25 days of a more Christ centered Christmas countdown

We start out by setting up our tree and talking about why Christmas trees are green all year long and how it represents eternal life.

John 8:12
I am the alight of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.
We also talked about the lights on the Christmas tree and how Jesus is the light of the world.He is the source of truth and our example.Is it any wonder when we see Christmas lights that we feel peace and happiness.These twinkling lights cone once a year but the light if Christ can shine within us all year long!

It is our babies FIRST Christmas and he is memorized by these lights.As he looked up at the tree it reminded me to look up to Jesus.

Jesus is not only our light but he died for us.We honor his atonement and sacrifice by being reminded by red ornaments.The kids were excited to have these big red ornaments.They got my message but there was some silliness.Here they are being Rudolph the red nose reindeer.

We ended by singing Christmas songs.I used parts if this Christ centered Christmas 
devotional

Organized Christmas count down
Day 34-Catch up day

File it Friday

File this week under:Thankfulness and memories

As you know I like to end my week by looking back.I start out with thanking people for helping me through my week.I  have my awesome husband to thank for cleaning up the kitchen.I want to thank the doctors who helped my husband.He has bronchitis and my litte baby has croup.I am also grateful my Mother in law who cooked Thanksgiving dinner last night.

3 things I accomplished this week:I didn't get 

much housework done and honestly my house looks like a tornado came through.But I made great memories with my kids having our turkey adventure and making ornaments and a big mess:).I did manage to get dinner on the table and I was able to do a little service.Not to bad.We had a lot of adventure.

3 goals(Same as last week :( )

1.Finish my books for my kids.I can't seem to find the glue I need!
2.Print Christmas cards and mail packages
3.Finish kitchen counter and command center by the end of next month.

Turkey adventure-Day 7

Happy Thanksgiving! From our family to yours!

Olivia found the turkey.Case closed!We found our turkey trying to make a get away!It is missing it's feathers,so we need to give him some.I got this great idea here to have the kids make their own feathers!
Legos were used on her site.

Fun fact:Over 45 million turkeys are consumed on Thanksgiving!

We also got our craft on today.I made these cute pine cone Christmas trees.I put the soap shavings leftover from our arrowhead carving in this jar and glued it as snow on the pine cone and below the tree.I painstakingly made the star from pearls and beads.I have the glue gun blisters to prove it!

We are going to bring a bit of the beach to Christmas!We took plastic ornaments and filled it with colored sand and shells.

Tomorrow we start our Christmas countdown!Stay tuned!

Turkey adventure-Day 6

Wrong Turkey!Nate was puzzled until he saw

something on T.V.What did he see?

Craft:painting with q-tips to make corn kernels.Working on fine motor skills is never too "corny"!I have been seeing this all over Pinterest but I don't know who came up with idea!

Making Teepee's and we painted pine cones with q-tips to make into ornaments.Observe the concentration.:)

Snack: Turkey sandwich

Fun fact:The fact is tomorrow is Thanksgiving.It will be my babies FIRST!

Day 13 and 14 and 15(40 days closer to Christ)How are things "written in our hearts"?

Day 13 and 14
Mosiah 10-20
Scripture to ponder:Mosiah 13:11
What do you think it means to have the Lord’s commandments “written in your hearts”?hearts (see Jeremiah 31:33).

How do we have open hearts?
Open our scriptures and our mind.Study scriptures,not just a casual read but thinking,pondering and taking time to read slowly.We can seek Gods will and learn from the scriptures and prayer.If something is written it is more permanent.It sinks deep into our hearts like ink from a pen.If we listen and want to obey it is like we pencil it in.It can still be erased from doubt or pride.If we obey 100% it is like we write in pen,so we would have to scribble it out.However it is still there!So next time the prophet, or the scriptures,tell you to take action;don't just pencil it in as a maybe. Engrave it and live it!
"The gospel won’t be just an influence in your life—it will be what you are."(general-conference April 2004.wWhen thou art converted?by D. Todd Christophersen)

Here is a question to ponder:What specific things can I do, starting today, to exercise more faith so that I can encourage and maintain a mighty change of heart in my life?

"To know His will you must be committed to do it. The words “Thy will be done,” written in the heart, are the window to revelation."(general-conference October 2002 Rise to your call by Henry B.Eyering

What I want to do starting today is to accept his will.As I grow closer to Christ I hope to accomplish this!

Day 15
Mosiah 20-25

Turkey adventure-Day 5

Sludge found the turkey!We found another feather!But what else did they find out?

Once the kids guessed.I opened the book and out fell a feather!

We are almost done with our mystery!Will my kids find the turkey?

Fun fact:Benjamin Franklin wanted the turkey to be the national bird of the United States.

Craft:My oldest decided he wanted to make arrowheads from soap.The black one is a real arrowhead made from obsidian.

 My oldest also made a paper boat to be the Mayflower.That way my Preschooler could be next to him,outside his safety circle.It took a while to absorb the water before it sank!

Meditation Monday-How to love your life and live a life you love(self designing your life)

I wanted to start by asking these very thought  provoking questions.

Do you know what you really want most from life?

Is your life filled with more responsibilities than rewards?

Would you like to get to do what you’re here to do?

Would you like to go through a simple process that will help you coordinate what you want with what you do?

"EXPERIENCE your vision to its fullest degree. FEEL exactly what you could imagine it would feel like to be in the experience of attaining it. LIVE it as if it were already true, NOW."~ancient ones

You are your thoughts.If you are holding on to the past or don't think you are good enough you are setting yourself up to fail before you have started.Train your subconscious to nudge you in the direction of your vision(what you want to accomplish).Feed it goals,positive affirmations and self talk.We create what we need for our own life's journey.Think positively and you open the doors to endless possibilities.If you let negative thoughts and fear enter your mind then it is like you are looking through the peep hole if possibilities but your vision(what you see) is limited and confined.
Living from within does require training.We need to train our minds to think positively about ourselves and our experiences.

When we think of coming home we usually feel warmth,love and safety.Think of yourself are you creating a home(inside yourself) that is inviting,warm,full of love and safe?Come home to yourself,your true self.How do you unlock your best self?Take sometime alone,as often as you need.Start with 15 minutes everyday.Audrey Hepburn said "“I have to be alone very often. I'd be quite happy if I spent from Saturday night until Monday morning alone in my apartment. That's how I refuel."

Start with small changes,and goals,to your happiness blueprint.As you make these small but significant changes you will see changes in other areas of your life too!Like a snow ball rolling down the hill, your happiness will grow!

Disconnect to connect-Disconnect from email,t.v,I pod,phone and computer at least 1 day per week.I tried this experiment.You can read ithere.It was really hard not to pick up my phone.I got creative though and found distractions.We need to engage our mind and turn it on to all the possibilities. If we don't like what we see we can change the channel and channel happy positive thoughts.The result should be to be deeply connected within and with others.With our vision in place and control of your thoughts the life we want,(not free of trials and struggles)should start to manifest itself slowly.It is your design! So be happy with yourself ,love your life and live a life you love!

My Design.My vision!

Turkey adnture-Day 4

We found another feather!Maybe if we feed the dog he will find the turkey!

Who found the turkey first?Nate,Sludge,Claude or Olivia?

What happens next?

Fun fact:Speaking of dogs-Snoopy Has Been In The Thanksgiving Parade Longer Than Any Other Balloon.He has been part of the parade for over 30 years!

Image from:http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/in_pictures/6178824.stm

All next week we will be doing activities
for thanksgiving,like tee pees,making arrowheads,mayflowers.Just like at thanksgiving it will be a "full"week!

Day 11 and 12(40 days closer to Christ)9 ways to live life as if it could be your last

Mosiah 1-10
Scriptures to ponder:Mosiah 3:19


Mosiah 3:19
 19 For the natural man is an enemy to God, and has been from the fall of Adam, and will be, forever and ever, unless he yields to the enticings of the Holy Spirit, and putteth off the natural man and becometh a saint through the atonement of Christ the Lord, and becometh as a child, submissive, meek, humble, patient, full of love, willing to submit to all things which the Lord seeth fit to inflict upon him, even as a child doth submit to his father.


Have you ever wondered what you would say if you were asked to give your “last lecture ” to your family.I am going to write one tonight and share it with my family.What if we lived each day like it was our last?
"Everyday is a New Day! Learn from the past, make goals for the future, but live in the present!"Here are some ways to make life a little better;a little more focused.

1.Find out where you are out of balance and make note of what keeps you in balance.If you don't know then finding balance is your first step Each day is a fresh start with many options just waiting to be explored.Where are you on the ever changing balance scale?Maybe you are on your way to finding balance. Maybe you feel like Yukon found it.If you are feeling at peace don't let your guard down because balance is on going challenge.You don't want to be thrown off or completely detailed because you weren't doing anything to strengthen yourself.

2.Life is more exciting with adventure!
See this post about Adventure /retreat.We want to live life seeking the adventure.  And we want to take time in life to retreat: time to rest and to reflect.  We recognize the importance of being intentional in these places.Try to put on some wonder -glasses, and attempt to see your “same” world as a whole new world.

What does adventure mean to you?Read how-to-live-a-life-of-high-adventure.It is suggested to write what inspires you and to make 5 goals of adventure.Then plan on doing one in 3 months,1 year and 2 or 5 years.In this post how-to-live-mini-adventures-on-a-small-budget,adventure is defined as something enjoyable, unique and a departure from your routine.This sounds more attainable than going on a International trip or something.

3.Love yourself pretty  .Look in the mirror what do you see?It is important to love others but first you must love yourself.

4.Find your starting point/restoration Find something that gives your life meaning.Brian Kim says"Focus on the more important things in life and not let all the other trivial small things in life get to us."

5.Unlock your true potential.What is holding you back?You can become more like Christ.His attributes are listed in the scriptures.There is no better way to become closer to Christ then to  become humble, meek, submissive, patient, full of love and all long-suffering.”

6.Seek balance
This requires continuous watchfulness in all areas of life;finding that balance read this article there was a great quote about balance.It was said "Our lives are in a constant state of trying to balance our focus on the past, present and future. Any of these can take too much of our concentration and energy. When this happens, we risk getting caught in one of them and losing focus on the other two that give us wisdom, motivation and fulfillment. I know finding balance in anything is easier said than done. Living in the moment, thinking about what is behind and in front of you, and being grateful for everything fantastic in your life can help to keep you focused on what you are going to do to keep moving in a positive direction."

7.Write a few goals each day and keep moving forward.

8.Live in the present and don't put the important things off until tomorrow.Make that phone call.Tell your family you love them.Eat that piece if cake slowly and let it melt on your tongue.Morning is the best time to read a motivational quote,go over your goals and get excited. Help feed your mind and wake up with mental food.Other ideas are meditation, journaling.Decide to be present for that day.

9.Be careful not to try to do it all
“And see that all these things are done in wisdom and order; for it is not requisite that a man should run faster than he has strength. And again, it is expedient that he should be diligent, that thereby he might win the prize; therefore, all things must be done in order.” (Mosiah 4:27.)

Turkey adventure -Day 3

The kids found another feather!Rosamond's pet cats were hiding it!There are 1,2,3,4 of them.This is good practice counting for my preschooler.Plus the baby loved playing with my cat Russian doll!

After some thought Nate the great decides to be on the case.Does Nate find Olivia,the turkey or trouble?

Craft:My oldest wanted to make candy critters.All you need is marshmallows,paper clips and frosting.Aren't they cute?

Fun fact:The Mayflower Compact, the first governing agreement ever put forth in America was written by the Pilgrims, before they ever set foot on land.

File it Friday

File under: rough week.

A load of laundry got red crayon all over it which threw off my whole week.Last Friday I found an article that talked about 3 things to do at the end of the week!

What did I learn this week?I have to file away some sad thoughts.Letting go of a friend is hard.We were there for each other when life was tough.I also can't look at my house as a setback but move forward and put some goals aside until I catch up.
1.Thank the people that helped you get through your week .

2.
3 things I accomplished this week

• I caught up on some of my house today!My husband when he walked in was impressed. That always makes me happy.I made my bed.I spent more time with my kids at night and not just my baby.I also reconnected with an old friend. 

3.
3 goals

• Finish my books for my kids
• Print Christmas cards and mail packaged
• Finish kitchen counter and command center by the end of rather month. 

Grateful for:
1.My husband's job
2.my preschoolers new play group
3.House with heater,car with heater and heated
stores.

Turkey adventure-Day 2

Nate the great heard a knock at his door.What now?

It's Olivia!

...........and a feather!We wrote our own stories using Native American signs.

Here is the next question.Who is on Olivia's turkey team?
Is it Oliver,Rasamond,Annie,Fang or all of them?

 If Olivia formed a team where would they go??What would they do next?
If no,what is Olivia going to do next?I had my oldest kids write their own story and guesses!

If they flip over the right feather they get the next clue!

Get your magnifying glasses out!

Fun fact:
Foods eaten on the first Thanksgiving included chicken, fish, rabbit, lobster, onions, dried fruit, carrots, eggs, cabbage and beans.

Take back your Turf Thursday-Take back your kitchen week 3

"Voom is hard to get,You never saw anything Like it,I bet.

Why,Voom cleans up anything clean as can be!"( from The cat in the hat comes back By Dr. Suess)

I could use some Voom!My kids washed a crayon with their clothes and I have been trying to get it out the last few days!I soaked them in borax and laundry detergent.We tried Wd-40.I washed it with bleach.Meanwhile clothes and dishes are backing up!

In the book the cat transfers the pink ring in the tub to a dress,a wall,shoes,the rug,and the bed.Sometimes I feel this way,I just clean something and it just as bad in the next room!

So unfortunately this means my kitchen command and conquer center is on hold till I get some voom or more time!The kitchen and the laundry have to be done daily or this!

I did go through some more papers and I cleaned out the fridge!I found a lot of my Tupperware this way!:)

I have been saving cereal boxes so I can make a desk caddy.If I can catch up tonight and tomorrow then maybe I can get my command and conquer center started and then move to my cupboards!

Christmas countdown

Day 20-status check

 What do you still need to do to get ready for the holidays?

Day 21-26

These days have to do with getting the house ready.Clean the pantry,freezer and fridge

Turkey adventure-who will find the turkey and what will we learn along the way?

Uh oh a Turkey is missing! We are stuck in Nate the great Talks Turkey by Marjorie Sharmat and Mitchell Sharmat.There are turkey feathers everywhere!Join us on our Thanksgiving adventure as we try to discover the turkeys whereabouts and what Thansgiving is truly about.

 The turkey is trying to tell us something!Yellow,orange,yellow, orange...what comes next?These feathers are great for making patterns.

They also make great Indian headbands.The Indians helped the pilgrims learn to plant crops.

There is still a turkey on the loose!Everyone in town is looking for it.Sludge the dog is on the case.So is our dog!

While Claude and Sludge are out looking for the Turkey.Someone knocks at Nate the great's door.Is it Claude or Olivia?I wrote those to names on a feather.The kids had to guess.Each one took a turn.They flipped the feather over and there was a clue and another feather!Who do you think it is?

Fun fact:The Plymouth Pilgrims and their neighbors, the Wampanoag Native American tribe, shared a feast lasting three days in celebration of a successful harvest.

 I gave the kids magnifying glasses and a notepad !Where will my kids will take this adventure!Here is a picture of Olivia,one of the characters,that my daughter drew.

We will be reading a few more chapters tonight and see if the kids were right and learn another Thanksgiving fact.It is our countdown to Thanksgiving!See next post for another clue and more fun!

Day 10(40 days closer to Christ)3 successful ways to overcome challenges.

Day 10-Make up day and day of reflection

 Only 30 more days to go!It has been some what of a challenge for me this last week to keep up with it all.There has been frustration over money,cold yucky weather, that leaves me with little or no motivation!Yet last night I was around some spiritual giants at a church activity,one woman lost their spouse, another a divorce,and yet another fighting breast cancer!

How do we endure our challenges?

“The difficulties which come to us present us with the real test of our ability to endure. A fundamental question remains to be answered by each of us: Shall I falter, or shall I finish? …

“Whenever we are inclined to feel burdened down with the blows of life, let us remember that others have passed the same way, have endured, and then have overcome.

From the bed of pain, from the pillow wet with tears, we are lifted heavenward by that divine assurance and precious promise: ‘I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee’ (Joshua 1:5). Such comfort is priceless.”(President Monson November2013 New Era)


One of these valiant woman after losing her husband said a friend of hers had given her a box.She said that this box was to write things that are out of your control and recognize that you need to  turn it over to the Lord.I thought this was a great idea!

We made gratitude jars last night and I thought I could add my challenges that I am not grateful to have right now but grateful I can turn it over to God and by so doing,letting him lift the burden according to his desire and will.Someone else last night asked-

What if in the morning you woke up with only the things you thanked God for?

Again I ask you,how can we overcome challenges?
1.Take it day by day and hour by hour
2.Pray,do all you can do,pray and pray some more.My biggest goal this month is to have more sincere prayers.Being mindful of this has led me to doing it more often.If I am having a bad day that is the first thing to come to my mind.
As we seek our Heavenly Father through fervent, sincere prayer and earnest, dedicated scripture study, our testimonies will become strong and deeply rooted. We will know of God’s love for us. We will understand that we do not ever walk alone. I promise you that you will one day stand aside and look at your difficult times, and you will realize that He was always there beside you.”(quote from talk mentioned above)
3.Change your attitude and then your heart.We cannot always control our situations but we can change ourselves,and our perspectives.If your challenges feel like a coach with horses charging out of control-try to grab the reins and if you can't pray that God will and ask for help from family and friends.
Maybe you are in a boat and you have lost your way.You could jump in and start swimming(this is likened to us trying to do it all ourselves)or we can look to the lighthouse(God,hope,family).

There is a song from power tunes talking about your attitude.It goes something like this:
Its your attitude that makes you do the things you do.It's your attitude makes you what you are.You got to be kind you got to want to share be a friend and makes you want to care.It's your attitude that makes you!
This month especially many are having an gr(attitude).

What are you thankful for?What is one small step you can take right now to overcome one of your challenges?Please feel free to share!

Day 7 -9(40 days closer to Christ)

Day 7 and 8
Jacob 1-7
Scriptures to ponder:Jacob 2:18-19,Jacob 6:11-12
Seek not riches on earth but the kingdom of God.Now is the perfect time with the holidays to make new financial goals.Also starting November 30th we will be studying about Christ's birth and having a more Christ centered Christmas.

Jacob 4:10
Wherefore, brethren, seek not to counsel the Lord, but to take counsel from his hand. For behold, ye yourselves know that he counseleth in wisdom, and in justice, and in great mercy, over all his works.

It seems that some [Latter-day Saints] among us have this same problem; they want bountiful harvests—both spiritual and temporal—without developing the root system that will yield them"(in Conference Report, Oct. 1978, 113; or Ensign, Nov. 1978, 74–75).

Jacob points out three sources of truth.These are 1)scriptures2. prophets and 3.Holy Ghost.These 3 sources testify of Christ. They will help us build on a sure foundation,who is Christ, the Son of God and keep us deeply rooted in the gospel.

How am I helping to further God's work?Treat everyone as a child of God.

I need to be acting on what was taught in General Conference.To add to my goal of saying sincere prayers I want to add to be guided on which talks I need to focus on for me
and my family.

Day 9
Enos ,Jarom and Omni
Scriptures to ponder:Enos 1:27

Letter T for turkey-Turkey apple craft (preschool and baby lesson)

Scripture:2 Nephi 32:3
Angels speak by the power of the Holy Ghost; wherefore, they speak the words of Christ. Wherefore, I said unto you, feast upon the words of Christ; for behold, the words of Christ will tell you all things what ye should do.

We talked about the first Thanksgiving and what a feast means.It is not just a snack but a big meal.You take your time and enjoy it and really dig in!We should do the same with the words of Christ!
Letter:T
Number:10
Nursery Rhyme:Ten little Indians

One little, two little,
Three little Indians.
Four little, five little,
Six little Indians.
Seven little, eight little,
Nine little Indians,
Ten little Indian boys.

Ten little, nine little,
Eight little Indians.
Seven little, six little,
five little Indians.
Four little, three little,
Two little Indians,
One little Indian boy.
One little Indian boy.
For baby:Take a feather as you sing and tickle a part of their body.Have fun and see if they will giggle.You can try other textures too! Another fun idea is to have baby pull feathers and acorns,felt feathers or turkeys out of a tissue box.Don't forget the turkey handprint.I remember making them on our thanksgiving table cloth.To this day it uhh s fun to find our handprints.For ASL teach the words eat and drink and turkey.Click here for more Thanksgiving signs!

Check out these fun nursery ryhmes that had us all laughing!(gut busters)

 Story time:Ten Apples up on top

After story time we tried to walk with different items on our head. 

We tried to hop with things on top but all they would do is drop!

Look! See I am a turkey.You can get lots of apples on me.(Ok confession,it is a turkey made from an apple)

 But you can stack fruit loops on top of me!No matter the weather,they will not fall off my feathers!

You can count 1-10 or sort into the colors you see.It is good practice for little fingers,and a treat for you and me.

7,6,5,4,3,2,1....lets have some more Thanksgiving fun!

Here is a way to extend the activity

We also made turkeys from the letter T from this site

All you need:brown construction paper for the T and whatever colors for the feathers.

Volcano blast book activity

I made this at the beginning if the week after we read Volcano blast.I just took a plate and made the track around the box.Then I made the ramp with a Cereal box.It just wasn't good enough for me!

 Volcano track take two!I put the original box and track inside a bigger box.I added the cave and black construction paper.

What do you think?Does it look like the cave?

 It was a blast!I think I scored a few Mom points too!

Who will win?

This is a game your boys will want to play over and over!

Day 4-6(40 days closer to Christ)-His hands are stretched out still.How are we using our hands?

2 Nephi 9-18(2 Nephi 11-18 compare Isaiah 1-8)
Scriptures to ponder:2 Nephi 16:10,
 Day 5
2 Nephi 19- 24(compare Isaiah 9-14)
Scriptures to ponder:2 Nephi 19:6
Day 6
2 Nephi 25-33
Scriptures to ponder:2 Nephi 25:29,2 Nephi 31:13

But his hand is stretched out still.I like to picture the Savior reaching out his hands to me calling to me.

I love this visual from this talk prophets-in-the-land-again( Ensign November 2006)given by Elder Jeffery R.Holland of the Quorum of the 12 apostles.He mentions how the pioneers pulled their wagons in terrible winter conditions and got stuck in Wyoming in Martin's Cove.He says for us:
 "It may not be blizzards and frozen-earth burials that we face.... but the needy are still out there—the poor and the weary, the discouraged and downhearted.
"Take your team and wagon; load it with your love, your testimony, and a spiritual sack of flour; then drive in any direction. The Lord will lead you to those in need if you will but embrace the gospel of Jesus Christ"
"To all of you who think you are lost or without hope, or who think you have done too much that was too wrong for too long, to every one of you who worry that you are stranded somewhere on the wintry plains of life and have wrecked your handcart in the process, this conference calls out Jehovah’s unrelenting refrain, “[My] hand is stretched out still.”2 Nephi 19:12 and see Isaiah 5:25; 9:17, 21

Questions to ask myself:
How am I helping those in need?
Why is it important for us to turn to the Lord rather than rely only on our wisdom?

"As we extend our hands and hearts toward others in Christlike love, something wonderful happens to us. Our own spirits become healed, more refined, and stronger. We become happier, more peaceful, and more receptive to the whisperings of the Holy Spirit."(General conference April 2010 by Dieter F Uchtdorf

Letter O-Owl activity and a snack

Scripture Jacob 6:12

 O be wise; what can I say more?

Tune:Skip to my Lou) Sing at circle with owl puppet- have child say their name and then it is their turn to hold puppet and choose another child who takes a turn after saying their name...

Letter: O

Shape:circle

Color:brown

Nursery Rhyme:

 Owl in the tree says, "Who, who, who."

Owl in the tree says, "Who, who, who."

Owl in the tree says, "Who, who, who.

Who, who, are you?"

I made these mice for my Preschooler to find.We talked about how Owls can't move their eyes like we do,they can only move their head

 Here he is finding the mice.Under each one is an ingredient for our snack.

 Aren't these owl cupcakes adorable

 The best part is eating them.Love the mustache!

 They also made a angry bird!

File it Friday

File it under-a good week!

So those of you who just got here I have been battling with my paper for years!I have been devoting 15 minutes a day to slowly conquer the piles.On Friday I will file papers away that I have organized.Why blog about it?First it keeps me in check.I feel like I have accomplished something.Here is what documents to keep and for how long.

Second it is not just for papers but a way for me to look back and see what worked.If something bad happened during the week I wantto take one more look see what I can learn from this and file it away as a good memory or at least what I learned from it.When I do this I can prepare for my weekend.If there is any loose ends I need to take care of them.I clean my house,my car,my purse because it is date night!Well some nights we are lucky enough to go out!

If you end your week on a positive note then your weekend can be devoted to family,a few projects and fun.We will be putting our outside Christmas lights up because the weather is so unpredictable. Don't worry they don't go on until after Thanksgiving.Its too early but so we don't have someone(my husband because I am a scaredy scaredy cat of heights)slip off the roof and get hurt.So how do we do we end our week right?
1.Make a plan for Friday.Mix your day with fun and work.I usually take a day off on Wednesday or Thursday and don't worry about a schedule or if I have been on the Internet for over 2 hours! ;)

2.Get as much as you can so you can leave your Saturdays free.
3.Practice these 3 great habits

1. Thank the people that helped you get through your week .
2. Write down 3 things you accomplished this week that you can be proud of!
3. Write down 3 goals for next week and I want to add,to go over your goals this week and pick something to work on.

Three things I accomplished this week:I started my 40 days closer to Christ and going strong!I didn't raise my voice at the kids and played basketball with some other woman!It was really a pretty good week!

Three goals I want to add for next week:Finish my command center, finish a Christmas present I am making and continue to write what I am thankful for, read my scriptures daily and take a break in mmy day to say a prayer of gratitude. 

Take back your Turf Thursday-Take back your Kitchen week 2

This is my new system for getting rid of bills and documents with personal information on it.Can you guess what I did?

It not only makes little scraps of paper but the kids had fun mixing the water and bits of paper and putting it into a ball.I talked to them about how paper is made from little bits like this.All you need is water and paper and a big bowl to put it all in.It is unrecognizable,fun and free! 

I am still recovering from making a bad dinner last night.I haven't made one of those in a very long time.I won't get creative again I promise!My poor family.lol! Oh well it seemed good in my head.Has that ever happened to you?

So far I have been doing a pretty good job on keeping up with my Kitchen counters and table.I am still searching for a system that works for all my paper!I am making progress!It is hard when you get behind other areas of your home suffer.However I cleaned a puke of papers out in my room O got so excited that I cleaned the whole area around it!Then I made my bed!Guess what happened then?Yes! I kept going until the whole area n front of my closet was done and my husband joined in too!So now I am trying to keep that clean and catch up on laundry until I can get to the point of 1 load a day again!

To summarize I started small with doing the dishes each night.Then when I was comfortable I added a counter at a time and that got me started on paper.These are my have tos everyday.I can get them done a lot faster and keep areas cleaner and I don't feel overwhelmed!I may sound like a broken record at this point,but I cannot stress starting small!It is like training for a marathon.You have to build up to it!We are training our brains when we start cleaning slowly and it becomes second nature and you don't have to think about what you are doing.You just start doing the dishes and you won't let it get out of control!

I am excited for week 3-Make my command center!The one I have currently is not working and that is ok!Here is to the new and improved!

Before:

After:?

What should my command center have?Anything to command and conquer!Intrigued? Read on....

-place for all my bill paying,pens,paper,stamps,etc

-incoming paper

-calendar(I need a better one!That is for another day)

-meals and cleaning routine

-school planning stuff and family binder

-dry erase board for each family member.I think I will use plastic plates.I saw someone use it as a dry erase board.{clever ;)}

-a place for phone,hubby's things

I am sure I will think of new things!

Last but not least ,Christmas countdown:

Day 18-create a wrapping and mail center.I am almost there!Most of my gifts are bought and my December is planned out even the days where I am taking a break!

Who who are you?Letter O -preschool and baby lesson

Scripture Jacob 6:12
 O be wise; what can I say more?

I thought this was very fitting for owls.They are symbols of wisdom.Sometimes we do things to go along with the crowd. If you are feeling a bad feeling about something.Don't ignore it.That is the spirit constraining you to not do it.It is also known as common sense.Choose good friends and learn to spend money wisely.We all make mistakes but that is how we learn to spread our wings and fly on our own.

Letter: O
Shape:circle
Color:brown
Nursery Rhyme:
Music and movement:
(Tune:Skip to my Lou) Sing at circle with owl puppet- have child say their name and then it is their turn to hold puppet and choose another child who takes a turn after saying their name...

Owl in the tree says, "Who, who, who."
Owl in the tree says, "Who, who, who."
Owl in the tree says, "Who, who, who.
Who, who, are you?"

Owl exercises

Lead children in some movements and stretches using owl behaviors as a guide. Children can:

Fly: by flapping their arms(I tried to get the baby to do ut with us.)
Look around: by turning their heads slowly from side to side
Perch: by bending their knees and standing on their toes with their arms at their side
Swoop: by sticking their arms out straight to each side and dipping their heads down and then back up from side to side

Craft:Letter O owls
Need:brown,yellow,orange and black construction paper.You will also need beans,bird seed or we used stale rice crispies and glue.I didn't follow any instructions just made an O,a triangle for the head,eye, beak and feet.
Next glue on O on construction paper of kids choice.Glue triangle to the top of the O.Then the eyes beak and feet.
Then,put glue and rice crispies on the O.
Last for the wings we traced kids hands and then cut and glue!Super easy,and cute as can be!

For baby:sing nursery ryhme.Trace hands.I also made a texture board with feathers.