Mozi Esmé

Mission Sunday

2009-12-20T10:53:00.000-08:00

A few mission-minded links for you today...

Waxing philosophical for a moment is Ansley's Car crashes. If you have no time to visit all the links, at least read this one. We stop, we help, because it is the right thing to do. But there are always more in need of help. Always.
Interested in a cultural experience? Take a drive through Wamena with junglewife.
Here's a link to a film on the Rwandan genocide and forgiveness. Amazing topic...
Two great posts at Heart of the Matter about raising mission-minded kids: Operation Volunteer: Teaching Children About Helping Others and Have Yourself a Mission-Minded Christmas!
If you've got lots of time, here is a meme I discovered this week: Finding Christ in Christmas: Where I've seen Jesus this Season... Lots of great links here!
Octamom makes the list again with her post on "Jesus is the answer to this season," a must-read if the whole pagan origin of the season gets to you a little...
A little missionary humor for you in The Nelson Press's You Might Be a Missionary If... I tried picking a favorite but have too many, like this: "You might be a missionary if you have 6 different types of ants in your house and you ignore them all." Yep!
This last link, "Stay at home Dad" at 5 Minutes for Parenting, has nothing to do with mission work unless you count the mission at home (which certainly shouldn't be discounted). But it certainly brings a smile to my face as I can absolutely relate with my own 2yo, except as a mom, of course.

Fashion Friday

2009-12-18T09:55:00.000-08:00

Welcome to the latest and greatest in kid fashion! If you've got some great fashion going on in your house, go post your fashion photos of the week, come back and link up, and then grab your sparking grape juice on ice, sit back, relax, and enjoy the show!

This week's two-year-old special is all about headgear. Hats, masks, hoodies - they are all in. Just no barrettes or headbands, please.

We'll start with the classic springtime concept of Little Bo Peep, who has lost her sheep. She is counting to 100 before seeking them.

Here you'll see the ageless "angel" dress pattern that Esmé adores (her Mommy had an identical dress when she was 10 or so, sewed by her sister, just a different print). Covered by a pastel blue jacket and a PINK hat. And flowery pink pants on for warmth in this sub-freezing weather.
While we're on the subject of nursery rhymes, here's the bonnet worn in the classic rendition of the Little Old Woman Who Lived in a Shoe (and who chased after the gingerbread man so she could give her children a snack).
Tiger masks are a must when reading books about tigers, which are very popular among two-year-olds these days. Very classic.
Enough classic already. Hoodies are not just a teen fad. Two-year-olds can wear them with panache, too. Especially when they have Eeyore ears on them.

OK, folks, here's where you get to share the catwalk! Link up your favorite fashion shot(s) of the week...

Thursday 13 - Service Activities for Toddlers

2009-04-30T00:01:00.000-07:00

Just thought I'd summarize the terrific answers we got to our first Aloha Friday question: What types of volunteer, service, or random acts of kindness activities can a two-year-old participate in?

Go through own toys and clothes to donate to a shelter or needy child.
Pick out nonperishable food items, either in cupboards at home or in the store, to give to a food bank.
Visit with and/or sing to the elderly at a nursing home, especially in an Easter outfit!
Color pictures, make cards or crafts, or take photos to send to servicemen/women overseas, a nursing home or hospice center, or sick kids. Check out http://www.colorasmile.org/ and http://www.makeachildsmile.org/featured_kids.shtml.
Make and drop off a handmade toy somewhere in town for someone else to find (http://thetoysociety.blogspot.com/)
Pick out toys, books, or baby clothes at a consignment shop or thrift store to give to shelters for kids or mothers in need.
Pick out a new gift for a child in the hospital.
Deliver meals on wheels together.
Sponsor puppies to be trained as assistance/guide dogs.
Pack toiletries or other items for disaster relief efforts.
Make cookies or other baked goods for a blood drive, for the firemen, or to give to an elderly or ill neighbor.
Pick flowers (even dandelions) to give to an elderly friend.
Be a foster family for your local animal shelter.

Review: Rain Dance

2009-12-16T15:09:00.000-08:00

As the mom-blog world mourns two-year-old Bryson Ross's death today, I'm reminded of what an awesome privilege and gift it is to be a mother.

Joy DeKok, in her book Rain Dance, adds some depth to understanding that gift.
---------------
Rain Dance is a 348-page contemporary Christian women's fiction book published by Sheaf House, with a list price of $12.99. To find out more, check out raindancebook.com.

In addition to coaching other authors, author Joy DeKok has written several children's books, fulfilling a dream of hers that began when she was four. She and her husband enjoy the kids in their lives by spending time riding on their Jon Deere Gator, walking in the woods, or sitting down by the bullfrog bog watching the dragonflies and red-winged blackbirds who live in their cattail patch. Joy also reads to kids who visit, fixes root beer floats, and listens to their dreams.

Here's the publisher's summary of Rain Dance: "Jonica and Staci meet in a doctor's office at a critical turning point in each of their lives. Jonica is ending unsuccessful infertility treatments and accepting the death of her dream of having children. Staci is scheduling the termination of her pregnancy so she can further her dream of a career in law. As the two young women tentatively reach out to each other, they forge a most unlikely friendship that will forever transform their future."

My Review

This is a pro-life book, but it is so much more than that. It touches on so many issues, not just the ethics of abortion and fertility treatments. It deals with the value of life, Christian judgmentalism, women's lib, empty politics, postpartum depression, family relationships, and the role of husbands and wives. It touches on Down syndrome, of particular interest to me because I work with people who have disabilities.

Ultimately, this is a story of unfathomable grace and mercy. There is no judgment to be found here, and I can honestly recommend the book to any reader of any background.

The author writes in first person and switches between the two women's perspectives throughout the book to provide an easy-to-follow and well-balanced view of the storyline.

In a way, Jonica's story is author Joy's story, and you can sense the connection with the writer in the book. I can truly empathize better now with those dealing with infertility. And I'm reminded to treasure each moment I have with my little girl - to love those rain dances...

And what's amazing is that Joy is able to write a book that presents not only her side, but the side of the woman who has voluntarily terminated her pregnancy, with empathy and understanding.

The powerfully-moving story ends with a dance in God's cleansing rain as the characters celebrate His mercy and love.

Thanks to Pump Up Your Book Promotion for the review copy of this book. If you're interested in winning a copy, check out Winning Readings for a giveaway.

(Esme's first solo post)

2009-11-18T19:08:00.000-08:00

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The Toddler Workshop

2009-12-14T19:34:00.000-08:00

We've been busy here at ~~Santa's~~ Esmé's workshop! Here is our belated 13 list of toddler-made "useful" gift ideas, most of which will be accompanied by a text or quote tied on with a ribbon.

1. The Wrapping. You can make wrapping paper, or decorate plain white gift bags like we did! I made handprint trees with green paint (a red fingerprint trunk) and a star sticker,

and on the other side I did cookie cutter prints with red paint. We had 26 bags, which was a bit much for me, but Mommy made sure I did at least part of each bag.
And I got elaborate on some, with stamps and stickers and all...
2. Soap Snowballs. (Isaiah 1:18) This was my favorite so far! Mommy's had a hard time keeping me from playing with the balls now that they are done... Pappa doesn't quite understand their purpose, but even if they fall apart in the bath, they were fun to put together.

First Mommy grates 6 bars of white soap using a food processor (we used Olay - and it smells real good!). Then I pour water into the soap "snow" to get it to snowball texture.
Then we form it into balls and put the balls on a cookie sheet. And then the moose (or other small creature, but I LIKE moose) gets slammed by the snowball...
Then you let the soap dry. But DON'T let it dry in front of the heater, cuz the soap will melt. And DON'T try this project when the water pipes are frozen and you have no water to rinse your hands with, or you will go through lots of wet wipes.

3. Potpourri Sachets. (Ephesians 5:2) Mommy thought of making sachet bags from tulle, but fortunately we found some ready-made ones on clearance, or this would've taken forever. I carefully filled up some of the bags with potpourri mix and helped close them. Now they can make someone's linen closet or underwear drawer smell good!
4. Tea Light Candles. (John 8:12) There are lots of things you can do with votive candles - like glue "snow" or tissue paper on the holders. And if you have extra baby food jars, you can use those for holders. Mommy found a bunch of yummy-smelling candles with holders on clearance, and we stayed simple and just put gem stickers on the holders.
5. Fridge Magnets. (Proverbs 18:24) We got this idea from I Believe in Love. The glass marbles we had were pretty small, so I just made colorful dots (and a couple of tiny faces) on a piece of paper,
and then we glued clear flat marbles on top. Then Mommy had to put the paper up high so I wouldn't tear the marbles off. Then we'll cut them out and glue magnet pieces on the back.
6. Bookmarks. I colored lots of bookmarks to go with the books we're giving away in those gift bags. Tip - to cover lots of paper, use watercolor paints... Lots of bookmark printables at Activity Village.

7. Wallet Calendars. (Ecclesiastes 3:1) We printed some wallet-sized calendars on cardstock from this Free Printable site. Now I'm going to decorate the backs and we'll laminate them to giveaway.

8. Handprint Gifts. (Psalm 139:14) There are a ton of handprint gift ideas for close friends & relatives: mugs, towels, tshirts, etc. Check out the middle of this Home School newsletter for Handmade Handprint Gift ideas. Mommy thought this calendar idea was pretty cool - where handprints made a picture for each month, like snowflakes in January. Combine printed backdrops with the handprints, scan them in, and you could make a very attractive calendar.

UPDATE: I just saw this idea with photos at Keepsake Handprint Calendars - gorgeous!

9. Body Scrub. (Genesis 18:4 for a foot scrub) I love pouring and mixing stuff, so this candy cane body scrub would be fun to make.

10. Hot Cocoa. (Psalm 46:10) Speaking of pouring stuff, this hot cocoa in a jar is something we REALLY wanted to make last Christmas when we were overloaded with baby food jars. But we couldn't find ANY candy canes in Mozambique or South Africa - can you believe it?! I'm sure there are some, but for outrageous prices in stores we couldn't afford.

11. Soup Mix and other Jar Gifts. There are all kinds of fun gifts in a jar that I'd love to make. Especially the colorful ones, like the Soup Mix in this 34 Holiday Ideas for Gifts in a Jar eBook. Or this Holiday Cookies in a Jar recipe. We've got all the ingredients ready to go. But we might package it in bags instead of jars to cut down on costs...

If you want something REALLY easy, check this Devil's Food cookie mix in a jar out. I don't think you get easier than this...

12. Baking and Candy. Now, I'm game for making all kinds of candy and cookies and other edible gifts! Here's some fun sea glass candy. And some chocolate covered pretzels we'll be making this week.

13. Holiday Clothes Pins. Aren't these holiday clothes pins at Blue Cricket Design gorgeous?! I'm an expert at decorating clothes pins, so these are right up my alley. And after seeing these, Mommy wants to start collecting buttons for next year.

If you're looking for other ways to share generosity, check out this Teaching Generosity post at ABC and 123. Now if you'll excuse me, I've gotta get back to work!

And that's my school for the week...

Book Reviews

2009-10-31T19:10:00.000-07:00

If you're here looking for a specific book review, please note that we've moved most of our reviews to our book giveaway blog: Winning Readings. Please email me if you have concerns with this: winningreadings at gmail dot com.

Thanks!

Mission Sunday

2009-12-13T21:50:00.000-08:00

In the midst of the busyness surrounding us, here are a few things to ponder...

A post on the spirit of Christmas and how seeing extreme poverty changes us at Moms, Ministry, and More.
Also at Moms, Ministry, and More: a devotional book by missionaries, with sales that benefit missionaries...
The birth of a new ministry to combat malnutrition at Be "The Hands and Feet".
A fun advent calendar for kids that is outward focused at Kids' Corner.
A Carols of Christmas study over at Women of the Harvest.
And my favorite link this week is I'm Dreamin' of a .....Oh, Wait.... by Octamom - a great reminder to leave behind our perfectionism and soak in blessings of the season.

Fashion Friday

2009-12-11T07:10:00.000-08:00

Welcome to the latest and greatest in kid fashion! If you've got some great fashion going on in your house, go post your fashion photos of the week, come back and link up, and then grab your sparking grape juice on ice, sit back, relax, and enjoy the show!

In the last few weeks we've had the opportunity to go through the fashion picks of the two-year-old greats of the past (namely, eight older cousins) and create our own spectacular combinations.

We've also got a little Christmas special going on. We'll elaborate on it more next week, since we've got EIGHT holiday dresses our size sitting in our closet right now. Is that one for each cousin?

Here's our first creative combination. Red print pants with a black football sweatshirt on top, layered with a red polka-dotted "hot dog" smock and a brightly multi-colored car sweater. And the buttons on the sweater? All different colors. VERY COOL.

If you'd like a more feminine look, try blue tights with a purple flared top, covered up completely with a too-big Barbie dress and a little pink tutu, and topped with a flowery hat!

Moving on to holiday themes... This Christmasy velvet pantsuit is perfect for lounging around on the floor.
And you've seen this dress before, but we need to show you the accessories. First, the "Mary" theme and headdress works well for the season.

Now let's talk shoes... Yellow glittery ones work...

...but the ones that match perfectly are these green flip flops! They are GREEN! Just like the dress!

And that handbag is pretty cool, huh? So we put on a matching bow. Because red hairbows go with ANYTHING.
OK, folks, here's where you get to share the catwalk! Link up your favorite fashion shot(s) of the week...

Aloha Friday: Toddler Self-Entertainment

2009-12-11T06:16:00.000-08:00

I was asked a question last week that I wish I had a great answer to myself. So maybe it's not an easy question, but I did want to pose it and glean from your collective wisdom.

When you have a newborn, you pretty much expect her to occupy ALL your time. But by the time she reaches two or three, you are kind of behind on everything else in life (or you have another newborn who is setting a different schedule). And you're wanting that 2- or 3-year-old to self-entertain a little bit, right? But it seems that she is always wanting to "help" you, wanting you to play with her, or wanting to watch a DVD (or TV), or if all else fails, acting up for attention.

So the question: Short of planting your toddler in front of the TV, what tips to you have on helping a toddler find things to do on his own so you can get other things accomplished?

My personal goal is to limit Esmé to two DVDs per day. I try to save those for critical times, like when I shower. Some days we succeed; some days aren't so successful.

Here are a few of the things that have helped me:

Mixing things up. Put out a handful of books on the living room table, and then rotate the books around. If she sees the same books every day or just sees a huge shelf-ful of books, she's not as interested as seeing a few "new" ones on the table each day.
Mixing toys up, too - like having a bucket for blocks, but changing out the type of blocks once a week or month, etc.
And mixing up art supplies - This might be as simple as having several types of markers in different jars, and just swapping out the type of marker every couple of days. The other thing I try to remember is putting out fresh paper to draw on, or a small container of stickers, etc. She likes using her easel, but if I leave an old drawing up there, she doesn't go back to it, so I have to remember to rip off the drawings once she's done them.
Do the swapping out of things during naptime or before wake-up time. For one thing - if I do it while Esme is awake, she'll get upset when I put something away that she absolutely needs right THEN. And the other thing - if there is something new out when she wakes up that catches her attention, she's more likely to let me finish whatever I was trying to get done while she was sleeping.
Play audio books, children's music, or musicals.
Don't stress over mess. This gives her a lot more options for self play - like playing in the kitchen sink, which keeps her busy for hours sometimes. Or mixing up different colors of play dough. Or trying on different clothes and dumping them on the floor...
Let her "work" with me; help me cook, sweep, mop, dust, etc. This only goes so far, though - honestly, the only way I have patience with this is if I view it as a learning moment and not as a time to get things done.
Put the two-or-more-player games on a higher shelf, so they are not so accessible. The shelves at her level have puzzles or activities she can work on by herself.
Put the DVDs in a closet that she can't open! It was amazing what a difference that made when I first did it. They start piling up by the DVD player again quickly, though, so I have to keep doing that. If they are not visible, she doesn't ask for them as much.

Looking forward to some new ideas!

Wordless Wednesday - Grandparents

2009-12-09T07:32:00.001-08:00

My grandpa and grandma visited me! I played duets with Grandma. We went for walks and went shopping and played hide-and-seek, and drank lots of fresh grape juice - I'm still asking for more... And I got presents, too! Yep, they are on my thankful list.---------------

For more Wordless Wednesdays, visit

The Gift of Compromise (or where values collide)

2009-12-08T05:57:00.000-08:00

Esmé's Mommy here.

I grew up loving everything Christmas. For sure, we knew Santa was a fairy tale, but he was a FUN fairy tale. Budgets were tight with five kids in the house, but it just meant we had to improvise a little more. Like making Christmas trees from branches, or pushing our Christmas date out a little so we could get our gifts and stocking stuffers 50% off at the after-Christmas sales. Christmas was family, and Christmas was beautiful.

My husband grew up on the other side of the globe. Christmases were spent at the beach - that southern hemisphere thing - and it is just NOT the same! He has bad memories of childhood Christmas celebrations. Being somewhat anti-traditionalist, he sees no value in doing things just because we've always done them that way. Not to mention that much of Christmas, even the date, has pagan origins. And that kids confuse Santa and God, and when they find out Santa isn't real, they think God isn't real, either. It's hard to argue with.

So, in 15 years of marriage, we've never had a real Christmas tree. I bought a tiny fake tree that I'd set up in a little corner somewhere, but without anyone else to appreciate it, I just never saw the point in doing more.

This is Esmé's third Christmas. The first two were spent in South Africa with the in-laws (at the beach), where we had no tree, and having a tree wasn't my decision to make. I did make a Happy Birthday cake for Christmas Eve, and we read the nativity story and played with a crocheted nativity set, and exchanged a few gifts, and had family and friends over for a nice meal, but that was it.

So what do we do this year, Esmé's first in the northern hemisphere?

I dug out that tiny tree and dusted it off. I let Esmé drown it in tinsel. And I printed out a bunch of Jesse tree ornaments (celebrating Christ from the creation of the world through to His coming) and put them in ornament frames.

Each day I try to put a wrapped book under the tree. (I've been known to wrap library books...) Esmé colors a page that matches the ornament while I read a related devotional. Then we hang up the ornament.
While it doesn't compare to the Gift of the Magi - Jim with his combs and Della with her watch chain - my husband and I have given each other the gift of compromise.

It is a bittersweet gift. I look at the glistening but naked little tree and wish for fragrant-smelling branches loading with meaningful ornaments that can be passed down to future generations. He looks at the tree and wishes it would disappear, along with all the tinsel that lands up on the floor and everywhere else. Neither of us has what we want.

What will Esmé's memories be? I don't know - but I do hope our gift will point her to Christ, some way, somehow.

In the meantime, here are some shots little miss Esmé took of the tree when she snitched my camera recently. It may not be pink and flashing, but I do think she's finding some beauty in that little tree!

Making it Big

2009-12-07T21:56:00.000-08:00

There are two ways to make it big in life. One is to make sure your money in your piggy bank gets plenty of sleep so it will grow big and strong. The younger you start, the better - that compound interest thing.

The other is to enter lots of giveaways and even win some! Congrats to mchavez718, who won the 16x20" Rolled Canvas Print from Online Poster Printing.

Of course, we know there's more to life than money and prizes...

Christmas School

2009-12-07T07:04:00.000-08:00

I learned all about Christmas at church. We put felts on the felt board...

And I rode the ~~horse~~ donkey to Bethlehem.

But my favorite part is the manger. I was in awe of the manger. I knelt in front of the manger.

And when I came home, I found this basket, and put blankets in, and found some straw (paper cuttings where Mommy was cutting up cardstock for projects. Then I curled up in my manger.

After Mommy requisitioned the basket for other purposes, I used this box instead. Let me tell you, though: It's hard to find straw in this house.

Mommy had planned this foam nativity scene for later in the month, but I discovered it and started putting it together myself, so she decided to help me "follow the instructions." I've play-acted the story lots of times with it now.

I started my Christmas journal - with a pretty deer journal I picked out and some new glittery gel pens. Sometimes I draw pictures in it, or put stickers in it. Mommy helps me write my thankful list, and I help her with hers. Or she'll write down a story I tell her, like about the little tree that was sad because it was so little, but then it grew and Jesus used it at it was happy.

You can read more about the BIG lapbook we did last week on this Hands of a Child post. Some other stuff we didn't cover there: A reindeer puppet...

Reindeer painting - first I pretended some branches were my personal reindeer antlers, and then I used the branches to paint like a reindeer would!

Snow painting - I painted with a mix of water and epsom salts. (Just enough water to get the salts wet. It didn't stick very well, so Mommy's still working on that mix.)

When it dries, it looks like bright snow!

I made a handprint Christmas tree - Mommy traced my hands over and over, and then I got to glue the decorations on.

Speaking of trees, we made edible Christmas trees, too out of ice cream cones. Mommy says we are trying to cut back on sweets, so I don't get to do much like this, but I sure enjoyed this one...

I developed a love affair with pompoms and glued them onto my gingerbread puppets and snowman puppets.

We played "match" and "memory" with Christmas erasers Mommy got at the dollar store.

I made a foam gingerbread craft. I like "gingermen!" I also colored a Nativity story minibook and have read it many times!

We have no real snow here, so we made some! I had great fun playing in $1 worth of shaving cream for a couple of hours!

I even made a snowman with raisins!

We went to the Festival of Lights in Roseburg on Saturday night and saw all kinds of cool lights. Santa was fishing, and logging, and planting trees. There was a Noah's ark, and Baby Jesus, and baseball. I got glasses that make all the lights look like Santa. And I ate my very first candy cane! Did you know it looks like a "U" after you eat a little bit of it?

Books... Here are a few we read:

The Christmas Story with Ruth J. Morehead's Holly Babes
Sadie and the Snowman by Allen Morgan
If You Take a Mouse to the Movies by Laura Numeroff
The Night Before Christmas illustrated by Jan Brett
The Story of Christmas by Gwen Ellis
Christmas in the Stable by Astrid Lindgren
The Animals' Gift by Szabolcs de Vajay
Christmas Songs from Modern Publishing (I've been practicing and singing these songs while playing my keyboard! I have also been playing my new drum that Grandpa and Grandma left me.)

That's all for now, folks! We got oodles of more stuff to do, so gotta run!

Review: In the Hands of a Child

2009-12-04T19:39:00.000-08:00

Esmé's Mommy here.

We've started the Christmas season off with a blast using In The Hands of A Child's Christmas Cheer project pack!

There are stacks of Christmas activities for preschoolers out there to choose from. If you're like me, it can be challenging to sift through them all to find a fun and varied balance of activities. Then you've got to figure out what materials you need, find any necessary printables, and put all your notes together in a way that makes sense to keep your little one occupied and entertained.

In The Hands of A Child does all that for you. The Christmas Cheer pack contains a list of suggested books, five days of activity instructions with 3 activities per day, a list of materials, and all the printables you'll need.

So all I had to do was print things out (since I had the ebook version; you can also purchase a printed version), gather up the materials, and put the books on hold at the library, and we were set for the week! I LOVE it!

There was also an example of a lapbook using most of the activities we did, which is a really handy way to store them. Since many of the activities are reusable (like matching cards and mini-books), we'll continue visiting the lapbook for weeks to come.

And as I was putting the lapbook together today, it was neat to see many of the same types of things I've included in the alphabet lapbooks we've put together in the past: a counting book, a shape activity, color cards, and a letter recognition foldout, all Christmas themed. Combine that with creative activities such as snow puppets, reindeer painting, and cotton-bearded Santas, and you've got a great seasonal learning experience.

I liked the fact that most of the book was black and white - so we could color the printables or print on colored paper as we wished - less cost for ink that way. I felt like I wasted cardstock due to the layout of the printables, but I can understand that the layout was done for organizational purposes (only one activity on a page, for instance) and allowed for using multiple colors of cardstock for the different activities if desired.

The suggested age was Pre-K to 1. I think it is perfect for preschool, which is the level Esmé is operating at even though she is 2. She loved the creative activities, recognized the letters, deliberately disobeyed instructions on the color cards, did fine with the matching activities, and glued Santa's cotton beard on amazingly well! The tracing letters were a little too small for her, and of course I helped her with reading any words on the cards, so I do think it would be a fit for an older child, as well.

The one thing I would do differently if I put this together myself is to focus more on the nativity story and less on the secular aspects of Christmas. There was nothing in the package about the Christ child, so we relied on other books and our Jesse tree adventures for that aspect this week.

Overall, a fun and easy way to introduce Christmas themes to a preschooler. I will definitely be looking at other Hands of a Child projects in the future!

You can download the ebook (pdf) version for $12. Check out the Hands of a Child site for other formats, as well. And be sure to click on the free sample button for the color cards printable with pocket - which was one of our favorite parts of the lapbook!

Thanks to In The Hands of A Child for providing the ebook for this Mama Buzz review.

Let's show some pictures, shall we, and hope we're not giving away any trade secrets? Here is Esmé putting appropriate amounts of glue onto her Santa's cotton beard project. She did this one almost completely independently. Who knew she'd ever get the glue drops figured out?!

The front of the lapbook - we put on a handprint wreath.

The back of the lapbook - a candy cane shapes matching game. We're not using the words cards yet; just matching two of the same kind of candy cane.

The middle section of the lapbook, still folded. Shapely Santa on the upper left, waiting to be matched up to rectangles, circles, and a triangle. Below that, a letter foldout square with a picture of something underneath the folded tab that begins with that letter. Snow puppets, color cards, and a reindeer counting book in the middle. An open space for the reindeer we are still going to make on the right, and a Christmas tree mini-book with decorations on the bottom right.

And the middle section with the taped inset unfolded. With a wreath still to be colored, a reindeer painting, and Santa with beard.

There were additional activities not in the lapbook, which we may share more about on Sunday's Tot School post.

Thankful

2009-12-04T11:09:00.000-08:00

Esmé's Mommy here.

It's been a whirlwind around here lately. Both figuratively and literally. This morning I accidentally dropped something on the blender, which had been left plugged in, and the top middle plastic piece had been dumped inside after it had been washed. Plastic shards now covered the floors and counters, which of course were covered with dirty dishes. At least it wasn't glass!

We dealt with that. Then Esmé decided to take a tour of the house while eating her bowl of cereal, so you can follow the milk trail should you decide to join her. The tour ended at my laptop, which subsequently got to sit in a puddle of milk for a short while. At least it's still working!

I haven't showered yet (something I do religiously every morning well ahead of this time). Esmé was asleep when I picked her up from day care at 5 yesterday, and she slept right through until 4 this morning (so we're backlogged on all the Advent things we were supposed to do yesterday) - and today we've already gotten the snow painting, reindeer painting, and finger painting out of the way. While Esmé is occupied with giving Blue the monkey drum lessons, I'm taking a quick sanity break before bringing out the shaving cream to do "snow" play on the floor, which is in bad need of a mop.

I've got piles of girls' clothes to sort through from the cousins while Esmé tries on multiple outfits or just layers them all. A second washing of the bedding to do after a second guest. Laundry piles up faster than I can keep up. Dishes haven't been done since Wednesday, and I've got SIX reviews absolutely due today, along with tons of others that should have been done long ago. Blog post ideas whirl through my head while I think about all the blogs I want to catch up on.

Can you believe we are going to check out a dog tomorrow that a family is wanting to give away?

I feel like I've eaten a huge Thanksgiving meal and am uncomfortably stuffed, but can't think of of anything I wish I hadn't eaten because it's all so good, and I'm trying to figure out how to fit the pumpkin pie in, too. And I am thankful for everything.

I'm thankful for a little girl who loves Christmas and is in awe of the manger scene. I'm thankful for people who come to visit, and for plenty of clothes to choose from. I'm thankful for lots of books to read, and for grape juice made by someone other than myself. I'm thankful for big screen TVs and a little schoolhouse that will be filled with hours of fun and learning. And while we kind of faded in the last part of the 30 Days of Thanks in November, I'm thankful for a little girl who loves to grab a pen and paper and ask me what I'm thankful for while she practices making letters, and who helps me fill her Christmas journal out with all the things that make her happy.

Now, I'm gonna stick Lady and the Tramp into the DVD player and take a shower...

Review: One Noble Journey

2009-12-04T08:39:00.000-08:00

Hi! I'm Esmé, and I am TWO years old! And a half. Though right now I don't know about that. I have a book about little girls to share with you today.

One Noble Journey is written by Dixie Phillips and illustrated by Kim Sponaugle. This 16-page Christian kids' book has a suggested audience of 3-10. You can download a pdf of One Noble Journey for $5.00, or purchase a printed copy for $9.95.

Here's what the publisher has to say about the book:
" Two cultures collide in the tiny village of Westbury. The orphan from the lowlands and the Count's daughter from the highlands and a baby raccoon will entertain the hearts of all and is guaranteed to shape small souls."

Here's what I've got to say about the book!

This is MY book! And Daddy's book.
I like the little girls.
The raccoon is cute. His name is The Raccoon. It's NOT Bandit. He takes things. He gets in trouble for taking things.
An orphan is when you have no mommy or daddy. I am not an orphan.
It's thunder and lightning. It's scary.
Journey found her friend.
They see a sun!
They are happy at the end.

Mommy's Notes
This is a sweet story about the friendship between a rich girl and a poor girl, and how the rich girl's father, is transformed in his opinion of little orphan Journey when he realizes she is not a thief, but rather a girl who will risk her own safety to help her friend. Journey's forgiveness of the Count is a lovely lesson that we all can learn from.

The cross is featured prominently as well, with the points that "the ground is level at the foot of the cross" and "the cross always helps us find our way home." These lessons are perhaps a little advanced for the younger readers, but they certainly stick with me!

For an example of Kim Sponaugle's whimsical/sweet/fun illustrations, which did a great job of keeping Esmé's attention, visit her blog, Picture Kitchen Studio. Author Dixie Phillips' blog is From the Heart of Dixie, and you can read more about the ministry she shares with her husband in Floyd, Iowa, at Floyd's Lighthouse.

If you'd like more information on the book, here's a book trailer...

Thanks to Pump Up Your Book! for the review copy of this book.

Giveaway: 16x20 Rolled Canvas Print

2009-11-30T21:41:00.000-08:00

Looking for a great gift idea for family? I love the 16x20 canvas print I've got of Esmé on my wall, and I bet you could think of some great uses for one, as well. They are perfect for home decor, photo prints, and signage.

Online Poster Printing has some great poster options. Be sure to check them out if you're looking for canvas prints.

Giveaway Details: (1) 16x20” Rolled Canvas for One Lucky Winner
Size: 16x20 rolled canvas
Shipping: FREE UPS Ground Shipping in the US
Eligibility: Limited to US Residents due to shipping costs.

To enter: Leave a comment on this post describing what photo gifts you want to have printed for your family and loved ones. Make sure I have your email address so I can contact you if you win.

We'll randomly pick a winner on December 6th.

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For more information and customer references, check out U-Printing on Yelp.

Click here to see the entire Blog Hop List....

Wordless Wednesday: Tweety

2009-12-02T09:13:00.001-08:00

Is that what I think it is?
Never fear, Tweety was just taking a bird bath in the kitchen sink. She is alive and well and chirping on my arm...
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For more Wordless Wednesdays, visit

Touching Wonder: A Christmas Radio Special

2009-12-01T22:44:00.000-08:00

Do you want something to meditate on as you're rushing through chores or driving from place to place? Check out this radio special, and also see Winning Readings for a review/giveaway of this book...

You are invited to visit uReadBooks.com to listen to this new Christmas audio special!

uReadBooks presents:

Touching Wonder -

A Christmas Radio Special

Does it seem like you have heard the Christmas story a few too many times for it to still hold the wonder that it once had? With his instant classic, Touching Wonder, author John Blase breathes new life into the story of the Nativity. Just in time for the holiday season, uReadBooks.com presents a half hour Christmas special featuring excerpts from this new book.

About the book:

Little children understand how amazing the Nativity story is. But, sometimes, as we become men and women, we put away the childlike with the childish. The result? We lose something vital—the wonder of it all. When author John Blase went looking for the lost wonder of Christmas, he went back to the place he’d last seen it—the stories from Luke 1-2. What he found fills the pages of his new book, Touching Wonder: Recapturing the Awe of Christmas (David C Cook, September 2009), with flesh and bone and dust and night and a baby’s cry; the intimate union of human and divine—the Incarnation.

By boldly imagining the first two chapters of the gospel of Luke, writer, editor, and former pastor John Blase has created an instant classic for Christmastime. In a tale that reads like a novel parallel parked by the record of Scripture, Blase beckons those who could use a little wonder in their lives to step onto the stage of history and witness the long awaited coming of the Messiah. With Eugene Peterson’s The Message Bible translation as his backdrop, Blase adds his own voice and commentary to the historic events, exploring the renowned drama from an array of viewpoints.

In Touching Wonder, readers will meet a cast of unruly unlikelies—a frightened teenaged girl, a worried carpenter, a collection of senior citizens, a disillusioned young shepherd, even an angel or two—moving toward the realization that the little one just born is the One. This imaginative retelling of the grand miracle will leave readers wide-eyed, slack-jawed, and heart-full. The Lord is come!

In this lovely and distinctive book to be read…and re-read…and pondered in the heart, young and old will recapture the wonder of the Christmas story by seeing through the eyes of those who lived it. The book’s graceful design and Amanda Jolman’s beautiful line drawings combine to make this a thoughtful Christmas gift as well as a wonder that families will treasure for years to come.

Touching Wonder: Recapturing the Awe of Christmas
by John Blase
David C Cook/September 2009

http://www.davidccook.com/

http://www.johnblase.com/

To listen to or download the program, visit www.ureadbooks.com/touchingwonder.

I Adventures

2009-11-30T07:12:00.000-08:00

We had lots of interesting "I" adventures, though we didn't incorporate as much as we've done in the past. But we are moving on to "J" and Jesus for the month of December! So here's "I"!

Paper Mache Igloo. Here's how you make a paper mache igloo. First you get ready to get messy! Then you prepare your igloo structure.

Then you mix up 3 cups water and 1 cup flour. You stir and stir and get messy.

Then you tear up 12 sheets of newspaper into whatever kinds of pieces you feel like tearing it into. You put these into the bowl with the flour mixture. (Mommy's note - if we did this again, I would make it in smaller batches instead of putting all the sheets in at once - they got soggy and clumped.)

Then you get to squish up the newspaper into the mixture to get ALL the newspaper wet - what fun!

Then you take out the newspaper pieces and start patting them onto your igloo structure. Keep patting and patting and patting until it's smooth. And keep going until Mommy tells you you're all done.

Then you admire what you've done and stick it in front of the heater to dry.

And you wait, and you wait, and you wait for it to dry. Several days later, you get to paint it. First, you paint it white, because Mommy says that's the natural color for igloos.

Then, you insist that you need to paint it pink, because pink is much prettier! So you drip a few drops of red into your white paint, and you stir and stir and stir until it's pink, and you paint the igloo all over again!

Edible Igloo. While you're on the subject of igloos, you've got to make an edible one! You can make them out of marshmallows, but we shaped ours out of a rice krispie treat mix. First I got to stir the marshmallows while they were melting...

...and then I had to clean up the pot afterwards. Both equally fun.

And we got to eat this igloo!

Paper Igloo. I also got to cut strips of blue paper into rectangles and then paste them onto this picture of an igloo.

Writing Practice. And I got to practice writing my "I"s. "I"s are very easy to write! And I am getting very good at coloring in the lines.

Inuits. I pasted cotton around the hood of an Inuit boy, and we talked about how they lived in igloos!

Itch. We scratched each others' backs, and read some books about itching!

Big Smelly Bear by Britta Teckentrup (an absolute favorite!)
The Itch Book by Crescent Dragonwagon

Indian Food. One day we ate curried sweet potato patties. I didn't even pick out the peas!

And then we had curry with rice. I just ate the rice...

Indian Dress. I got to put on Mommy's sari! Of course, I decided to mix up the Indian theme by wearing my thanksgiving Indian headdress, too.

India Books.

Seven Blind Mice by Ed Young (based on an Indian fable, and one of my favorites!)
One Grain of Rice by Demi (an Indian mathematical folktale)
Culture in India by Melanie Guile (we looked at pictures)

Inside. We talked about "inside" versus "outside" and read this book:

Inside and Outside by Henry Pluckrose

Ice Painting. Mommy froze some water in a popsicle tray so I could do some ice painting! We didn't have dry tempera paint, so I painted on a "paint with water" book instead.

Ice Shapes. I also played with some ice shapes we made from an interesting ice tray. Stars, and flowers, and all kinds of things.

Ice Books.

Elizabeth Imagined an Iceberg by Chris Raschka

Ice Cream. Of course, no "I" study would be complete without ice cream! First I tried eating it in a cone. Yummy! It's kind of messy, though.

Then we MADE ice cream in an ice cream maker! I had to turn and turn and turn the handle. I kept saying it was done.

Finally I got to eat it. VERY yummy!
Here's the book we read:

Ice Cream: The Full Scoop by Gail Gibbons (it was a little long for me, but Mommy learned a lot!)

Iron Books. Here are the books we read about iron and iron horses:

Iron Horses by Verla Kay
The Elements: Iron by Giles Sparrow (we looked at pictures)

Icicles. Yesterday I got to put icicles up on our Jesse tree! Mommy says I mustn't clump them, but I don't see why not. And that I don't have to use the whole package, but I don't see why not...

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If you have a post or link related to "I" Activities for toddlers, link up here!

Not Me! Monday

2009-11-30T07:03:00.000-08:00

I would never sit on my little table after Mommy told me not to. Of course not. I would only sit on my little stool, which is meant for sitting on.No one said anything about where the stool needs to be, of course.

Mission Sunday

2009-11-29T08:34:00.000-08:00

Grandpa and Grandma are visiting right now! Here's hoping you all had a blessed weekend. Now for our Mission Sunday links:

Have you started your list of people you still need to get gifts this year? I realized I had left Christ off the list when I read Lysa TerKeurst's 37 Days of Kindness post. I love this idea of hers, and while there may not be 37 days left, there's nothing wrong with starting the countdown at 25, huh?
Speaking of giving, here's another take on the gift list by Matthew West. Check it out for a free song download and a printable Christmas list.
Looking for some great Christmas posts to inspire you and maybe change the way you view the holidays? Check out ChristmasChange:
I love this "whining" post from mmm-BELLY-may Days, perhaps because I can so relate to it, as a returnee from a 3rd world country...
Also one I can relate to: My Overloaded Brain...On Culture Shock at I Believe in Love.
And another post from one of my favorite mission bloggers, Laura at Clearly Living, answering the question, "So, what do you do all day?"
Prayer request for Shiloh, a mission mom in Paraguay, who lost sight in one eye a couple of weeks ago.
If you've clicked on Josie Love's story before, I just wanted to follow up with this post of beautiful smiles on her face, finally with her new family in the US.
Speaking of international adoption, here's a fundraiser gift idea with 30% of proceeds donated to a family adopting from Africa: a HOPE for AFRICA pendant

Technology

2009-11-28T06:55:00.000-08:00

Isn't technology great?! You can make all kinds of stuff disappear with just a little mouseclick!

Actually, I'm just making my blog...

For more technology, visit PhotoHunt.

Aloha Friday

2009-11-27T07:11:00.000-08:00

Esmé loves sharing stuff with people that she's made, and I also want her to get in the spirit of giving. We've got a nice big family, so we're going to turn things here into a workshop of sorts for Christmas.

Here's my easy question for Aloha Friday - what are some USEFUL gifts a toddler can help make?

We've started a little list already:

Bookmarks
Soap snowballs
Decorated votive candle holders
Potpourri sachets
Cookies...

(Note to family if you're reading this: You've got to act surprised when you get the gifts. And we'd prefer that you use the gifts or pass them on to their happy hunting grounds rather than stash them somewhere. 'K?!)