Chips off the old Block

Back 2 School #BloggerOpp ~ $200 PayPal Cash Giveaway!

2013-06-20T04:05:00.000-04:00

Uncreative Mommy is proud to bring you this years Back 2 School PayPal Cash Giveaway!

She is looking for bloggers to help promote this event.

Twitter links free with announcement!

Links are $3 each

Want to host a follow page? $10 each!

Sign ups end June 28th

Giveaway starts July 1st 12:01AM and ends July 14th 11:59PM

Giveaway is open worldwide! Prize is $200 cash!

Grab your announcement post here.

Wordless Wednesday: Beautiful Creatures in Blue

2013-06-19T16:04:00.001-04:00

Try Chili's Amazing Flatbreads Today! Hurry Ends Soon

2013-06-18T06:48:00.001-04:00

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Happy Fathers Day In Heaven, til We Meet Again #fathersday2013

2013-06-16T07:00:00.000-04:00

This is the 4th Fathers Day since my dad went to heaven and it still feels like yesterday. I celebrate a man who taught me so many lessons of life. His life was not an easy one, many struggles, disappointments and suffering. But he always made sure that his love shown thru for his wife and children.
One day we'll meet again, on those streets of gold beyond those pearly gates, at the foot of our Lord Jesus.
Until then, memories will be cherished and more Father's Days will be celebrated without you.

2 of my favorite photos: My dad at my brother's wedding acting silly as usual and a trip to the beach we found him sitting with my middle daughter on his lap in a rocking chair. Priceless memories.

Summer Camps We Would Like To Ship Our Kids Off To, But Won't #summercamps #NC

2013-06-15T06:47:00.000-04:00

There are so many options for Summer Camps in NC, I know you would love to send your kids to summer camp and have them come home potty trained, doing chores with no argument, learning some awesome common sense and how to drop that lovely teenage attitude, but............summer camps these days are just plain fun instead........for the kids that is. There are many mommy worries that go along with sending your little darlings off to a camp with total strangers. Here are some great tips from Carolina Summer Camps

How can parents save money when enrolling their child in a summer camp?

• #1 Register early to take full advantage of all early-bird discounts!

• #2 ASK if they have scholarships, financial aid or a sliding scale.

• #3 Offer to volunteer at camp for a reduced or free camper registration.

• #4 Ask friends of your child(ren) to register together for a group discount.

How can parents prepare their children for attending their first summer camp?

• Day camps are more fun when children know at least one other camper who will be attending. Don't assume that they will be in the same group, let the camp director know your preferences when you initially register your child.
• Take a tour of the facility. Let them view their website ahead of time. The more familiar they are with the environment, the less overwhelming they will feel.
• For residential camps, make sure that this isn’t the first time your child will be sleeping away from home. Let them practice overcoming their separation anxiety with a couple of sleep-overs with friends or family before going to a residential camp.

How do parents find if a summer camp has had any complaints filed against them?
	• Look up the camp on the Better Business Bureau for any grievances. (BBB.org) • Ask your friends through social media (Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, etc.) if they have had any positive or negative experiences with the camp. Your friends will tell you!

When should teens start sending in their resumes to camp directors for summer jobs?

• Many Camp Directors start receiving resumes in January and February.

Don't wait. With the high levels of unemployment, there will be a tremendous

competition for jobs.

Send follow-up emails and make phone calls to show your interest.

• Camp Directors want fun camp counselors who campers will enjoy being around,

while also respecting and obeying them.

The more experience you have working with kids, the better.

Volunteer with your local schools, YMCA, churches, scouts, and other civic organizations

to build your experience levels.

What qualities should parents look for in a great summer camp?
	• A high percentage of returning campers shows that the campers had fun last year. • A low camper-to-counselor ratio. 10:1 is good. 5:1 is great! • Staff trained in CPR, first aid skills, and conflict resolution techniques. • Low staff-turnover shows good experience.

What different types of summer camps are there?
	• Arts Camps • Sports Camps • Academic Camps • Church Camps • Residential Camps • Specialty Camps

If my child takes medication during the school year, should he/she take it for summer camp?

• First, consult with your child's pediatrician before ever deciding to stop
treating your child with any medication.
• Most children with allergy, asthma, diabetes, attention and impulsivity
conditions are not "healed" during the summer months.
Many times it can be worse with the heat, additional exercise, and being outside.
Children with medical issues usually need special treatment to help them
enjoy their summer camp experience the most.
• For children who take medication for their attention or impulsivity,
it can be especially hard for them to listen to instructions, get along with peers,
and control their impulses when they are not on medication.

How are campers disciplined? Are refunds given if my child has behavior problems?
	• Ask the Camp Director for a copy of their discipline policy. If they don't have one, inquire how campers are disciplined for misbehaving, It can vary from Time Out to clean-up duty. • Most camps do not give refunds for campers who violate camp rules and they are expelled, but ask the Camp Director ahead of time for clarity if this is a concern.

How safe is the camp?

• There are always accidents. How often do injuries happen?
Ask the Camp Director if they have had any serious injuries in the past.
Is there much turn-over in staff? Are there first aid kits easily accessible?
• Be sure to let the camp know if your child has any severe allergies.
Most day camps have a time for kids to play outside,
so they need to know if your child is especially sensitive
to bee stings, sunburn, or accidents.

A Mom Can always Dream can't she............lol

Image credit to nickmom

A much better option! Check out the Carolina Summer Camps site!

Find the Summer Camp in your area by clicking on the websites below

Asheville, Charlotte, Durham, Fayetteville, Greensboro, Raleigh, Wilmington, Winston-Salem

History of National Donut Day and the Original Doughboy Donut Recipe #nationaldonutday

2013-06-07T06:55:00.003-04:00

{EAV:59e04445f2935abd} Happy National Donut Day today!! June 7 is the 76th National Donut Day! This delicious holiday is a chance for us to remember the Salvation Army "Donut Lassies" who made and served donuts and coffee to the soldiers fighting on the frontlines of WWI.

Did you know that the iconic Salvation Army Donut Girl is based off a real person?

Her name was Stella Mae Young.

The idea for Donut Day began on the battlefields of France during World War I when Salvation Army workers served coffee and doughnuts to soldiers in the trenches. Rations were poor so the doughnut idea was conceived as a means of bringing the soldiers cheer. Doughnuts were not the reason Salvation Army workers were in the fighting zones of France. Those men and women were there primarily to give spiritual aid and comfort to the American soldier and his allies. They were there to be a link with home and family.

credit to : http://www.salarmychicago.org/donutday/donutDayHistory.htm

75th Annual National Donut Day Fun Facts:

Salvation Army:

The Salvation Army started National Donut Day during the Great Depression as a way to raise funds and bring awareness to The Salvation Army’s social service programs.
National Donut Day commemorates the “donut lassies,” female Salvation Army volunteers who provided writing supplies, stamps, clothes-mending and home-cooked meals, and of course, donuts, for soldiers on the front lines.
Approximately 250 Salvation Army volunteers provided assistance to American soldiers in France starting in 1917 during WWI.
With limited resources, these treats were fried, only seven at a time. The Salvation Army’s Ensign Margaret Sheldon and Adjutant Helen Purviance cleverly thought of frying donuts in soldiers’ helmets.
Last year, 30 million Americans received assistance from The Salvation Army’s 3,600 officers, 60,000 employees and 3.4 million volunteers.

Entenmann’s Bakery:

Entenmann’s has made more than 4 billion donuts – if you laid them end-to-end, you could wrap them around the earth almost 9 times!
The Rich Frosted Donut has been the #1 seller since its introduction in 1972. (2012 marks the 40-Year Anniversary – that’s a sweet celebration.)
Entenmann’s Donut Facility in Carlisle,Pennsylvania Is the largest Donut Plant in the United States, producing more than 40 million boxes of yummy delight each year.
Believing that people were more inclined to buy what they can see, the Entenmann’s brothers, William, Robert and Charles, and mother, Martha, invented the familiar “see-through” cake box for baked goods in 1959.
At one time, more than 168 million pounds of chocolate have been used for Entenmann’s Rich Frosted Donuts, enough to fill all of the Great Lakes.
In the early ’50s, Frank Sinatra used to call the Bay Shore bakery to place weekly orders from Entenmann’s.

The Original Doughboy Donut Recipe

Yield: 4 doz. doughnuts

5 C flour
2 C sugar
5 tsp. baking powder
1 ‘saltspoon’ salt
2 eggs
1 3/4 C milk
1 Tub lard

DIRECTIONS

Combine all ingredients (except for lard) to make dough.

Thoroughly knead dough, roll smooth, and cut into rings that are less than 1/4 inch thick. (When finding items to cut out doughnut circles, be creative! Salvation Army doughnut girls used whatever they could find, from baking powder cans to coffee percolator tubes.)

Drop the rings into the lard, making sure the fat is hot enough to brown the doughnuts gradually. Turn the doughnuts slowly several times.

When browned, remove doughnuts and allow excess fat to drip off.

Dust with powdered sugar. Let cool and enjoy.

Enjoy a Donut today and teach your kiddos how they actually started!

FunBites: Making Mealtime Fun #Giveaway

2013-06-04T06:47:00.000-04:00

I told you all about Funbites, now you can win one for your house! all you have to do is enter! How simple is that! Enter the giveaway below, easy peasy!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Ya'll is a proper noun here in North Carolina #NC

2013-05-31T06:03:00.002-04:00

My Tea is Sweet here in North Carolina!

Lightnin Bugs

Some Beautiful reasons why I call North Carolina home....................Ya'll

Raspberry Mint Marshmallow Creme Fruit Dip

2013-05-28T19:26:00.000-04:00

Summertime is the best time for making this wonderful fruity dip and sharing it with your friends and family. The perfect barbeque, baby shower or church picnic platter to take with you. The fresh mint makes it pop and the lemon yogurt added some zing to the fruit.

Ingredients:
4 oz cream cheese (from 8-oz package), softened
1 cup marshmallow creme (Fluff)
1 container (6 oz) 99% Fat Free lemon yogurt {I used Greek yogurt}
½ cup fresh raspberries
2 teaspoons chopped fresh mint leaves

{cut pretty for dipping}
15 fresh strawberries, stems removed, cut lengthwise in half
3 kiwifruit, each cut into 10 wedges
30 pieces (2-inch) fresh pineapple

In medium bowl, beat cream cheese, marshmallow creme, yogurt and raspberries with electric mixer on high speed until smooth. Stir in mint. Cover; refrigerate at least 2 hours but no longer than 12 hours.
Find a pretty bowl and dip tray to serve this on~
Serve dip and enjoy

Happy Memorial Day: Thank You

2013-05-27T17:26:00.000-04:00

Happy Memorial Day to all those who have served our country so bravely to keep us safe here at home.

We say thank you!

Here is some coloring page fun if you are studying Memorial Day this week.

Pillsbury Newsletter: Hottest #recipe ideas around

2013-05-25T16:35:00.000-04:00

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Sign up for our FREE newsletter HERE & become a member of Pillsbury’s Not-So-Secret-Club! You'll get coupon savings up to $250 per year, exclusive club member offers, our best recipes, & more!

Go Ahead and Play With Your Food with "Funbites"

2013-05-24T06:20:00.000-04:00

Are you Ready.....to play with your food? We did

FunBites is the first state of the art kitchen tool that lets you easily cut your child's food into BITE SIZED PIECES ! How cool is that!

Made in the USA
BPA FREE (very important to me)
Dishwasher safe
Travels in your bag anywhere
Perfect for even the pickiest eater
Makes Lunchtime so much more fun
Snack Time is a breeze
Make healthier treats for your kids
Bento lunches are easy peasy
Imagine the possibilities

Choose From your favorite color a cool green or a hot pink Cube it or Luv it. Each one cuts a different pattern with its own safe curved blades that quickly cuts the food into small finger sized and choke free bites with a matching "Popper" that instantly pops! out the fun shaped pieces. Start with a flat surface like your counter, a sturdy plate or cutting board and have fun playing with your food.....lol.

I found this cute video on the FunBites YouTube site that shows how easy it is to use for your kids.

I reviewed the cute little heart shaped Funbites in pink and it only took me a try or two to get the rocking action down. I tried it with cheese first, then with a pb &j sandwich and an apple. Worked great every time!
Although we have no toddlers here at the Blockhouse anymore, I will say that all 3 of my kids were intrigued by this unusual looking tool that I had and all of them wanted in on the action. My sweet little doggies loved all the extra peanut butter sandwich hearts that were made for them too. Yes our doggies are spoiled, I think I might find a organic doggie treat recipe and use my FunBites to cut out the treats for them. I can definitely say that if you have a picky eater this is a must have for your kitchen. It is easy to use for both adults and all ages of kids, it was very easy to wash and keep clean, we put it in the top rack of the dishwasher and it washed just fine.
What can you cut with your Fun Bites??

Melon
Sandwiches
Pizza
Grilled cheese sandwiches
Tortillas
Quesadillas
Apples
Pears
Peaches
Cheeses
Pepperoni
Sausages
Bread
Biscuits
Endless Possibilities (I wish I had this when my kids were small)

You can buy Fun Bites and find out more about them here at the website Fun Bites and social media sites

http://www.funbites.com

https://www.facebook.com/FunBites

https://twitter.com/funbites

Enjoy yours!!

Disclosure: I was not financially compensated for this post. I received a sample of the product for review purposes as part of a Karma Media Team campaign. The opinions are my own, based on my personal experience with the product.

Tornado Safety Myths and Thinking Ahead For Your Own Family

2013-05-22T06:30:00.000-04:00

Our family was deeply saddened by the tornado damage and lives lost in Oklahoma, feeling helpless I don't know what else to do except blog about it. Sharing with others sometimes helps to make me feel better.
The deadly tornado that devastated Moore, Okla. on Monday serves as a tragic reminder of just how dangerous twisters can be -- and how misunderstood. Here is some more information from across the web that I found via the Huffington Post.

Six more dangerous misconceptions about tornadoes:

Misconception: It's a good idea to open the windows in your home -- in order to "equalize pressure" as a tornado approaches. In fact, houses do not "explode" when tornadoes pass over them. Opening the windows wastes precious time that would be better spent finding shelter, according to the NWS website.

Misconception: The southwest corner of a building is the safest place to be during a tornado. The "safe southwest corner" is a myth based on the mistaken belief that since tornadoes usually come from the southwest, debris tends to fall into the northeast side of the basement, USA Today reports.

Misconception: Tornadoes never strike twice in same place. Tornadoes can strike at any time, no matter whether they have struck there before, according to the website Missouri Storm Aware.

Misconception: Tornadoes don't hit big cities. Tornadoes have hit Dallas, St. Louis, Miami, and other large cities in the U.S., according to the website of the National Oceanic And Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) National Climatic Data Center. And urban tornadoes may be especially dangerous, as there is more debris flying around.

Misconception: Highway overpasses are great places to seek shelter during a tornado. In fact, seeking shelter in an overpass only increases the risk of injury and death, according to the website of the Ohio Committee For Severe Weather Awareness. Wind speeds can be higher under an overpass, and the wind direction can reverse direction as the tornado passes. Better to seek shelter in a sturdy building -- or, if you can't get to such a building in time, to lie flat in a ditch and clasp your hands behind your head for protection from flying debris.

Misconception: It's easy to outrun a tornado. Tornadoes can move at speeds of up to 70 miles per hour, according to the NOAA website. It's better to abandon your vehicle and seek shelter than to attempt to drive away from a nearby storm.

Teach your family about all weather conditions and what they can do, have a safe spot to flee to, talk about this before you are faced with a life changing event like a tornado. Include your pets in the plans also. Pack a bug out bag with all your family's medications, essentials, extra clothes etc. in case you loose precious items or you have to leave your house to go to a shelter. Make a list of phone numbers of nearby relatives in case you can't find your cell phone or phone numbers. Think ahead!

Be stay safe and pray for all those families in Oklahoma that are suffering loss today!

Doing Laundry: Where is that darn Laundry Fairy?

2013-05-15T06:30:00.000-04:00

I think out of all my mommy jobs at home the laundry has to be one chore I hate the most. What about you? The laundry fairy has let me down so many times over. That pile of socks, towels and underwear seems to reproduce nightly. Even with some of the most up to date washers and dryers in my laundry room, the laundry fairy just can't get the job done. Sometimes she just needs some help. Just where is that darn laundry fairy at anyhow??

Make your own laundry soap with this recipe that works great and saves a great deal of money yearly:

Homemade Laundry Soap:

{find all ingredients at Walmart or order online at Amazon}

Ingredients

1 cup Borax
1 cup Super Washing Soda
1 Bar Fels-Naptha Laundry Bar Soap

Instructions

- Grate a bar of soap onto a plate with a cheese grater. Then add all the shavings to pot of water on the stove. Stir continually over medium heat until your soap fully dissolves.
- Next, fill a 5 gallon bucket ½ full of hot water from the sink. Then add in your melted soap from the pot on the stove, plus Borax, and washing soda.
Stir well until all powder is dissolved {My kids love to help me stir. Use extreme caution though b/c it’s boiling hot!}
Fill the remaining space in the bucket to top with additional hot water from the sink. Stir all the ingredients in the bucket well.
Fill an empty laundry jug ½ full with the result of this concentrated recipe. Next, fill the remaining space in your laundry jug with water. This recipe will gel. Shake before each use. (will gel)
-Yield: Liquid soap recipe makes 10 gallons.
Enjoy!

Amazon.com Widgets

Our Kids Are Growing Up On Screens #digital

2013-05-14T17:24:00.000-04:00

Find more great infographics on NerdGraph Infographics

According to the Kaiser Family Foundation research report Generation M2: Media in the Lives of 8- to 18-Year-Olds, total screen exposure for 8-18 year olds has risen over the past two decades to an average of more than 7 hours per day.
What can you do to get your kids off the computer screens and outdoors? Even ourselves are role models are showing them that being online all day is ok, when it is really not.
Something to swallow and think about, huh?

Explore, Discover, & Create . . . with Notebooking!

2013-05-10T17:37:00.000-04:00

At the end of each school year, are you finding yourself swimming through mounds of worksheets, quizzes, tests, and half-finished workbooks wondering just what to do with it all? Where does the organization begin? What do you keep? Where will you keep it? How much should you, dare I say, throw away? As you begin to tackle this heap, your brain recalls the many hours that went into creating this voluminous collection. You may start to wonder just how well spent those hours really were. You remember the great ambitions with which you started the school year and the many good intentions that fell to the wayside in order to finish this massive collection you are now faced with sorting. Finally, you conclude that if most, or perhaps all, of your children’s work is going to get tucked away somewhere never to be seen again, how much value can it possibly hold? Does any of this sound familiar? Well, it doesn't have to anymore!
Our family has been introduced to an ageless tool of learning that keeps us from creating these questionable mounds of paper throughout the year. There is nothing left to sort. There is nothing left to pack away. There is nothing to throw away. Instead, another volume (or two or three or more) of our children’s prized work gets added to their personal library at the end of each year. No more busywork. No more second-guessing if our time has been well spent. As a matter of fact, this tool has freed me from the seemingly never-ending search for the perfect curriculum! It can literally transform the way you approach your children’s education and set afire a love of learning within each child. Spend your precious hours exploring, discovering, and capturing the knowledge that awaits you and your children each day. Make learning a journey instead of a list to be checked off at the end of the day and a pile to be sorted at the end of the year. How do you do this? Let me introduce you to the tool that has breathed new life into our homeschooling. It’s called . . . notebooking!
Notebooking is the coined term for what one may refer to as educational journaling or scrapbooking. Essentially, the idea is to take your planned school subjects and activities as well as the areas of your child’s interests and create notebooks, compilations of created pages collected in binders. Your child will fill his notebooks throughout the year with what he has learned about these topics. Written narrations, drawings, maps, and photographs are just a few of the items he may include. The pages of his notebooks will capture both the new knowledge he has discovered as well as his own personal reflections of what he has learned. Through the process of creating a notebook, you will likely watch him become a storyteller, a teacher, and most undoubtedly, an expert in some of the topics he studies.
Unlike some of the more traditional tools of learning, like worksheets and tests, notebooking allows your child to develop a deeper relationship with what he is learning. Instead of finding out what he doesn’t know about a topic or study, which is what a worksheet or test usually reveals, he is given an opportunity to express everything he does know. By cutting out the busywork that is involved in some of these more traditional methods, you open a window of time and opportunity for your children to dig deeper into topics, to really get to know the people, the places, the events, the concepts, the ideas, and so on of what they are studying. Then, they take this information, digest it, and produce a notebook that tells all about what they have learned. After following this process, there will not be that sudden “unlearning” phenomena that usually takes place after the traditional chapter or unit test. The knowledge that your child gains during his notebooking experience will stick! Most importantly this process fuels a love of learning as your child begins to discover how exciting and fun it is to learn with notebooking!
As your children become more experienced with notebooking, you will begin to see the evident benefits of this great tool. The richness of what they are learning will be apparent as their notebooks become filled to the brim with stories, pictures, maps, quotes, and photographs of the people, places, and events encountered. The depth of what they are learning will be told as new layers are added each year to certain notebooks, such as their language arts and math notebooks. The process of learning they have experienced will be unveiled as you note the ways they organize and choose the material they include for their notebooks. You will begin to see certain notebooks take on your children’s personalities as they learn to express themselves in the variety of ways they have been gifted. It is an amazing joy to sit down with your child while they lovingly and passionately share all that they have learned through the process of creating their notebook. Their hearts and hard work have been poured into this notebook and they beam with confidence at the turn of each page. Each year, as you take time to look back through the increasing volumes of notebooks being added to the shelves, you will see that notebooking has become an amazing “living” record of your children’s journey of learning. Instead of tossing the year’s work into a box in the back of the closet, you’ll be looking for ways to add more bookshelves to house these treasures!
So how do you begin notebooking with your family? Start simple. Start with one topic or one study for each child or for the whole family. Perhaps the easiest way to start is to let each child begin a notebook of one of their favorite hobbies or passions. Do you have a child that loves dinosaurs? I do! My youngest son would find spare moments throughout the day to notebook his knowledge of dinosaurs. His head would be stuck in any number of books from the library trying to gather information. That’s where it began for him! Today, he is our leading expert when it comes to dinosaurs.
Perhaps the easiest place to start notebooking with the entire family is with any history or science topic because there are so many ways to dig into these subjects. You could start very simply by asking your children to give a short narration of what was read on a particular day either during your read aloud time or their independent reading time. If they give you a blank stare, ask them what they found to be most important or interesting about what was studied and encourage them to write about that. If you have younger children, you may need to write down their narrations for them until they are more proficient with the physical skill of writing. For children who are accustomed to giving short fill-in-the-blank type answers to questions, narration will take some practice to develop. I highly suggest researching the topic of narration for more help in this area. Narration is an invaluable skill that will prove most beneficial in their notebooking studies.
As your family or child continues to dig deeper, add new material to the notebook. The notebook may include any number of pages and collections including, but definitely not limited to:

written narrations from material studied in books they have read or real life experiences
collections of quotes from philosophers, experts, missionaries, statesman, etc.
photographs, ticket stubs, and information from field trips
maps of places and events studied
timelines
drawings from your child’s imagination that express his ideas about the particular topic
sketches of objects, animals, famous art, or places being studied
collections of items such as leaves, pressed flowers, and seeds for a study like botany
pictures from hands-on activities or experiments completed during the study
nature photos, sketches, and journaled thoughts
your child’s handwritten copies of favorite scripture, poetry or selections from favorite literature

Ready to get started? Grab a few essential supplies: binders (or a binding tool), paper, your favorite arts and crafts supplies and a selection of writing utensils and dig in! You may also want to invest in some notebooking templates. These templates made notebooking a reality for my family, especially in the early days of our notebooking experiences. Notebooking templates are pages that have been designed with a variety of preprinted lines, frames, borders, and clipart that provide a quickstart to the notebooking process. Use the preprinted lines for your children’s narrations, copywork and other written work. Use the empty frames to add maps, drawings, pictures, and other items. I became so hooked on using the templates that I began creating my own. Then, after realizing how helpful these templates were to my children, I began to share them with others online. You can now visit our website, www.NotebookingPages.com, to find our growing collection of free and affordable sets of notebooking templates available for a variety of subjects, studies, and activities.
Ready to make learning a more memorable and meaningful experience for your family? Get started with notebooking today! Visit us at NotebookingPages.com for more notebooking information, freebies, products, articles, and tips, as well as for a variety of other free homeschooling charts and printables.
(Reprinted with permission from Debra Reed, NotebookingPages.com)

Family Carnival Free [NC moms] Lake Norman Community event

2013-05-10T02:13:00.002-04:00

I wanted to share this exciting event for my nearby NC families, you must check out the Free Family Carnival sponsored by :

LakeNormanMommies and the EnergyExplorium at McGuire Nuclear Station present an afternoon of fun for all ages! Join us on Saturday, May 18, 2013 11a.m.-4p.m. for this family-friendly event featuring the following organizations and businesses from the Lake Norman Community!

Performances, Attractions, and Activities...

Main Stage
Little Dreamer Productions - DJ & MC services Cheer Xplosion AllStars Dancin Kids Expressions Dance Studio Grand Central Academy of the Performing Arts Rock University Activities
Burn Bootcamp - Field Activities for Children and Adults Sweet Dreams Mattress & Furniture - Bounce House Meet the Mascot - Photo Op Heather the Storyteller - Story Time Cold Blooded Encounters - Reptile Show Twist the Balloon Man - Magic Show Pre-K Birthdays - Crafts Rocket Ryan - Science Demonstrations Candy Art by Chris Hughes Renaissance Festival - Strolling Performers Touch-a-Truck Coca-Cola Discovery Truck Cornelius Police Department Huntersville Police Department Huntersville Fire Department North Mecklenburg Volunteer Fire Department, Inc.
Community Outreach & Awareness Ballas Chiropractic Earth Fare Novant Health Hemby Children's Hospital Novant Health Huntersville Medical Center Novant Health Women's Health Education A Safe Child - car seat safety & baby proofing demonstrations
Refreshments Bruster's Ice Cream - ice cream, hot dogs, beverages available for purchase Carnival Games and Activities Carnival games and other activities are provided by our vendors. Games include duck pond, wheel spin, knock 'em down, penny toss, fishbowl ping pong toss, and more. Each winner receives a ticket to be entered into a drawing for a prize in the prize tent. Activities include crafts, face painting, carnival themed photo booth, and more.
Vendors Bird Nest Boutique, Innovative Speed Shop, Jamberry Nails, Lakeside Dental, Mary Kay, Origami Owl, Pampered Chef, Pink Zebra, Scentsy, SnookySmiles, Stella & Dot, Sunshine Borders, Thirty-One, Tupperstars, and WildTree
Prize Tent Did you receive a ticket at one of the games or activities? Be sure to head to the Prize Tent to be entered into a drawing for the prize of your choosing! Prizes Prizes include products and services from Ballas Chiropractic, Bird Nest Boutique, Burn Bootcamp, Carolina Women's Defense, Carowinds, Earth Fare, Grand Central Academy of the Performing Arts, Innovative Speed Shop, Insley Photography, Jamberry Nails, Jockey Person to Person, MM House and Office Cleaning, Origami Owl, Pampered Chef, Perfect Fit, Pink Zebra, SnookySmiles, Stella & Dot, Sunshine Borders, Sweet Dreams Mattress & Furniture, Tupperstars, Twist the Balloon Man, WildTree, and more!
See this event on Facebook

Family Carnival

Saturday, May 18, 2013, 11a.m.-4p.m.

The EnergyExplorium at McGuire Nuclear Station

13339 Hagers Ferry Rd., Huntersville, NC

This event is FREE and open to the community!

How to find us: From Charlotte I-77 Take I-77 to Hwy. 73 (exit 25). West on Hwy. 73 (toward Birkdale Village). Go approximately five miles to the stoplight at McGuire Nuclear Station. The EnergyExplorium is just past Southlake Christian School and Church. Turn right into plant entrance. Stay in right lane and follow signs to the EnergyExplorium. From I-485 Take I-485 to Hwy. 16 (exit 16). West toward Newton. Exit east onto Hwy. 73 toward Huntersville. Go approximately five miles to the stoplight at McGuire Nuclear Station. Turn left into plant entrance. Stay in right lane and follow signs to the EnergyExplorium. From Mooresville I-77 Take I-77 south toward Huntersville to exit 25. Turn right off the interstate ramp and follow Hwy. 73 west approximately five miles. The EnergyExplorium is just past Southlake Christian School and Church. Turn right at stoplight for McGuire Nuclear Station and follow signs to the EnergyExplorium. From Charlotte Hwy. 16 Take Hwy. 16 North toward Denver. Take Hwy. 73 exit and turn right off interstate ramp. Follow Hwy. 73 toward Huntersville. You will pass Cowans Ford Dam on your left; the next stoplight you come to will be the McGuire Nuclear Station entrance. Turn left into McGuire and follow signs to the EnergyExplorium.

How exciting, looks like such fun! See you there!!
Leslie and family

Mothers Day Ideas for Paper Crafty Moms

2013-05-08T06:30:00.000-04:00

/1/ Washi tape! /2/ Frames and Shadow Boxes /3/ Cricut Cutting Tool (a must-have!) /4/Fancy Decorative Ribbons and Trims /5/ Sew Easy Tool (makes sewing paper easy) /6/Glitter Brads /7/ Multi-styled Gift Tags /8/ Colorful Double-sided Paper Packs /9/ Dual Brush (fine and heavy tipped) Acid Free Pens

I love all of these products, especially my Cricut( the best investment) . How about give mom a basket full of her favorite crafting supplies for Mothers Day.

Credit to http://blissfullydomestic.com/life-bliss/mothers-day-gifts-for-the-crafty-mom/136841/ for this great information and links, check out more ideas for the crafty mom on the blissfullydomestic site.

Sticks and Stones, Lessons are endless

2013-05-04T07:00:00.000-04:00

I thought this collection was most interesting, the creative nature of stones, painted and placed perfectly to make some neat images of villages, trees and whatever your eyes want to believe. I love art that is formed by something so simple and from nature. A perfect lesson for your kids in colors, numbers, contrasts, depth, seasons, day and night , the possibilities are endless.

No Bake Blackberry Frozen Cheescake

2013-05-02T07:00:00.000-04:00

Recipe found here Eat Good 4 Life blog

Can a healthy cheesecake be possible? yes it can! try this fabulous recipe yourself and see!

I am off to the store now to get some ingredients and start mixing this up!

NO BAKE BLACKBERRY FROZEN CHEESECAKE

Miryam's original recipe

YIELD: 10 SERVINGS

INGREDIENTS:

Crust

2 cups old fashion oats, Gluten Free
3 tablespoons coconut oil
2 tablespoons soy milk
1 cup pitted prunes
1/4 cup chia seeds

Filling
2 8oz 1/3 less fat cream cheese
6 oz fresh organic blackberries
1/4 cup honey
3/4 cup frozen lemonade concentrate, thawed
1 tablespoon agar powder, or 1 Tbsp unflavored gelatin

DIRECTIONS:

Line 8x8 square pan with parchment paper. This will allow you to release the cheesecake when it is set.

Place oats in the food processor and pulse for 10 seconds or so. Add the remainder of the ingredients and pulse until mixture comes together. About 1-2 minutes.

Press the crust mixture down onto the prepared pan and place in the fridge while you work on the filling.

Place the agar powder (or gelatin) and lemonade in a small sauce pan and heat for about 1 minute, just to dissolve the powder. In a bowl whip the cream cheese and honey. To this mixture add the lemonade with the agar powder already dissolved and mix through. Divide this mixture in half. Add the puree blackberries to one half of the mixture. Fold just until you get a marble effect like in the pictures.

Pour the white cream cheese filling over the crust followed by the blackberry one. Freeze for about 3-4 hours.

Before serving, run a knife over the edge of the cheesecake to loosen it up and place the cheesecake on a pretty plate. You may need about 20 minutes to bring the cheesecake to room temperature to be able to cut it through.

Store cheesecake in the freezer and thaw out about 20-30 minutes before serving.

Enjoy and don't eat it all yourself...lol

My Secret Support System That Keeps Me Sane #mommiesnetwork

2013-05-01T13:35:00.000-04:00

I have been a member of this wonderful network of support since 2007 and can't live without it. The Mommies Network and my local chapter Centralfoothillsmommies has been there for me in good times and bad. I just wish I had found them sooner when I was pregnant with my first child or trying to conceive many years ago. I have formed friendships and bonds that will last a lifetime and memories that my children will recall throughout their lives. I now serve in a leadership role and enjoy giving back to my local chapter and on the national level. Like all great non-profits though, it does take funds to run a network that is doing so much.
Please consider supporting this worthy network by donating this month via our May is for Mothers campaign. I challenge you to match my $100 donation or give at least $10 towards our goal. Come on, together we can do this!
I want to share the post from The Mommies Network blog today: video is priceless!

Across the country, we have been proud to provide support to mothers from all walks of life for the last 11 years. But, as time has gone by, we have seen a shift in the dynamics between mothers and we have seen a divide that the media has dubbed "The Mommy Wars."

When The Mommies Network was founded, we saw that mothers have a unique bond- a shared strength from loving for our children. We identified that the characteristics of being a mother- the passion, the sacrifice, the deep conviction of providing to our children a better world- all of these things were also aspects that could create a community of women who could make the world a better place.

The Mommies Network 2013 from The Mommies Network on Vimeo.

However, in order to make these communities, we have to overcome the hurdles of the "Mommy Wars." We need to come back to our place of support, and see that how we parent is not nearly as important as our love for our children. What divides us is weaker than what unites us.
Supporting mothers does not always look like what you think it might. But, to us, supporting mothers means ...

providing a place for them to feel safe...

giving them a free corner of the world where they can find other mothers who have been where they have been....

giving them a community where they can be themselves..

providing these things to mothers we don't always agree with...

we stop defining ourselves, and each other, as being different, and instead we unite under the idea that the diversity of our members makes us stronger.

We serve over 30,000 women in our mission to provide a safe and FREE place to find support and encouragement, advice and friendship.

Your donation to The Mommies Network provides us with the means to unite mothers from across the country and to provide a real network of support. Help us end "The Mommy Wars" by making a donation in honor of a mother who may not be like you, but is part of the community of moms that makes your world a better place.

Donate to MOMMIES NETWORK at Razoo

Join us today to help end "The Mommy Wars" , uniting mothers across the country! Donate with me! All donations are tax deductible!

Zoology For Homeschool Free Stuff #atozchallenge

2013-04-30T06:00:00.000-04:00

Zoology (Animals!) A list from homeschool free stuff

http://homeschoolfreestuff.wordpress.com/science/biology/zoology-animals/

All of the animal lapbooks from homeschoolshare.com have information included. That is most of them.

Use this Online Graphic Organizer to organize what you learn about any animal.

The History of Zoology

Facts on Specific Breeds of Animals along with their classification, plus animal sounds, habitats, zoological research

Arkive photos, videos, info

Lil’ Fingers Storybooks — YouTube Zoo — stories, games, coloring pages, and videos of animals — promises that all videos have been screened for appropriateness (no killing or mating, etc.) and you don’t have to worry about others’ comments

Zoo Keeper Training L/M fill out the job application and start learning about animals

More Animal Facts Smithsonian

More Animal Facts The World Almanac for kids

Zoology Academic Website U (maybe I should say high school)

National Geographic — National Geographic for Kids

Biology4Kids Website

Animal Online Games

Animal Pictures

Amazing Animal Senses

How to Keep a Field Journal

What’s That Animal? notebooking page from the Crafty Classroom

Mini-books for Lapbook to use with ANY animal

Jane Goodall M Animated video, plus activities

Symbiosis — graphic organizer, this could be turned into a lapbook piece

The Case of the Zany Animal Antics 1 hr SCI Files episode, learn about animal life cycles, habitats, migratory patterns and more (comes with teacher guide)

Virtual Tours of different types of farms

Dairy Farm

(See Wild Animals I Have Known on the Ambleside page, year 5)

(See Of the motion of the heart and blood in animals on the “Robinson” page, level 10)

Animal Classification

Animal Classification Lapbook

One page Reading and reading comprehension M

Animal Classification L Video and activities

Animal Classification Online Game L/M (sheppard software)

Classification reference chart Ellen McHenry

Classification U worksheets, activities and more

What is it? Online games L/M Is it a mammal, reptile, bird…African Grasslands,Backyard Animals, American Forest, African River, Ocean Animals

Form and Function M/U learn how scientists look at structure and behavior to compare animals

Animal Kingdom

Anthropods

Invertebrates

Create an Invertebrate M lesson plan from Sea World/Busch Gardens

The Animal Kingdom, arranged according to its organization, serving as a foundation for the natural history of animals: and an introduction to comparative anatomy For Senior Students who seriously want to know every last detail There are four volumes of this book, all listed below.

Volume One Text / Pictures

Volume Two Text / Pictures

Volume Three Text / Pictures

Volume Four Text / Pictures

Endangered Species

Endangered! The Board Game

Endangered Species L/M Online Game (gives info while you play–sheppard software)

Diet (herbivore, carnivore, omnivore)

Herbivore, Omnivore, Carnivore L/M Online game (click on the link in the corner if you want to read about these) (sheppard software)

Matching Memory Game Carnivores — Herbivores — Omnivores (sheppard software)

Food Chain

Learn about the food chain simple, bigger chains L/M (sheppard software)

Food Chain Learning and Games (PBS)

MSB Food Chain Frenzy lapbook

Food Chain L/M Online Game (sheppard software)

Energy pyramids 3rd grade “Science Up Close” These tend to be boring but there is some good information on the food chains as they affect ecosystems

Food Chain M/U Graphic organizer (food chain is also mentioned in The Magic School Bus Hops Home video which is listed under habitat below)

You can search for The Magic School Bus Gets Eaten on youtube.

The Food Web of the Artic Ocean M see how the animals depend on each other “Science up close” 4th grade — not a favorite of mine

Coral Reef – explore, learn about the animals, build a food web–this is extensive, wants you to learn about each living

See the rest of the awesome list HERE

Yummy Oat and Yogurt Fruit Pizza! #atozchallenge

2013-04-29T23:44:00.001-04:00

Yummy Yummo!! I love some Fruit Pizza, and this recipe is actually healthy and good for you! My new recipe for fruit pizza now.
Credit to Monica at The Yummy Life

Source: theyummylife.com via Leslie on Pinterest

Oat and Yogurt Fruit Pizza
(more info here with photos)

By Monica Servings: 12 servings

Ingredients

FOR YOGURT PEANUT BUTTER FROSTING*:
2 cups (16 oz) Greek yogurt
2/3 cup peanut butter (or PB2 powdered peanut butter); may substitute other nut butter like almond, walnut, or cashew
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 tablespoons honey, or more to taste; may substitute other preferred sweetener
FOR OATMEAL COOKIE CRUST:
1/3 cup grapeseed, vegetable, or coconut oil
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 large egg
1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1-1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour (or half white and half whole wheat flour)
3/4 cups rolled oats (not instant)
1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 tablespoon flaxseed meal (optional)
1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional)
FOR FRESH FRUIT:
Varied colors make a pretty presentation. Choose from sliced strawberries, kiwi, bananas; halved grapes or cherries; whole blueberries, raspberries, or blackberries; canned mandarin oranges or peach slices (drained & dried)

Directions

(1) MAKE THE FROSTING:
In medium bowl, add frosting ingredients and stir until well combined. Taste and add more honey, if needed. Cover and chill at least 1 hour.

(2) MAKE THE COOKIE CRUST:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 12-inch pizza pan with parchment paper, extending it 1 inch from the pan edge on at least 2 sides; set aside. In large bowl, whisk together oil, applesauce, brown sugar, egg, & vanilla until well combined. Add flour, oats, baking powder, & flaxseed; stir with wooden spoon until well combined. Stir in chopped walnuts. Transfer dough to center of parchment-covered pizza pan, and spread with back of wooden spoon evenly to edges of pan. Bake 15 minutes until starting to slightly brown around edges and is firm in center. Cool 15 minutes in pan on cooling rack. Use parchment paper "handles" to remove crust from pan and transfer to cooling rack; cool completely. Invert onto serving plate; carefully peel off parchment paper. Turn crust over.

(3) FROST AND TOP WITH FRUIT: Frost crust with chilled yogurt frosting, spreading evenly all the way to the edge. Arrange fresh fruit on top in circles, beginning on the outside edge and filling towards the center. Serve right away, or chill for up to 4 hours before serving.

*FOR CHOCOLATE YOGURT FROSTING, omit peanut butter and add 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa; stir until well combined and smooth. Taste and add more honey, if needed.

GLUTEN FREE OPTION: Use gluten-free oats and substitute gluten-free oat flour for the wheat flour.

MAKE AHEAD TIPS. You can make the crust and frosting ahead and store for up to 24 hours in advance so they're ready to assemble the next day. Bake the cookie crust, cool, cover, and store at room temperature. Mix the yogurt frosting, cover and chill in fridge. The next day, frost the crust, slice and arrange the fruit, and it's ready to serve.

NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION for one serving using 2% Greek yogurt in frosting:
--Using peanut butter (or other nut butters) in frosting: 336 calories, 18.2g fat, 34.6g carbs, 3.1g fiber, 19.2g sugars, 11.3g protein, Weight Watchers PointsPlus: 9
--Using PB2 in frosting: 272 calories, 11.7g fat, 34g carbs, 3.1g fiber, 18.6g sugars, 10g protein, Weight Watchers PointsPlus: 7
--Using cocoa in frosting (no peanut butter): 256 calories, 11.2g fat, 32.8g carbs, 2.8g fiber, 17.9g sugars, 8.1g protein, Weight Watchers PointsPlus: 7

Enjoy!

X-treme Couponing- part one #atochallenge

2013-04-27T13:00:00.000-04:00

X is for X---treme Couponing that is............

Part One in a series

Source: coupon-canada.ca via Leslie on Pinterest

WOW Factor Homeschool picks #atozchallenge

2013-04-26T23:30:00.000-04:00

Homeschooling with WOW is really an everyday thing, being able to school my children at home and experience learning with them is a WOW. But, when you have helps that add to the Wow factor that makes it that much more special. Here are 3 of my WOW factor picks for today. Hope you find them as helpful and WOWful as I have.

--My first WOW is probably the best book ever if you are starting out homeschooling, written by Mary Pride, this book deserves a spot on your bookshelf.
Mary Pride's Complete Guide to Getting Started in Homeschooling

Per Amazon website book description:

One of America’s leading homeschool experts provides families with everything they could possibly need to know to start schooling at home in this 600–page volume. As entertaining as it is enlightening, this incredible storehouse of information...

explains the advantages of homeschooling and corrects common misconceptions
encourages and equips parents who may be reticent to start teaching at home
gives tons of detailed, practical information on methods and materials

This encyclopedic reference includes chapters on the ways kids learn, planning and record keeping, testing and standards, and special–needs and gifted children. Families who are just getting started in homeschooling as well as experienced homeschool families who need more information will find answers to all their questions in this one–of–a–kind resource.

I used this book when I was first starting out and it was a great resource to me, I still refer back to it from time to time even now.

--My 2nd WOW factor is another book resource:

101 Top Picks for Homeschool Curriculum

Per the Amazon website: book description

101 Top Picks makes it easy for home educators to select the right curriculum for each family situation and each child's learning style. Widely-recognized curriculum expert Cathy Duffy walks you through the curriculum selection process: goal setting, figuring out which educational approach to use, developing your own philosophy of education, determining your teaching style, and identifying your children's learning styles. "At-a-glance" charts highlight key features of each Top Pick selection. Scanning through the charts allows you to quickly identify products likely to be of interest. The charts are followed by extensive reviews of each of Cathy's Top Picks. This is an updated and heavily revised edition of 100 Top Picks for Homeschool Curriculum (2005).

I have the first edition of the book and it helped me so much to pick and choose curriculum my first years of homeschooling. Cathy does such a great job with the descriptions of your choices that you are not left totally lost when you finish. I actually thought I knew something about homeschooling in my first year. I highly recommend buying a copy of this edition for yourself and keeping it. Do not loan it out, it might not come back to you...lol.

--My 3rd WOW factor is not a book, but a huge list of links that I recently ran across while searching for something else on my favorite spot "Pinterest". Heather from "Sprittibee.com blog has compiled this awesome "Big Fat Homeschool Link List" that is the most WOW list I have seen in a long time. I wanted to blog about it and save the site link, so I will have it myself.

A little excerpt of the list from Sprittibee.com : http://sprittibee.com/2013/01/my-big-fat-homeschool-links-list.html , you need to visit her site to glean the awesomeness of the Fat list!! It is amazing.

Lessons and Resources

Teach-nology (Lesson Plans and Printables Galore)
Learning Page (free lessons, instructional materials, etc.)
Furious Shepherd (Insane Amount of Homeschool Links)
Lesson Planet
Simple Homeschool
Enchanted Learning
Lesson Plan Library (Discovery)
eThemes Topical Teacher Resources
BBC Schools (GREAT Science interactives)!
Free Federal Resources for Education
Lynda.com A library of training classes for all things technical.
Mini Offices For Students in Grades K-3
Home School Articles
Pratt’s Educational Resources (Themes)
Teacher’s Favorite Links
Schoolastic Lesson Plans
Professor Noggin’s Card Games
Dr. Labush’s Links to Learning
Crosswalk Homeschool Resource Directory
A-Z Home’s Cool Homeschool Links
A to Z Teacher Stuff
A to Z Kid Stuff
Pete’s Power Point Station
Homeschooling Adventures (Subject Links)
DLTK-Kids Printables, Etc.
Free Homeschooling Resources

Reading, Books and Book Lists
My Amazon Bookstore
Wowio: Ebooks
How to Find Books for KONOS
Usborne Quicklinks (for use online with Usborne books)
Studydog (Free Reading Program: K-2nd)
Summer Reading Lists By Grade
Book Report PDF Files from Edhelper
Better Book Reports
Locate a Library Book on WorldCAT
Alibris: Buy Old, New & Out of Print Books
International Children’s Library
Classical Book List
Book Adventure Program
Librivox: Free E-books
Project Gutenberg
Dolch Kit (Reading Problems)
Bartleby (literature research)
Shakespeare Plays and Sonnets; Learning Guides

Just a short excerpt from http://sprittibee.com/2013/01/my-big-fat-homeschool-links-list.html

I think I like this WOW factor list thing, maybe I will make it a regular blogging staple here. Let me know via the comments how you like the WOW factors this week.