more tot fun (AKA how I keep the little ones busy)

Here is Tate enjoying a big box of animals. We LOVE these Schleich animals. I thought they would make a fun tot tray.

This Rush Hour Jr. game is one of our favorites. Even though Tyce can't play the game, he is able to follow the card and set up the cars to match.
Tyce is learning to use scissors. It seems to be struggle for him so we are trying some creative things to cut. Here he is cutting up a string of beads.

More fine motor and letter learning. Putting gem stickers on letters.

some of my favorite games

We are a family that loves to spend time together. We value our time at home as a family and try to create time that is special. Often on Friday nights we make homemade pizza and might watch a video. We try to eat dinner around the table most nights and if there is time we will play a game together or some other kind of family activity.

I thought I would share some of our favorite games that we play together. Soon you might be looking for gift ideas as the holiday season quickly approaches. Here are 2 of our new favorite games.I picked this game up at a yard sale for a dollar (really good deal - you can find it HERE). I had never heard of it before but it has quickly become a favorite. Kind of a mix of counting and memory. You search through the forest to find the trees and look underneath them to discover the hidden treasure.
Then race to the castle to reveal where the treasure is located. We all have enjoyed playing (even Chuck so it isn't too girly). I bought it because it is made by a favorite company that makes good quality puzzles and games. (HERE)
Another one that is a new favorite is Quirkle. I bought this one months ago (mainly because it was a game that had won 3 awards) and pulled it out for Tally's birthday. As much as I love games, I hate reading the instructions and learning how to play.
We aren't a very competitive family so we don't often keep score when we play games. We also shake every ones hand when the game is over and congratulate the winner. I want the kids to be good sports and have fun playing if they win or lose.


This one has beautiful colored blocks with shapes and colors. The idea is to make a row with one of each color or shape. Great for pattern grouping. I also tend to like games that are educational. We have just used the blocks with little kids and grouped them in like groups (all the red, or all the squares).
These are just a few of our new favorites right now. Do you have any ones that you'd like to share?

**************************************************
On the adoption front, we are done with our homestudy and waiting for it to be reviewed by the international agency. We are also almost done with our dossier and ready to send it in. We are short the funds (that are needed to send in with the dossier) right now so we are praying for God's wisdom on what to do in that situation. We have also finished up one (out of 3) of our adoption education classes that we are required to do. Just mailed of the completed book (With Eyes Wide Open) for it to be reviewed by one of the workers at the agency.

We have another class tonight and are almost done with the other 2 education classes that we are doing. One is online and one is a local class with other adoptive families.

We are eager to finish and mail in our dossier to the agency and it is then that we are put on the waiting list. Trusting God for His timing and His leading in all of this.

...and the answer is...

Like I said...I would have NEVER guessed this from the drawing. I am not sure what I am more amazed at ~ the fact that Tristen guessed this (shows how great her guessing skills are) or the idea that these girls are on the same wave link.

I am not sure if I ever really noticed the arrows on the S and Y. But the girls obviously have. When we play pictionary, we often use the box with the sign on top to represent a store. And notice she didn't use letters but the squiggles were for the SUBWAY letter on the top of the sign.


I would have been just wasting my time drawing some kind of an underground train. Thanks for playing along. I would have been very surprised if anyone guessed it. I thought this was a fun idea for a post.

What do you think this is?

Lately we have been playing pictionary as a family. I always loved this game (back in the 80') and we still have the early edition of it.In fact, I love games in general (we have a pretty good sized game closet). I am not the best at drawing or at guessing but I have always loved laughing when we play. I was playing with the girls the other night and right away Tissy guessed this (P for person, place or thing/animal). I was shocked that she guess this right with in just about 10 seconds. Tally drew it. I was totally lost.

Sorry the picture isn't great, I tried scanning it but it didn't work being a pencil drawing. You can click on the picture to enlarge it. So, what do you think it is? I will let you know after a days worth of guesses.

favorite games

This is the first of a few favorites post. I have been thinking about our school curriculum as we start a new school year. Amazingly this is our 4th year of homeschooling (man, time does fly). There are some things that we have used for school that I would use again, and a few that I wouldn't spend money on for a second time. I think one of the biggest challenges for schooling is to find out what kind of a learner your child is. Whether you homeschool or not, it is a great way to help your child learn the most information and in the easiest way possible. So far I think my kids are hands on and visual. And that has helped us determine what programs and curriculum that we use.

Regardless of the learning style, I am all about having fun while you are learning. I have a pretty good collection of games and hands on learning that we use a lot. I have invested in some of these to use for school, fun and tutoring (I also tutor each week). These are some of my favorites.

These small and very affordable games are one of my TOP favorites. Sherlock and Monkey Memory are memory games. Catch the Match is a observation game and Number Chase is a math game. All need some skill (rather than just luck) and are enjoyable for all ages (maybe 6 to adult). I have ordered them from Timberdoodle (link is HERE) and also found them at a local teacher supply store. You wont find them at TRU or Target. I also like that they are small enough to travel with. We have played them while waiting for a table at a restaurant or in an airport.


This is my collection of Hot Dots. These are boxes of cards that are in different categories. We have some phonics ones, math, states and capitols, money, telling time...They require a special Hot Dot pen to choose the right answer on the card and it lights up and makes noise depending on if your answer is right. I also use these for school, tutoring and time filler for the car or other times like that (you can make the pen silent for quiet places like church).
My only disappointment with these is sometimes the pen thinks the answer is wrong if you have it on an angle rather than perpendicular. You get used to it and quickly adjust how you push the pen down. I also got these at a local teacher supply store and I have ordered them from Rainbow Resource (link HERE). I only bought one pen and I make the kids share.




One more new favorite is Wrap Ups. I got these for math (flash cards are not as hands on but the same idea). The idea is that you wrap the string around the plastic card to answer the math facts and check the back to see if your answer is right. I have looked at these for years and finally bought some recently. It was a huge conformation of how "hands on" my kids are. I have also used them for tutoring and they were a huge hit. The kids don't really realise that I am sneaking learning into their fun games.
Again, you can get these are your local teacher supply store and Rainbow also sells them (link is HERE). I look forward to adding some more of these into our collection.

I will share some other schooling favorites in some following posts. I have a few blogging friends that are new to homeschooling this year and I hope that you find encouragement and inspiration as you take off on this adventure.

Creative parenting = produce hunt???

Being a homeschool mom, I almost always have my kids with me. For every errand, big or small, I tote my kids along with me. This does call for some creativity and team work when we have to be out and about. My girls have learned to do their school work in a waiting room, or listen to stories on CD in the car. They understand that I have to wait for them at birthday parties or to play at the park and I expect them to do the same when I need them to be patient while I scour the shelves for a certain product in the store.

To make one of my least favorite chores a little more enjoyable I have come up with the produce hunt. If you know me, you know that I don't enjoy grocery shopping. I find it one of the least enjoyable tasks to do each week. But, taking care of my family is part of my job, and so each Tuesday I hit the local market to stock up. When we get to the produce department, the kids ask for a produce hunt. I describe something and they have to find it.

Here's how it goes..."I am small and round and furry, what am I?" Girls start hunting...eventually someone says kiwi. Next week it goes like this..."I am round and brown, what am I?" Potato? No. Onion? No. "I am also kind of hairy." Coconut. (you get the idea).

This tends to give me enough time to find what I need in that department and then continue on with my shopping. I am running out of ideas on different fruit or veggies, but they do love the game.