tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2203211503966013492024-03-16T13:52:25.181-05:00 Teaching My BlessingsThe adventures of teaching my children and students!Trinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17643199425217080828noreply@blogger.comBlogger130125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-220321150396601349.post-46940010865191326052019-07-30T04:47:00.000-05:002019-07-30T04:47:33.201-05:00Still Teaching...Just more blessingsHello! I am still here! Tonight a friend ask me, "Do you write? Other than in your journals?" I replied, "Yes, I have two blogs I used to write on." She then replied, "Why did you stop?" I was taken back by the question. Why did I stop writing? Well, life happened. When I used to write at the time I had three young sons who needed me, a husband who needed me, and I then went back to my love of teaching in the classroom full time in 2016. So life just happened and I didn't feel I could keep up with writing a blog too. So I just stopped. My friend looked and me and with the most sincere words she said, "You should write." Those words washed all over me the rest of the night. She's right! I should write! So it's 4:09 am and I'm here writing with so much excitement! I love this little space in blogger world! I love to write! I love to share the blessings God has immensely blessed me with!<br />
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I want to write here more often! I originally titled this blog "Teaching My Blessings" because at the time I was teaching my three sons preschool at home. I loved my time at home with them for seven years full time. I then taught preschool part time for two years. Then after much prayer and consideration, it was time for me to return to work full time. Teaching has always been my passion and heart cry. So I happily returned to the classroom. I was very blessed to be able to get a teaching position at the same school my boys attended. I will not lie it was one of the hardest things I've done in adult life thus far. The transition was challenging on our family, but we survived and adjusted well. My words for that school year (and every school year since) were BALANCE and GRACE. Balance in this thing called life and Grace for myself and everyone around me. I am still fleshing that out 3 years later. I love the Lord, my family, and my students. I desire to be the best God has created me to be. I want to be a great mom, wife, and teacher and to do all of that it requires grace! I'm still learning so much about God's amazing grace.<br />
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I feel the name of this blog still fits my life as God has just expanded my territory with the blessings I now teach. My first priority will always be my own family, but I now get to teach 55 third graders this year! Those babies are my blessings too! I teach departmentalized writing and science. I love teaching my precious students!<br />
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I hope you will join me as I begin to write more about whatever God lays on my heart. It may not look the same when I began writing here in 2011. I may write about what God is teaching me, what I'm teaching my boys, what I'm teaching in my class or whatever comes my way. Thank you for joining me on the journey!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">These boys will always have my heart! I am extremely blessed to be their mama! </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Some of my favorites in one pic: My family and the mountains</td></tr>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">We love because he first loved us. </span><h1 class="passage-display" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-weight: 500; line-height: 1.1; margin: 0px 0px 20px;">
<span class="passage-display-bcv" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; display: inline; font-size: 18px; margin: 0px; padding-right: 6px;"><br />1 John 4:19</span> </h1>
Trinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17643199425217080828noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-220321150396601349.post-4320885895623382842015-12-29T22:32:00.000-06:002015-12-29T22:32:01.117-06:00Merry Christmas 2015!!! <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<strong><span style="font-size: x-large;">Merry Christmas from our family to yours!</span></strong></div>
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I know it's been forever since I've blogged! I haven't forgotten about this tiny space on the web where I once wrote weekly! Life has just gotten busier! I am one blessed mama to these three munchkins! They are my heart and soul. I originally started blogging about my adventure of teaching them preschool at home. Now two of them are in elementary school and one is in preschool. I now teach preschool five days a week. I find that I am still teaching them just in new ways. </div>
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We had a wonderful Christmas together. One of my most favorite traditions is attending our Christmas Eve service at our church. It is just so special! I love focusing on Jesus during this service! We also have a candlelight service at the end. Imagine this cute three year old pictured above wanting to hold his own lit candle very badly and sweat dripping from my hand as I was one nervous mama. <br />
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I do hope your Christmas was blessed and just as special! <br />
With Love,<br />
Trina</div>
Trinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17643199425217080828noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-220321150396601349.post-77509978887254497112015-06-09T14:10:00.001-05:002015-06-09T14:11:26.018-05:00Muffin Tin Meals<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzXnCOBl-rD0W39zZsY5SCPgrEi7ndS7z0btRgev6XOWgUyTWINrXt07nNubI0lec6gmnQo8u5m6bpcs2KpVedzHodD2HoLY2fWIxvA19qFf98Tu3Op8Z7Qr0C055rEyAyguBHv0CyBq8/s1600/IMG_3713.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="172" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzXnCOBl-rD0W39zZsY5SCPgrEi7ndS7z0btRgev6XOWgUyTWINrXt07nNubI0lec6gmnQo8u5m6bpcs2KpVedzHodD2HoLY2fWIxvA19qFf98Tu3Op8Z7Qr0C055rEyAyguBHv0CyBq8/s320/IMG_3713.JPG" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I LOVE to make my boys muffin tin meals and they LOVE them too! The boys have been home for two days for summer break and they've had muffin tin meals on both days now! I love that I can give them six things in a muffin tin. It's just a fun way to serve lunch and it beats packing lunches! I was ready for school to be out for that one reason! Who else is feeling me, there?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Happy Muffin Tin Meal Making! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">I originally got the idea to make them from </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.michellesjournalcorner.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Muffin Tin Mom.</a> </span></div>
Trinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17643199425217080828noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-220321150396601349.post-23947879621813357132015-06-07T15:57:00.000-05:002015-06-07T16:08:14.419-05:00Our Summer Learning Plan<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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We are excited to be out of school for summer! But this former teacher turned SAHM won't let the learning stop! I've read about how kids can lose so much of what they've learned during the school year and I don't want that to happen to my boys. So here's my plan to avoid that happening here. <br />
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We made our "Not a Bummer Summer" bucket list with all the activities we want to do this summer. We will color in each cloud as we complete the activity. We will also complete a mini lesson on how to be a "bucket filling family" after reading <u>Have You Filled a Bucket Today?</u> <br />
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Last week I got so excited to make create a summer learning plan for my boys. I founds so many resources on the web!! I shared the two pictures above on my personal Facebook page and then decided to share with all of you too here on the blog.<br />
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One part of my plan is to work together with all three of my boys three days a week for an hour. I will have rotations where each child will spend 20 minutes 1:1 with me, 20 minutes doing individual work, and 20 minutes on an educational website on the computer. I got this idea from <a href="http://meaningfulmama.com/2015/06/our-summer-learning-plan.html" target="_blank">Meaningful Mama</a> (whom I love!!!) <br />
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We will also read, read, and read this summer! We will participate in our local public library's reading program and the <a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/u/summer-reading/379003570/" target="_blank">Barnes and Noble Summer Reading Program</a>. Through both programs students can earn free books. <br />
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I also found a great reading contract to use with boys at <a href="http://literacylovinggals.blogspot.com/2015/05/help-prevent-summer-slide-free-summer.html" target="_blank">Literacy Loving Gals</a>. <br />
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Then I found an awesome cool library challenge to use at the library at <a href="http://growingbookbybook.com/?s=Library+challenge" target="_blank">Growing Book by Book</a>. <br />
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I am looking forward to having fun learning and playing with my blessings this summer! <br />
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<br />Trinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17643199425217080828noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-220321150396601349.post-48395552106741656572015-06-03T14:16:00.001-05:002015-06-03T15:11:41.182-05:00Thank You!<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Two very special words that turned my grumpy heart into a happy, melted heart!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">This morning was a terrible, awful, no good, very bad morning! My boys have two days left of school! And we are READY for summer! This mama is ready to have my boys home with me. I am ready to have relaxed chilling mornings. Don't get me wrong I love a good routine, but we're all just ready for school to be out. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">So today was water day at school. My sweet boys had swim trunks and shirts on, sunscreen on and were ready to go, although CA could not find his swim sandals anywhere! After much searching from all family members he finally had to go to school in older tennis shoes and socks (which he was not happy about!) We turned the house upside down at the event of even making the boys late to school. Which is not our norm! My oldest was horrified by this event! I finally told CA if I found them I would bring them to him. I came home to search more and finally found them! This mama just needed a little more time to think clearly about where those silly sandals could be! So I quickly ran back up to the school. When CA saw me talking to his teacher he ran over to me and took the sandals and looked at me and said... THANK YOU! Oh wow, that made all the searching and looking all worth it! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I will admit I was a grumpy, cranky mama. I even yelled a few times during the chaotic time of looking for the sandals. Once he said those two words to me I was all mush and so thankful for a thankful heart! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It made me stop and think. Do I say those two words often enough? Do I thank God for the many blessings He has bestowed on me daily? That is my prayer today. Thank you Lord for the blessings! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Thankfully,</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Trina</span>Trinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17643199425217080828noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-220321150396601349.post-54974215566720221802015-04-05T22:27:00.000-05:002015-04-05T22:27:58.867-05:00Happy Easter 2015<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-large;">Happy Easter!</span> </div>
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He is Risen! He is Risen Indeed!</div>
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HI! I'm still here! I just haven't blogged in forever! So sorry! These three blessings keep me hopping! I love being their mama and I am trying to enjoy each day as they are growing so fast! JP is now 7 and in 1st grade, CA is 6 and is in kindergarten! TC is almost 3 and gets to go to preschool three days a week with me at an awesome preschool while I teach PreK! All is great and I thought I'd update the blog with a current pic! I do plan to blog more soon! </div>
Trinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17643199425217080828noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-220321150396601349.post-9516912522404914082013-10-11T22:21:00.001-05:002013-10-11T22:23:22.986-05:00I'm Still Teaching My Blessings Just in new ways...Hello Friends!<br />
I promise I did not fall off of the blogging bandwagon. I've just been quiet for a little while. Honestly, I haven't known what to write about so I just haven't. :) I've sat down to blog numerous times and then just haven't.<br />
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We had a fabulous summer and are now in full swing Fall season with school and fun activities. <br />
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I am still teaching my three amazing amazing blessings just in new ways.<br />
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JP started Kindergarten this Fall! It has been a wonderful experience so far and I am so blessed by his school and teacher. I'll be honest the first two weeks were a little rough adjusting. His school day is early and he was just tired. But now we are in a good groove. <br />
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CA began attending PreK this year and LOVES it! He goes two days a week to a wonderful program at a church. It is a perfect balance for him to have time with me at home and then time at preschool. He was dressed and ready at 6:01am on his first day!<br />
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Then that leaves me with this sweet dumplin' on the days that both the big boys are at school! I love it! I can play with him, run errands or clean house great with one baby! He's such a good baby, although now he really is a toddler! Thankfully he is very flexible and has had his sweet nap schedule readjusted with the start of school.<br />
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I still consider myself to be my children's first and most important teacher. While they are being instructed by others at school, I know that God has allowed me to teach them the most. I believe in mommyhood we are always teaching, instructing and guiding our babies for a long time.<br />
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Thank you for patiently reading along. I do hope to blog more often!<br />
TrinaTrinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17643199425217080828noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-220321150396601349.post-64664386382361122132013-06-22T14:16:00.001-05:002013-06-22T14:17:22.849-05:00Brotherly Love with Reading!So one morning (ok many mornings) while I was trying to make breakfast for my three blessings the volume in our house just got louder and louder! Between TC desiring his food and making his wants known loudly by squealing and CA needing another item and asking politely for them, I began to feel overwhelmed. So I asked JP if he could read to his brothers. He is beginning to learn to read and really does well with predictive text, especially so many of our familiar books. So off he went to get our favorite board books! Sandra Boynton books are a big hit with these 3! He pulled all three of their chairs together and read to his brothers! Precious moment! I had to grab the camera to record this sweet moment! I was and am one proud mama!<br />
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I am so blessed to be their mama and I hope they always know that!<br />
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We now have a few new routines in place to make our morning a little more smooth:<br />
-JP and CA must get dressed and make their beds while I begin preparing breakfast. This has helped a ton! It gives me just a few minutes to get things prepped and ready while their little bodies are busy and not under my feet in the kitchen. :) Trinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17643199425217080828noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-220321150396601349.post-68123465562978145662013-06-20T16:01:00.000-05:002013-06-21T23:34:04.308-05:00A Literacy Filled HomeOne of my goals in parenthood is to raise lifelong readers. I want my children to love books, and love reading! This Spring I watched a Google hangout (a video chat) titled <a href="http://www.toddlerapproved.com/2013/04/spring-into-reading-reading-questions.html" target="_blank">Spring Into Reading: Reading Questions Answered by Kid Bloggers</a> where numerous awesome bloggers discussed how to instill reading and literacy into our children. <br />
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Here are a few of the questions they covered:<br />
<ul>
<li>How do you foster a love of reading in your home?</li>
<li>How do you decide which books to read with your kids?</li>
<li>How do you get kids to sit still when reading?</li>
<li>How do you keep kids focused when reading?</li>
<li>When do you start reading chapter books to kids?</li>
<li>What are storytime rituals at your house?</li>
<li>What are simple ways (that don't involve any extra materials) that you use to engage your children as you read stories aloud?</li>
</ul>
You should totally click on the link above and watch the videos! I LOVED it! It was so fun to listen to other mommies and bloggers discuss how reading occurs in their homes! I had many "ah-ha" moments and was able to take away so much from watching this video that I thought I would share what I learned with you. I implemented so much of their ideas right away.<br />
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-One idea is to read to your children all times of the day: at breakfast, lunch, or dinner, while they are taking a bath or anytime you can. I started doing this and love it. I now read to the boys at lunch time. I also now read to the boys while they are in the bath. They are splashing and having fun and they can't go anywhere! I now keep a basket of books in the bathroom to grab while they bathe. I also got really tickled one day when JP and CA both picked up books to read while using the bathroom one day! <br />
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-One blogger gave the idea to have books in every room of the house. I already had books the boys rooms and our front room, but I found baskets to put more books in each room of our home.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is a new basket in our living room that I love! I found this new item at Micheal's and just couldn't resist buying it. It also fits quite nicely inside our coffee table. </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">TC loves the new basket too! </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I love Sandra Boynton books so I made just one basket for this collection.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">These are the books in TC's room. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOiQqZS937LmFC8Lx6tYRdAOVj1FzoOwr2cH9tqWn7ODfomkyX7uurEZbQw2lRdnmDrdTJtcYr8UaOJr8S2HIVwpyhLMDw_HGY7UgKsfQnWzYDcIy0ZqjW2RsAUr_G_O2-BjLxxo5m2ZU/s1600/June+2013+015.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOiQqZS937LmFC8Lx6tYRdAOVj1FzoOwr2cH9tqWn7ODfomkyX7uurEZbQw2lRdnmDrdTJtcYr8UaOJr8S2HIVwpyhLMDw_HGY7UgKsfQnWzYDcIy0ZqjW2RsAUr_G_O2-BjLxxo5m2ZU/s320/June+2013+015.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This a reused book holder from my teaching days that we use to hold our library books. All of these books stay in one location of our home (on a good day). </td></tr>
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-Another idea was to start reading chapter books when you think your child is ready. They advised if your child can sit still for 10-15 minutes and understands story elements to begin and see how it goes. I have done this with JP(age 5 1/2) and he is loving it!<br />
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I hope these ideas inspire you as much as they did me! Happy Reading! Trinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17643199425217080828noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-220321150396601349.post-62686736431561272552013-06-05T16:06:00.000-05:002013-06-05T16:06:02.763-05:00"Bear"This is a funny story that I want to be sure to remember so I've chosen to document it here. I hope it makes you laugh too. <br />
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So there really is a 6th member of our family. He is a six inch, cute, brown, teddy bear named "Bear". He is JP's sidekick. He was given to JP as a shower gift before he was born. I can't even remember when JP took to him so fondly. It just happened one day. JP loves Bear deeply and talks of taking Bear to college with him one day. Bear likes to go many places with us. Well last Thursday we went on a bike ride to the park down the street from our house. JP took Bear with us. I remembered when we got home that Bear was in the garage. Well, in the everyday tasks of dinner, bath, and bedtime we all forgot about Bear's location. Then right as I'm tucking JP into bed he says, "Mommy, where's Bear?," in the most exasperated voice. To which I reply, "I don't know, but I'll find him." So I searched and searched the house. I looked in every nook and cranny one would look for Bear: under the couch, in the toy box, under beds, the garage, the van, and numerous locations. I prayed that God would help me find Bear. But, NO Bear! So then I went to check on JP and possibly ask him if he remembered where Bear might be. But oh no, that sweet boy was sound asleep. So I sat down in my chair as by now it is 9:15. Then when I decided to head to bed around 11:00. I then realized if I didn't find Bear that night JP would be one upset little boy come morning! So I started looking again. The sweet hubs immediately knew what I was doing and said "You looking for Bear?" Yep! So we looked again together and tried to retrace Bear's steps. The daddy then said, "I'll go to the park to look." So off he went to the park at 11:15 at night with flashlight in hand! I then prayed again and asked God specifically to help us have insight and wisdom to find Bear. I then heard God say "think like JP" and I thought "Where would JP put Bear?" Oh yes! The Freezer! And there Bear was in the freezer! I quickly called the Daddy and told him to come home from the dark park! When we returned from our walk we were all very hot and JP thought Bear needed to cool off. Oh my sweet thoughtful son!<br />
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Oh the things we do for our precious children!<br />
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Trinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17643199425217080828noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-220321150396601349.post-42472414366417128462013-06-05T16:00:00.000-05:002013-06-05T16:00:01.617-05:00Summer 2013 Bucket ListSummer 2013 is here! We are excited and ready to begin our summer fun! We have just a few days left before the Daddy of our family is off for the Summer and we are ready! We have lots of fun plans for this summer. I asked the boys what they wanted to do this summer and here are a few of their ideas:<br />
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Visit the Children's museum<br />
Visit the Children's aquarium <br />
Paint (JP's idea- not exactly sure what he wants to paint, but paint we will!)<br />
Visit the Bureau of Engraving and Printing(JP has been wanting to do this for months!)<br />
Visit Many Parks in our area and all 24 in our town!<br />
Swim lessons/Swim at our neighborhood pool<br />
Visit the Zoo <br />
Participate in a Sports club Class at the recreation center<br />
Participate in the Kids bowl free program<br />
Attend a professional baseball game <br />
Have many Play dates with friends and cousins<br />
Play at many local splash pads!<br />
Go camping in the backyard <br />
Participate in our Local Library Summer reading program<br />
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I made a calendar on Publisher to hang on the refrigerator with picture prompts so the boys can see when the fun events are planned.<br />
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I make a Summer Bucket List to keep me accountable and to have a plan for the lazy days of summer. I want to be intentional and meaningful in all I do and my Summer Bucket list helps me do that. <br />
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We did paint birdhouses in the garage this weekend. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I still love his serious, focused face with his tongue out! Too funny! </td></tr>
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Happy Summer!!! We hope your summer is awesome! What's on your Summer Bucket List?Trinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17643199425217080828noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-220321150396601349.post-89924292516105860892013-05-09T23:12:00.002-05:002013-05-09T23:18:20.201-05:00I'm Still Here! Hello Friends! Or anyone still reading this blog,<br />
I am still here, I promise! I have not meant to abandon blog writing. At times I just don't know what to write about. All is really good at our home. I have learned in the past year that life with three precious ones 5 and under is busy! These three blessings keep me on my toes. Thankfully our days are full with all good stuff: Bible study twice a month, library visits at least once a week( or more), play dates, laundry, reading together, working out at the gym, laundry, running errands, grocery shopping, family time together on the weekends, and oh did I mention laundry?! I love our life and my 3 blessings so much!<br />
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I try to be intentional with CA and TC on the two days a week that JP is at preschool. But if I were to be real honest these are the days we run errands or I catch up on house stuff. Balancing it all can be a challenge.<br />
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I have also realized I only have a short time with JP before he is in school full time in the fall for kindergarten. While I could be working with him more on the days he is home, I have chosen to follow his lead. He loves preschool and has really learned a lot this year! He loves to read books, sing songs, dance, play super heros, play with legos, write his own "books", play with cars, and ride his big wheel. I realize I won't have this time back with him. The dynamics of our family will change when he is no longer home with me full time. So we just do a lot of fun things together and I feel that he is learning while we are playing and "doing life".<br />
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So that's what's been happening at our house. Stay tuned for more posts about literacy, less screen time, and the very active one year old in our house! Where did the last year go? <br />
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PS- I tried to upload pics to the post and was unsuccessful! I'll try again another day.:) Trinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17643199425217080828noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-220321150396601349.post-73318630245182954002013-04-01T22:40:00.001-05:002013-04-01T22:40:12.546-05:00Happy Easter! <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Happy Easter! He is Risen! He is Risen Indeed! </div>
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I hope your day was blessed celebrating Jesus with those you love! </div>
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We had a great day together at church and then dinner and Easter fun with our family! </div>
Trinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17643199425217080828noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-220321150396601349.post-91184040772632456272013-04-01T22:14:00.000-05:002013-04-01T22:14:08.412-05:00Happy Birthday, CA!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I'm a little late in blogging! Oops! We had a great day celebrating our big 4 year old back in February!<br />
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I can't believe CA is 4! He is such a sweet, silly, funny little boy! He is such a blessing to our family! I'm so thankful to be his Mommy! Trinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17643199425217080828noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-220321150396601349.post-75462534260585535302013-02-01T23:06:00.002-06:002013-02-02T07:30:05.145-06:00Baby Storytime! <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVkvML7ViKPUkZvVvJF6jvsMzIqN5lWk8ZBmVQWaWA6buzYBvesx3jDdroM7i5IBm-fda4TCWR0myFnpR00j8ZQYezwWCnNgArmxnBElnvZRaiiEUp2jZjDaq60Jrcu7fdnJ3gI1ftUe8/s1600/tc+edited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVkvML7ViKPUkZvVvJF6jvsMzIqN5lWk8ZBmVQWaWA6buzYBvesx3jDdroM7i5IBm-fda4TCWR0myFnpR00j8ZQYezwWCnNgArmxnBElnvZRaiiEUp2jZjDaq60Jrcu7fdnJ3gI1ftUe8/s400/tc+edited.jpg" width="282" /></a></div>
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The highlight of my day was taking TC to baby story time today at the library! We are so blessed to have a wonderful public library right down the street from our house! And if you are a new follower here or need a little reminder I am a library geek!<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>I LOVE the library! </b></span></div>
I love everything about the library! Books, books, and more books, dvds, books on cd, story times, the children's computers, and our awesome librarians. <br />
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Our library calls baby story time "Babies and Books" with a 20 minute lap sit session filled with songs, rhymes and sign language. This was TC's first time to Babies and Books. He has been to the preschooler story times many times with his big brothers. But today was all about him! He loved it! He sat or stood holding my fingers a lot during the songs and stories. He also showed off his crawling abilities. All the mommies sat on the floor with their babies in their laps and the sweet librarians encouraged us to sign, sing, and read with our babies. We sang a few songs, read a board book to our babies, and then the babies were mesmorized my an awesome bubble machine afterwards. It was so much fun! <br />
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Another thing I love about our library that they encourage early literacy skills at each story time session. As a former 1st grade teacher I know the importance of each of these skills, but it is always a good reminder. Here are six pre reading skills to remember:<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: small;">Six Pre-Reading Skills</span></b><br />
<ol>
<li><span style="color: #993366; font-size: small;">Vocabulary: Knowing the names of things. </span></li>
<li><span style="color: #339966; font-size: small;">Print Motivation: Being interested in and enjoying books.</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #ff9900; font-size: small;">Narrative Skills: Being able to describe things and tell stories.</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #3366ff; font-size: small;">Print Awareness: Noticing print and knowing how to handle a book.</span></li>
<li><span style="color: red; font-size: small;">Letter Knowledge: Knowing letters are different from each other and knowing their names.</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #cc99ff; font-size: small;">Phonological Awareness: Being able to hear and play with the smaller sounds in words.</span></li>
</ol>
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So if you have a precious baby at home too like me, I want to encourage you to read to your baby! I know at times it is hard for me to remember the importance of it in the midst of teaching my bigger boys, managing our home, and just living life. But it is so important to sit with our babies to share new words, new signs, point to the pictures and the words, and just enjoy books . <br />
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Happy Reading!<br />
Linked to some of these awesome <a href="http://teachingmyblessings.blogspot.com/p/linky-parties-i-party-at.html" target="_blank">parties</a> this week! Trinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17643199425217080828noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-220321150396601349.post-70599306850884432652013-01-21T22:04:00.001-06:002013-01-25T23:05:07.707-06:00Shaving Cream "Snow"I try to expose the boys to different textures such as salt, pudding, shaving cream, and play doh for fine motor, sensory and writing activities. We had a blast exploring our winter/snow theme the past two weeks. So what else makes a great snow activity other than shaving cream? I put some of Daddy's shaving cream on a tray for CA and he loved it! The house smelled great afterwards too! <br />
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I called out letters, shapes and numbers for CA to write in the shaving cream. I loved his enthusiasm and excitement! He is learning so much and is a lot of fun to work with! <br />
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One thing I love about JP's preschool is that his teachers are amazing communicators. On Tuesday afternoon they sent an email to the parents sharing the activities, books, and center ideas that the class would be participating in this week. I laughed out loud when I read that they too would be having "Shaving Cream Snow"! JP does NOT like "messy things" such as shaving cream. I immediately emailed them back to let me know how he does with the activity. I talked it up with JP that it is ok to try new things. He still wasn't keen on the idea, but come to find out he did try it! Here is the picture his teacher emailed to me:<br />
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His facial expression cracks me up! He is one honest boy and doesn't hold back his feelings! I was just impressed he touched it at all! He is one awesome boy!<br />
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I love how God created each of my boys so differently!<br />
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Linked up to some of these awesome <a href="http://teachingmyblessings.blogspot.com/p/linky-parties-i-party-at.html" target="_blank">parties</a>! Trinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17643199425217080828noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-220321150396601349.post-31985132565494099042013-01-15T22:17:00.001-06:002013-01-15T22:17:03.227-06:00Jumping on Pillows<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidXV3s5aiuq6N7MjvNn2aO0CJ9TgbRBV4QpXnquqhwFmENR5UvUrxxNDZ8_QCHIv_aquDsQMXtEUJGlypMHYfEIpn8ZOc2Zp1VSWG6-UY-olXfcJ1yR8Tt-sN_EEKXmrD-Y7pXEI0FPeg/s1600/PicMonkey+Collage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidXV3s5aiuq6N7MjvNn2aO0CJ9TgbRBV4QpXnquqhwFmENR5UvUrxxNDZ8_QCHIv_aquDsQMXtEUJGlypMHYfEIpn8ZOc2Zp1VSWG6-UY-olXfcJ1yR8Tt-sN_EEKXmrD-Y7pXEI0FPeg/s640/PicMonkey+Collage.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
What do my boys LOVE to do on a cold, winter day? Jump on all the pillows in the house! Many days I say no to this activity, but sometimes you just gotta say YES! They absolutely love to gather every pillow from all couches and beds and then just be plain silly and JUMP! Today they had a blast! The sound of their giggles were priceless today! Trinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17643199425217080828noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-220321150396601349.post-70007414579912381532013-01-15T15:34:00.001-06:002013-01-15T15:34:03.298-06:002013 GoalsHello fellow readers and friends!<br />
Happy New Year! I have not forgotten about my little corner of blogosphere called Teaching My Blessings blog. I've just been busy teaching them and getting settled into 2013. I loved setting new goals for a new year this year. I haven't set goals in a few years but I do enjoy it. It always feels like a fresh, clean slate to me. So to keep me accountable I thought I would share my goals here with all of you. I broke them down into categories. <br />
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span style="font-family: "Kristen ITC"; font-size: 24.0pt;">2013 Goals</span></u></b></div>
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<u><span style="font-family: "Kristen ITC";">Family</span></u></div>
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<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l5 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Kristen ITC";">Give each member of the family 2013 hugs
in the year 2013 (6 hugs per day)</span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l5 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Kristen ITC";">Read to the boys everyday</span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l5 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Kristen ITC";">Have a family devotional each day</span></li>
</ul>
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<u><span style="font-family: "Kristen ITC";">Personal</span></u></div>
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<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; tab-stops: list .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Kristen ITC";">Keep balance with family and commitments</span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; tab-stops: list .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Kristen ITC";">Read one book per month</span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; tab-stops: list .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Kristen ITC";">Blog once a week or more</span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; tab-stops: list .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Kristen ITC";">Exercise 3x a week</span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; tab-stops: list .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Kristen ITC";">Drink 64oz of water per day.</span></li>
</ul>
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<u><span style="font-family: "Kristen ITC";">Spiritual</span></u></div>
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<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l4 level1 lfo3; tab-stops: list .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Kristen ITC";">Get up before the boys</span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l4 level1 lfo3; tab-stops: list .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Kristen ITC";">Have prayer and quiet time daily</span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l4 level1 lfo3; tab-stops: list .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Kristen ITC";">Memorize one scripture per week.</span></li>
</ul>
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<u><span style="font-family: "Kristen ITC";">Marriage</span></u></div>
<ul style="margin-top: 0in;" type="disc">
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l2 level1 lfo4; tab-stops: list .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Kristen ITC";">Have one date night at home per week</span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l2 level1 lfo4; tab-stops: list .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Kristen ITC";">Have one date night out per month</span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l2 level1 lfo4; tab-stops: list .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Kristen ITC";">Read devotional and pray together on
Sunday nights</span></li>
</ul>
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<u><span style="font-family: "Kristen ITC";">Home management</span></u></div>
<ul style="margin-top: 0in;" type="disc">
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l3 level1 lfo5; tab-stops: list .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Kristen ITC";">Use my weekly and monthly chore chart</span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l3 level1 lfo5; tab-stops: list .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Kristen ITC";">Use my Home Management Guide regularly</span></li>
</ul>
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<u><span style="font-family: "Kristen ITC";">Educational</span></u></div>
<ul style="margin-top: 0in;" type="disc">
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l1 level1 lfo6; tab-stops: list .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Kristen ITC";">Teach JP to read </span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l1 level1 lfo6; tab-stops: list .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Kristen ITC";">Teach JP and CA preschool
activities each weekday</span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l1 level1 lfo6; tab-stops: list .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Kristen ITC";">Teach JP to tie his shoes</span></li>
</ul>
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<span style="font-family: "Kristen ITC";"><b>Feel free to ask me how it's going! Happy 2013! </b></span></div>
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Trinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17643199425217080828noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-220321150396601349.post-11457391585331281472012-12-31T14:37:00.001-06:002012-12-31T14:37:08.402-06:00Happy New Year!!! <div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><b><span style="color: blue;">Happy New Year, Frie<span style="font-size: x-large;">nds</span>!! </span></b></span></span></div>
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I hope 2012 was a great year for you and that 2013 will be filled with </div>
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hope, joy and love!</div>
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Today we are hanging out as a family running errands, playing games, and making chicken tortilla soup for dinner. We will ring in the new year quietly with all three blessings in bed by 8pm(hopefully). I plan to write my 2013 goals today. I am thinking a lot about commitment, vows, and goals. I plan to write out monthly goals by category. One of my goals is to be more intentional with my boys. I would also like to blog more. The sweet new addition of Corbin to our family in 2012 has kept me from blogging as much as I would like, but that's ok. :) He is a wonderful amazing blessing! </div>
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May your day and new year be blessed! </div>
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Trinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17643199425217080828noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-220321150396601349.post-29136356704361198142012-12-26T21:31:00.000-06:002012-12-26T21:31:02.483-06:00Merry Christmas!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />Trinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17643199425217080828noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-220321150396601349.post-3908277662125838532012-12-13T22:55:00.000-06:002012-12-13T22:56:56.443-06:00JP's Preschool Christmas ProgramI am loving where God lead us for JP's preschool experience! It has truly been a blessing to our family! JP goes to Pre-K 2 days a week at an awesome local church.<br />
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There are so many things I love about it! Here are just a few: <br />
He has two amazing teachers who love him and the Lord.<br />
He is doing so much for these two sweet teachers that he wouldn't do for me last year. <br />
He is meeting new friends! <br />
He learns about Jesus every day.<br />
He is learning so much academically and socially.<br />
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I really love that they had a precious Christmas program where the kids learned and shared the story of Jesus' birth. They began practicing their songs in October and JP ate this up! He LOVES to sing and he would belt out the songs in the car every day. In fact, once my husband asked me, "Does he have a solo in this program?" To which I laughed and replied no. I love that JP loves to sing songs about Jesus. My favorite part of the program was when they sang "Happy Birthday, Jesus" It was so precious!<br />
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JP was an awesome shepherd! He remembered all of his actions and signs during the play and sang his sweet little heart out!<br />
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They had an adorable nativity set that we snapped a few shots in. Love this crew so much! <br />
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<br />Trinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17643199425217080828noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-220321150396601349.post-67368976809883654702012-12-09T15:30:00.001-06:002012-12-09T15:30:44.450-06:00M & M WreathI found a wonderful activity that included sorting and M & Ms! This activity was right up mine and the boys alley! <br />
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First I had the boys sort their M &Ms by color and then they filled their wreaths with M and Ms. Hop on over to <a href="http://www.toddlerapproved.com/2010/12/m-wreath.html" target="_blank">Toddler Approved M & M Wreath</a> for the template. It was great fun! Trinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17643199425217080828noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-220321150396601349.post-61947500884941344082012-12-08T23:33:00.001-06:002012-12-09T15:15:36.066-06:00Christmas Book CountdownThis year I decided on November 30th to do a Christmas countdown and Advent Activities! I know a little late, but better late than never, right?! I searched all my favorite blogs for ideas and came up with a ton of ideas all swirling in my brain! To be real honest I was overwhelmed. I wanted to do it all! They were all so creative and wonderful, but one theme that keeps ringing true for me as a mama to 3 now is: simplicity! I wanted to do so many ideas all at once and then I read an awesome blog post by Shauna at <a href="http://www.fantasticfunandlearning.com/our-advent-calendar-ideas-and-tips-for-creating-your-own.html" target="_blank">Fantastic Fun and Learning</a> that resonated so much with my head and my heart. She encouraged me to keep it simple and manageable. She even encouraged me to use the activities that I already have planned as part of our Advent activities and to use my calendar to help. It was awesome and just what I needed to read at that exact moment! So I grabbed the December calendar from JP's preschool and planned away! I incorporated what we are already doing as our Advent activities. I loved all of her ideas to keep it simple! You can click on the link to hop over to her blog post to read what inspired me! <br />
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Some of the activities on our calendar are:<br />
<a href="http://www.toddlerapproved.com/2010/12/m-wreath.html" target="_blank">M &M Wreath</a><br />
Sing Christmas Carols<br />
Attend a Fun Reindeer Parent's Night Out at our church<br />
Make Green playdoh<br />
Make <a href="http://www.littlefamilyfun.com/2011/12/christmas-tree-shapes.html" target="_blank">Christmas Tree Shapes</a><br />
Make Christmas cards for friends and neighbors<br />
Make Christmas cookies<br />
Host a Happy Birthday Jesus party<br />
Play Nativity Memory Together<br />
Drive around and look at Christmas lights<br />
Have breakfast with Santa at JP's preschool<br />
Attend our church Christmas Eve service <br />
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I also found an awesome idea to read Christmas books daily as a countdown at <a href="http://www.readingconfetti.com/2012/11/book-tree-advent.html" target="_blank">Reading Confetti.</a> Thank you, Lorie for the inspiration! I loved this idea and decided I could do this one! So I gathered all the books I own from my teaching days and then went to my local library's website and put a ton of books on hold! I LOVE our library! The boys have loved reading a new book each night! <br />
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We were so blessed to have my parents join us for JP's Preschool Program and then dinner at our house this week. I took this precious opportunity to allow them to read the 18th book in our countdown! I loved it! What sweet memories my boys will have with their grandparents! <br />
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Overall I want my boys to know the real meaning of CHRISTmas and so as we do so many of the fun activities I have planned I hope to continue to show them Jesus.<br />
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Happy Countdown to Christ's birthday, my friends!<br />
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Linked up to some of these great <a href="http://teachingmyblessings.blogspot.com/p/linky-parties-i-party-at.html" target="_blank">parties! </a> Trinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17643199425217080828noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-220321150396601349.post-38045990532237974112012-11-23T22:05:00.001-06:002012-11-23T22:44:58.972-06:00Happy Thanksgiving! Happy Thanksgiving from our family to yours! I hope you had a great time enjoying food, family, football, food, fun and fellowship! <br />
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I do enjoy this holiday and month. I love all the reflecting and spirit of thankfulness. I have been posting on my Facebook status each day my blessings and things I am thankful for. I have so very many things to be thankful for! Many of which are in this picture! I am so humbled and honored to be the wife and mommy to this crew! Yes, some days are hard, but I wouldn't trade it for the world and I am one blessed gal!<br />
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I am also thankful for this sweet, blogging community and my followers. Thank YOU for following along this journey! I hope your Thanksgiving was great too! <br />
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By the way Teaching My Blessings is now on Facebook! Feel free to click on the "like" button on the sidebar on the right to follow along. :) I am also now on G+ if you use that too! Hope to see you there! Trinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17643199425217080828noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-220321150396601349.post-67448485469069390332012-11-01T14:27:00.001-05:002012-11-01T14:29:40.668-05:00Reorgized Home Management GuideHello Friends,<br />
Well what do I do when my family is sick and then all finally fall fast asleep?<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Reorganize my Home Management Guide and blog! </span></div>
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I know I am crazy!?! I really should have been sleeping last night and I should be napping right now while my boys nap! Which is such a rarity at my house anymore! But instead, I blog! So, let me tell you about an awesome blog I follow called:<br />
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<a href="http://organizinghomelife.com/" target="_blank"><img alt="OrganizingHomelife.com" height="320" src="http://www.organizinghomelife.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/Organizing-Homelife-Button.png" width="320" /> </a><br />
At Organizing Homelife Ginny just finished a series called 31 Days of Home Management Binder Printables that I loved! I already have a home management guide (that I will call HMG for short) that I use and enjoy. But I was so excited when I saw that Ginny was having this awesome series in October. At the beginning of the month I was so intrigued by all of her printables and wanted to head straight to my printer, then I decided to wait until the end of the series to print the ones I needed and thought I would use. Last night I printed her calendar(front to back) so it opens nicely in my binder, the babysitting notes page, her annual bill schedule, section dividers, and the household projects printable. I liked seeing what she includes in her binder and what works well for her. I just thought I would share this awesome resource just in case any of you need it too. You can click on the button above to hop over to her site. <br />
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So what does this have to do with teaching my blessings? Well, to teach them well, I also must be organized in managing our home. I consider both jobs of Mommy and Home Manager my full time jobs. This resource helps me and I hope it does you too! Do any of you have a HMG too? Do share with me what works for you.<br />
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Happy Home Managing!<br />
TrinaTrinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17643199425217080828noreply@blogger.com0