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Wednesday, October 29, 2014

Home Made Glow in the Dark Lanterns

Home Made Glow in the Dark Lanterns! 




Perfect for Parties, Halloween, Glow Events and special effects centerpieces. 


Directions: 
Take a Glow Stick and break to release Glow- Cut off the end and pour into a glass mason jar. Try Water & Small pieces of Glitter to help the glow liquid stick to the sides of the glass. 

The Effect is GREAT!  Consider using more than one large glow stick for greater glow effect. Also these little gems need some attention and may need to be shaken to keep the attraction. 


Tuesday, October 28, 2014

3 Simple Tips for Being Fit & Healthy While You Feast

Being FIT & Healthy while you FEAST!

 
1)  Join a Challenge- Join a challenge either virtually online through fitness groups/pages or even create your own. November & December are great months for aiming toward intentional exercise each day. While the rest of the world plans to indulge and start their Journey on January first, You will be starting now and keeping it simple and easy! You'll have less weight to lose and less bad habits to break in 60 days! Perhaps you could set a goal to walk for 20min each day or maybe start a run streak if you are a runner. Don't be so hard on yourself, learn that although you can join a challenge and miss a day- no reason to stop all together. If you miss a day in a challenge be intentional to allow yourself both physical and mental rest because either of those can create cortisol hormones to rise in your body and you won't lose/maintain weight instead you might gain weight.  Join a challenge but enjoy yourself!



 
2) Prepare- The greatest act you can do while living a healthy lifestyle is to prepare for your day or week ahead. Only you know exactly how busy you truly are. Identify those parts of your day that you feel the most tired or low of energy and plan a quick 100-200 calorie high protein/veggie snack right before hand. Plan to skip the afternoon coffee's and chew on high antioxidant foods or teas to fight off your mid day stress. Planning your snack and meals will obviously curb those impulsive wants to hit a drive thru, vending machine or the easiest thing you can find.





3) Moderation- That is such a tough word during a season when everything is presented to you so beautifully and so often. The stores are full of new Fall and Christmas treats! The office co-workers begin to bring in all their favorite treats to show you how much they love you (Sure...Thanks a lot ;-)
Perhaps you are in a leadership position and now every gift is a food during this special season of giving Thanks and Celebrating.  Planning ahead helps you moderate but the best way to moderate is to go ahead and plan to donate and re-gift those foodie presents. Say "yes" to some and "No" to others.  When you say "yes" make sure you share it! Never bring a whole pie home to yourself.  Instead plan to bring that desert to a dinner party or to your family to split. Sometimes those food gifts can be frozen and enjoyed at another time. Freezing food gifts if you can is such a great idea because the temptation is no longer readily available to eat when it comes 10pm!!  Moderation Tips also include- On slice, one serving, smaller dining plates, drink water before/during your meals, eat a healthy balanced meal prior to a party where there is unhealthy choices that way you don't eat too much of the unhealthy stuff.



Saturday, October 18, 2014

Halloween Bark

Tis the Time of the Year for Fun Festive Treats!





Ingredients: 
Chocolate Candy Wafers (Melting Chocolate - 2 packages ) 
Mixed Candies: Pretzels, M&M's, sprinkles, candy corn, Reeses Pieces, crushed oreos, etc. Enjoy your best choices in this fun dessert!

I found Party Cake Flavored Wafer melts at A.C.MOORE Arts & Crafts but you can use any color and flavor you want! Just make sure they are chocolate meant for melting!

Directions:
•Melt Chocolate- If you have a double boiler use that- if not slowly melt over low heat. 

•Spread over Parchment paper
•Immediately add candy and press lightly so the candy hardens to the drying chocolate. 
•Let chocolate harden 
•Break into pieces and serve! 


One of the quickest and easiest party snacks you can make for a party! 
Enjoy!!

Wednesday, October 1, 2014

Home School September 2014


I've never made a post about my home schooling before. I suppose I felt like I certainly don't have anything to share because I am so "new" at this.  I wonder when that feeling will end? How often I do something and the longer I do it, I still feel like I'm new at it all the time! The beauty of life!

I hope by sharing I ignite in me a passion to go deeper into my adventure of schooling my kids. I hope that through my search for fun and adventure in this not always easy or fun process that I can inspire in you a passion (most important Love atmosphere) that even I'm trying to create and keep in my own home.

I pray that all my fellow home school moms had an "Easy" transition into school. Surprisingly I did. I had two little days where I felt monotonous and bored (sorry, God is working on this with me!!) I had a tiny panic that "this feeling" can't seriously be hitting me already! LOL.  So I have done good! My children have done really well too! After having a couple months off I can see their growth in maturity. They all seem more prepared to learn this year too! Amen!


Here is my Month in Pictures! (if you don't already know I have a passion for story telling in photos! It preserves the memory and that makes my moments last a lifetime!)



 Get Ready- Get Organized! What is behind the scenes to a more successful school year is my preparedness! Last year we did our schooling in the formal dining room. This year because we so much extra space, Austyns old bedroom became our dedicated school room. We don't really learn in here (except when working through the kids laptops) but it's a great place to keep our stuff! I have my dining room back!



Our First Day of School! We always keep it Light & Fun. We organize our Stuff and bake cookies and do a craft project! This is a Great Idea to make new School Year Goals with your kids!


Our Studies!

Science- matter of Light (Study of the property of Light. Facts about the human eye and optical illusions)  We also Learned lots of information about Niagara Falls and Hydro Power and took a trip to Niagara Falls. We did the Maid of the Midst! We all had a Blast!

Maid of the Midst- Niagara Falls NY
The smallest Rainbow I have ever seen! Wanted to share that beauty with you! 
 We took a Field Trip to Wonder Works Indoor Amusement Park inside Destiny USA- Interactive fun learning while playing! Take a Visit sometime to Wonder Works !


Social Studies- Immigration, Geography (longitude/latitude). Studied the continent & ocean names and some facts about American Indians. We visited a Long House and watched Indian Dance rituals!  The Indian Village is always a part of The New York State Fair

Grammar- Simple & Complex Sentences. Review of 3rd grade basics of use of commas, quotation marks, capitalization rules, cursive writing, spelling and the twins have focused harder on reading and phonics.

Whitney is studying sign language. She loves online videos to songs and tutors that show her stuff for free!

ART- We did our First Art Project the first day of School, This was also another project we worked on. I love Pinterest for Ideas. I didn't even think I needed directions to make this! Just wing it right? Ok, so we did! We adventured outside on the porch- it's been so nice out! Get it int he scenery while we can! Hope you enjoy the finished project (which looks NOTHING like the real deal!) Ha!








 Gym our Family has been Running, Walking and Playing at the Playground!


In School this year I decided to work out of a devotional for our Worship and Discipleship. I love this little book. Each day it's a story about children stuff with a bible verse! I highly suggest devotional readings to your kids, it's about daily application in their life!


Our family reading has been this great little book! Full of lots of adventure!

Extra Curricular Activities! 

Ally is in Swim Lessons, Whitney is in Gymnastics Lessons and Austyn is taking Hip Hop Dance Lessons!

 We Also adventured to the Park for School One day! We covered our studies at the Playground and made it very interactive. The twins we did a reading drill, I put written words on index cards and put them around the lawn. They had to pick a card, read it, find it and if they wanted to they could do it! For example: Slide. They read the word, found the slide and then went down it! The ONLY downfall to this trip was all the distractions (Squirrel....BEE....Other kids...more BEES....) LOL
We also took a Trip to Beak & Skiff Apple Orchards! Our First time at this place and add this to your Field Trips! I love living so Close to Apple Country which is down in Lafayette, NY















Our family has been VERY Busy this Month not just taking trips, learning and such but we also have been working diligently on house projects and here are a few!

Siding the back of the addition to the house

Ripping out cabinet to install me a NEW dishwasher! So great to have! The first time it ran, I was out running! ha!

Daddy shampooing our carpets while we worked! 

Meanwhile I worked hard to keep my Sanity by spending time with the Lord in Scripture and book reading! I am almost finished with my First Year of Ministry School!  Currently I'm reading the following books.  When I am done I will give them a Review!
Cure for the Common Life by Max Lucado
The Power of the Spirit By William Law
Gods at War by Kyle Idleman

I love my Relationship with God, I hear him so intimately in my life. He is really bringing things forth and healing me constantly with so many things. Religion robs me of that relationship, sometimes Reading different books brings forth opinions and theologies that don't settle well with my spirit. These books challenge me, they make me dive deeper into God's character, not because of what these books reveal about me, or even if they truly reveal about God, but because when I'm challenged by them- I get to turn to God for the revelation and understanding! My prayer is that when you read that you don't live by mans word but the Written Word (Your Holy Bible) and the spoken word from the Holy Spirit to Yours!  Here is an example of theology that drives me bonkers! The top paragraph is from Kyle's Book about Idolatry. The Bottom book is from the Holy Spirit book I'm reading. One claims that "Idolatry is the ONE sin that ALL sins come from". Yet the other book tells me that "Self is the root and sum total of all sin"........Listen friends, you can't have it both ways! Neither of these are bible truths!  I don't care how much rub two coins together- they are still both money and worth different values. They are similar but different and coins are not dollars! Go with the Bible!


Anyways! I've found a few others ways to relax because sometimes reading AMPS me up in not all the good ways, LOL- I went out on a Date with My Husband this month! Yep- ONE Date, but it was perfect ♥


Then I spent some time with Friends!

 I even got my first alone time all month (besides running) where I bought a dinner and went to the lake to watch the sunset and read! Perfect!

We Also had a get together with Friends for card game and desert! So much fun, this week we are doing Another!



Here is some Yummy Food I ate this month! Still eating Clean and Feeling Amazing! 

Pink Salmon over a fire at a friends house! Wow!

Home made Grain free breakfast cereal. Tired of eggs.... don't want the grains....want wholesome healthy clean breakfast without buying into pricey products at the grocery store.
Ingredients:
Walnuts
flaxseed meal
Unsweetened coconut flakes
raisins
hemp hearts
Cinnamon
Directions- blend to the proportion you desire. Go without milk and mash or dice a banana into it and eat or add the banana and serve with milk.
Today for the first time I'm trying unsweetened vanilla flavored hemp! Blows almond milk away with nutrition and taste for me!! Enjoy!

Warm apple cereal.
Blend two small or one large organic peeled & cored apple and add tsp cinnamon, tsp hemp hearts, tsp flaxseed meal and blend and warm on stove top and the. Add sliced almonds! Warm Yummy way to start your day! Easy and healthy.

Roasted Butternut squash. Roast cut and diced butternut squash with some pumpkin seed oil and handful of cranberry. I roasted till soft about an hour at 350 and served with lean turkey meat mixed in for protein.
My Running Stats Fell this Month, I had an injury to my knee from a Fall. I was able to rest and take a few days off, my knee has been hurting at night and life as you can see above has been truly busy! Besides with all the hectic part of my life I'm just really happy I'm in a place with my love for Running that it does not control me like it used to! I love to run! Here is some pics! 


How was Your First month at School? Did you encounter any unique Challenges?  Bloggers Love Comments, so share with me your Life!