Picture of the Day – September 30th

My son *loves* ice cream! He throws a huge fit when his is gone, especially if Kahlen is still working on hers. In fact, he stole the bowl and spoon from me when it was gone and tried to stick his face in it when his hand wasn’t doing the trick ;)

~S

Preschool/Raising Rock Stars – Hh is for Hippo

Okay, okay, I’m pretty behind in posting what we’ve been doing, darn it. On a good note, Picture This! Calendar Kits are ready to purchase! But, that’s been taking up most of my time when I would normally be blogging. I still want to post about the things we’ve completed, so I’ll just be running behind for awhile.

This was our third week of school, and it went really well. We both love the curriculum, and I continue to be amazed at Kahlen’s abilities to pick up new things if I will just take the time to show her what she’s supposed to do.

Our plan sheet for the week, in case you care ;)

Hh Plan Sheet

 

Here are the highlights (meaning NOT everything that we did) :)

This is the wall next to her desk where we keep the verse of the week, our props, our easy reader book, and our sight words pocket chart.

C0loring her verse Lacing her hippo. She’s somehow become convinced that she can’t start it without me holding it, so I hold it for her until her lace is much shorter.

Measuring her verse. It was a pretty short one this week.

 

Using counting bears on the floor hippos. She had to stand them all up just right along the backs of the hippos.

#3 from our Kumon Drawing Book

 

Hippo building. She’s very very good at AB patterns right now, so we’re going to start working on more complicated pattering soon.

 

Gluing together our hippo craft

 

My poor left handed girl. See the completely backwards lowercase h? She had no idea it was backward until I showed her our popsicle prop with it going the right way.

Getting ready for H. Notice that she has a whole bunch of markers out? She’s “making a pattern” :)

Playdough mat Hh. Got her to do this one by herself this time. Usually she tells me she can’t get the playdough to pay attention to her and has me roll her a snake.

Cutting out her vocab cards. She has gotten much much better at cutting already. I let her use my scissors for these because the kid ones were giving her trouble.

Hippo number tracing practice. I decided to laminate these so we could do them again later. (Ignore the two coffee cups in the background, they’re definitely *not* both mine)

Kumon Cutting Practice

We did school at my mom’s house on the last day because I had some work I needed to get done with my mom. She did pretty well not having all her regular things, but definitely was more distracted there, which I don’t blame her. I don’t have as many pictures, therefore, since I didn’t bring my camera. However, here are a few from the finished products that we brought home with us.

Blue collage. She’s getting slightly better at writing her name, but it still needs some work.

She decided that her hippo cutting practice looked like a crown, so we made it into one.

We also had an H themed Muffin Tin lunch that I completely forgot to post about for Muffin Tin Monday, so you get the picture here instead :)

Tortillas and Mozzarella cheese cut into H
Simply GoGurt in Berry flavor (sort of blue, right?), Dried Blueberries, ranch for the nuggets, and chicken nuggets (going with the what we have in the fridge plan)

And thus went our H is for Hippo week.

~S

Tasty Tuesday – Slow Cooker Lasagna

Welcome to another week of Tasty Tuesday here at The Young'ns!
Please link up your recipe at the bottom of the page. You can post a link to a recipe on your blog or anywhere else. In the title of your link, please leave your name too (especially if it's not a blog post) so I know who it came from :)
Also, feel free to grab my Tasty Tuesday button, it's on the right side, just under my spiffy new tabbed box.
Every Monday, I plan on trying a new recipe. If it goes well, that’s what I’ll be posting on Tasty Tuesday. If not, I’ll post a tried and true (i.e. something I don’t have to think about too hard) ;)

Today’s recipe comes from All Home Cooking. All Year Long. I made this last week, and it was delicious! Kahlen doesn’t like mixed up food, so she didn’t approve, but the rest of the family did, which is good because this makes a lot! (Yep, a whole crockpot full ;) )

{Ingredients}

• 1 box uncooked lasagna noodles
• 1 1/2 lb ground turkey, cooked and drained
• 4 cups pasta sauce
• 1 1/2 cups water
• 15 oz ricotta cheese
• 3 cups mozzarella
• 1/2 cup Parmesan, grated
• salt & pepper to taste

{Directions}

• Grease the inside of your slow cooker's crock.
• Combine cooked beef and pasta sauce. Separately, combine ricotta, 2 cups of mozzarella, and the Parmesan cheese. Salt and pepper this mixture to taste.
• Layer in the crock in this order:
  • First, lay down a small amount of meat & sauce.
  • Break two noodles in half and press them into the meat sauce.
  • Dot with some cheese mixture.
  • Repeat until you run out of something or your crock is full.
  • Sprinkle with the remaining mozzarella.
  • Pour two cups of water over the top.
• Cover and cook on HIGH one hour, then LOW six hours or until dinner, whichever is later.

~S

Wordless Wednesday/Picture of the Day – September 29th

Friends swinging

Find more of this week's Wordless Wednesday (or Wordful) posts at 5 Minutes for Mom 
~S

Picture of the Day – September 28th

Kahlen *loved* the bouncy slide at hubby’s company picnic. 

She also had her first run-in with bullies at the party. Older kids were blocking the slide and not being kind to the littles. She came and got me without having a meltdown or anything else. When I wasn’t able to help her right away, she went back to the slide and tried again all by herself. After she got kicked in the face (not too hard), she came back to me and decided that the bouncy castle looked more fun until I was able to go with her to the slide. Good job, daughter, I’m proud of you!

~S

Great Giveaways – Sept 27th

I so want one of these fantastic Silhouette machines that keep popping up! Here are a few giveaways for them and some others I came across:

• Silhouette machine at Blue Cricket Designs (Ends 9/29)
• Silhouette Machine at Our Best Bites (Ends 9/28)
• Silhouette Machine at How Does She? (Ends 9/29)
• Silhouette Machine at CraftyPod (Ends 9/30)
• Silhouette Machine at Amy’s Finer Things (Ends 9/30)
• Silhouette Machine at Twig & Thistle (Ends 9/30) 
• Silhouette Machine at The Shopping Mama (Ends 9/30)
• Reading Kingdom 1-year subscription at JDainel4smom (Ends 9/29)
• $75 Gift Card to CSN Stores (Ends 10/5)

Picture of the Day – September 27th

Ignore the disgruntled look on her face. She really really enjoyed running through the sprinklers. Didn’t complain once about being wet or cold

~S

Picture of the day – September 26th

*gasp*! I didn’t post a picture yesterday :( Here’s the one I meant to post. My wild child ;)

~S

Menu Plan Monday – September 27th

  
I’ve added a recipe index, just for recipes that I’ve blogged about.

How was your week? I stayed mostly on my menu, except that I ended up switching Monday and Tuesday’s meals because I forgot to start the lasagna in the crockpot early enough in the day, oops :)

Here's the plan for this week:
Mix-it up Monday (something new) ~ Dinner from dad and stepmom
Taco Tuesday (Mexican or Oriental) ~ Southwest Chicken Burritos
Simple Wednesday (Crockpot or less than 30 min prep) ~ Creamy Chicken & Bacon Pockets 
Take-out Thursday (Date night or something like restaurant food)~  Creamy White Chili (Gonna try this in the crockpot and see if it works)
Favorite Friday (A family favorite) ~ Date Night - Chipotle
Lazy Saturday (leftover buffet) ~ Leftover Buffet
Saucy Sunday (Italian) ~ Stuffed Jumbo Shells

Come visit me for my Tasty Tuesday linky party for some more deliciousness.
So, what are you having for dinner this week?
Link up at Menu Plan Monday over at I'm an Organizing Junkie or leave me a comment!
~S

Picture of the Day – September 25th

My little man turned 15 months yesterday. Where does the time go? He’s just not a baby anymore, *sniff*.

~S

Picture of the Day – September 24th

K: “I have two babies in my tummy, a mommy and a baby” Um, I don’t think that’s how it works, but okay ;)

~S

Picture of the Day - September 24th

Friends

~S

Picture of the Day – September 23rd

Playing nice together

~S

Wordless Wednesday/Picture of the Day – September 22nd

Mmm, burritos. Mom, can I have more sour cream?
~S

Tasty Tuesday – Safe-to-eat Raw Cookie Dough

Welcome to another week of Tasty Tuesday here at The Young'ns!
Please link up your recipe at the bottom of the page. You can post a link to a recipe on your blog or anywhere else. In the title of your link, please leave your name too (especially if it's not a blog post) so I know who it came from :)
Also, feel free to grab my Tasty Tuesday button, it's on the right side, just under my spiffy new tabbed box.
Every Monday, I plan on trying a new recipe. If it goes well, that’s what I’ll be posting on Tasty Tuesday. If not, I’ll post a tried and true (i.e. something I don’t have to think about too hard) ;)
I’ve added a recipe index, just for recipes that I’ve blogged about. Someday maybe I’ll get my recipes into Kitchen Monki for easier access, but I’m not there yet.

This week, I made this super tasty safe-to-eat raw chocolate chip cookie dough. For a lot of us, that’s the best part anyway, the dough, right? Hubby does *not* agree, but my daughter does :)

{Ingredients}

• 1 cup butter, softened
• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 1 3-ounce box instant vanilla pudding (the secret ingredient)
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1 1/2 tsp vanilla
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 2 1/2 cups flour
• 2 cups chocolate chips

{Directions}

• In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until fluffy. Add pudding and stir well.
• Add milk, vanilla and baking soda. Slowly mix in flour until smooth Dough will be slightly sticky. Stir in chocolate chips.
• Form into balls and chill. Eat and enjoy! (Do *not* bake)
• To make truffles: Freeze dough balls. Dip in melted chocolate and chill again to set. Serve cold.

~S

Forgot to mention how dangerously delicious these are. Brought them to a potluck on Sunday and we decided they were so tasty, we weren’t going to share them with the kids ;) Made a whole batch, now there are just two little balls left!

Menu Plan Monday – September 20th

  
I’ve added a recipe index, just for recipes that I’ve blogged about. Someday maybe I’ll get my recipes into Kitchen Monki for easier access, but I’m not there yet.

The last two weeks, I’ve mostly just been winging it, which leads to boring and/or expensive food choices. I’m back on track now, let’s see if I actually stick to it (hopefully!!)

Here's the plan for this week:
Mix-it up Monday (something new) ~ Slow Cooker Lasagna
Taco Tuesday (Mexican or Oriental) ~ Tortilla Casserole
Simple Wednesday (Crockpot or less than 30 min prep) ~ Lentil Stew with Turkey Ham 
Take-out Thursday (Date night or something like restaurant food)~  Grilled Chicken & Sweet Potato Fries
Favorite Friday (A family favorite) ~ Hubby’s Company Picnic
Lazy Saturday (leftover buffet) ~ Leftover Buffet
Saucy Sunday (Italian) ~ Baked Pasta Casserole

Come visit me for my Tasty Tuesday linky party for some more deliciousness.
So, what are you having for dinner this week?
Link up at Menu Plan Monday over at I'm an Organizing Junkie or leave me a comment!
~S

Muffin Tin Monday – Shapes

We had Muffin Tin Dinner today because we went to the park and the library for lunch. The theme this week is shapes over at Muffin Tin Monday. Kahlen had all things that were oval. As part of our school unit for the week, the number of the week is 4.
 

Four edamame in two cups, 2 ham rolls in two cups, 4 oval crackers, 1 oval ball of safe-to-eat cookie dough

It was gone in record time, except for the edamame of course, that took some coaxing. When I looked over, she was busy making letters with her toothpicks instead of eating her edamame. She told me she had to make her whole name first when I asked her to finish her dinner. Can’t say no to such a reasonable request ;)

~S

Picture of the Day – September 21st

Kahlen got a hair cut (and she’s cute in her new 5t wardrobe)

~S

A New Endeavor…

I have been madly working on Picture This! Calendar Kits for the last two months and they are *finally* ready (Okay, not quite, but really really close!). Check out my new blog for all the details of these fantastic photo calendars!

~S

Picture of the day – September 20th

Playing with the shadows in this one.

~S

Picture of the Day – September 19th

Kahlen’s new coat, boots, and hat

A few days ago, K was at my mom’s (Buela’s) house and said the funniest thing yet:

“Buela, why do I have a medium throat? I need large throat because I have so much to say. All my words won’t come out!”

HAHAHAHAHAHA! That’s my girl :)

~S

Picture of the Day – September 18th

Kahlen had a bowl of whipped cream for dessert. Yep, she’s my daughter! ;)

~S

Picture of the Day – September 17th

Kahlen asked if she could help me fold the laundry. Couldn’t say no to that! I mean, look at all those beautifully folded washcloths :)

~S

Picture of the day – September 16th

Aww, he’s so cute! ;) ~S

Wordless Wednesday/Picture of the day – September 15th

Wow, I’m actually in a picture :)

Find more of this week's Wordless Wednesday (or Wordful) posts at 5 Minutes for Mom  
~S

Tasty Tuesday – Parmesan Ranch Chicken & Peach Clafouti

Welcome to another week of Tasty Tuesday here at The Young'ns!
Please link up your recipe at the bottom of the page. You can post a link to a recipe on your blog or anywhere else. In the title of your link, please leave your name too (especially if it's not a blog post) so I know who it came from :)
Also, feel free to grab my Tasty Tuesday button, it's on the right side, just under my spiffy new tabbed box.
Every Monday, I plan on trying a new recipe. If it goes well, that’s what I’ll be posting on Tasty Tuesday. If not, I’ll post a tried and true (i.e. something I don’t have to think about too hard) ;)

Sorry about last week, we were camping the night before and then I completely spaced it! To make up for it, here are two very tasty recipes that I made last night for dinner. Both of them are easy, yet oh-so-tasty!

We’ll start with dessert, because it’s the best part anyway, right? Found this easy and delicious Peach Clafouti recipe this week in blogland. Go visit her, she has tons of recipes and they look delicious!

Peach Clafouti

{Ingredients}

• 3 to 3-1/2 cups of peaches, sliced
• 3 large eggs, at room temperature
• 1 cup lukewarm milk
• 2 Tbsp. butter, melted
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1/4 tsp. almond extract
• 3/4 tsp. salt
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 3/4 cup flour
• powdered sugar
• 1/3 cup sliced almonds, toasted
• 1/2 cup whipped cream

{Directions}

• Preheat oven to 450. Butter a 9" round pan, at least 2" deep.
• Peel and slice peaches and put them in the bottom of the pan. They should form a single layer that pretty much covers the bottom of the pan.
• In a blender or food processor, combine eggs, milk, butter, extracts, salt, sugar, and flour. Blend until smooth and frothy. Pour the batter over the peaches in the pan.
• Bake the clafouti on a lower-middle rack of your oven for 20 minutes. Reduce the heat to 350 degrees and bake for an additional 20 minutes. The top should be light browned. Insert a toothpick into the center that should come out mostly clean.
• Cool on a rack for at least 10 minutes, (20 is better) before cutting and serving. Dust with powdered sugar, garnish with toasted almonds and whipped cream if desired.

Would have been better with fresh peaches, but frozen from last year worked just fine. I ate the leftovers for breakfast today (only reason there were any leftovers is because hubby is not a fan of peaches, his loss). Sorry, no pictures, we were too busy devouring it :)

For dinner, I made this tasty chicken that I found here with brown rice and steamed broccoli.

Parmesan Ranch Chicken

{Ingredients}

• 3/4 c. crushed tortilla chips  (you could also use ritz, corn flakes, breadcrumbs...)
• 3/4 c. grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 1oz. package ranch dressing mix (dry)
• 4-6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (pound to even thickness)
• 1/2 c. melted butter

{Directions}

• In a shallow bowl, combine the crushed tortilla chips, parmesan cheese and ranch. Dip chicken in butter, and then roll in cornflake mixture to coat.
• Place on a greased glass 9x13 casserole dish. Drizzle remaining butter and crumbs over all. Bake, uncovered, @ 375 for 40 minutes. You don't have to drizzle the remaining butter, but at least a little of it... (Butter make EVERYTHING better!)
• Serve over brown or white rice

Again, no pictures because it was too tasty to wait for that. (Okay, really I forgot. But in my defense, I did have guests over for dinner and I was occupied with getting dinner served)

I would love to see what you’re making! Please leave a link or a comment :)

~S

Picture of the day – September 14th

Nate thinks bowling looks pretty fun too.

~S

Preschool Corner/Raising Rock Stars – Tt is for Turtle

Our second week of school was a little rougher than the first. Labor day really threw us off. We went camping on Monday, so we didn’t do anything school related Monday or Tuesday. We managed to get everything done, but the sight word and memory verse are still a little rough.

Here are a few highlights from our Tt is for Turtle week:

Reading about the angry turtle

Putting the correct number of links on each turtle (The circle on the floor was her idea, not mine)

Cutting out the vocabulary cards (Still need to get some baseball card holders for these)

Cutting out the turtle craft by herself, turned out pretty good!

Turtle counting practice (Can’t show you the finished product because she’s sitting in a very un-lady-like posture)

Kumon cutting practice. She wanted to make it into a mask like we did in our zoo unit :)

We used the letter disks from Confessions of a Homeschooler to do a quick upper/lower case matching game. I didn’t make these into disks yet, they’re just printed on cardstock, but I plan on it (saving my milk jug lids for now) :)

A little prewriting practice

T writing practice. I have to remember that she’s a lefty and allow her to write things a little differently than they’re maybe shown on her worksheets. I was having her write the top line from left to right because that’s how I do it, but it seemed so awkward. I told her she could write it the other way, and that was *much* easier for her.

This is what our main wall looks like. It’s to the left of her desk. The verse and other things in that row are her eye level. I got the pocket chart at Target in the dollar section, and the sight word cards from CSN (I’ll be doing a review for these soon!) I want to get a piece of foam board or something, I just haven’t made it to the store yet. I also want to get some actual library pockets or make some cuter ones, but for now a taped piece of cardstock will have to do. I also snapped a picture of our modified workbox system. We don’t really go in order yet, but it’s just me and her right now and the work doesn’t really have to be done in any order. Got the cart at Target for my scrapbooking paper before my hubby built my awesome shelves. I just put one activity plus all the supplies needed for it in each bin and put them in the cart. When we finish an activity, the bins get stacked on the floor for the next day.

One more organizational picture. This one is the bookcase next to her desk. I have nearly everything on this shelf. Found these great plastic shoeboxes at the Dollar Tree, awesome! (Sorry for the horrible lighting, “school” is in the basement) Bulky supplies on the top, like egg cartons and fake flowers; paint on the top shelf; parenting, school, and library books for school on the second shelf; labeled bins with markers, stickers, play dough toys, glitter, glue and tape, and a few other things on the third shelf; play dough, paper, and alphabet stamps on the fourth shelf; games and puzzles on the bottom shelf.

This week is Hh is for Hippo. Again glad that we don’t have school planned 5 days a week, I’m selling at a huge “garage” sale this weekend, and I’ll be busy with that all of Friday and part of Saturday. If you’re in the area, please check it out here!

~S