if you purchase anything through an affiliate link, you give back a percentage to our family…thanks!

Truth in the Tinsel

2011-11-24T14:46:00.000-05:00

Are you looking for a fun way to count down to Christmas with your kiddo? Do you want to impress on them the true meaning of Christmas at the same time? Then Truth in the Tinsel is for you!!

I am so excited to introduce you to this book. You see it was written by my new IRL (in real life) friend Amanda. She was one of the bloggers that attending Operation Christmas Child Shoebox Blitz in New York City with me.

Well, while we were there she was telling me all about her e-book. And I am so glad she did! I got a sneak peak and I can’t wait to dive into it Dec 1st.

Here’s what you’ll find in it:

24 days of step by step mini lessons leading up to Christmas, which includes:

the clue
the scripture
the ornament
the talk
and more (section of additional ideas).

It reminds me a lot of the way Resurrection Eggs are set up, except with a craft to go along.

My favorite parts:

Ok, well I like all of it but if I had to chose my top 3 things that I love about her book it would be:

“The Talk” is short but packed full of truth that will be easy for my son to understand.
Love the “More” section. Each day has a different task like reading up more on angels, acting out the bible stories, singing, doing something for others, and more!
Finally, Amanda provides a few alternative schedules for those of us that might not be able to devote 24 straight days to it.

Don’t Miss Out:

BUY IT! Since tomorrow is Black Friday, Amanda is selling her e-book for only $2.99! (Regularly $4.99.) You can’t beat that price, so get it now!!
PARTICIPATE. Join other families as they go through the book by sharing your experiences on the Truth in the Tinsel Facebook page.

I highly recommend Truth in the Tinsel to help impress the true meaning of Christmas on your kiddo this advent season.

A Mommy Talks Disclosure: The featured product for this review was provided to me, at no cost by my friend Amanda. All opinions expressed are my own. I am an affiliate, so if you purchase anything through an affiliate link, you give back a percentage to our family…thanks!

Ran out of time?

2011-11-22T20:38:00.001-05:00

Don’t fret. You still have time to virtually pack an Operation Christmas Child Shoe Box!

OCC officially launched Build-A-Box today. This website will give you a chance to fill your box online. It is so simple. Just head over to Build-A-Box to select from their list of gifts. For just $35 you’ll get to customize your shoe box by selecting the age, gender, items you’d like to include and you can even personalize it with a letter and photo! How awesome is that!!!

Don’t have time to “online shop?” No worries, you can just donate $35 through OCC’s Send-A-Box.

So, what are you waiting for? Head over and customize a box now.

5 Minute Friday: Grow

2011-11-18T10:49:00.001-05:00

Grow. A word that I used to wish on. A word that always seem to take forever. When was I going to grow? I so wanted time to move faster. Even now when it relates to me, I can’t seem to grow fast enough. My growth in my walk with God, my growth in my parenting skills.

Really I’ve twisted the word, when I apply it to myself.

But when I think about the word in terms of others it takes on a whole new meaning.

Grow isn’t the final goal it is the process. It isn’t the future, it’s the present.

I learned about 5 Minute Friday, while attending the Relevant Conference from my now IRL friend Jodi, from Granola Mom 4 God. I loved the idea of it, so I thought I would give it a try.

If you’d like to learn more about it make sure to click the image above.

Pick and Draw {Review}

2011-11-14T20:44:00.001-05:00

My family had a blast playing Pick and Draw, the “one-of-a-kind drawing game that teaches you how to make very creative cartoon faces.” We pulled it out recently and played together as a family. We were entertained for a good hour and laughing until our sides hurt.

A Little Info About Pick and Draw...

It is a deck of cards.
The game uses mainly simple shapes to guide you through drawing a unique character face.
It can be played by one person or by any group number.
Comes in a hard case and includes a sheet of character questions.

It just cost $10. Although, for November and December, they are offering a special discount. Buy the first game at regular price ($10) and every game after that is only $8. Can you say STOCKING STUFFER!!

So, here is my honest opinion of the game.

Plus(es):

Easy to Use – My son could, at just nearly four years old, draw a character following the simple shapes step-by-step. Sure the faces looked a bit rough, but it was super easy. (Give it a try online.)
Keeps Child’s & Adult’s Interest – My son enjoyed the game, even though he struggles with drawing the actual shapes. It also helped instill some confidence in him. My husband and I also enjoyed creating our characters.

Wish(es):

More Character Questions. We took the game in our own direction and made up a story about our characters popcorn style. But we thought it would be fun to have a stack of question cards that you could pick from that kept the creativity going. “What’s your character’s favorite vacation spot?” “What does your character do for a living?” The possibilities are endless.

Overall, this is a quality game that kids and adults will enjoy! It works great for a family night activity. To top it off the price is right. I highly recommend adding Pick and Draw to your family’s game collection.

A Mommy Talks Review Disclosure: The featured product for this review was provided to me at no cost, by Pick and Draw for the sole purpose of product testing. I do not accept monetary compensation for reviewing or writing about products. All opinions expressed are my own.

Christmas Gifts for Him

2011-11-13T15:11:00.001-05:00

I just scored a great deal from Shop at Home for my man! If you haven’t visited this site yet, this is the season to check it out! I recently just discovered it and have found great deals that were easy on the pocket book.

Here’s what I purchased today.

Actual cost before coupons/tax: $100
Savings: $80.80 (100%)
Cash Back: $1.83 (9%)
Out of Pocket: $18.53

How I did it:

Here’s how to get two St. John’s Bay Men’s Sweaters for $19.20 (tax excluded) shipped, plus 9% cash back:

Click on the Shop Now button on the JCPenney Page on ShopAtHome.
Search for “St. John’s Bay Men’s Sweaters”. It should pull up a couple pages and sort by price.
Add two sweaters priced at $12.00 to your cart and go to checkout.
Use coupon code VIPWIN (EXP: 11/14/2011) to get 20% discount on everything online.
Shipping is free to your local store (it doesn’t show up as free until you’re on the final page of checkout).
Your total should be $19.20 plus any applicable tax.
Within 30-60 days, you will receive 9% cash back in your ShopAtHome account.

Special thanks to Money Saving Mom!

The Best Way to Spread Christmas Cheer…

2011-11-11T15:17:00.000-05:00

is to walk around in Operation Christmas Child shoe boxes! And that is just what me and 100 or so others did Thursday in OCC’s Shoe Box Blitz.

(In a reader? Don't miss out on the video, head over to the post.)

Our goal was to spread the word about Operation Christmas Child National Collection Week, which is November 14th-21st.

I ventured out with Jessica from Clip with a Purpose and Molly. Check out where we visited.

This year Operation Christmas Child’s goal is to reach out to 8.5 million needy kids. You can help spread the Christmas Cheer by packing your very own shoe box. Here’s a few links to get you started:

Have you ever packed a shoe box? What were your favorite items to include?

A Mommy Talks Disclosure: I won a trip to NYC to help promote Operation Christmas Child, as a member of their blogger panel. OCC did cover all my expenses to participate in the trip, but ALL opinions expressed are my own and I am honored to endorse this cause.

Operation Christmas Child Takes New York City

2011-11-10T08:00:00.001-05:00

Today, I am volunteering with Operation Christmas Child to blanket Manhattan and ask people to help give joy to 8.5 million needy children this Christmas.

If you live here and see one of us, stop and say hello! If you don’t live in the area you can still follow along, just visit ShoeBoxBlitz.com and “LIKE” Operation Christmas Child on Facebook! You’ll be able to see all the places we’ve been, fun pictures and even videos!

My Crazy Life Take 2!

2011-11-08T08:17:00.000-05:00

I know you’ve heard this line before, but I’m about to say it again! The last couple of weeks have been CRAZY at my house!! I’ve been on the go since the last weekend in October! Here is a peak at what has been keeping me so busy.

Wednesday Oct 28th, I headed to The Relevant Conference. AMAZING!! (More on that later.) I returned home on 30th.
Monday the 31st I received the following direct message:

To which I responded…

Yep. I never win anything, so I totally didn’t pay attention when I entered to win a trip to New York City for a special event with Operation Christmas Child.

Seriously, still can’t believe it. Somebody pinch me!

More details to come, so stay tuned to learn more about this special event.

Save 50% on What’s In the Bible!

2011-11-07T07:30:00.001-05:00

I had to share this great deal with you! We love What’s In the Bible! Right now they are having a huge Christmas deal, where you can purchase the first set of 6 DVD’s for $37.95, which is 50% OFF their retail price!!!! They usually run about $12 each!! This is an amazing deal!

These DVD’s are the real deal mommies. With humor and tact Buck Denver and his puppet pals cover everything from why each book of the Bible was chosen, to subjects like idol worship, original sin, and ceremonial law. These are topics I didn’t learn about until I was an adult! Some of you still may be learning them! The fun thing is you will learn right along with your kiddo.

Here’s a little more info from the creator himself:

Grab this deal while its hot! It is sure to be a favorite among the Christmas gifts!

I did not receive this product to review, but wanted to share it because we love it. Please note, that I am an affiliate with What’s in the Bible.

Times Like These

2011-11-02T13:12:00.001-04:00

Today I come to you for prayer. Not for me, but for my family. You see, yesterday my cousin was in an horrible accident that took his life. He left behind a wife that has just overcome breast cancer. He left behind 4 kids, ages 7 and younger. He left behind a mother, his brother and his sister. He left behind his extended family. He left behind his students and his athletes. He left us all behind, but he will not be forgotten.

So, today I am thankful that I can reach out to you, my blogging readers to join with me and pray. Pray for my cousin’s wife and their kiddos. Help me call out to our Lord to provide them comfort and peace.

I’ve closed the comments.