So, I bought some foam “Pilgrim people” that we put together and we cut out our pictures for the faces! These have made us laugh daily! You have to be able to laugh at yourself sometimes, you know?




I also found some magic art leaves that were cool. You just scratch off a design of your choice with a small pointed stick and colorful rainbow-like designs appear underneath.

Then, I purchased some small turkey cut-outs. I wasn’t exactly sure what I was going to do with them. I thought I might use some to make some napkin holders. Then, I thought we could play a “hunt for the turkey” game with one.

So, I put blue painting/masking tape on the back of a turkey cut-out and called the kids over. I said, “We are going to play a fun game each day until Thanksgiving. Someone has this turkey, and tries to put it on someone’s back without that someone knowing about it. When the turkey person realizes it, they continue the game by putting it on an unsuspecting someone’s back, until the end of the day.”

The kids said that sounded like fun, pats on the back and all, and the game began. We all chuckled behind the back at our little turkey friend on the back of our loved one; the younger ones pointed and laughed. It was all in fun.

When daddy came home, the kids were quick to explain the new turkey game, as BC wondered why Paige had a turkey on her back. The master quickly caught on, and got my back, unbeknownst to me. So, when I had to trot over to Walgreens last night around 8:00 p.m. for some dry eye lubricant and pads, you guessed it…turkey went along for the ride. As I was checking out, there was a line behind me, and I felt like people were staring (I usually feel a little self-conscious when buying pads anyway.), and they were smiling. I just smiled back and attributed it to the cheerful Christmas music.

So, when I arrived back home, my husband sent me a text with a picture of me with a turkey on my back. I felt like I was a roasted turkey! I did laugh, though, but wondered if there was fowl play. I’m thinking we should keep this game “in house only”. As BC laughingly chided, “I got your back!” that saying took on a new and opposite meaning. But as I said earlier, “You have to be able to laugh at yourself sometimes, you know?”

Around here, the rest of the family attempts to wake up before the birthday child. The first one up gets to quietly wake up the rest of the gang. The birthday child might be awake, but their eyes remain closed, possibly fluttering a bit as they listen to the nearby “shushing”. The birthday child quickly remembers what day it is as “Happy Birthday to You” begins. (It’s an unspoken rule, but they have to remain in bed till the song is finished). Mind you, I don’t think the sound quality is super because our voices haven’t warmed up, but the thoughtfulness is always appreciated.

This was tradition, and yes, it was predictable. However, on Bradley’s birthday, I could not have predicted what my boys would do (How many times have I said that?). As I peeked into their room, I thought I saw Bradley stirring, but he was all covered up in his covers facing the wall. So, I decided to quickly sing to him, and then I would gather the others later (because it was so early…we had stayed up late the night before). Well, when I got to “Happy Birthday, dear Bradley…” he sprang out of his covers and it was Benjamin! At the same time, Bradley popped his head down from Benjamin’s top bunk! Those two had switched places! They got me good! So, I said, “Let’s do this again. I’ll go wake the girls!” And they fooled the girls as well! Each new year definitely brings more smiles!

Here are some recent pics of my kids taken by Heidi H. of POSH Photography:

Faith

Paige

Bradley

Benjamin

Michelle

Grace

"Orange" you glad to get free food?

What?…wear orange…get free Whataburger!

What do you know…we’ll be there!

We were going to be out of town for “National Cow Apreesheashun Day” at Chick-fil-A. Anyone who knows us, knows that we are big fans of Chick-fil-A (See other blogs for more proof). On the second Friday in July, Chick-fil-A gives you a free full meal for dressing like a fool full cow, or a free half meal (like a sandwich) for dressing like half or part of a cow (like wearing a shirt with spots, hat, etc). So, this has become a new little holiday for our family. Thankfully, we were with a sweet family that mostly didn’t mind dressing up like cows and saving some moolah (and they had a local Chick-fil-A).

Oh...the girls had to paint their hooves!

Are cows white with black spots or black with white spots? Well, the girls were white cows with black spots. They donned angel costumes, and a few girls wore white tops and white skirts. Then, we added black felt spots (from last year) using duct tape to stick the spots on this time (instead of pins). Some outfits actually had black spots that were cut out from duct tape.

How will the spots stick?...duct tape to the rescue!

Oh...the places you'll go! Thanks guys!

Most of the herd

Cowabunga, dude!

The guys were black cows with white spots.  We had some black contractor bags for the guys to wear. We cut  a hole in the bottom for their head, and cut out some arms. We used black duct tape to tape down the top and sides…giving the cows a more updated (less 80s) look. They all had white spots cut out from white duct tape. I used a pattern that Chick-fil-A had on their website. Oh, and some tails were created from duct tape which was taped together, then cut into thin strips leaving an inch uncut at the top. Some had yarn tails, and some tails were made from a brown plastic tablecloth.

Tails are important! I added spots to a friend from another family that went with us to Chick-fil-A. Thankfully, I added a tail, because that was the deciding factor that allowed her to receive a free meal versus just the sandwich. So, as you heard from my tale, the bottom line is to have a bottom line!

The purse was created on the car trip. I’m not exactly sure what mooved me to make this udderly bovine purse. I think it had something to do with having time (and assorted duct tape) on my hands.  It is so chic! However, don’t worry this purse will only be used by this crazy chick annually:)

This year, we made our entry a little more dramatic (like twenty cows mooving into Chick-fil-A wasn’t dramatic enough). I was thinking along the lines of more bells and whistles. Earlier, I spied a big ol’ cowbell down at our friend’s farm. They use it to call the kids in for dinner. So, I used it to call all of the herd in for dinner (and for laughs).

Little did we know that after our arrival, a man from the local news would arrive and start videotaping. I thought…Let’s show some Chick-fil-A spirit, and I picked up the cowbell and started ringing it. The ladies I was sitting with were laughing, and some quickly mooved to try to conceal their identities (hoping that we weren’t on the news). I guess I wasn’t thinking about the possibility of being  moo-vie stars when we dressed up for the night out. So, we watched some of the local news at ten, and sure enough…some of us locos were on there, including the “cow-cophonous” cowbell:).

The world needs more cowbells!

The news at tenMVI_6703

All in all, we had a great time and our sweet friends thanked us for the fun memories. Even one of the anti-dressing-up-like-a-cow girls thanked me. So, mission accomplished. I think it is safe to say that we will be supporting Chick-fil-A on “Cow Apreesheashun Day” until…well..the cows come home!

Cowgirls and cowboys sure know how to have fun!

Back in March, my sweet husband turned the big 40! We made a slide show for him using “Movie Maker” that day. It was a kind of …”this is your life” type of movie. We have a rule that if your birthday is on a day of the week, it’s a holiday. Yes, I  know…it’s one of the perks of homeschooling (remember we school through most of the summer). So, even though Daddy had to work, we enjoyed a day off thinking about him, and making him a video, and of course, a big cake!

I bought him a “40″ balloon the night before, and when the kids opened the back door of our suburban to help unload the groceries…out it flew…into the nearby tree branch. Well, as I was jumping up to get the balloon, the wind blew it out of the tree; but alas, that young balloon was too fast for me. I don’t know what overcame me, but I just couldn’t “let it go…”. Maybe it was the fact that I hadn’t even given him the balloon yet, and those balloons aren’t cheap, or maybe I just really do love to run (yeah, right).

Whatever the reason, I found myself compelled to sprint across the field that we live next to (like half-way). My son Benjamin was right there with me, and we managed to tackle that old balloon down to the ground, while literally “rolling on the floor laughing” (ROFL)! Never mind that cars were driving by, and my nearby girls were laughing at us. We proudly (and somewhat out of air) presented our token of love (which was also somewhat out of air) to B. C. Thankfully, that wasn’t a trip to the E.R. (Can you even imagine telling people how the foot broke that time?)

At the birthday restaurant dinner, Cousin Mike embarrassed him by giving him a hilarious, attention-getting vest to wear. Then, I took pictures of some of the people’s reaction to his vest, when he walked with our boys to the restroom. Too funny! BC’s mom brought some great old (young) pictures of BC that we enjoyed looking/laughing at.

So I married an older man...one year, that is...:)

It was a good day! Lots of candles and candies (jelly beans are his favorite)! I am so thankful to be married to BC. We have a plaque in our room that reads: “Grow old with me, the best is yet to be!” Ah…so true! I believe elderly people are not “over the hill”, but have great wisdom and experience to offer to each one of us…and life to be lived!

We just visited my grandmother (G.G.) and G.P. I will be turning thirty-nine in a few days, and I was so encouraged about growing older just by spending time with them. They are both so vibrant and energetic. I currently run 3.5 miles, usually three times a week. Well, my sweet grandma could out-walk me, seriously! She is truly amazing! We all took a long walk together. I am so glad that G.G. and G.P. are so capable. They are loving life and each other. They take their limitations in stride, and never seem to let it get them down. They thank God everyday for their health and each other, and rarely complain! I certainly want to be like them when I grow up—so content and so kind. They continue to encourage and bless the entire family!

“The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: but the word of our God shall stand for ever.”        Isaiah 40:8

Earlier…back on January 5, we attempted to read through the Bible, as a family, for 90 days. Well, it took us 100 days, but by God’s grace…we did it, and it was such a blessing to our family! The Lord opened our eyes to things we had not remembered, or even heard of, in years (We all have our favorites, right?).

Well, please know that we were very excited about doing this, but have also wondered why we haven’t done this sooner, you know? In the scheme of things, our whole life revolves around Jesus Christ, the living Word. We know him more by reading His Word. So, was 100-150 hours (roughly the time it took) a huge sacrifice? The more we read, the more we wanted to. We are now attempting to read the Bible in chronological order (according to when the individual books were written), for thirty minutes a night. We should finish by the end of the year, Lord willing.

I am thankful for all that the LORD has to teach us! Please also know that we are motivated to read the Bible out of love for Jesus, whom we believe saved us. We do not believe we can save ourselves through any work that we do.

“For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.”                                      Ephesians 2:8-9

We love games, and have game nights…frequently. Sometimes, we have separated based on ages, but usually we all play together (little ones can be partners with the older ones). Sometimes, I have set up game stations (with those games for two) and we have played for a set amount of time (like ten minutes), then when the timer goes off, the winner goes on to play a different game with a different person (kind of like Bunco). The loser will stay and play again. Most of the time, everyone is “game” for playing games. It is sometimes a reward for hard work, and sometimes…it is hard work! We try not to get too competitive with it. We want it to be fun and stress-free, not stressful!

I recommend any of the following games:

Warning: My Long List of Games…

Bible games:

Bible Baseball-All ages (team play). We love this game.

Bible Brainstorm-This is similar to the Cranium game. It involves using words, drawing, acting, etc.

Bible Trivia- My only issue with this game is the title. Is there really anything trivial about the Bible? By Cadaco.

Bible Bingo- By Faith Kids.

Scriptionary-like Pictionary

Word games:

Bananagrams- This has been a fun game. It is kind of like Scrabble, but everyone has their own tiles that they use to make their own set of words (crossword style). Games are fast-paced, and can be played a variety of ways. It fits in your purse, and is great to play anywhere (like restaurants) because the pieces can be washed! This game was voted on as toy of the year last year, and I have to agree. It’s great!

Scrabble-A classic.

Balderdash-a hilarious bluffing word game by Gameworks Creations. You can play your own version of this game with a dictionary. Look up an unknown and archaic word in the dictionary, and one person writes the real definition down on a piece of paper. The other players write down the word and a made-up definition of the word. The person who knows the right answer will read all of the choices out loud. People try to guess which answer is the right one. One point is awarded to you, if people guess your definition. Two points are given if they guess the right definition. Three points are awarded to the one who wrote down the right definition…if no one guesses it.

Boggle Junior

Rummy Roots and More Rummy Roots: These card games have helped to increase our vocabulary knowledge by learning Greek and Roman root words (84 total). Can be played by 8 and up.

The Phonics Game-A wonderful set of games that teaches phonics. I bought this for five dollars at a garage sale…brand new (retails $100, I think)! Again, be watching for deals.

Perquacky- Ages 8 and up. Not as quacky as it sounds. You try to form single words in 2 minutes by rolling dice with letters on them. By Lakeside.

Logic games:

Blokus-ages 5-adult-Strategy game by Educational Insights. This one is awesome!

Chess

Checkers-We were given the BIG set from Cracker Barrel—lots of fun.

Sleuth-(age 10+, 3-7 30 min+) Logic and deduction mystery game by Face 2 Face Games.

Newton’s Apple- 2 players, age 7 to adult. This is made by Briarpatch. This is a great strategy/gravity game!

Mancala-Strategy game. Ages 6 and up.

Geography games:

Take Off-Geography game–fun, but long…

QuickPix-a really fun (and short) geography game-by Aristoplay (www.aristoplay.com)

USA Bingo-by TREND

Multiplication Bingo-by TREND

Electronic games:

Simon

Snap Circuits-My kids enjoy working with batteries and circuits to create different ways to “power” different things. There are hundreds of experiments involving electricity!

Battleship- have an electronic one, 1-2 players, by Milton Bradley

Connect Four-

Math games:

Mighty Mind and Super Mind-(www.mightymind.com) These are great for problem-solving, spatial relationships, etc.

UNO Spin-This is a classic UNO with a spin…lots of fun.

Goose Egg-Dice game for ages 8+. It’s a fun way to practice multiplication tables (#2-#9) by Tah Dah (www.tahdahgames.com)

Dominoes-Yes, you can stack them up for the “domino effect”, or you can learn the rules and have fun too. We like to play Mexican Train dominoes.

Conga- by Cranium. A fun guesstimate game.

Cards-Golf, Nertz, Bunco, and Hand and Foot, (directions for these games can probably be found online).

Swap-lots of fun

Splash! (like spoons, but with plastic dolphins) 3-6 players, ages 5 & up.

Family Math-An excellent book of math games by Jean Kerr Stenmark, Virginia Thompson, and Ruth Cossey.

Yahtzee-By Parker Bros. Ages 8 and up. This is a game of shaking, scoring, and shouting. Fun game, but not recommended if any one in the group has a headache…to begin with!

I SPY Eagle Eye by Scholastic ages 5 & up. This one is fun…testing skills of observation. Be the first to spy the object on the game board that matches the object on your card…and you get to ring the bell (Each card and board have only one matching object).

Mosaic Mysteries-a pattern block design activity-by Discovery Toys. I also use pattern blocks.

Tangrams-Seven piece puzzle-it’s great for spatial skills.

Hi Ho! Cherry-O!-This is a fun counting game for little ones (not too little though…small pieces).

Don’t Wake Daddy!-This is an exciting game for all, because you never know when Daddy will “wake up”, as you move your peg forward. My funniest memory of this game was stepping on it (that wasn’t the funny part…it was left in the hallway at night (?)), and I really did wake Daddy with my “ouching”!

Get to know you games:

The Ungame-2-6 people, ages 5 & up by TALICOR-Aristoplay- This is a talking game. I use the cards at the dinner table to ask questions of each one. Everyone will have a different answer.

Whonu- A great 15 minute game that gets you involved in knowing people in your little group better (similar to Apples to Apples-another fun one…We don’t have this one, but we have played the Bible Edition, and loved it.).

Girl Talk by American Girl

Life Stories-Ages 6-106 -Gets everyone sharing stories and smiles. This is a great one to bring for family gatherings.

Cranium-The Family Fun Game- This is a lot of fun…it gets everyone involved in some way. It says 8 and up. We have used this with 6 and up.

Silly Expressions-Discovery Toys-A fave of little ones…you know…making silly faces and all that. Okay…it’s a fave of the adults too.

Cadoo

You Gotta Be Kidding!- The Crazy Card Game of “Would You Rather…?”-This one is by Zobmondoa and is somewhat gross. It can be played by 2 or more players, age 7 & up.

Last Word-2-8 players, Ages 8 & up, by Buffalogames.com

Animal and History Games:

Herd Your Horses-by Aristoplay, 2-4 players age 8 & up. You learn quite a bit about horses with this game.

Zooreka- Be the first to get all four animal habitats to make a zoo.

Made For Trade-A game of early American life. You learn a little history with this one.

Tornado-Hank the Cowdog game-Ages 5 & up, 2-4 players

Classics:

Life by MB-

Trouble

Monopoly, Texopoly, and BibleOp

Generosity by Sound Principles (ages 9-adult; 2-6 players)

Clue, Jr.- logic game

Active games-

Barrel of Monkeys, Cup Stacking, Flog Flipping, Flying Geckos, Charades for Kids, Simon Says, Home-made Scavenger Hunts, and various tag games.Other games we have enjoyed are Operation, Sorry, Picture! Picture!

I haven’t even mentioned computer games, but that will have to be a different blog.

Sorry if this list was overwhelming. I was asked to share my recommendations on the games I have. Here is one more game that is a lot of fun. It is a home-made family trivia game:

Make a family trivia game on 3×5 cards. Each family member might write down an event that happened to them over the course of the year (or life), and then they put their name on the bottom. Then, we divide into teams. One person reads them aloud and the teams take turns guessing whom it is about.

We started this about nine years ago—when we were trying to get to know our new brother-in-law. Each person was given three cards to write three things about themselves that they think people might not know. Many referred to the scrapes they might have had. One had named every dog (at least four) by the name of Luke, and it was really a lot of fun. Come on, we keep track of trivia on so many things…why not keep track of your family’s trivia. We just add to it every few years.

Okay, so what exactly did we do on “Yes Day”? Well, when a child would ask me if we could do a certain activity…sometimes my  answer was “No, but write that down, and put it in the “Yes Day Jar”. This was simply a can and not a glass jar—I probably don’t need to explain why, right?—that I had painted yellow with the words: “Yes Day” in red. “Yes Day” usually happened once a month. Sometimes, “Yes day” was planned and looked forward to with great anticipation. Other times, it was spontaneous, and just as fun.

“Yes Day” helped to insure that I followed through on my answers of “No, not now…” (which sometimes was translated as “maybe in a hundred years”  to a few of my children).  We always had strips of paper and a pencil in the “Yes Day”can. So, we got their requests in writing. I would have the child write it down, or have my younger ones dictate their request to me (or an older sibling).

It’s been over a year since I have had a yes day (did life get that busy?), and I was reminded of this when I was talking with some mothers of young children the other day. I think one mom said she felt bad saying “no” to her children all the time. Then I interjected, “There is only one day a month that I say ‘yes’!” Boy, did that come out wrong. Then, I went on to explain the “yes day” idea. This was not my original idea. I believe I read about it from Family Fun Magazine (which was one of the only magazines I read during that time…and a great one at that).

So, we had our “Yes Day” on Monday (yesterday)…and we had such a nice time! The kids could hardly wait! We went out for pizza and then we went on a hike. Next was out for ice-cream, and the park. Back home, we did a 500 piece puzzle, watched 2 movies, and we had some fun food along the way! I am so thankful for my family, and the fun we have together. We look forward to our next “Yes Day”

So, yesterday, he came over to me and asked, “Momma, could you call the weather to see if it is going to rain today…because I think I want to spend my money” (as in “save it for a rainy day”). Oh, that made me smile! Then, I went on to try to explain that a “rainy day” could be the day he accidentally breaks a friend’s special toy and he needs to replace it, or the day he hears of someone else who is having a “rainy (or bad) day”, and he might want to use his money to get something to brighten their day. Then he said, “I know…I think I will spend half of it, and I will get J.D. (a boy that has been sick) something with the rest.”

Speaking of rainy days…years ago, my girls were afraid of them. I tried lots of things…even singing “My Favorite Things” didn’t cut it. So, I had a brainstorm. We would wait for a rainy day to come, and we would all pile into the car and go out looking for someone who was stuck out in the rain without an umbrella. We always had a new umbrella in our car during the rainy season. So, instead of fearing the rainstorms, we went out in them. We weren’t “Storm Chasers” or anything like that. If it wasn’t like…”raining cats and dogs”(an idiom I have yet to research) where we might get into a flood situation or something, we ventured out.

We would start praying and looking for people who were in need of an umbrella. We would roll our windows down, and offer them an umbrella, a Gospel of John, a gospel tract, and a small paper that said, “No matter what the weather, Jesus loves you. The weather is always changing, but Jesus never changes!” (these were all in a baggie). They almost always took these, very gratefully. I’ll never forget this one man whom we gave one to. He told us he had just asked God for a sign, and was contemplating suicide when we drove by. Praise God that He puts people in our path, and umbrellas in our car!

Okay, now I need to go buy an umbrella for a rainy day! It seemed like we stopped having rainy days, and when we finally did, I guess my foggy brain (lack of water, right?) also took a rain check on our “Operation: Showers of Blessings”. Now, bring on the rain!

Ezekiel 34:26  “And I will make them and the places round about my hill a blessing; and I will cause the shower to come down in his season; there shall be showers of blessing.”