Gratituesday- Glamour Girl

My dad gave me a gift card for Reitmans for my birthday (which is in May). I was able to spend it while on a ladies shopping trip a couple of Saturdays ago.
I have not shopped retail in quite some time. I am a thrift store/yard sale shopper. (And I've also been known to pick up a thing or two at the...gasp... DUMP!!!)

Well even though my money didn't stretch nearly as far as it would in my regular shopping haunts, I loved the fun of trying on clothes, finding the perfect NEW outfit and wearing it out to dinner that night.

My husband complimented me on my outfit and told me that I look really classy.

Here is my new dress at the end of the night. I also bought the earrings, shoes and bracelet.

I am so grateful for a dad who gave me the desire of my heart, wonderful friends to shop with, a sweet and loving husband, and an experience to lift me up.

For more Gratituesday head on over to Heavenly Homemakers

Motivate Me Monday- Inspiration!

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Genesis 1:1

I read about a book called Art Across the Alphabet by KELLY JUSTUS CAMPBELL over at Keri's blog The Home Teacher. So I decided to request it from inter library loans. I picked it up on Friday right before we left for a camping trip. No kidding I was so excited to come home and school plan for this coming week after reading the fantastic ideas in that book. I highly recommend it.

Now the point of this post is not to review a preschool alphabet book. It's to tell you that it is ok to look for inspiration to spark your creativity.
In fact one of my little secrets is that when my house is a disaster and I just do not have the get up and go to put it back together again I curl up on my couch with an organizing book or a magazine with decluttering tips and in no time I am inspired to clean.

People also often think that folks who are creative are artsy. Not always true. I know quite a few great cooks who can whip up a tasty meal with odds and ends they find in their pantry. No recipe even! There are wonderful office systems that are put together using someones gift for efficiency.

God made us in His image. He made us creative. Be inspired by others work and use it to get your own creative juices.

Click below for more Motivate Me Monday.

Tot School Letter C

Well we went a little overboard for C week and got ourselves a cat.

Poor little thing got egg in it's fur and needed a bath. However meet the newest member of our family. Her name is Wonderful.Enough about the cute kitten though. On to our regularly scheduled Tot School.

We have a new corner carved out in the kitchen for our ABC work.

Our first work box of the week had some glue, fun sparkly pom poms and googly eyes in it. So we turned our DLTK letter C printout into...

CATERPILLARS!!!!!

Our alphabet box this week contains:

2 cats
a car
a crab finger puppet
a candle
a juice bottle cap
and a crab in a peek a block

Work box #2 contained orange paint, a small paper plate, white paper and some C shaped sponges.

What is one to do with that except stamp C's
Friday is review day. So here we are on my bed playing flashcard games.
Rarely am I in these pictures. However Daddy was home to be our photographer.

For more Tot School posts Head on over to 1+1+1=1.

I Am a Fashion Designer!

And this is my runway model! I scored the pattern for these adorable loom knit leggings from Rowena at rostitchery. I must tell you that clothing is not usually my creative outlet but this pattern was just so easy and cute! I had to try it.
Then I decided what good are knitted leggings without a matching hat? I hope to add a big daisy with a button center to the front of this hat soon.

Finer Things Friday- Father's Day Fish Tales.

Even though Father's day was almost a week ago I really wanted to post our story for Finer Things Friday. So here goes!

All cozy and comfy were the Scott family.
Except for poor mom with the dashboard on her knees.
(I think we need a bigger truck or some smaller car seats).

There were cries of "Where's the lake" and "When will we be there?"
(The kids were well behaved. These were my complaints).
When who should cross our path but a fuzzy black bear.

Dad took a break to study the map.
(Well away from the bear site)
He doesn't have the best sense of direction.
Poor chap.

I looked over yonder, gave my head a good shake.
Could it be? Finally! We've found the lake.

Dad built a fire and cooked up some grub.
The rest of us went to pee on a shrub.
(I may be running out of poetic rhymes).

Just what is this fishing commotion about?
Is there really a creature out there called a trout?

With rods in our hand, we got in the boat.
(Really it's a canoe).
Out on the lake to paddle and float.

What do you know dad caught a fish.
He wasn't very big so off he did swish.
(We let him go and he swam away).

The baby became cranky and we just couldn't stay
So we packed up and left.
We'll return another day.

Fishing with Dad is certainly a Finer Thing.

Thursday Thirteen-Reasons I teach my children.

What I really wanted my title to say was Thursday Thirteen- Reasons it is important for me to teach my children at home. That was too lengthy for a title however. So here they are in no particular order:

1. There is nobody else who knows my children better than I do. Their strengths and weaknesses, their likes and dislikes...etc.

2. I love seeing proof that our lessons are sticking in that sweet little brain! (See this post).

3. There is so much to discuss at the dinner table when you are learning with your child.

4. One day I will have to give an account to God of what I did with what he has given me. I want to be able to show Him how I lovingly taught His children.

5. There is a quote I wrote in another Thursday Thirteen post: "Hillary Clinton says it takes a village to raise a child. I've seen the village; and I don't want it raising my child." -unknown

6. I want my children (and myself) to experience the world. I want to go to the ocean to study fish, head to the woods to watch squirrels, travel to Europe and explore castles.

7. It's amazing that an entire afternoon can be spent figuring out what letter random words start with. "Mom what does washing machine start with?"

8. Love and kindness are a major part of our curriculum.

9. Jesus is invited into our classroom. (Whether that classroom is the kitchen table, living room couch or front yard).

10. I get to be creative in lesson planning and organizing. (A spider in a jar can become an entire week long unit study).

11. I'm not really into sending my children away from home for 6-8 hours a day. Our family thrives on being together.

12. I really like to finger paint. (There I said it! Confession is good for the soul).

13. Teaching my children gives me some really great things to blog about.

For more Thursday Thirteen head on over to Happy to Be At Home.

I am God's Original Masterpeice!

I found this video over on Mrs. Sheila's blog One Pretty Little Box. If you have not been over to Mrs. Sheila's blog I suggest you go and take a peek at her Motivate Me Monday Post.

What I Learned This Week

This is the thing that stuck in my brain this week:

I can not control my gossiping and slandering tongue. While I may be improving in this area I can honestly tell you that I gossip and/or slander daily. Often without intending to. So each night I have been asking God for forgiveness and each morning I need to ask Him to guard my lips and tongue. I hope to hide the scripture below in my heart so I can remember that the people I am talking about are God's creation.
This is scary: You can tame a tiger, but you can't tame a tongue—it's never been done. The tongue runs wild, a wanton killer. With our tongues we bless God our Father; with the same tongues we curse the very men and women he made in his image. Curses and blessings out of the same mouth! James 3:7-10 Message

To learn other's lessons head over to Musings of a Housewife.

Motivate Me Monday- Less Stuff.

19Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. ²⁰But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. Matthew 6:19-20

We are incorporating a couple of really great ideas into palace life. One of the things is No New Stuff July.
I am a self diagnosed stuff-aholic. I can not pass up free, cute, cheap, pretty, unique, hafta have it, stuff.

Here are the rules. Nothing new is coming into our home from July 1 to July 31 except:

1. Groceries (We gotta eat.)
2. Necessary Toiletries (Yes to soap if we are out. No to wonderful perfume or on sale cosmetics)
3. School Supplies
4. Library Books

We are also challenging ourselves to see how much stuff we can make leave our home. How much space and time can we redeem up by letting go of the things cluttering our home and bogging us down. How much can I improve myself as a wife and mother if I am not surrounded by this mess? How much freer will my children be to learn and play in an orderly environment instead of chaos?

I'm taking a leap!

Here
we
go!

For more Motivate Me Monday click on the button at the top of this post. :)

Tot School- Letter B

Letter B was neglected last week as we were out of town for half the week. This week we just continued on where we left off from last.

Moving right along with our amazing alphabet adventure we had an entire week (and a day) of the letter B!

We used a lot of blue paper. Our first project was bean and button B.

Using the template from DLTK Hudson glued kidney beans and blue and brown buttons onto big B and Little b.

Quite the designer decor don't you agree?

Our next project (also on blue paper) was sponge B and b.
I cut the sponge stamps out myself so they were not expertly done but performed the necessary task none the less.

One page of big B's and one page of baby b's

Hudson and I decorated a craft tin with stickers to make our alphabet box.
The B objects in the box are:

bells
bumble bee
big buttons
beans
a boy
a block
(Oh and I added a beaded bracelet as an after thought).

There are some really great B songs we've been singing:

The B-I-B-L-E

Oh! The B-I-B-L-E,
Yes that's the book for me.
I stand alone on the word of God,
the B-I-B-L-E!

The B-I-B-L-E
I'll take it along with me,
I'll read and pray,
and then obey,
the B-I-B-L-E.

Baby Bumblebee
I'm bringing home a baby bumblebee,
Won't my mommy be so proud of me,
(Cup hands together as if holding bee)

I'm bringing home a baby bumblebee,

Ouch! It stung me!

(Shake hands as if just stung)

I'm squishing up the baby bumblebee,

Won't my mommy be so proud of me,

('Squish' bee between palms of hands)
I'm squishing up a baby bumblebee,

Ooh! It's yucky!

(Open up hands to look at 'mess')

I'm wiping off the baby bumblebee,

Won't my mommy be so proud of me,

(Wipe hands off on shirt)
I'm wiping off the baby bumblebee,

Now my mommy won't be mad at me!

(Hold hands up to show they are clean)

Then there was random Friday that had really nothing to do with the letter B.

Unless making play doh balls counts :)


In the morning we dipped pretzels in chocolate for daddy's father's day present.

And in the afternoon we got a little crazy and let Meadow finger paint with us. :)

For more Tot School head on over to 1+1+1=1.

You Know You are Teaching Your Children Well When...

... You hear your three year old yelling "Mommy come look! My poop is a 'C'! 'C' says ca! Look mom!"

It's a Sweet Giveaway!

Head on over to My Sweet Savannah and enter to win some really adorable prizes!