Brighton Park

Summer Camps, restaurant choices, and a little adventure...

2013-04-14T21:04:00.000-07:00

In my life this week…
I have the girls' bathroom remodel done except for making curtains for the two open spaces below the vanity. I'm amazed how good the bathroom cabinets turned out by priming and repainting them which was so much more economical than replacing them.

The wanted a Paris themed bathroom...Here's a sneak peek...still adding finishing touches, like photos for the frames...

After doing blogging "lite" during this busy tax season, I am now feeling rather recharged and inspired again!And, I've decided I need to go back to a blogging schedule. The goal is every week, one homemaking or homesteading post, one homeschooling post, and the rest be ones you will (hopefully) love!

In our homeschool this week…
Mr. Darcy is a CPA and we own our own accounting business so this week is always "homeschool lite" on our calendar. But even if it wasn't countdown to tax day, we would be on homeschool lite so that the kids can take advantage of the gorgeous Spring weather we have been having, which is usually short in duration. We homeschool year round; lots of time to do table work this summer when it is 115 outside. Not to say we haven't been learning...The boys started a new level on Religion books from Catholic Heritage this week, and my eldest daughter finished up 3rd grade Language Arts!

Helpful homeschooling tips or advice to share…
Now is the time to investigate and inquire about summer camps for your kids! Some start registration as early as February and can fill up quickly. This summer, our daughters are doing a Science camp held at our local library, a music theatre camp, and vacation bible school. If you have special needs kids, don't assume you can't find anything for them! I was surprised (and delighted) to learn that while there isn't a camp available for them this summer, one of our local recreation centers IS now doing a biweekly social night for teenagers and young adults with special needs. I was able to sign up my boys for the first one in May, a bingo night (and these are free!).

Places we’re going and people we’re seeing…
Don't hate me, but I leave for Hawaii this week :-) A gift from my husband to me and my two eldest daughters (ages 6 and 8). Nothing says quality mom/daughter time like a week of R and R in Maui. My Mr. Darcy is such a keeper.

My favorite thing this week was…
Getting to Monday noon mass this week. Seriously, I am just loving these noon masses at our Parish. And when I feel like I am to busy to get to a noon time mass, that's when I know I probably need to make time for two and not one :-)

My kiddos favorite thing this week was…
The caterpillar in the backyard made a chrysalis.

Things I’m working on…
Organizing. We normally don't have TV, but its NBA season so we get it turned back on for Mr. Darcy. I happened across an episode of hoarders this week and the next day had an overwhelming urge to clean (and clean out) our walk in pantry from top to bottom. Funny how motivating that show is...on an aside, our pantry looks amazing.

I’m cooking…
I'm a vegan so I cook a lot of meals where there is a meat entrée for my family and a vegan alternative for me. My new favorite cookbook love is the new cookbook by Gwyneth Paltrow, It's All Good: Delicious, Easy Recipes That Will Make You Look Good and Feel Great. Seriously, besides being one of the most gorgeous cookbooks I've ever looked at, so far, the recipes I've tried out of there have been amazing (several were, just by chance, vegan or vegetarian) and all utilize whole food cooking. If you aren't a Paltrow fan, don't bother, but if you are, it is a must have item. It just came out two weeks ago and already I have purchased it three times, once for myself and two others for gifts!

I’m grateful for…
How much progress our boys with special needs (age almost 13) have made this past year. If you are a special needs parent, remember...it's a journey, not a sprint and just because something hasn't happened yet, doesn't mean it can't or won't happen.

I’m praying for…
A safe week of travels for me and the girls.

I rewarded my kids this week by…
I took the boys on an outing this week. We went to the bookstore and out to lunch. I let them pick the restaurant. They picked Denny's. I then made a mental note to myself to give them choices to pick between the next time.

A photo, video, link, or quote to share (silly, serious or both!)…
With this beautiful spring weather, our chickens have been laying eggs like crazy...

This post is linked up with ihomeschoolnetwork and their weekly link up: The homeschool mother's journal.

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HOMESCHOOL: The Face of Homeschooling Interview

2013-04-01T11:01:00.002-07:00

So, I decided to not blog about homeschool anymore and within a week, I literally got featured three places for homeschool articles, received a few emails about how much the homeschool information I had shared had helped, and was asked to do an interview...about homeschooling.

I think God was trying to tell me something.

So, I will continue the broad scope we have at Brighton Park for now, but with a new updated page bar across the top so what you are specifically looking for is easier to find!

Today, I am being featured over at THE HOLISTIC HOMESCHOOLER and her series "The Face of Homeschooling". I would love for you to follow this link and leave a comment over there.

(And she included a photo of my Mr. Darcy teaching a homeschool lesson to the kids over in her interview...in case you're curious!)

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Scripture Sunday: Easter Traditions that bear fruit

2013-03-31T08:59:00.002-07:00

I have always loved Easter. When I was a little girl, it was one of two days a year my Dad would accompany me to church and that made it so special. Through my teens, my role in my church grew and I was a soloist. Easter was always a big finale to some song I had practiced the entire month before. This whole week, just like muscle memory but with words, those lyrics have all flooded back and I've found myself singing everything from Rise Again to He's Alive while I did dishes, tied little ones' shoes, and folded laundry.

We do the Easter Bunny in our house, but he takes a distant second in our family traditions. Yes, he left chocolate bunnies on the table this morning for the kids and we will do an egg hunt in the yard later, but our main traditions include Lenten Activity Books , Reading stories about Easter, Making Resurrection Gardens (see ours above), and attending Mass together. How wonderful to teach my children the story that Jesus couldn't stand the thought of eternity without us, so he died for us. How wonderful to tell them this story ends with an empty tomb.

Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die.~ John 11:25-26.

Have a beautiful and blessed Easter, whatever your traditions may be.

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Homeschool: Using one activity (coloring eggs) for multiple subjects

2013-03-28T17:49:00.000-07:00

Welcome to Brighton Park and another week of Tender Moments with Toddlers and Preschoolers.

Be sure to school down to the bottom of this post and add your own toddler or preschool themed posts to the linky. This link up is cohosted by myself and three other blogs, so link up once...get seen on 4 sites!

USING ONE ACTIVITY (like coloring eggs) FOR MULTIPLE SUBJECTS

Some of  last year's Easter Egg bounty...

With five little ones loving to color eggs, we usually do a couple of different batches over a couple days period, coloring about 7 dozen eggs total. Forget the egg dippers that come with the kits, regular table spoons work great for putting the eggs in and out OR if you have really little toddlers, preschoolers, or kids with fine motor issues....use a WHISK to color eggs.  So much more maneuverable...less frustration for them, less mess for you...

Coloring eggs, while being a great Easter activity, also worked in nicely with so many subjects/units! Check it out...

Science: Do a unit on animals that lay eggs. This was a great end of the week activity for that unit.

Art: It was also a good supplement to the art lesson of the previous week, which was mixing primary colors (red + blue=purple, etc).
This came in handy since Tim's favorite color is purple and there was no purple. My 6 year old daughter was so proud to know a way to help her brother get the colored egg he most desired.

Math: talking about our favorite way we like our eggs prepared and then making a graph of our families' preferences. How many items in a dozen? a bakers dozen? Also, counting the eggs colored.

Life Skills: white vs. yolk, breaking and separating eggs.

TIP: Most activities can be incorporated into several different subjects. For both typical kids and kids with special needs this is beneficial as it helps them see the same thing in different ways and learn different skills across different subjects. Be creative and feel good in the fact that activities need not be expensive or complicated to be beneficial and fun!

My "boss"; Easter Egg hunt last year.

And now its time for you to link up! Now it's your turn to link up! Tender Moments with Toddlers and Preschoolers is a link-up co-hosted by FOUR blogs! So when you link up, your post is viewable on the following four wonderful sites. I highly recommend you follow my amazing co-hosts (you're following my blog already, right? *smile*), because they are wonderful resource and fabulous ladies!

www.teachersofgoodthings.com
www.forthisseason.com
www.brightonparkblog.com
www.teachingmama.org

If you blog about Toddlers & Preschoolers and would like to add your post that include: training tips, crafts, hands-on learning, activities, parenting, devotionals, homeschool, toddler approved recipes and such, please link back to this post, by using a text link or posting a button in your side bar. By linking back, you increase the SEO of your post (and ours).

You can also participate in this weekly linkup, by commenting and sharing your thoughts on the post here. Don’t forget to ‘Pin’ what you like. We all would love to hear from other bloggers and readers, who are encouraged by the post shared each week. I can't wait to read and share what you link up!

Tender Moments with Toddlers and Preschoolers #7: Are you in a busy season?

2013-03-21T06:25:00.002-07:00

Are you in a busy season?

I am.

My husband is a CPA so by mid-March I am counting the days until April 16th. The days go crazy fast and literally seem to just run, one into the other. It's almost like those movies where the characters can't account for large blocks of time as I look at the calendar and go "It's Thursday already?...what happened to Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday"...
Here is what I do to ensure I make it through them without losing my patience or my sanity.

Paramount: Take care of yourself. Yep, during these times I need to come first because I can't take care of others if I am sick, tired, fatigued or feeling unwell. So, for me that means making time to do the following:

1 Eat real meals (healthy ones)

2 Get enough rest (I stick to a reasonable bedtime. I would love to be one of those moms who can stay up until midnight folding laundry and lesson planning and then get back up at 5am, but I'm not).

3 Sneak quiet times in the day (prayer, meditation, 5 minutes of sitting silently in gratitude makes a big difference) Read my new post on my healthy living website about why busy moms should take time to meditate here.

4 Consolidate (one trip to the grocery store, not three little trips, and group errands)

5 Delegate (this is the perfect time for my kids to have an opportunity to really shine by being more independent with bed making, putting their own laundry away and other jobs I may be tempted to do for them but they can do for themselves)

(Bonus) *White space*. Even during busy times, I guard the white space on my calendar. Sundays are family days, even during tax season. A lot of extras can wait till a busy season is over, particularly social gathering and volunteering opportunities.

The little years, the toddler and preschool years, happen once and our little ones continue to grow and change and be amazing daily; even during our busy seasons, so be sure that you aren't missing the good stuff...times for stories and hugs, giving smiles and praise, taking time to play with your child even during the busy times. One day you will look back and be so glad you did!

Now it's your turn to link up! Tender Moments with Toddlers and Preschoolers is a link-up co-hosted by FOUR blogs! So when you link up, your post is viewable on the following four wonderful sites. I highly recommend you follow my amazing co-hosts (you're following my blog already, right? *smile*), because they are wonderful resource and fabulous ladies!

www.teachersofgoodthings.com
www.forthisseason.com
www.brightonparkblog.com
www.teachingmama.org

Tender Moments with Toddlers and Preschoolers #6

2013-03-14T07:17:00.002-07:00

I have in my life thus far, raised (or am raising still) 5 children through the toddler/preschool age group. And here is what I know about it...

It goes way too fast.

Honestly, I look at my twin boys who will be turning 13 this summer and my eldest daughters who are almost 9 and 6 and wonder...where did those years go? My youngest, Brooke, is almost 3. I have learned to really take the time to enjoy, cherish, and love all those funny, cute, little things she does that makes her uniquely her...even when my patience is being tried. And so, here is my challenge to you today...ABC...

ALWAYS remember that these little years are fleeting and they are a "one and done". There are no do-overs and they will not come again. Make sure you are ENJOYING these little years and not just Enduring them.

BE present. This is the moment to be in the moment with your child. Pray about your PC time. If you are telling your kids "5 more minutes", "wait just a minute", "as soon as Mommy finished this" and your on the PC, I can promise you this...you may regret all that PC time later when they are older and these years are gone but you will NEVER regret spending time, uninterrupted, special, unplugged, really engaged heart to heart time with your child.

CHERISH the little years. The terrible twos and independent threes and the 4s and 5s...well, they just go so fast. You may have several children, but your child only gets ONE childhood. Make a point to make part of it today really special...every day.

Enjoy these little years,

Katie

NOW LINK UP WITH US!!!

Tender Moments with Toddlers and Preschoolers is a link-up co-hosted by FOUR blogs! So when you link up, your post is viewable on the following four wonderful sites. I highly recommend you follow my amazing co-hosts (you're following my blog already, right? *smile*), because they are wonderful resource and fabulous ladies!

www.teachersofgoodthings.com
www.forthisseason.com
www.brightonparkblog.com
www.teachingmama.org

If you blog about Toddlers & Preschoolers and would like to add your post that include: training tips, crafts, hands-on learning, activities, and such, please link back to this post, by using a text link or posting a button in your side bar. By linking back, you increase the SEO of your post and ours.

You can also participate in this weekly linkup, by commenting and sharing your thoughts on the post here. Don’t forget to ‘Pin’ what you like. We all would love to hear from other bloggers and readers, who are encouraged by the post shared each week. I can't wait to read and share what you link up!

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So here's the deal...and a giveaway

2013-03-12T23:20:00.002-07:00

We've made a few changes...and there are a few more to come.

Why? Well, I enjoy blogging and I love connecting with you all via my blog and facebook page and sometimes even twitter! Even better, is when I get to meet you in person, like I did a wonderful online friend this past weekend (we live in the same city, "met" via facebook and our mutual interests, and I met her this past weekend for the first time, when she came to a yoga class I was teaching.) It was awesome.

And while Brighton Park started as an online journal so we could share our family's activities with those who lived far away, it quickly grew into a successful homeschooling/homemaking blog! Also awesome, yes. There was only one small hiccup...

...while I'm crazy passionate about homeschooling, I'm not so passionate about blogging about it. And so this month, I decided to do something about that and the changes you see on the blog reflect that change.

So here's the deal...

1. I want to live my truth and live it out loud, so I'm adding faith based posts to Brighton Park. ( Jesus is all about love and acceptance and empowerment, and so am I, so if Jesus is not your thing, your still wanted as a member of this community.)

2. Yes, I'm really into fitness and I am a yoga teacher and I want to inspire you to have a healthy/healthier lifestyle also and to unplug your kids! That does not mean I am a Buddhist, Atheist, other God worshipping hippie. (Please see number one above.)

3. No matter what your diet, I would love you to follow my new culinary adventure. I'm a previous vegetarian turned new vegan with a family of 7 to cook for that includes one vegan (me), one vegetarian (oldest daughter) and five omnivores. Go Katie, right? (Mainly, what I am learning about food right now, girl it would blow your mind, so don't miss my food related posts!)

4. You will soon find old homeschooling posts and new parenting related posts archived under the "For Moms" page.

5. I'm going to be playing with the fonts of the text. This is temporary.

6. I'm still available to answer questions re: speech/language skills. Just shoot me an email!

7. I amped up my green journey this year. I'm excited to post about that and maybe even inspire you to green up your journey too!

OK...GIVEAWAY TIME!

Because I love you and I want you to be happy, I am going to give away a copy of one of my fave books...Francine Jay's awesome book The Joy of Less, A Minimalist Living Guide: How to Declutter, Organize, and Simplify Your Life . To enter, all you have to do is leave a comment on this post! A winner will be chosen randomly on Saturday evening, 11pm AZ time. Winner must live in the USA.

We grow through change and my hope is that Brighton Park will continue to grow, continue to be known for quality content, and continue to be known as one of the most positive communities on the web!

Love,

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Tender Moments with Toddlers and Preschoolers #5: Magic Craft Boxes

2013-03-08T06:25:00.002-08:00

How busy was this week? Well, somewhere I lost a day and thought I was posting this on Thursday and um, ....it's not Thursday, is it? I guess I will choose to see the glass half full, for my days are so full that I can actually lose track of which date it is on the calendar. Oh the blessings that a life full of children, homeschooling, animal friends, and activities has!

Before we commence to the link up, I wanted to give you a sneak peak. I ordered a little *magic* for my two eldest girls in my homeschool...Magic Craft Boxes.

CLICK HERE

Follow along with us starting this Spring here at Brighton Park as we craft our way through The Magic Onion's magic craft boxes this year! If you have a Preschooler, they will love it! I'm excited to see the amazing seasonal themed crafts that Donnie has put together for these Craft Boxes and look forward to sharing our Magical Craft Box creations with you.

Now, it's your turn! Joining this linky is easy.

Link up your post about Toddlers & Preschoolers that includes: activities, crafts, habit or character training, hands-on learning, cooking with them, tips, etc. You can link up an old or new post. Link up a few in you would like! By linking up and sharing your post on Thursdays, your post is visible on all four blogs: Teachers of Good Things, For this Season, How to Homeschool for Free, and Brighton Park Blog.

*Please link up your blog post direct URL and not your blog home page
*Link back to this linkup on your blog post or
*Link back to Tender Moments with Toddlers & Preschoolers using our button (in the sidebar) or a text link.

Remember: We *like* to pin and share posts linked up with direct urls and linking back to Tender Moments with Toddlers & Preschoolers! ...you must be linked back or have the button to be shared. (Follow our Toddlers & Preschoolers Pinterest Board!)

I can't wait to read and share what you link up! ~~Katie

Thank you for linking back and allowing us to help you promote your post further.

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I finished!

2013-03-05T06:23:00.000-08:00

I've had some pretty exciting last few weeks...completely time consuming but I am finally back to a normal (somewhat) schedule! I know you know that I blog around my life and not the other way around but I have missed our supportive and amazing community we have built here these last few weeks when I was wrapping up some big projects! It's so nice to be back!

So what's new? Well...

I completed yoga teacher training.

A journey I started last October to get my 200 hr yoga certification is done. To put it in perspective, every other weekend since LAST OCTOBER I was at the yoga studio 7am-2pm Saturdays and 8am-2pm Sundays plus an additional 2.5 hour class weekly, plus going to actual yoga classes. If you are thinking about this journey for yourself, check out the recent article I wrote for Healthy Moms Magazine online: Is it the right time for you to do yoga teacher training?

Which reminds me, I'm now writing for Healthy Moms Magazine online. You can follow more of my yoga and healthy eating/living journey over there as I blog about adding yoga to my daily life, how I became a vegetarian, and more. We must take care of ourselves if we are to be able to take care of others! Please make time for fitness and healthy living!

All my kids have been under the weather, one after the other. Thankfully, I think this head cold crud has finally ran its course through our house!

Speaking of kids...my eldest daughter made BALLET COMPANY! Please allow me to toot the proud parent horn here...I am so proud of her!

And my twin boys (who have special needs) COMPLETED first grade spelling. This is a big accomplishment. I continue to be reminded all the time that their potential is unlimited. Read more about homeschooling kids with special needs here.

I found out this week that Parents magazine is going to feature the boys Easy Space Themed Birthday party on their online site.

The Homeschool Post bestowed on me the honor of Top Ten Special Needs Blog last week.

We added a new linky here; every Thursday: Tender Moments with Toddlers and Preschoolers, which I am hosting with three other amazing blogs...so link up, and be seen across four blogs PLUS we love pinning and sharing our favorites!

This spring we have several house projects going on...I decided this was THE YEAR I was transforming our house into our inspired living space!

**my container gardening project (underway: herbs are done and we have planted Swiss chard, tomatoes, and two kinds of peppers so far)
**redoing the boys downstairs bathroom (new shower is installed) and drywall done. Now all that is left is painting.
**Re-doing girls bathroom upstairs (in planning phase)
**New drapes throughout (I'm picking out fabric today! So excited)
**The Dining Room Conversion from a rarely used formal dining room to a Music (and yoga) room

With yoga teacher training over, I've had the chance to dive into a few books I have been wanting to read and they have been, in a word TRANSFORMATIVE! I will share one of them with you soon when I post the literary link up for March.

Have a beautiful Day!

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Tender Moments with Toddlers and Preschoolers #3: Making time for Children's Daily Devotions

2013-02-21T06:15:00.002-08:00

Scroll down to join the party and link up. Your linked-up post will be seen across four blogs!

Making Time for Children's Daily Devotionals

I've always been good about doing bedtime prayers with all of our kids...but it seemed that nighttime devotionals got pushed to the wayside most times. Sure there were prayers and talks and sometimes real heart to hearts but the actual habit of devotional was. not. happening. And in my mama heart, I knew I needed to find a way to make this part of our regular routine.

Our days were so busy that I also knew part of the reason that we weren't doing them was me. By the time I got everyone to bed I was so tired I was racing to get to (fall into) bed myself. But, this was an excuse that was not going to help my kids develop a stronger relationship with Jesus (or me). I realized that if I want them to come to Jesus or to me (or hopefully, both) when they are older, I need to make sure I am going to them (Jesus and my kids) while they are younger.

I am happy to say that last year, With just two simple steps, I finally got the nighttime routine together and a nightly, regular, rarely missed, devotion happens.

1. The biggest shift I made to make this happen, was an easy one. We moved everyone's bedtime back to 30 minutes earlier. Instead of tacking a devotion onto a bedtime, we moved everything back to make real room for one. Sometimes our devotion is just a quick 5 minutes and done, but when those wonderful, quiet, heart to heart talks happen, or someone has a question about something, there is time for it now.

2. I picked an easy devotional book to get us started. God's Messages for Little Ones: The Story of God's Enormous Love (Story, The) By Max Lucado was what I chose since it includes 31 short and easy to understand devotions for little ones. Each day includes a bible verse, a 1-2 sentence explanation of that bible verse that a little one can understand and this is followed by a "God says to me" section of just a few sentences that helps your little one apply this to their life.

So far this is my favorite devotional book for the toddler and preschool age-group that I have found.I love this book. Here's why...

It is perfect for the younger ones (my 2 and 6 year old especially loved it) and my 8 year old liked it as well~~ I would tell her the verse being presented and then she would look it up in her own bible (good practice) prior to us starting the devotional.

It has beautiful illustrations.

It is small enough to fit in our purse so when we did an overnight trip, it came too and we didn't miss our devotion time just because we weren't home.

If you have older kids (middle school and up), another favorite for girls is by Surfer Bethany Hamilton called Soul Surfer Devotions.

Do you have a favorite bedtime devotional book you use for your kids? I would love to read about it.

It's your turn! Joining this linky is easy.

Link up your post about Toddlers & Preschoolers that includes: activities, crafts, habit or character training, hands-on learning, cooking with them, tips, etc. You can link up an old or new post. Link up a few in you would like! By linking up and sharing your post on Thursdays, your post is visible on all four blogs: Teachers of Good Things, For this Season, How to Homeschool for Free, and Brighton Park Blog.

*Please link up your blog post direct URL and not your blog home page
*Link back to this linkup on your blog post or
*Link back to Tender Moments with Toddlers & Preschoolers using our button (in the sidebar) or a text link.

Remember: We *like* to like, tweet, pin and share posts linked up with direct urls and linking back to Tender Moments with Toddlers & Preschoolers! ...you must be linked back or have the button to be shared. (Follow our Toddlers & Preschoolers Pinterest Board!)

I can't wait to read and share what you link up! ~~Katie

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Make your own Homemade Sparkly Play Dough: A guest post from Tikkido.com

2013-02-20T04:52:00.001-08:00

(Pin Me!)

Hi friends. A few weeks ago, I shared the boys easy Space Themed birthday party and one of the activities we had that also doubled as the party favors-- homemade Sparkly play dough made for my boys by Nikki at Tikkido. Today, Nikki is sharing with us the tutorial on how to make it ourselves! It's so easy, I couldn't believe it!

But first, a little about Nikki. Nikki is one of my favorite people. She is an amazing party planner (check out her online magazine, Festivities, of which she is editor, contributor, photographer extraordinaire), she is an insanely talented do it yourselfer (She built her own pizza oven as a project her last pregnancy) and she is a wonderful friend. But you want to know what makes her so dear to me? She is so sweet to my kids. She always includes my twin sons with special needs in everything and if she feels an event might be overwhelming for them due to amount of people, she is the kind of person who offers to replicate it just for them. She is so dear to me, so be sure and give her facebook and blog (links at the bottom) some Brighton Park love!

TUTORIAL: Homemade Sparkly Playdough

by Nikki of Tikkido

Making homemade playdough is one of my favorite family crafts. There's something absolutely magical about seeing common household ingredients come together into that fabulous, malleable stuff at the center of so many happy childhood memories.

HOMEMADE SPARKLING PLAYDOUGH RECIPE

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup salt

2 cups water

1 Tablespoon oil

1 teaspoon cream of tartar

food coloring

glitter

Add food coloring to water for easiest, even distribution. This is especially helpful if you're using a gel or paste food coloring. If you don't happen to have food coloring sitting around the house, you can use a packet of Koolaid drink mix to add vibrant color and fun scent. It still won't taste good, though!

Place flour, salt, colored water, oil, and cream of tartar in a large saucepan. Cook over medium high heat, stirring constantly, until it turns into playdough. You'll know when it's right. It's obvious.

Turn dough out onto the counter to let sit until it's cool enough to knead. Flatten a bit on the counter, and sprinkle generously with glitter. Knead the glitter into the playdough. If you want more sparkle, repeat this step. I find I like the larger glitter flecks instead of the super-fine glitter for playdough.

Store in an airtight container. One batch of this recipe filled four jam-jars perfectly. If you're worried about glass breaking, clean deli containers (either recycled or bought at a restaurant supply) make fabulous plastic containers for the playdough.

How easy is that? Thank you Nikki for sharing this great tutorial with us today!~~Katie

　

Nikki is the creative force behind Tikkido and Tradewind Tiaras, Inc. She loves decorating cakes but not eating them, can't sit still to watch a movie, and has a deep and abiding love for Yorkshire pudding. She lives and works with her husband and two daughters in the Phoenix area.
Website: Tikkido.com
Facebook:www.facebook.com/Tikkido

This post is linked up to several of the great linky parties listed here in addition to our own linky, Tender Moments for Toddlers and Preschoolers!

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Tender Moments with Toddlers & Preschoolers #2: Ten ways to let your little ones help you in the kitchen

2013-02-14T10:42:00.001-08:00

Scroll down to link up! Your linked up post will be seen on 4 blogs!

I have five children. My youngest is two. She is a juggernaut of curiosity, energy, and busy...and she loves helping me in the kitchen. (This is her helping me make her birthday cupcakes last spring, when we had her "Little Seedling Themed birthday party"...)

Here are ten kitchen tasks that you can include your toddler/preschooler in:

Toddler age:

1. separating the muffin/cupcake liners and putting them in the muffin pan.
2. give them a wooden spoon and a few bowls and plastic measuring cups to play with, ("cook with") while you are doing your own cooking.
3. hand over hand pouring in ingredients into the mixing bowl.
4. hand over hand stirring. I let Brooke stand on a step stool at the kitchen counter and this task makes her feel "so big"
5. Lick the beaters! (see above) By the way, licking the beaters (unattached, of course) is a great way to improve tongue strength and range of motion; a fun flavorful oral motor activity!

Preschool age:

1. Practice sequencing..."First we put in the milk , then we stir". Start with two steps then build from there!
2. Is your preschooler reading already? Then make flashcards of "Bake, Mix, Cook, and other age related length cooking or kitchen themed words"
3. Breaking the eggs. I taught this task to my older girls when they were three. Now 6 and 8, they can break and separate an egg better than most of my adult women friends.
4. Help you fold and put away the small kitchen linens: dishcloths and dishtowels.
5. Using a melon-baller or spoon to drop cookie dough onto the pan. This is a great way to bring in "smaller/bigger" or "more/less" as needed.

What can you add to these ideas? Share with me in the Comments!

There are so many homeschool/teachable moments that happen in the kitchen but the best part is the memories you make with your little ones when you take the time to include them...especially the wee little toddler ones, who are always so excited to get to be included. Alot of character can happen in the kitchen. One of my favorite books to read with my kids that are cooking and character related is
Sugar Cookies: Sweet Little Lessons on Love by Amy Krouse Rosenthal.

It's your turn! Link up your post about Toddlers & Preschoolers that includes: activities, crafts, habit or character training, hands-on learning, cooking with them, tips, etc. By linking up and sharing your post on Thursdays, your post goes across all five blogs: Teachers of Good Things, For this Season, How to Homeschool for Free, and Brighton Park Blog.

Remember:
We *like* to like, tweet, pin and share posts linked up with direct urls and linking back to Tender Moments with Toddlers & Preschoolers! ...
*Link your blog post with the direct url for your (related) post or
*Link back to Tender Moments with Toddlers & Preschoolers using our button (in the sidebar) or a text link.

I can't wait to read and SHARE what you link up! ~~Katie

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Super excited, Super Cute Bag Giveaway!

2013-02-12T14:48:00.004-08:00

Want to win this cute bag? You can enter at the bottom of this post!

There's lots of neat things happening at Brighton Park right now...I'm super excited.

Blog wise, we just celebrated our three year blogoversary! (Thank you!) and
We have our Music Mondays series...
We do Waldorf Wednesdays...
We co-host a great linky on Thursdays "Tender moments with Toddlers and Preschoolers"
We are expanding our posts on speech-language information to help you help your children in your home and homeschool (In my free time, I'm a pediatric speech language pathologist, with 18 years experience)
and we love doing giveaways for our readers :-)

like this one...

I love Etsy because I like supporting families, not big businesses with my purchases. One of my favorite little shops is The Parsonage Queen. I like their bags so much, I got one to give away on each of my blogs!

I like these handmade bags...They are the perfect size for books, change of clothes, you name it, and are roomy enough to hold what I need. I also like that the fabric embellishment comes off...its a PIN! So you can wear it on a sweater, put it on a different bag, whatever.

Isn't this bag just so pretty? I love the combination of plaid and floral...

Now, here's your chance to win this one for yourself!

This giveaway is open to readers in the USA only and will end Sunday night at midnight! This giveaway is not affiliated with facebook, twitter or pinterest in any way. You are also welcome to stop by my French Travel Blog this weekend, where I will be giving away a Paris themed one!

Please give the rafflecopter widget a minute to load (or if you are seeing a "READ MORE" link, click it). Good Luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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Music Mondays: Make your own Chinese Gong!

2013-02-11T07:14:00.000-08:00

Music Mondays is an (almost) weekly series here at Brighton Park where we share great ways to add music to your home and homeschool. Today's Music Monday Series post is written by Award-winning children’s performer, DARIA. Daria Marmaluk-Hajioanno has seven cd’s that have won national honors. She has the most awesome job of traveling the world to sing for kids and peace. Her website; located at dariamusic.com, was given a 2009 Parents Choice Award for its rich variety of music and cultural content.

MAKE YOUR OWN CHINESE GONG AND CELEBRATE CHINESE NEW YEAR!

This year, Chinese New year begins of February 10th and we welcome in the year of the snake! If you’d like to make your own version of a Chinese gong as part of your new year celebration, it's a really easy musical craft that you can make from recycled materials such as pie pans and the cardboard rolls from wrapping paper.

First, what's real gong? It's a large metal percussion instrument hanging from a holder or a stand. Legend has it that some gongs in ancient China were so loud that they could be heard 50 miles away and date back almost 4,000 years. So, how do you make your own version?

First, gather the supplies.

SUPPLIES
A metal (disposable) roasting pan (the larger the better) or aluminum pie plates
Pipecleaners or yarn
Cardboard Tube From Wrapping Paper
Paint, stickers, glitter, glue or textured paint for decorating the gong.

For the beater:
12 – 18” wooden dowel
electrical tape to form the circle/head

Start by getting an adult help you poke two holes in the top area of the metal roasting pan – about 2 – 3 inches apart.

Slip a pipecleaner through each hole and then twist the ends together

Now you can insert the wrapping paper tube (or a broomstick or large stick) into the pipecleaner circle and the gong will hang down.

To give your gong a nice sturdy stand, you can use several more pipecleaners to fasten the wrapping paper tube to two chairs that are placed a few feet apart facing outward.

Now that you see how your gong will hang on it’s stand, you may wish to take it down and decorate it.

Add stickers, paint, or glitter and glue.

Perhaps you can look up the year you were born in terms of Chinese astrology and put that symbol on your gong. Maybe you were born in the year of the rat or the pig or the ram or the fish. It’s great fun to find out.

.
Lastly, you’ll need a beater to strike the gong. Take a 12 or 18” wooden dowel and wrap one side with electrical tape to form a head. That’s the side that will strike the gong to create it’s unique and wonderful sound. If you don’t have a wooden dowel, you can substitute a wooden spoon, a chopstick or an unsharpened pencil, just wrap the head the same way on the end that will strike the gong.

Have fun!

DARIA’s Musical Craft Pagehttp://www.dariamusic.com/crafts.php
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Tender Moments with Toddlers and Preschoolers: a new weekly link up

2013-02-07T14:42:00.000-08:00

Scroll down to link up! Your linked up post will be seen on 4 blogs!

I’m really excited to be sharing with you a new weekly link up series for Toddlers and Preschoolers that I am co-hosting every THURSDAY, with the following lovely ladies and their blogs:

Dolly Freeman at Teachers of Good Things
Jill Craft at Blessed Beyond a Doubt
Rachel Holland at How to Homeschool For Free
Becky Marie at For This Season

Each week, we will be sharing tips on training, activities, book list, crafts, hands-on learning and much more. I will be sharing my own toddler and preschool themed posts with you each Thursday also, including how to help develop speech, language and play skills in that age group. I have been a pediatric speech language pathologist for 18 years and have 5 children under the age of 12, including a very active 2 year old...

And I know what it is like, and what a challenge it can be, to keep a toddler/preschooler busy while homeschooling older children...

During storytime...

During arts and crafts...

During outings...

You know...I get photobombed by my two year old alot...

Make sure you don’t miss this great series and subscribe to our Brighton Park blog via GFC, NB or email delivery! (Subscribe to Brighton Park by Email)

Now, its time to link up your own post and remember your post will be seen across all 4 blogs co-hosting this link up every week! I can't wait to read your posts and share them with my online friends and networks!

Linky Guidelines:

If you wish to be a part of this linkup that will be posted on all of the Tender Moments with Toddlers and Preschoolers Partners blogs, promoted on Facebook, Twitter, Google + and Pinterest, you MUST follow these instructions.

1. Please link up to your exact post and not the main page to your blog.

2. LINK BACK HERE, by using a text link or the button I provide above, from your post so that others can enjoy the participating linking up with us.

3. Share us with your readers and followers, by using our link back button or text, will give your readers what they are looking for to have tender moments with their toddlers and preschoolers.

I can't wait to read your posts and share them with my online friends and networks!

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Easy Space Themed Birthday Party

2013-01-29T05:00:00.000-08:00

When did birthday parties become $500 fetes with bouncy houses, 50 guests, and overall excessive mayhem? Here at Brighton Park, we love (LOVE!) to do birthday parties, but we like keeping the mayhem and the cost at a reasonable level. I am by no means a party planning blog nor do I have the skill that those amazing party planning blogging ladies possess, but maybe these ideas and pictures can encourage and inspire you to throw a themed birthday party and know that you can do it with a small budget, without a masters degree in crafts or cake making, and that the kids are going to think you are AWESOME. Now we're talking!...

EASY SPACE THEMED BIRTHDAY PARTY

When my twin boys (who both have special needs due to birth trauma) turned 12, they wanted a space themed party. It was a small party and relatively inexpensive. Here's some ideas for your own easy-breezy (and easy on the pocket book) space themed party...

Cake

Our cake was two bundt cakes, one turned on top of each other to create a sphere shape (to be the moon). Silver candles and an astronaut cut out from one of the themed plates actually turned out looking really good in person. At any rate, the boys loved it and I was able to do it myself...

Decorations

Decorations for this party were kept to a minimum. Easy breezy space themed plates (at the boys request) along with a plastic table cloth, made clean up a cinch. On another other table I used a black table cloth I already had.

A roll of star themed fabric for a great backdrop and was easily put up using simple thumbtacks.

The decoration on the food table was a Solar System Kit my kids made themselves a couple of days before the party. I love it when homeschool science can also double as: cooperative learning, small group working together for a common goal, party decor! We painted on a Thursday, let it dry and assembled it on Friday and it was ready to go on the Saturday of the party. (It now hangs in the boys bedroom)...

and star shaped suckers looked lovely in a glass jar vase tied with a black ribbon...

Activities

Pinata: Okay, Pinatas rarely come in a theme/colors we are wanting. They are usually bright, loud and kind of obnoxious looking. My friend Nikki at Tikkido did this post on how to turn a store bought pinata into a FAB pinata that matches your decor HERE. I used her inspiration, but instead of using crepe paper and a hot glue gun, (since I was short on time), I gave our pinata a makeover using tape and some plastic star themed paper...So...

That's better!

Oh, and you know that scene in Parenthood where after the birthday party is over you still see Steve Martin whacking that pinata to death to no avail? Yeah, that happens in real life too...

PLAYDOUGH (DOUBLED AS PARTY FAVOR)

We also had sparkly space playdough to keep little hands busy and doubled as a party favor (you know how I feel about party favors...they must be functional and not, you know, plastic c-r-a-p that will end up in a trash can on its way to a landfill three hours later).

This sparkly space dough was made by the lovely Nikki at Tikkido as well (it is seriously awesome to have friends who are crafty and always have great party ideas); stay tuned for she is graciously guest posting a "how to" tutorial here on Brighton Park so you can make this homemade all natural playdough yourself!

BIRTHDAY WEEK FIELD TRIP

I love it when we can add activities as a family to the "birthday week" and so in honor of the boys picking a space themed party, we were able to take a family field trip earlier in that week to our local Science center where as a treat, we watched the "Tour of the Planets" movie there in their planetarium, in addition to exploring some hands on science fun...The boys have special needs but that doesn't mean they don't have a love of learning! (and it is my experience that most kids love this kind of field trip for a birthday just as much as Chuck E. Cheese or those without any educational merit)...

I hope this gave you a few ideas for your own space themed party. Here are a few others you might employ...

*make the leap from a space party to a STAR WARS PARTY. Use these ideas as a guide.
*Have the party at night and use black light or battery operated wands for an ethereal glow.
*For older kids, make the leap from space theme to Astronomy theme. Have fun learning about and finding constellations.

It wasn't fancy.

It wasn't necessarily pretty.

But a few months later and my boys are still talking about it. Still talking about their "moon cake", still showing every visitor the solar system they made that hangs in their bedroom, still talking about the "space movie", and of course, we are all STILL LAUGHING about that pinata that just didn't want to break.

Birthday parties are about memories not big budgets or perfect cakes...and Memories are in the making and your kids will remember the making, not how perfect something was or wasn't...

May the force be with you ;-)

You might also like these other birthday parties I have thrown!

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Starting your homeschoolers on a foreign language

2013-01-28T10:11:00.000-08:00

My middle daughter, enjoying her first trip to France...

Have you thought about starting your kids (or yourself) on a foreign language but the task seemed daunting?Today I am excited to share with you a guest post that I know you are going to love that shares some great tips on doing just that. Our guest blogger today is Craig Froman. Craig grew up in Northern California. A curriculum writer and editor at New Leaf Publishing Group, he has obtained a bachelor of arts in business administration, and a master’s degree in education, and currently resides in Berryville, Arkansas. Feel free to connect with him on Facebook, Twitter or his blog "What in the Word" at http://www.whatintheword.com.

Discovering the wonders of new languages and cultures!

Language is truly amazing; taking sounds or symbols to communicate ideas, feelings, and even the fragrance of pumpkin pie with a hint of cinnamon in winter. Now that sounds good!

There is certainly more to languages and cultures than meets the eye. The more you know the more understanding you have for other people, both in your neighborhood and around the world. And the more we learn about one another, the smaller the world feels.

We all share joys and sorrows, and the ability to communicate these through language, whether that is in Azerbaijani or Zulu. So if language fascinates you and you and your family want to study the Abaza alphabet, or learn useful phrases in Icelandic, or maybe just discover tips on languages, country names, or cultures, here are a few places you can start your lifelong journey!

I love the library, so I often begin there with searches. Most will have language-learning tools, including language dictionaries, audio books, and computer courses such as the renowned Rosetta Stone language tools. One reason I start at the library is that you can test the materials to see what works best for you and your family before investing your own hard-earned dollars. Many libraries have Spanish, French, and other language books or magazines that can help you as you develop your reading skills. For beginners in a new language, children’s books in that language can be the best place to start.

Also, the internet is filled with free resources, which include audio and video resources to aid in pronunciation. One central site I love to visit because it’s just so comprehensive is Omniglot. It’s an encyclopedia of writing systems and languages, with details of more than 180 writing systems and information on over 600 languages.

http://omniglot.com/

In discovering the wonders of different languages and cultures for my son and daughter when homeschooling several books were good enough to buy for our home library. These include Children Just Like Me: A Unique Celebration of Children Around the World , Children Just Like Me: Celebrations! (festivals, carnivals, and feast days from around the world), and the Find Out About Series that includes France , Italy, Spain, and China. The Find Out About Series is best for elementary age children, and helps the reader learn words in the native language, as well as the lifestyle, history, and culture of the people. These are reasonable and very practical introductions!

Take just a little time each day to learn to say “hello” or “thank you” in a different language, or have a foreign exchange student over, or share a meal with your family that has a far-off flavor. Enjoy the diversity of the world around you. Until next time… Au revoir, auf wiedersehen, sayonara,gule gule… or simply goodbye for now.

Thanks to Craig for sharing this great post with us and for more help with foreign language study in your home or homeschool, check out my travel/language blog, Katie's Language Cafe!

Craig Froman is assistant editor at New Leaf Publishing Group. He is author of the award-winning book Passport to the World: Your A to Z Guided Language Tour and the upcoming Children’s Atlas of God’s World (both from Master Books).

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The Homeschool Mother's Journal: Gratitude

2013-01-27T23:14:00.001-08:00

In my life this week…
I started phase one of our tax-season house projects...started picking out paint colors and new light fixtures. This year our tax season house projects include giving a makeover to both the girls and the boys bathrooms, and turning are rarely used formal dining room into a music/meditation room. I will be blogging the before and afters!

In our homeschool this week…
A little crazy. Tax season starting means I am taking over all of the shuttling of kids to their activities since Mr. Darcy is not available to help with this again until April. I utilize as much of the wait time in the car as possible to help us stay on schedule. We added Italian with a tutor to our homeschool curriculum this semester.

Helpful homeschooling tips or advice to share…
Don't get overwhelmed. And when you do, remember the reasons you chose to homeschool in the first place and then be grateful that you live in a country where you have the opportunity. Essentially, don't spend any time in the bitter barn..come play in the hay!

Places we’re going and people we’re seeing…
Gymnastics, Ballet, Irish Dance, Church Class, Violin and Italian. It makes me tired just reading that.

My favorite thing(s) this week was/were…
Teaching a kids yoga class this week and having the whole day today (Sunday) with nothing but white space on the calendar. Is there anything better than looking at a day on the calendar and nothing (sans Mass) is written down? I don't think so.

My kiddos favorite thing this week was…
My eldest daughter competed in an Irish dance competition (feis). She placed in 4 dances (2nd, 4th, 5th and 6th) and won the "Design your own Feis Dress" competition with this:

Things I’m working on…
I'm almost done with my 200 hour yoga teacher training certification. Yes, I do yoga. Yes, I am Catholic. Jesus is all about love and acceptance. Yoga is about those same things. And, if we only witness to people in churches, then we are missing the point. Isn't the point to go "out there", you know, into the world, and be a witness for what God has done for us. I do my best praying on my yoga mat. When I'm done with my 200 hr cert, I will start my cert to teach Yahweh (Christian) Yoga. Such wonderful things ahead in 2013...when you have an open mind and an open heart!

I’m grateful for…
Everything. Because when you make it an Intention to be grateful, it changes your whole life.

I rewarded my kids this week by…
It wasn't a reward, but I told my two eldest daughters they are going on a Mommy/daughter trip with me to Maui in April. They are pretty excited. At bedtime tonight, my 6 year old reminded me (again) that when we go to Hawaii, I need to pack her floaties. Could she be cuter? I think not :-)

Something I am ogling or have my eye on…
A meditation bench...for meditation, praying the Rosary, reading....the possibilities are endless.
New Music and
This Book

A photo, video, link, or quote to share (silly, serious or both!)…

We will be giving away this bag made by The Parsonage Queen Etsy Shop this week on the blog, so follow us so you don't miss it! Have a blessed week in your home, homeschool and homestead! Don't forget to enter our cookbook collection giveaway, going on now!

You might also like:
Girls Shared Bedroom: Before and After
What to Include in your Homeschool Documentation Binder
The movie that makes me want to be a better Mom...

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2013 Cookbook Collection Giveaway!

2013-01-21T07:36:00.000-08:00

I joined up with 7 of my favorite bloggers and we put together this amazing collection of our favorite cookbooks that are going to one lucky winner! And when I say amazing, I mean A-MAZ-ING! Nine cookbooks, over $200 in value! One of my favorite cookbooks, and the one I have added to this lovely collection is La Tartine Gourmande: Recipes for an Inspired Life.

As Mothers and Wives and Women in general, we must put our intention into living an inspired life and not just "going through the motions". This cookbook is one of my favorites because (one) it has CRAZY-GOOD recipes in it and (two) the photography is sincerely breathtaking. To me a good cookbook is just THAT, a good BOOK. And this one is one I can pour over and read and glean good stuff from, every time. You will love having this one on your shelf!

In addition to this one, The lucky winner will also win...from

Fresh Eggs Daily Blog is sharing Macaroons: 30 Recipes for Perfect Bite-size Treats

Katie's Language Cafe is sharing Mastering the Art of French Cooking, 50th Anniversary Edition

Mad Mad Me is sharing Joy of Cooking: 75th Anniversary Edition - 2006

Tikkido Blog is sharing 50 Easy Party Cakes

1840 Farm is sharing Local Flavors: Cooking and Eating from America's Farmers' Markets

The Slow Roasted Italian is sharing The Flavor Bible: The Essential Guide to Culinary Creativity, Based on the Wisdom of America's Most Imaginative Chefs

Blessed Beyond a Doubt is sharing Fix-It and Forget-It Cookbook: 700 Great Slow Cooker Recipes (Fix-It and Forget-It Series)

and

Mindfully Frugal Mom is sharing Weelicious: 140 Fast, Fresh, and Easy Recipes

That's NINE amazing favorite cookbooks in all. there are 18 ways to enter, with several "easy entries". Good luck, and maybe someone from our Brighton Park community would be the winner! The giveaway ends Jan 31 at 11:59pm.

Lots of love and inspiration to you! ~~Katie

p.s. If the RAFFLECOPTER entry box widget does not show up, just refresh your screen. (Depending on what browser you use, If you are getting a "read more" prompt at the end of the post, then click that for it to load.) Sign in with your name/address or via facebook prompt and get your 18 entries!

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Waldorf Wednesday: Nature Journal Giveaway

2013-01-16T06:31:00.000-08:00

One of the wonderful things about a Waldorf inspired curriculum is it blends nicely with my desire to have the kids be outside in nature, having a screen free childhood, as much as possible. This lovely nature journal from our sponsor, The Dorothy Jane Etsy Shop, is perfect for a homeschool nature journal, a gardening journal, or a lovely spot to write down dreams and wishes.

Per Dody at Dorothy Jane,

"This Moleskin Journal has been altered with a vintage look. The front cover proclaims it is a 'JOURNAL" The subtle colors suggest a bygone age, with 19th century butterfly specimens and a dragonfly to adorn the front and the back covers. The inside pocket features a large library pocket to stash bits of ephemera. A sweet rose and forest green ribbon bedeck the journal.

The journal measures 9" x 6" and would fit nicely in a bag or commodious pocket book, which is my original idea for re-purposed Moleskins!. Take it with you everywhere to jot your thoughts! The lined pages inside are ready for your thoughts - perfect for you to launch your own creative juices."

If you love birds, or keep chickens, it would be perfect for that too!

To enter, just follow the entries on the Rafflecopter below. (Please give Rafflecopter a minute to load, and if you don't see it, click "read more" if you see that prompt OR just refresh your screen and it will show up! Easy entries if you already follow Brighton Park Blog or The Dorothy Jane Etsy Shop on Facebook. What wonderful thoughts of spring it is sure to bring you while you are still in winter's slumber!

Giveaway ends Sunday night, January 20, and is open to residents of the USA ONLY. This giveaway is not affiliated with facebook in anyway.

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A Brave Themed Birthday Party with a twist...

2013-01-12T06:52:00.002-08:00

My middle daughter (above, sporting her Brave Halloween costume) wanted a Brave themed birthday party for her 6th birthday.

Mr. Darcy and I were married in Scotland in 1999, so I was happy to oblige her with a Brave party that was less Pixar and more Scottish Highland Games...

Did I mention this particular daughter was also born on Mine and Mr. Darcy's wedding anniversary?

She sure was!

Yep, the chance to plan a Scottish themed party had me in party planning bliss.

Here's some pictures from her special day and maybe they will give you ideas for your own Brave or Scottish themed party.

Guests were greeted at the door with a Will o' the Wisp that I made...The little sign attached says "Follow Your Destiny"

A table in the front entrance way invited guests to "Choose their Clan" by taking a tartan of their choice. The tartans were long strips of different tartans purchased at the fabric store. I used a coupon to keep price low and no sewing was involved. We just cut them into strips wide enough for sashes and long enough for kids and adults. The kids were tied sash style around their bodies. Safety pins were used to pin them across for the adults if the fabric of their choice was not long enough. Having the adults where them also really added to the festivities.

The guests also chose their bow.

We ordered our bows from the Etsy shop Backwoods Toys. The bows were awesome and the arrows were made of dowels; the point of the "arrow" being a pencil eraser! They also doubled as the guests party favor with each guest getting to take home their own bow and two "arrows". I have strong opinions about good versus bad party favors you can read about here.

Those of you who have seen the movie will recognize this as the stone circle where several movie scenes took place. This was handcrafted by the amazing Nikki at Tikkido for a previous Cornish Fairy themed party she had for her own daughter. She graciously loaned it to us for our Brave themed party. It is made out of hand carved and painted Styrofoam. (Have you checked out the Tikkido blog yet? Good stuff) The girls loved it!

Having all chosen their clan (sash) and their weapon, the archery competition of our version of the Highland games commenced. Twinkle lights in the trees set a mystical scene as it grew dark. One of my favorite parts of this party was seeing the Dad's give their daughters archery lessons...

My eldest daughter finds her target... (sorry the archery pics are dark)

The birthday girl gets an archery lesson from Dad (Mr. Darcy)

Our playhouse on the back porch, doubled as the "Witch's cottage"... (purchased at Costco last year and assembled by Mr. Darcy, if you're curious).

Personalized water bottle labels from the Etsy shop Woods Design Studios made an average cooler of water bottles look special.

Bear Paw cookies added some yummy visual interest to the table...They are a chocolate cookie, and use almond slivers as the "claws". I found the recipe on pinterest! The birthday girl helped me make them the day before the party.

These little enchanted cakes are not homemade; but a store bought pastry that we added maraschino cherries to the top to look like the little cakes in the movie.

My boys also enjoyed the party. Of course, being twins, they picked out matching Tartans. Here is Sean showing off his...

Mr. Darcy (left) and a family friend. Doesn't he look handsome in his tartan? I love it that he participates in the kids parties, even dressing up when asked.

I dressed up too. That's me (left) and a friend (right) who also dressed up and helped me hostess. I am rich in my friends! My outfit was a $5 clearance table find at Party City. How great is that?

Our living room became a dining hall...table cloths were purchased from our local Party City. Goblets were purchased online from Oriental Trading Company. (OTC often has online coupon codes that can be easily googled.)

The birthday girl blowing out her candles. Make a wish. Charlotte's outfit, the Merida outfit from the movie, was her Halloween costume this year. So she got to wear it again for the party. Although for the party, she chose to not wear her wig.

I tend to follow the same process with parties I plan for my kids. I strive for them to be fun, relatively inexpensive, and unique. Here's my tips...

1. Pick a theme
The less commercialized the better--while "Brave" was our theme, we played on the Scottish Highland History of the story to create a unique party, and p.s.--simple themes can make great parties as easy as complicated ones.

2. Pick one-two high impact decorations or elements
For the Brave party, My high impact elements were visual: the sashes everyone wore and the goblets which I worked into the party budget. I was lucky to have been able to borrow the stone circle.

3. At least one activity that is FUN that goes with the theme
For the Brave party we had one activity, just one...the bows and arrows/archery. It was a HIT. And the bows and 2 arrows each doubled as the girls' party favors that they got to take home. Here is my take on party favors...

4. Good food/simple food
For the Brave party, the food was simple. BBQ pulled pork sandwiches (made in a crockpot with this recipe), a veggie and cheese tray, bear paw cookies, the "triplets" cakes, and the birthday cake. I was amazed how many pulled pork sandwiches those little girls put away. Never underestimate how much kids will like real food and not just party food or hotdogs...

5. Small guest list.
We invited 8 girls and their parents. I am always amazed (and not really in a good way) when I attend a child's birthday party and there are 50 people there... This was the biggest party Charlotte, age 6, had ever had and there were 8 guests.

I hope you enjoyed getting a view of our Brave themed Birthday party! Here are a few other party posts on parties we have thrown here at Brighton Park that you might enjoy:, including Charlotte's Hello Kitty themed party she had last year.

Little Seedling Birthday Party (a budget party done for under $30)
Hello Kitty Party (I hit a big faux pas in this party and I share my mistake with you in this post)
Garden Tea Party first birthday Party
Alice in Wonderland Ice Skating Party

I will be sharing my other daughters Chinese themed party next week on the blog. Sign up for email delivery so you don't miss it!
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Music Mondays Series: TIps when Buying a Piano

2013-01-06T23:20:00.001-08:00

This year, one of our bigger house projects is to transform our formal dining room into a music room. As much as I love the "idea" of a dining room, and ours is lovely, it gets used maybe three times a year. But if it were a music room it would get used by our family daily. I play piano and saxaphone, our daughters have started music lessons of their ownThis seems like such a better use of space to me, and Mr. Darcy agreed, and so the preliminary "to do" list has been drafted...

~remove dining room table (decide whether to keep china cabinet or not)
~new paint
~move framed concert memorabilia from other rooms of the house to new music room
~buy my eldest daughter who plays violin a new music stand
~bookcase and storage for music books, CDs, and all music
~new piano

I have several good friends who are music teachers. My middle daughter's Godmother is an astounding pianist with a masters degree in piano performance. It is so nice to know "experts" in a particular field when making a big purchase. Here's some tips I have learned from them when it comes to buying a piano.

1. First, decided on the brand and size that you are looking for. At our old house we had a standard upright. This year we are looking for a baby grand~~ our dining room/soon to be music room offers the perfect space for one, but since we have small children still, we feel getting a used instrument this time is a good fit for our needs.

2. Used versus New. You can find GREAT deals on fabulous instruments used rather than pay the markup from a showroom.

3. Past Maintenance: What matters most is how the piano was maintained (regularly tuned and cleaned, amount and kind of play, how many times it was moved). These are important questions to ask when buying a piano used.

4. Check out your local college. Each year, companies like Yamaha give the bigger colleges brand new pianos for the year, which the schools typically sell in huge piano sales at the end of a school year or summer - so these are instruments with just a year of use.

5. Craigslist, Estate Sales and Auctions are all great places to look when wanting a used instrument.
As a music teacher friend of mine told me once, "you would be amazed at how many affluent people buy a gorgeous, top quality piano for "decoration" in their home, only to get bored of it...these can be great "steals" to find!" **use appropriate safety measures when buying at auctions, from craigslist, etc.

and don't forget Word of Mouth. Let your friends and family know you are "in the market".

I am so looking forward to changing a rarely used room in our home to a space that can be enjoyed daily by our family. I encourage you to look at ways you can add music to your home and homeschool and to look at your home spaces that are rarely used. Would that rarely used office make a better sewing room? Would that rarely used front sitting room make a nice art room? Is there a way you can infuse your passions into your homespace? Follow along with us as we spend 2013 transforming our Brighton Park home into an inspired living space; one with a music room.

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The Movie that makes me want to be a better Mom

2013-01-05T05:18:00.000-08:00

In a recent Homeschool Mother's Journal Post, I mentioned that I watched a movie that as both a Speech Language Pathologist and a mother of two children with special needs really gave me pause.

It wasn't a new movie, but one I had purposefully not watched because, while I should find those types of movies inspiring, they are hard for me to watch. To be honest, I was scared to watch it. I didn't want to spend two hours feeling sad for a character (or myself) and I didn't want to see how my shortcomings would compare to the mother on the screen.

But, I felt compelled to watch it, and so 23 years after it was released, I finally watched
My Left Foot . My Left Foot is the story of Irishman Christy Brown, who was born with cerebral palsy and only had control of his left foot, and who for the first many years of his life, he was non verbal and thought to be cognitively impaired.

Christy Brown is an amazing story and the movie is based on a book that he wrote. But to me, the real story is his mother, Brigid (played brilliantly in the film, in an Academy award winning performance, by Brenda Fricker).

She refused to put Christy "in a home" which, back then is typically what happened.
She loved him unconditionally.
She treated him with dignity.
She sacrificed for him. (Going without coal for heat while she saved for his first wheelchair)
She encouraged him.
She included him, fully, in every family activity (as did his siblings).
She tried to give him a typical childhood.
She treated him just like the other kids, as much love, as much discipline.
She took him to Mass, faithfully.
She never complained.

Wow. I mean, Wow. Now, that is something to aspire to; no matter if your children are typical or have special needs.

I will be honest with you; I don't do such a great job on a few of these. I am good about doing religion lessons with the boys, but lazy about taking them to Mass when I go~~ Which in print looks kind of awful. I can do better.

And, I need to be a better encourager and not always the task master when teaching the boys new skills; when pushing them to be more independent in their daily life skills. I need to practice actively encouraging them more.

With all my kids, while I am not a complainer, I could work on being more grateful (for everything) that I am blessed with...including the five of them. Those wonderful, five little people (well, in the boys case, not so little; they are as tall as Mom now) that I have been ENTRUSTED to care for, to love, to teach, to lead.

I'm glad I watched that movie. And I'm especially glad that the evening that I watched it, Sean and Tim were sitting beside me watching it with me. It reminded me that the only limitations that my boys have are the ones I impose on them, so I am reminded to follow Brigid Brown's lead and encourage my boys past the point of what I think is possible. Because I don't know what is possible.
I am inspired to do better. "For nothing is impossible with God" (Luke 1:37).

My boys, Sean (L) and Tim (R)

Have a movie that inspires you? Share it with everyone in the comments.

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Purposeful words for 2013

2013-01-03T00:30:00.000-08:00

I love the beginning of a new year. It is full of potential and possibilities.

But let's call it what it really is...

a do-over.

Yep, a big ole chance to do over anything that didn't go so hot in 2012.

Seriously, that makes me like it even more so.

I love the idea of everything starting new with a clean slate. This year, just like last year, I am using purposeful words to guide my homeschool.

Here are the purposeful words I have chosen this year to guide my homeschool (in no particular order):

Nature

Create

Learn

Faith

Experience

Tradition
Teamwork

And here are the purposeful words I have chosen for my homeschoolers:

Brooke: Discovery

Charlotte: Focus

Audrey: Joy

Tim: Communicate

Sean: Intent(ion)

Make 2013 the best year in your homeschool yet. Don't try to do it all, but do what you can to the best of your ability with the talents God has given you. So whether you are choosing purposeful words this year (learn about choosing your own purposeful words for your home or homeschool here), or making resolutions and goals, I wish you the very best for your home and homeschool in the new year.

What are the purposeful words/goals you have set for this year? Leave a comment and share them.

You might also like:
My word for 2012
Looking Back...Favorite photos from 2011

Visit this page to see the amazing linkys I participate in each week.

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Brighton Park Literary Linkup: January 2013 (a new monthly linkup)

2013-01-01T00:00:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year! What's on your nightstand?

Welcome to our new monthly literary link up here at Brighton Park. This is a month long link-up that will start each month on the first of the month and run to the last day of the month. Come each month and share as many posts as you wish telling us about...what you are reading, what are you reading to your children, or, a book you are using in your homeschool that you just love, your new favorite cookbook, etc.

Did you recently review a book (cookbook, homesteading, homeschooling, childrens, religious, whatever) for a sponsor or publisher? Yes, you can link that post up here too!

If it's literary then its welcome...with one--no, make that two--small exceptions... I know that "Mom Porn" (Shades of Grey, anyone?) is all the rage now, but please don't link that up here...cause, well, it's gross. And don't link up your own giveaways or linkys because, Ladies...that's tacky.

So, here's what's on my nightstand and the linky follows...

Last year's tax season project was the Girls Shared Bedroom Makeover, and so this year updating their bathroom with a new girly theme is also on my home improvement radar. I am also getting ready to start converting our formal dining room into a music room. Because of these lurking home decor projects...Enter one of my new favorite books...

Inspired You: Letting God Breathe New Life Into Your Heart and Home

This book written by Miss Mustard Seed (who has a fab DIY blog of the same name) is really inspiring me to find my own decorating style and incorporate some much needed decoration cohesion into my domestic space in spite of the books and toys and stuff that comes with 5 children under 12.

Some of my favorite chapters so far:

~~All the amazing before and after pictures of the rooms in her home and how she accomplished the "afters" spending very little money.

~~The chapter that shows in step by step , looks completely do-able directions, on how to sew my own pleated window coverings.

~~The chapters on how to refinish old furniture all different ways (French Provencal, new made to look antique, and more)...

I am also reading:

Celebrate: A Year of Festivities for Families and Friends by Pippa Middleton

I would have bought this book for the Scottish Robert Burns night themed supper party alone, but there is just so much in this book. I love that it is divided by SEASONS and includes not just birthday parties, but supper parties, holidays, brunches, breakfasts, afternoon teas...even camping and picnics. Decor, Crafts, and Recipes galore. Love. Love. Love. Did you know that Amazon.com carries this book for half off what the big book retailers do? Love Infinitum.

And that is what's on my nightstand this month!

Please add your post to our linky...what have you been reading?~~Katie

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