Menu Plan Monday ~ August 31

Monday (Dinner Guests)

• Grilled Steak (marinated in Light Italian Dressing, Low Sodium Soy sauce, and McCormick's Montreal Steak Seasoning)
• Twice Baked Potatoes
• Fresh green beans slow cooked all day long!

Tuesday (Breakfast for Dinner)

• Sausage Biscuits
• scrambled eggs
• fruit

Wednesday - Lasagna, salad, and french bread

Thursday - Leftover Lasagna

Friday (Dinner Guests)

• Grilled Hamburgers and Brats
• potato salad
• fruit
• dessert???

Saturday

• Homemade Pizza and bread sticks

Sunday

• Leftover Pizza

What's on your menu this week? Do you need more menu planning ideas? If so, go over to I'm an Organizing Junkie and check out the numerous menus posted today!

Art

We are using Artistic Pursuits for our art curriculum this year! Personally I enjoy and appreciate art, but drawing and painting is not a talent I possess. So, I wanted to find a curriculum that would help me teach my children to look at a piece of art with an observant eye, and to be courageous enough to create their own masterpieces! This week we used watercolor paper, watercolor crayons, a paint brush, and water. Simple supplies that allowed the children to use their imaginations and create a special piece all their own! First, the children drew their pictures with a pencil. Then they colored their pictures with special watercolor crayons. When their coloring was complete, they then dipped their paintbrushes in water and gently stroked over their masterpieces to make them look like real paintings.

My son's artwork is pictured above. He calls the piece, "Trolls and Spiders." My daughter's artwork is pictured below. She calls this piece, "Skating on the Moon." The first pictures in the collages were taken once the children were done coloring. The second pictures were taken once they finished their water painting.

What are some of your favorite art projects you've done with your children? How do you like to display your artwork?

The Quarter Mile Math ~ TOS Review

ATTENTION!!!!!! The nice and generous folks over at The Quarter Mile Math would like to offer all my readers a very special offer! They are sharing a referral code that allows YOU to get $5 OFF any product - Standard or Deluxe! The referral code is: 7Y7R7

There is a place to input this code on the order forms. This referral code will be good until September 30th!

Update on my son...he has been diligent to keep practicing his math facts using The Quarter Mile Math and has improved immensely with BOTH his math skills and the good habit of focus and concentration! I am thankful and so proud of him! (You'll have to read the review below to understand this update).

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We recently received a math practice software program called "The Quarter Mile Math." There are six different versions available. You can click here to read more about the six different products they offer, and click here to learn about the difference between the standard (one time purchase option) and deluxe versions (subscription option). They offer products for children in Kindergarten through 9th grade. The standard products range in price from $39.95 - $89.95. We received the Levels 1, 2, 3 Bundle, Deluxe Version. Again, the deluxe version is a subscription to the software, and these are the subscription options and costs:

• $2.95 per family per month
• $19.95 per family per year
• $34.95 per family for 2 years.

This software program is user-friendly. It is easy to download, enter your child's username, password, and to navigate around the various "races" (math drills) they offer.

Your child will choose what math facts he or she would like to work on. They will then enter into a race. They can choose to race cars or riderless horses. Your child will always be in the far left lane, and he/she will race against his five best previous races. So, this program is a self-competitive and motivating program. There's no comparison to other classmates or siblings. The math problems will flash on the bottom of the screen and your child simply types in the correct answer. I appreciate how the child does NOT have to hit the enter button once they've typed their answer.

This is not a complete math program. It is simply a tool to use to help your children practice their math!

My six-year-old daughter enjoys this program very much. However, this program is not a good fit for my eight-year-old son. He struggles with focus and concentration, and all the colorful racing cars and horses distract him from the math problems at the bottom of the page. All the movement (cars and horses) causes him to get frustrated, which then blocks him from moving forward with the races. We will still use this program with him occasionally; because it will be good practice for him to learn to focus on what he's SUPPOSE to be focusing on, and to learn to block out things that distract him.

If you are looking for a fun alternative to flashcards to help drill your children in their math practice facts, then please check out The Quarter Mile Math! While you're visiting their site, you can watch an informational video, and also download a demo!

Click here to read what other TOS Crew members have to say about this program!

Eternity is All That Matters

While in Peru, I witnessed believers worshipping with joy and excitement! In one area I served in, there was a lot of poverty. But, their circumstances did not hinder their faith or their worship! You see, Christ ALONE is their source of joy - not material possessions. When you strip away all the material things you can see clearly that eternity is all that matters. Where do you find your source of joy? In Christ ALONE or in material things? I believe here in the U.S. material things are often our source of joy, not Christ.

A missionary named C.T. Studd said, "Only one life, 'twill soon be past. Only what's done for Christ will last."

That is what 1 Corinthians 3:12-15 is talking about - temporary verses eternal things. Some things we do in our life have only temporal value, while others have eternal value.

If any man builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, his work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each man's work. If what he has built survives, he will receive his reward. If it is burned up, he will suffer loss; he himself will be saved, but only as one escaping through the flames.

The wood, hay, and straw are those things we do in life that have only temporal value. They will burn up, and not last for all eternity. The gold, silver, and costly stones are those things that we do for Christ and His Kingdom. So, I must ask myself, how am I investing most of my time? Am I investing in things that only have a temporal value, or am I investing in things with an eternal value?

So, I'd like to ask you to evaluate your life as well. Parents, are you intentionally sharing Christ with your children? Do you know your home is a mission field? Are you sharing Christ with your neighbors and friends? Do you know your neighborhood is a mission field? Are you sharing Christ with your co-workers? Do you know your workplace is a mission field?

Peru helped me refocus on the most important thing - the ONLY thing that truly matters - eternity!

So, I pray I live my life like eternity is all that matters and share Jesus and His love every opportunity the Lord gives me!

If eternity is all that matters...am I living like it?

Grapevine Studies ~ TOS Review

Grapevine Studies is known for Stick Figuring™ through the Bible! As you study a passage of scripture, you draw a stick figure that corresponds to the passage.

I would like to share a portion of the Grapevine Method with you.

Grapevine Studies teaches the Bible as if it were a puzzle, doing the frame first. Once the frame is in place (the timeline) then individual pieces (Bible passages, characters, and events) are much easier to place and understand in the context of the “whole puzzle” (the whole counsel of the Word of God). ~ Grapevine Studies

Our family was given the opportunity to receive a Bible study from Grapevine, and we chose Level 1-2 New Testament Overview. Level 1-2 is written for children in grades 1-4. We received the printed black and white teacher book ($35.95) and the student e-book ($25.95). You can download a sample of the teacher’s book here.

My 6-year-old daughter loves to draw. My 8-year-old son does not enjoy it as much. So, I was curious to see how he would do with all the drawing they call Stick Figuring™. To begin our study of the New Testament, the children and I worked on the frame. That means we drew through "stick figuring" the New Testament Timeline. My daughter could have flown through this exercise, but her brother needed a bit more time! Sometimes I felt discouraged and wondered if this just wasn’t a right fit for his learning style. Well, that was until the day we finished the timeline. That night when my son was getting ready for bed, he told his Dad about the ENTIRE New Testament Timeline! He had a lot of questions about the tribulation, the dead in Christ rising, and the final war between Satan and Jesus! Wow! Wow! Wow! I thought he was frustrated by the TIME it took him to get his timeline done, but he learned SO MUCH, and that was only the FIRST lesson!

Once the framework (the timeline) is built, you walk through each section of the timeline and go into deeper study with your children.

Are you tired of just scratching the surface of God’s Word with your children? Would you like to dig deeper? These studies are great for families to do together, or to use in Sunday school classes. Check out Grapevine Studies today! I am sure you will find a great age-appropriate study for your family! At checkout, enter the coupon code crews to get 30% off your order. Please hurry; this coupon code (crews) is only good until September 15^th!

Would you like to read more reviews on other studies Grapevine has to offer? They have studies from both the Old and New Testaments! Click here to see what other TOS Crew members have to say

Composer Study - Bach

We are going to do something new this year. It's what I call, "A Charlotte Mason Thing." We are going to study different composers! I am very excited about this! Simply Charlotte Mason is one of my favorite websites for Charlotte Mason information and resources. They have a section that describes studying composers very well.

You can find a lot of neat resources on THIS site. This is where I found Composer Coloring Sheets. The San Francisco Symphony has an AMAZING website for children!

I put together a Biography Report Form for the children to fill out at the end of our study. Click HERE if you'd like to take a look at it and feel free to use it if you'd like.

I went to our local library and did a search for Johann Sebastian Bach and came home with some wonderful CDs to listen to, and a few great books!

Here are the books we found and are using:

Johann Sebastian Bach, written and illustrated by Mike Venezia

Sebastian Bach, the boy from Thuringia, by Opal Wheeler and Sybil Deucher

Masters of Music, Bach and Baroque Music, by Stefano Catucci

Introducing Bach by Roland Vernon

Do you and your family study composers and classical music? If so, do you have any ideas to share with us as we get started?

Menu Plan Monday ~ August 17th

We are a homeschool family. This is our first week of our 2009-10 school year, so I've made up a very simple menu plan for this week! :)

Monday: Pulled Pork Sandwiches (cooked in crockpot), Fries, and fresh veggies

Tuesday: Leftovers

Wednesday: Breakfast for Dinner - Eggs, Bacon, Toast, and Fruit

Thursday: Springfield Style Cashew Chicken and brown rice

Friday: My 6yo daughter is cooking Cowboy Enchiladas!

Saturday: Homemade Pizza and Breadsticks

Sunday: Leftover Pizza

What's on your menu this week? For more menu planning ideas, head over to I'm an Organzing Junkie.

Veggie Surplus

Here are a couple things I've made this week to use up the veggie surplus around our home!

Fresh Salsa Ingredients:

tomatoes

cucumber

bell peppers (any color)

lemon (juice only)

garlic clove (1-2)

cilantro (I used ~ 25 stems)

olive oil

salt

pepper

sugar

These are the ingredients I use to make our favorite fresh salsa! I run through two batches in our blender. Last night I used the ingredients you see in the pic and ended up with about 10 cups of fresh salsa. I do finely dice up some of the tomatoes and cucumber to help thicken the salsa.

Zucchini "Crab" Cakes

I used the recipe for crab cakes off my box of Old Bay Seasoning. I substituted grated zucchini for the crab. Zucchini does have a high water content, so I squeezed as much water out of it as I could. I did have to add in some extra bread crumbs to help form the cakes easier.

TOS Review ~ Web Design for Kids

This DVD teaches you the following:

• Basic HTML code
• How to add pictures
• How to add color to your text and background
• How to make text move across your screen
• And Much More...

Mr. Richardson, the creator of this DVD is a middle school computer literacy teacher and technology expert. He designed this DVD for kids (and curious grown ups) to help them learn a valuable skill they can use throughout their entire lifetimes.

Mr. Richardson does a great job taking you and your child by the hand and slowly walking you through the steps of creating your own web page using ONLY Notepad and Internet Explorer. We sat in front of the television with our laptop and walked through the process with him. This DVD is recommended for ages 8-adult. I will be honest with you, my oldest child just turned 8, and he lost interest pretty fast. But, my husband and I continued to watch without him. Your experience with an 8-year-old might be different than mine since every child is a unique individual!

This DVD originally sells for $40.00 (plus shipping and handling). But, if you hurry, they are offering a special Summer price of $19.99 (plus shipping and handling). A portion of all purchases are divided among five wonderful charities! How cool is that?!

To read more reviews on this product, click here.

WFMW ~ Magnetic Clips

First, let me start off by saying that my refrigerator doesn't always look this neat and tidy! This only WORKS if you are consistent in organizing your children's artwork. I don't know how your children roll, but mine are constantly swiping my magnets and trying to expand their gallery!

Each of my children have their own magnetic clip to display their artwork. When the clip gets too full, it is time to pitch or save in their artwork binders. Things have been know to mysteriously disappear though:)

For more "works for me Wednesday" tips, head over to We Are THAT Family!

Preschool Thanksgiving Ideas

I recently pulled out all my preschool curriculum out of storage boxes. I used this with my older two children, and now my youngest child is ready! Some of the ideas I wrote down and stored in my binder. Some ideas I listed the source where I found the activity, and unfortunately, others, I did not.

Thanksgiving

ART ACTIVITES

Pine Cone Turkey

What You Need:

Large Pine Cone

Colored Construction Paper

Scissors

Glue

What You Do:

1. Draw the shape of a turkey head on construction paper.

2. Then trace both of your child's hands on a separate piece of construction paper.

3. Cut out all.

4. Glue to opposite ends of pine cone.

5. The fingers from the hand cutouts really do look like tail feathers!

Thanksgiving Handprint Tree

Make a trunk out of brown construction paper.

Use red, orange, and yellow construction paper to trace your children's hands, and then cut out to use as leaves on the tree.

On each leaf, write down one thing your child is thankful for.

Each day add more leaves...you can even add leaves to the ground to show that leaves fall off the trees during autumn!

Feather Painting

Provide each child with a feather, paint, and paper. Ask the children to paint a picture using the feather as a paintbrush.

Hand Turkey

Paint the palm of your child's hand brown (the body of the turkey). Paint each finger a different color (red, yellow, orange, brown, etc...) to be the turkey's feathers. Then gently press the child's painted hand on a piece of construction paper or cardstock. Gently lift the hand up, let it dry, and then paint on the gobbler, beak, and eyes to complete the hand turkey.

Head Bands

Cut paper strips to make a head band out of. Then staple feathers or make your own feathers out of construction paper.

Indian Vests

Make and decorate vests from paper grocery bags.

Teepees

you can show the children how to make teepee's from paper by maing the paper into a cone shape and taping it. have the children decorate their teepees.

Thank You Cards

Have the children make thank you cards. have the children give the card to someone special.

Place Mats

have the children make a fall or Thanksgiving place mat by coloring it, or cutting pictures out of magazines. then have an adult laminate them.

MATH AND SCIENCE

Popping Popcorn

What happens when you heat up corn kernels? Get an air popper and let hte children watch the corn kernals pop Be sure to let the children know tha tthe container is hot.

Turkey Feather Game

Find a picture of a turkey tha tyou like. make six copies of it. Cut out the bodies of the turkeys so you have to had the feathers to make the turkey complete). Write the number "one" on the first turkey, "two" on another, repeat tiwth the numers three through six. Provide the children with twenty one feather shapes, cut from construction paper or store bough craft feathers. Ask the children to place the appropriate number of feathers on each turkey. One feathe ron the turkey with the number one on it and so on.

Feather Sorting

Cut out several different feather shapes from construction paper or provide the children with store bought craft feathers. Ask the children to sort the feathers according to color. Ask the children, "How many red feathers do you have?" etc...

Bead Patterns

Provide the children with beads for lacing and pattern cards. Do simple patterns for younger children, or just allow them to string the beads.

GAMES

Do the Turkey Pokey

Sing the hokey pokey just like normal, but then the last line goes as follows: "You do the Turkey Pokey and you gobble all around, that's what it's all about."

Pin the Feather on the Turkey

Do you really need instructions for this one:)

Popcorn Pop

have the children watch popcorn pop. have the children pretend to be popcorn. Upbeat music, or a recording of popping corn may stimulate the children to jump more.

Feather or Turkey Hope

Cut out large feather or turkey shapes from colored construction paper. laminate them and cut them out. Place them on the floor and ask the children to hop from one father or turkey to another.

Thanksgiving Recipes

this is always absolutely hilarious. My son did this in his Sunday school class one year, and I've been doing it with the children ever since. You simply ask the children how to cook a Thanksgiving Turkey. Ask questions like...what temperature the oven needs to be, how long do you cook it, what do you do to prepare the turkey before it goes into the oven...and so on...

Poem

(TO GO ALONG WITH A HANDPRINT TURKEY)

This isn't just a turkey

as anyone can see,

I made it with my hand

which is a part of me.

it comes with lots of love

especially to say,

I hope that you have a very

HAPPY THANKSGIVING DAY

Ministry in Peru

My ministry experience in Peru is indescribable. First of all, this was my first experience with International travel. Experiencing a place where a different language is spoken, and a different culture is lived, is truly a blessing in and of itself!

The emotions experienced, and the spiritual lessons learned are too difficult for me to describe in one single blog post.

Sharing the love of Christ with the Peruvians in their homes and in the streets was a wonderful opportunity and blessing! Loving the children who came to the Bible clubs, playing with them and teaching them about Christ was another incredible experience!

I seriously would have stayed longer if my husband and children could have joined me!

I am trusting Holy Spirit to keep on doing His work, and I am praying for the Peruvian churches to be diligent and to continue reaching out and making the many new believers true disciples of Jesus Christ!