Summer Reading - An exciting family activity

Growing up, i watched my mom read. ALOT. It instilled such a love for reading in me!

When i lived in Lousiana, i was stunned that the children there had "required" summer reading lists. Books they MUST read before coming back to school. Pleasently stunned is a better way of saying that, i thought it was an awesome idea and looked forward to my children one day bringing home their lists.

Now though, where we live there are no lists for them.

So i created my own summer reading program.... that works perfectly with our libraries summer event!
First I look up the HAISLN (http://www.haisln.org/recommendedreadinglists.html) site and print out their lists for my girls. The lists include short descriptions of the books, i have the girls highlight some of the books they are interested in.

Then i log onto our local library website and either put one or two on hold, or request some transfers!

Then throughout the summer we have a personal reading time, and just before bed I read aloud to them from a novel. Even Zoey who is 4 can sit and listen to the novel!!! Right now we are reading a Harry Potter book.

I also have myself a reading list. I pull books from The Modern Library Top 100 Lists. Ive slowly made my way through the lists. I think its important for them to see mom ALSO sitting and enjoying reading!!

Another fun thing we do for the reading program is to go on reading adventures. We will pick places to go read at. The park, the lake, monument rock, coffee shop... anywhere we can think of. We tried McDonalds once, but that was tooooo distracting! LOL.

Its amazing! So i suggest, if your school does not have a reading list for summer.... get excited with your children and create your own!!!

If you do have your own, im curious, what do you do to encourage your kids to read over the summer???

Angela

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Its the end...

Im still stunned that today is the last day of the school year. What am I to do with these kids for 3 months?

The girls had a blast on their field days yesterday and i got a chance to take an end of the year class photo. I love seeing how the kids have changed over the whole year!

Angeliques Class

Sabryna's Class

And i cant leave my little Zoey. She did a FULL day of activities and crashed at one point.

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Valentines for the girls.

Every year i do something fun and different for the girls. Anonomously. This year I wanted to do something very neat for them. I created these neat felt and fleece dolls. The red one is a picture i found that Angelique had drawn, the other two are my creations (zoey knows im making these, and requested a bunny). I really liked making these and might make some and see if they can sell. Im also working on some cute felt barrettes. It does me good to do things with my hands to create, it makes me feel good, it destresses me, and its fun.

Happy Valentines Day to YOU, too!!!

 

 

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Flying Teeth

This is a funny story. Angelique is a bit timid when it comes to losing her teeth. She has only lost 2 prior to this, even though shes already 7 years old. The top two teeth have been loose for a very long time. The dentist even commented in October that one of them should be out soon. Angelique wouldn't wiggle though, or even try. She would get so scared!

On Sunday at lunch, we noticed she was eating funny. Angelique commented her top teeth hurt when she eats, So i looked at them and saw that both teeth were barely hanging there!

At home I insisted on her wiggling it or letting me do it. She was wiggling it and crying in fear. Dad came out and with some pliers and started teasing her. When he suggested tying a string to it and her slamming the door, to my surprise she was up for it!

Flying Tooth from Angela Nussbaum on Vimeo.

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December 2nd - That Batch of Cookies

I remember, back when I was a pre teen. I had decided i wanted to decorate sugar cookies for Christmas. I pulled out my moms famous big batch recipe (which is now lost, *sad sigh*) and proceeded to mix it up. My mom didnt have a full measuring spoon set, just a large Tablespoon, but i felt confident that i could "figure it out". I did fairly fine... got it all mixed, and baked. They baked perfectly in our oven.

As they were cooling, i called my friend to come over and help me decorate while i made some icings. I thought i was the coolest person to bake my own cookies. We had sat down, decorated a couple and decided to try our masterpieces.

PfHHHHhhhgaht! *spit spit*

The cookies, even with their super sweet icing were horrible!!! They were so salty, you could barely get the taste out of your mouth. As i reviewed the recipe, i noticed it said 1 tsp for the salt, and i had put in 1 Tbsp!

Moral of the story is to not think so highly of yourself that you lose focus on the task at hand!

Merry Christmas

now.. i need some cookies....

Here is a cookie recipe, i made in 2007, that you cant mess up!!!
~............Merry Christmas..............~



















**This is NOT gluten free.

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December 1st - Holiday Values (day late)

Family Values is defined as: values especially of a traditional or conservative kind which are held to promote the sound functioning of the family and to strengthen the fabric of society.

Goodness, thats what i am doing? yes! yup, thats what i am doing for my girls! :)

Values that we try to instill during christmastime:

• Compassion and Empathy for others. Whether others surcumstaances are bad or good, that everyone is disserving of our love.
• Spiritualality. That we choose to love God and the baby that was born for us.
  
• Respect. We show everyone respect, including each other. We also show respect for others holiday beliefs.
• Fun and Joy. To take joy in all the things we do, all the things we see, and the things shared with us.
  
• Gratitude. That while we do not experiance a Santa visit full of toys, we are truely grateful for all that we have, and that we recieve.

A few years back my husband and i changed the way we celebrate christmas. Rather than focusing on Santa, being good and all the gifts. We spend the month of December celebrating Jesus and all the things he came here to teach us. We do activites as a family such as going to see lights, or a parade. But we also do things as a family to give back to our community, and our direct neighbors.

Last year i created a fun set of advent cards .... counting down the 12 days of christmas. It was a huge success and the kids loved them.

Each card is different and varies. One card has a scripture, the next an activity, then back again to scripture. Slowly it tells the story of Jesus birth, with a fun activity to go along.

Products used from ScrapGirls.com. Click on the picture for more details and products used.

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Change is coming

I feel it in the air. Change. The air is crisp, cold and full of white stuff!

Change is wonderful!

I feel like this year is going out with a bang ... GO 2009!!!

I fell in love with the idea of a Daily December album. Im getting prepped and ready for it! I have right now 12 pages already to go with help from ScrapGirls.com and their gorgeous collections and Digital Layout templates.

hang with me!! I hope to post some of them here.

Oh, and maybe even keep up with this blog.

HUGS to you all...

Change is on its way!

Angela N.

Just for fun, here is my page, all ready to go for a Tree shot.







Products used from www.scrapgirls.com: Keri Schueller's Charm of Christmas, Melissa Renfro's Golden Memories, Erica Hite's A Joyful Season, and for font i used Amanda McGee's Thoughtful font. (template from someone, have no recollection on this one, sorry.)

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I cant forget....

9/11. It holds so many memories for many peopl. For myself it holds a mix of both happiness and sadness. Now hold on, I'm not happy in anyway for those whose lives were lost. I am not happy because there are people out there with so much hatred they would kill innocents. I am not happy that there are ones who would destroy our nation. I feel such soul pulling sadness when i think back to that day. To the images I saw later when I got off work, images that still linger. I am almost near tears to think of it.

Happy though you ask? Because we are a nation that stands! Because we have beliefs and are not pursecuted for them. Because I can have an athiest friend who wont attack my for my Christian beliefs. Because in the day that followed 9/11 God gave me one of the most beautiful gifts, my daughter. My daughter was conceived on 9/12. I know the day well. The doctor was suprised I could tell him the exact hour I know she was conceived on.

My 9/11 baby. I call her that. Because in a moment of sadness, I, unmarried sought out comfort. What followed was a blessing :). My doctor called it the 9/11 Phenonemon. He said that God was giving those souls back to us, because in the months that followed, he found a HUGE increase of women who conceived in the aftermath of 9/11.

Happy. I am happy to see that after all that sadness, all that distruction, that horror.... a baby, a pure, innocent life was given. Several given. I look at my daughter and I think of how, in the light of everything, good can come from it.

Loves to you all, Prayers to those who are missing loved ones today, may God bless you, hold you and keep you in his arms.

Angela
(image from chascarper @ flikr, Thank You)

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