Fun Friday- Holiday Edition

Edited- Now we have pictures!  Let me just start by saying there are NO pictures of this yummy treat at the moment.  Hurricane, company and hubby gone has put me a little behind.  BUT, I intend on making some today and add a picture or two later.  Be sure to come back and drool over this delightful treat!

Can you believe that there is ONE MONTH until December?  One month, friends!  Time to get busy planning for all of the yummy treats you can make, so this month I am going to share a few of my favorites to get you started.

This recipe comes from a dear friend we met in ND, Dawn, and has become one our family favorites for Christmas.  Be forwarned, it is addictive, is not good for you and did I mention, is addictive!  (in a good sort of way, of course)  It is also one of the easiest, and less expensive versions I have found.

Peppermint Bark

12 oz. semi sweet chocolate chips
12 oz. white chocolate chips
1 tsp. peppermint extract
crushed peppermint candy
Crushed pretzels (optional)

Melt chocolate chips in microwave, stirring every 30 seconds, or on stove top being careful not to burn.  Spread on cookie sheet and let cool.  Melt white chocolate chips the same way and stir in peppermint extract.  Pour over top of chocolate.  Sprinkle with crushed candy and pretzels if desired.  Refrigerate until hard and break into pieces.

Enjoy!

This makes great gift for friends.  Feel free to make me some! ;)
See 'ya back later with some pictures!

Some Days...

When it looks like this outside....

 

COLD,WET, DREARY

 

We look like this, schooling inside...

Yes- in our jammies, on the floor, by the kitchen cabinet (don't even ask!)

In jammies with sweatshirt



The one person in this family that never gets cold!

CREW Review- Travel Activity Binder

Activity Bags!  Have you seen them?  They are all the rage these days. Co-ops, play groups, friends are making and exchanging them.  The concept is fairly easy.  You gather the supplies to create a game or activity, as do a specific number of other people, and then you trade every so often, creating a rotating wealth of fun for your child.  Each activity in a bag is intended to be a kid friendly activity that they can do with little to no help from mom and dad, and are usually housed in one gallon zipper baggies.  Don't worry, there is a free coordinators handbook that will walk you through the whole process from start to finish on how to set up a swap. Cool, huh?  I have never done so, but I was intrigued by the idea so when I saw we could review for the company Activity Bags AND get to choose which ones to use, I jumped at the idea.


Since our kiddos are on the road a lot and I did not think I was interested at this time in doing a swap, I chose Travel Activities in a Bag, a slight variation on the "in a bag" concept.  Instead of housing your supplies in a baggie, you use a school binder instead.  The e-book has very clear directions on how to start a swap, with what each person will need to supply and how to put together the activities as well.   Since the activities are in a binder,  the responsibilities for a swap are simply making copies or gathering binder supplies.  I was a lone ranger in this project so I gathered all of the supplies myself- a small 3 ringed notebook, a pack of children's dry erase markers, and a cloth for erasing, dice and page protectors.  I printed the pages, stuck them in the protectors, popped them in the binder and we were ready.  Easy!

 

As time would have it, we have not gone on any long trips during this review period- which is what I had in mind when I asked for this review, though one is coming up.  BUT- you know moms, we are easily adaptable!  So I found a few other usage ideas-

 

  

While mom is making dinner!  I don't know about you, but that sometimes seems to  be the "haunting hour" as mom use to say, in our house for the 5 year old.  Busy time for me = crazy time for CJ!  Several times now, I have solved our problem by putting him at a stool near me and he works while I work.  I think by keeping the binder off limits except for the car and times like this keeps it new and fresh, and therefore a special treat- for him and me!

   

 

See the sheets waiting to be folded- just keeping it real, my friends!

Another time the travel games came in handy was while waiting in a doctor's office. Since the binder stays in the car now, it is an easy grab and go option for entertainment. Because the games differ in levels, it is easy to entertain and challenge different ages at once. Often opposite pages will be the same general idea, but at a harder level on one side. The page you see below is one in which you add hair to the numerous faces, a favorite of CJ's! The older kids love the stories where you write in the words with a particular part of speech and then read the silly story.

 

 

You can purchase Travel Activities in a Bag for $15.00   It will come as an e-book to download in pdf form.  One of the reasons I loved this product is that I think it can be used for any age, individually or a few children at a time.  We highly recommend this product!

To see what fellow CREW members had to say about Travel Activities in a Bag as well as other Activity Bag products, simply click on the banner below! 

  Disclaimer- Our family received Travel Activities in a Binder in exchange for our honest review of the product.  Opinions expressed are our own and were not influenced by the company in any way.

Fun Fridays- Mixes Edition

Well, the month is drawing to an end so here is the last mix I have to offer you.  In reality, it is not really a mix, but it does keep you from buying another little package!  It is one of my go-to recipes for Fun Fridays- add some chips and some fruit and your kiddos will think you are great!

Sloppy Joes

1 pound ground beef

2 celery ribs, chopped

1 TBSP. chopped onion

1 TBSP. flour

1 TBSP. brown sugar

1/2 tsp. ground mustard

3/4 c. ketchup

Cook beef, celery and onion; drain.  Stir in remaining ingredients and bring to boil.  Simmer for 10 minutes.  Serve on buns.
Enjoy!

I hope you will join me next Friday when I begin Fun Fridays- Holiday edition!

CREW Review- Sugar Creek Gang Audios

Have I mentioned I have an auditory learner in my house?  Yes?  Thought so, but it bears repeating.  I am convinced once you learn your child's learning mode, you can open a whole new world up for teaching them...and entertaining them.  My 10 year old likes to read, but he LOVES to listen- so we have LOTS of books and adventures on CD in our home.  We have recently had the privilege to add a new family favorite!  The Sugar Creek Gang Audio Series.


For this review we were blessed to receive Volume 1; 6 stories on over 12 hours of CDs from Beloved Books.  Beloved Books is a wonderful company dedicated to bringing to your home wonderful classic stories and songs, including histories, missionary stories and even the popular G.A.Henty books!  Some of you may be familiar with the Sugar Creek series because of the more recently published books, but these sets are recorded straight from the 1939 original books written by Paul Hutchins. 

Stories included in Volume 1-

The Swamp Robber
The Killer Bear
The Winter Rescue
The Lost Campers
Chicago Adventure
The Secret Hideout

Primarily my oldest son has listened to the CDs in his room by himself, over and over.  During quiet time, while playing, at bedtime, while he got dressed.   Did I mention over and over?  The few times we have managed to get him to share we have listened to them as a family in the car as well as during some quiet, down time in our home.  From a 5 year old up to a 40 something year old ;) have enjoyed these grand adventures.  Though the gang is a group of boys, I have no doubt that girls will enjoy as well!

Listening before bedtime

Think back to the time of when families gathered around the radio to listen to a broadcast program together.  The stories are about a group of boys who are close friends and their many adventures.  Poetry, Dragonfly, Bill, Little Jim, Big Jim, Circus, and later Tom are a group of middle school to early high school kids who love to hang out together and share adventures.

Narrated by Paul Ramseyer, the story is told by "Bill". Paul's voice is smooth and easy to follow.  He changes his voice between characters, keeping you interested each minute.  He is, quite honestly, one of the best narrators I have heard in a long time.

My favorite part?  In between a fun and sometimes breath holding adventure are little nuggets of Truth from God's word, scripture and moral lessons.  Simpler times of boys fishing at the fishing hole, great advice like "work comes first then play", and often a few things to make you think make these CDs  good conversation starters within your family.  If I can have my children enjoying stories while at the same time hearing the Gospel in a fun, non-threatening way, I say send us more!

My son's favorite part?   He liked the idea that the boys had so much freedom after they took care of family responsibilities and chores.  (This gave us an opportunity to talk about how the world has changed and why in many areas in our country it is not safe for boys to just take off and do their own thing all day long.)  He also liked the adventure and that the plots kept him on the edge of seat a few times! He did voice frustration that each story left you hanging at the end, but I think that is a great way to create excitement and surely spurred him on to continue listening. 

Because they are a continuing series, Beloved Books does encourage you to listen to the stories in order.  While each story could stand alone, spiritual foundations are laid in the beginning that are built upon throughout the following stories.

You can order Volume 1 for $54.95, or all six sets that cover 36 books and over 100 hours on 72 CDs for the sale price of $279.70.  While a little pricey for many homeschoolers, I do feel like these sets are worth the money and will find themselves among your favorites for many years to come.  Think about them as an investment in good entertainment!  To try them out, you can order the first complete story, Swamp Robber, for just $4.95!  See what you think!

Also, as a special treat to my blog readers- use the code FAMILY-FAITH-FRIDAYS-20 at checkout, and get 20% off your entire order.  Happy Shopping and THANKS Heather!

To see what fellow CREW mates had to say about The Sugar Creek Gang audios, click on the banner below.

  Disclaimer- We received Set 1 of The Sugar Creek Audios from Beloved Books in exchange for our honest opinion of the product.  Opinions expressed are our own and were not influenced by the company in any way.