Summer Reading for Pre-K through 2nd Grade

I got this freebie link in my email this morning and was thrilled with it.  It is through 3 Dinosaurs.  It is a summer reading program for the younger kids, easily adaptable for any child.  She has sets for tots, up through 2nd grade, though not all are free.  I just downloaded a ton of second grade material.  Some of the concepts are beyond Isaac right now (like the double digit math problems and adding up coins) but they will come in handy later.  The first grade material wasn't free, but still looks like a good bargain.  Here is a link for the 3 Dinosaurs Summer Program.

Here is where the home schooling mom in me comes out, even though we aren't technically home schooling right now.  I would look ahead to each of the themes and get out read aloud books, and level books for Isaac to read to me.  I would also find theme related crafts and coloring sheets for him to do, as well as games and activities for outside in the fresh air.

Enjoy!

Blessings,
Lisa

Treasure Hunting Finds!

When the older kids were little, what is normally called "yard saling" I always referred to as "treasure hunting".  It's true when you think about it with well known axiom in mind: "One man's trash is another man's treasure."

Or mama, trying to find some good bargains for her 4 children, aged four and under.

Isaac is now a couple of years older than the oldest of the originating group of the family saying, but I still use the terminology, as does Dale.  The older ones still tag along from time to time, but finding treasures for them is a little harder.  For one thing, their sizes aren't as easy to come by.  Also, they are no longer excited by the Little Tykes pedal car that could be brought home for a couple of bucks.  Still, we do find bargains, but it takes a little more persistence these days, but I don't mind.  For me, the thrill is in the actual hunt, not the find.

I know, you are probably thinking, "didn't she just post the other day that they are moving again?".  Well, yes, but Isaac has outgrown almost everything in the last 6 months, and the poor child looks like he is perpetually prepared for flood waters.  Even his school uniforms are needing to be replaced, but that will have to wait a couple of months.

So, when we set out we went with the thought firmly planted in our brains what we would stick with our very specific list of needs.  And we did!  Sometimes it is easy to get a little carried away with all the good finds, or rather it is easy to carry away a lot of the found treasure, but at this juncture, we are trying very hard to be discerning and exact in our purchases.  Not just in yard sales, but also in groceries.  We've ditched our usually 4 week shopping plan to a mere 2 weeks, and have been diligently trying to use up what we have in freezers and in the pantry.  We are making very good progress.  The only exception to the rule was when Dale and I stopped at tiny bulk food shop and found loaves of Pepperidge Farm bread on sale for .50 a loaf!  We bought a case of the 9 grain bread and got some strawberry swirl stuff just for a treat.  We only have about 4 or 5 loaves of that left, but I knew when we bought it all, it would last until we moved.

So, here are some of the "treasures" we got at yard sales last weekend:

Look at these carefully!  See that red long sleeved shirt on the right? That is a Ralph Lauren!

  I don't know how much these shirts sell for normally, but I paid a whopping .25 for it.  Yup, that is a whole quarter for a spendy shirt!

Isaac has had a love for Micky for a while.  This fleece sweat shirt is from the Disney Store.  Again, not sure what it would sell for retail, but I know it would be a pretty penny.  I got it for 50 cents!

This polo was for Caleb.  It looked like it was never worn.

Jerusha was in terrible need of some p.j. bottoms.  We usually just get some t-shirts at yard sales or the thrift store on the 49 cent days, and voila!.... cheap pajamas.

Dale has a couple of dress shirts that are very well worn (a.k.a... ratty and time to put them out of their misery) and was reluctant to toss them yet.  Well, he got these new shirts, with tags, for just a couple bucks.  Old, overused shirts say hello to the incinerator!

Here are a few more items for Isaac.  I thought the oxford shirt with the black casual pants were adorable.  Isaac was more impressed with the Toy Story pajamas.

We've had bigger and more impressive hauls, but this was very good considering our very narrow-minded list.

Blessings,

Lisa

Spring

It has been over a year since my last post.  Life has been a little rough, but things are looking better now.  A lot has happened in our lives.  We went to Regionals and Talents for Christ, both competitions in fine arts and academics.  The kids did great, and qualified for Internationals, which we are not participating in this year for a couple of reasons.  Right after all that competition I ended up having emergency surgery to have my gall bladder out, which was a mess.  I am still recovering from that, and can't do anything fun like horse back riding, volleyball, or jogging.  And I've been ordered by the doctor to not lift anything heavy until the end of June.  He jokingly said, "No moving furniture around," which made me look at him funny.  You see, one of the reasons why the kids aren't going to Internationals, is because we are moving again.  We will be in the throes of crunch time soon, and will need everyone doing their part.  We aren't going far from here, only about a half an hour to a little farming community in a place called Andrew's Settlement.  Dale will be pastoring there.  The parsonage is a farmhouse, which is a little smaller than we have gotten used to, so we are going to have a few challenges getting organized and getting rid of what doesn't fit.

I am still teaching at the small Christian school.  This is my second year, and the children continue to excel in their studies and activities.

We are almost done with what I call "birthday season" around here.  The twins turned 17, Benjamin turned 19, and Caleb is about to turn 13.  After next Saturday I will have 5... that's FIVE teenagers in the house!  Another milestone we reached last Friday night was Isaac graduating from Kindergarten.  He is officially a big first grader now!

Happy Birthday Esther and Elizabeth!  (The cake is two horse shoes over lapped on a base of 9 by 13.  One says "Squeak" the other says "Liz", and there is a 17 at the bottom where the horse shoes overlap.)

Happy Birthday Benjamin!  This was my first attempt at using fondant on a cake.  Not too bad!

Congratulation to Isaac!  The class and I made these cupcakes for after the graduation ceremony last Friday night.  They were good helpers!

Every year the school has a pie sale to help with some of the expenses at school.  Isaac helped me to make a blueberry and an apple.  Of course, I had to then make one for Dale, who was looking over my shoulder and laying some not so subtle hints about having one with dinner.

A couple of weeks ago all the students went on a field trip to Miracle Mountain.  It was a lot of fun. Isaac loved riding the horse, Tinker.  I think we have yet another child bit by the horseback riding bug!  He even trotted (with some help from the friendly counselor behind the horse in the picture.)

This is Creamsicle.  He isn't ours, but was visiting during Ben's birthday dinner party.  He is about 5 weeks old.  Such a cutie!  He is asleep here with Josiah.

I hope this post finds everyone well, and I hope to be able to post on a more regular basis now.