Favorite Authors: Cathy Glass

I just finished my first book on my Sony Reader.  I chose a book from one of my favorite authors Cathy Glass.  This book "The Night the Angels Came" was the only book by Cathy Glass that I had not yet read.  This was my least favorite of all of her books because it deals with death.  I found it completely emotional and upsetting.  However, I will continue to read Cathy Glass's books.

Cathy Glass writes about her experience as a foster mother.  The stories she writes about are real, as they are about children she has fostered.  She changes the names and some of the particulars for confidentiality.  While she does not foster children here in the US, her experience is helpful for those wishing to foster/who are currently fostering children. 

I don't recommend this book unless you are ready to deal with loss and disappointment.  One of my favorite books she has written is called "Hidden":

The rest of her books have been great reads as well.  I never want to put them down.  I am anxious to read her next one coming soon called "A Baby's Cry":

Can't wait to read it on my Sony Reader!!!

Sensational Seven-Year Old

Jaden is 7 1/2 now!  She will turn 8 on August 5th this year.  I feel so blessed to have such a beautiful soul in my life!  Here are some things about Jaden that make her sensational:

*She loves to sing and dance. 

*Her favorite animal is a pony because they can have different colored manes and tails.

*Her favorite animals at the zoo are the bunnies because they are so soft and have cute ears.

*Her favorite color is pink because it is so pretty and sparkly.

*Her favorite t.v. show is Good Luck Charlie.

*Her favorite family vacation was Tyler, TX because of their children's museum.

*Her favorite food is macaroni and cheese and chocolate cake.

*She goes to gymnastics 1 to 2 times a week, and she can do flips and jumps.

*At the playground, she likes to go down the slides.

*At GEMS, she likes seeing her friends and making things like crafts and baking pretzels.

*At AWANA, she likes her Sparks class, where she likes store night best.

*In home school, she likes crafts the most.

*Her favorite subject is science because she likes to write up her field trip reports.

*Her favorite Disney princess is Princess Aurora.

*Her favorite movie is The Lion King.

Town Square

One of the very few places in my area that come close to offering the community feel that I saw in Mexico. 

For those that don't know, I spent August to December 1999 in Mexico.  It was a beautiful time!  There are so many things that I miss that I would love to have here close to home.  I went back to Mexico a few times in 2000, but I haven't been back in almost 12 years!

This place in Allen reminds me of the squares in Mexico.  The squares are where the people come to hang out together.  They, also, have celebrations there.  The Village in Allen, TX comes close to this.  The above is the fountain light show that comes on at night.  Very festive!

What I missed here in this town square was the esquites, so I made some when we got home.  I pulled out a bag of frozen sweet corn and boiled it according to package directions.  Once it was done, I added about 3 tablespoons butter, 2 tsp salt, chili powder to taste, and on top... whipped cream!  The hot corn makes the whipped cream melt, and you are left with a delicious and almost healthy treat!!

Cheeseburger Cupcakes

These are the cupcakes that the girls ate at FNO.  Tamra's sister makes all kinds of fancy cupcakes for the FNO events.  This one was no exception.  Aren't these cute? 

They were wrapped in paper, just like you would get a real cheeseburger.  I could tell that a yellow cake and chocolate cake were used.  Then, there was "ketchup", "cheese" and "mayo".  I did not get the recipe from Tamra's sister because these seem easily re creatable just by sight.  However, here is something I found online, for those of you who are unsure of how to make them and wish to do so:

Glorious Treats

Morgan's Gymnastics Skills

Morgan has been doing gymnastics for about 1 1/2 years now.  She LOVES it!!!  There are 2 different locations that we frequent because they both offer a pay per visit feature, which is extremely helpful in case you have to miss a time or two. 

One location she goes to offers 2 hours for $5.  She has an instructor that teaches her for 1 1/2 hours with other 5 & 6 year olds.  They learn stretches, rolls, splits, jumps, and all kinds of other gymnastics things that I don't have the names for.  The last 30 minutes they get to do whatever they want and run wild.  I like this location, even though it is not that close to home, because she gets instruction...  At $2.50 an hour!!!

The second location offers 2 hours of open gym for $6.  It is great because Morgan can do whatever she wants for a whole 2 hours.  This location is closer to home, so I save on gas, too.  The down-side I have found is that there is no instruction.  Additionally, if Morgan does not take a buddy to class, she spends most of her time looking for a buddy to play with.  This is a new location for us, so she does not already know the kids there.  She is an extremely social child, so she usually wants someone to do things with her.

This second location offers a Friday Night Out, and we went to our first one last Friday.  It ran from 7pm to 10pm.  I was there the whole time because a friend invited me to help with the "day care" part.  FNO runs from 3 hours to 4 hours, depending on the night.  The cost is between $10 to $20, depending on the day as well.  Pizza is served for an additional $1 or $2, and dessert of cupcakes or cookies for $1.  Obviously, this is not a bad price for a date night out with your hubby =)

This particular night, though, was a fundraiser.  My friend Tamra and her family are going to Uganda this summer on a mission trip.  They still have another $10,000 to raise.  All of the money collected for entry into FNO went to their mission trip.  There were probably about 50 children who paid $15 to get in- $750 earned!

Jaden and Morgan both got in free because I was one of the stand-in adults.  They need 10 volunteers each time so that they do not have to pay staff and the money can go solely to their trip.  It was exhausting for me, but my girls are worth it =)  Plus, we do not have the money to spend like that, so I put in my elbow grease instead. 

FNO is like one big party.  Seriously!  If you could have seen these kids... They were having a blast!  There was a DJ playing hip music, kids dancing, and an overall happy feeling.  Pizza was served at 8pm.  Then, there were cupcakes made to look like hamburgers.  I will some of this later.  By 10pm, the children were red in the face and dripping with sweat =)  Non-stop exercise can do that to you.  LOL!!  I am glad the girls can enjoy exercise because it makes me feel like they are getting a healthy start in life.  I, on the other hand, was stuffed up with some kind of airborne allergic reaction.  We stopped my CVS to pick up some Allegra D before heading home... Maybe it was the foam in there or dust or something.  Next time, I can take the Allegra before I go!

Two Performances in One

Morgan wanted me to videotape her jumping (it looks a lot like her dancing, but she said she wasn't dancing).  She always makes me smile.  I could watch this all day long.

Also, in the background, you can see Jaden getting coached by her friend Troy. 

You may want to watch this video twice to you can see Morgan and then Jaden (or vice versa).  They are each impressive =)

Balancing Act

One of Jaden's friends, Troy, taught her how to get on this foam cheese wheel.  If you sit just right, you can stay balanced and the wheel won't turn.  Here she is practicing.  She did actually get the the point where she could sit on it withour falling, but with all of the children running around she kept being knocked down.  =)

My Shy Girl

Here is Morgan showing off her mock ballet.  She LOVES doing this!  She could dance all day long!  But, she is shy about people seeing her.  She will only dance if she thinks no one is looking.  She allowed me to take this video of her, so I am honored =)

Fabulous Five-Year Old

My girls are growing up so fast!  I remember when they were tiny babies (well, Jaden wasn't tiny, but she was little age-wise).  As they grow I am hit with the sensation of loss.  Not a loss as in I will not see them again, but that the things that they did and said at those younger ages are no longer.  It is a good thing I have been blogging for awhile.  Every now and then, I must look back and my older posts and reminisce.

I know that our family growth is not finished, but I think my body is finished with its job as far as child birth.  LOL!  However, I have a strong feeling that God is not finished with our family. 

In the meantime, before our home is filled with more love and blessings, I am enjoying the 2 girls that I have.  They make me smile and fill my heart with love.

Morgan is now 5.  Though she has been doing kindergarten, 1st and 2nd grade work at home, according to public school rules, she is not even in kindergarten yet!! 

*She loves to dance and sing, but she is shy to do it in front of the camera/crowd. 

*She was once afraid of animals but now dotes on her two dogs as if they were her children.

*She likes to "text" me, spelling words as they sound.

*Her favorite animals at the zoo are the goats.  She could stay with them all day and feed them, too!

*Her favorite color is pink because lots of her cute friends love it- every cute person loves pink (her words not mine)

*Her favorite t.v. show is Wizards of Waverly Place because of their magic.

*She has still not lost any of her baby teeth.

*Her favorite family vacation was Great Wolf Lodge in Grapevine, TX.

*Her favorite food is macaroni and cheese and cake with fruit on it.

*She goes to gymnastics 1 to 2 times a week, and she can do flips and tricks.

*At the playground, she likes to visit with her friends and swing.

*At AWANA, she likes her Cubbie class, where she likes the songs, puppets, and snack time best.

*In home school, she likes to read and write on the new reader I got (for free!).

*Her favorite subject is science because she gets to learn about animals at the zoo.

*Her favorite movie is The Lorax.

As you can see, I have a fabulous five-year old!!

Waiting Out the Storm

We had some really bad storms come through.  We had really nice beautiful skies all day.  It wasn't until the evening when all of a sudden the weather turned.  The skies got black, the air got cold, and tiny drops of rain came down.  Within 5 minutes, it was pouring cold rain!  There were extremely strong winds as well. 
Charlee, who is outside most of the day, gladly came inside.  We gave him a warm refreshing bath, and then, we waited out the storm in the comfort of Jaden's bed =)

One Purple ToothBrush

Both of my girls are growing by leaps and bounds.  This fact slaps me in the face everyday when I realize it won't be long before they are grown and have lives separate from mine.  Anyway, tonight Daddy bought them new toothbrushes.  It was one of those 2 packs where there is one pretty color brush and another one that is just blah.  Both girls wanted the purple one, so I had to set up some way of "drawing straws".  I shuffled them behind my back, and told Morgan that since she had asked for the purple one first then she could pick which hand she wanted.  I was really pulling for her because I could see how badly she wanted it.  She smiled and reached out excitedly thinking she was picking the right hand.  I handed over the brush as we both looked and saw that it was the green one.  "Ok, Mommy" she said, and she bravely walked away deflated but still ready to be the big person and not cry about it.  As she walked to the bathroom, I asked Jaden, "Does it make you feel bad that she didn't get the one she wants?"  Jaden said, "Yeah.  I know she really wanted the purple one."  Then, Jaden walked to the bathroom and handed the purple one to Morgan.  Jaden walked back to her room, thinking no one was looking, and began talking quietly to herself... coaching herself, "It is only a toothbrush, it is only a toothbrush, Jaden..." That was her chant over and over again- She clearly wanted the purple too.  She was so serious with her chant, and I was so overjoyed by the way that she handled the situation that I just burst out laughing.  Jaden looked over and we laughed uncontrollably together for a few minutes.  Now, gosh, I just want 2 purple tooth brushes. 
Can't I make both of my girls happy at the same time?  Does she really believe her chant?  I feel so bad that one girl got what she wanted and the other did not. 

Club Bing

I have been a member of Club Bing for years.  There is not too much I can tell you about it now because it is closing down =(

It was fun while it lasted...

Anyway, this is what I used to do with Club Bing:

Everyday, I could play word games or do searches and earn up to 500 points.  I accumulated points that I would use to earn prized.  Over the lifetime of Club Bing (3 1/2 years) I have received:

*6 pens

*13 shirts

*1 travel tumbler

*1 net ball game set

*7,100 airline miles

*1 Aero-bed self-inflating camp mat

*1 Bed Head hair straightener

and last but not least...

*1 Sony PRS 600 Reader Touch Edition

This last prize- the reader- is what just arrived today!  I am charging it now and can't wait to read my first book on it tonight!!!  I have wanted a reader since they came out, but have not had the "extra" money to spend on that kind of a "wanted" NOT "needed" thing.  It may not be the fanciest most up-to-date reader, but it was free, so that works for me =)
Club Bing provided us with some fun and some needed things all of which we received for free... Now, they will be closing down.  May 31st, 2012 is the last day for Club Bing.  You can still play games and win prizes until then, but you won't get anything big.  You can only earn 500 points per day.  With only 55 more days to play, you can win up to 27, 500 points.  The prizes are dwindling though, and will probably not be available by the time you can redeem the points.  I have stopped playing because there is nothing left worth playing for. 

The prizes I have already won will be enjoyed, and, I hope that Club Bing will revive itself and come back with more great prizes.

Twister House

We have some storms headed this way... I hope they pass over us.  We saw what a twister can turn your house into, and I do not want to see that in real life =)

The Lorax

Have you been out to see The Lorax at the movie theater yet?  This is a movie you just MUST see!  The animation is awesome, and the story can't be beat! 

Before you go, pick up a copy of the book at your local library and read it first!  It is by Dr. Seuss.  I love all of his books, and this one is one of the best!

UNLESS

This movie fit right in with our Girl Scout event coming up in April for Earth Day.  The girls will be doing a bunch of fun projects with other Girl Scouts, including planting a tree to take home with them.  That means both girls will have a tree seedling to plant in our yard!! 

Since the event is not until April, we picked up a bush to plant.  We picked out this willow, and the girls did a great job getting it into the ground.  While planting, Morgan said that she was so happy to be planting because she is helping the community.  =)

This is what we did as a "homeschool project" for this movie:

1. we read the book

2. we discussed the book

3. the girls did activity pages I found online at Seussville.com

4. we saw the movie

5. we went planted a bush (and will later plant a tree!)

"UNLESS someone like you cares a whole awful lot,

Nothing is going to get better.  It's not."

One week after seeing this movie, we went to a library event and had the opportunity to see 3 more Dr. Seuss books in animation!  "The Cat in the Hat", "Green Eggs and Ham", and "Horton Hears a Who".  Turn your Lorax-movie-watching experience into an event! 

GEMS Service Project~ Assisted-Living Center

The GEMS girls did their semi-monthly service project at the assisted living center this week.  They sang to all of the residents, and then, they sang "Happy Birthday" to all of the people with March birthdays.  They have a special happy birthday song they sing.  It goes like this:

"Happy Birthday to you,

We thank God for you,

May the Lord bless and keep you,

This happy year through!"

After the birthday song, it was time for cake and juice.  The girls ran around to all of the tables to make sure everyone received a piece of cake, and then cleaned up afterwards. 

We sat around chatting with the residents, and then a few people hit the dance floor while a resident played the piano.  Great times!

Girl Scouts Daisy: 3 Cheers for Animals Part 6

Never miss an opportunity to include events- movie, exhibits, festivals, etc. in your home school or girl scout events!  We are anxiously awaiting the release of Chimpanzee!  It is coming out on April 20th, so we will be there =)  In the meantime, we have been learning about primates and the professionals who work with them. 

Also, if you are an Amazon prime subscriber, you have access to National Geographic, Animal Planet, and other great instant videos for FREE!!  These can be educational or just for fun.  You may, also, purchase videos to watch.  One of our favorites that we watched this week was "A Dolphin Tale" and "Escape to Chip Eden". 

In addition, I have found magazines to be an invaluable resource!  National Geographic Kids and Zoobooks are ones we are using for Zoology and learning about animals in a fun way. 

As part of Morgan's Daisy adventure, she has been taking care of her chihuahua Chica.  She has fixed Chica's bed, fed her, given her fresh water, and playing with her to give her exercise. 

This was a fun Daisy journey~ So glad you could join us!

Girl Scouts Daisy: 3 Cheers for Animals Part 5

These are some of the animals we saw at the Fort Worth Zoo on Homeschool day.  They had zookeeper chats that we took advantage of as well.

Girl Scouts Daisy: 3 Cheers for Animals Part 4

These are just a few of the animals we saw at the Dallas Zoo on 2 seperate visits.  We fed some of the animals including the goats, birds and giraffes.  Many of the trainers were available, so both Jaden and Morgan were able to ask them questions about the animals.  The trainers of the big cats, elephants, giraffes, birds and goats were all available.
They tried to figure out on their own whether a particular animal was a predator or prey. 
They took note of what the animal eats and how they live at the zoo. 
Overall, the two visits were rewarding academically.  Many of the things that they learned led to further discussion at home in their Zoology class.
I was surprised to hear Jaden talking to the keeper of the goats on both trips.  Jaden noticed that there were some young kids helping out at the zoo- feeding and cleaning up after the animals.  It turns out, they are volunteers.  The keeper told Jaden that you have to be 11 years old to volunteer, and some days you may clean up poop during your whole 4 hour shift.  Jaden was excited, and she asked me if she could be a volunteer when she is 11. 
Later in our Zoology class, the text told us that there are only a few veterinary schools, so it can be difficult to get into them.  However, if a potential students has experience working with animals there is a higher chance they will be accepted.  =)