Truth in the Tinsel: Days Six through Ten

Our Truth in the Tinsel experience continues.  Today's post covers days six through ten.  (Not sure what Truth in the Tinsel is all about?  See my previous post here.)

 December 6th:  Mary Visits Elizabeth
The kids listened with great interest as I read to them how Mary went to visit her cousin Elisabeth. They especially liked the part when little baby John leaped up in his mother's womb at the presence of his Savior.  Since Little Sprout was born just last year, they clearly remember her jumping and kicking in my belly; so they understood and delighted in this account of the baby John's reaction to Mary's pregnancy.
I helped the kids cut out these paper dolls representing the pregnant ladies Mary and Elisabeth, and then the kids set about gloriously splashing them with their watercolors.  A preference for greens, blacks, and browns certainly make their dolls look like they were in the throes of morning sickness. :)

 December 7th:  Mary Sings a Song of Worship
We read the story of Mary visiting Elisabeth again today and focused on the beautiful song of praise that Mary sang to God after Elisabeth spoke words of blessing on her baby.  "My soul doth magnify the Lord, and my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour.  For he hath regarded the low estate of his handmaiden; for, behold, from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed..."  These are amazing words of peace and joy from a young woman who had to have been nervous and uncertain of her future.
The kids chose various marbles and glued them to an old CD to help remind us of Mary's beautiful song.  Poor Beast stressed about putting his marbles in a perfect circle, which probably got in the way of him really learning from the truth today.  Oh well.

 December 8th:  Jesus is the Rising Sun
We learned that Elisabeth did indeed give birth to a son that they named John.  Zachariah was finally able to speak, and when he did, the words of praise and prophecy just poured forth.  He spoke of how his child would lead the way and direct people to Jesus Christ.  He described Jesus as "the rising sun" that will "shine on those living in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the path of peace." 
So we made bright orange paper suns and glued brilliant little sequins all over them as we talked about our Savior, the rising sun.

 December 9th:  Joseph Was a Righteous Man
I shared with the kids about another man in our story, a man named Joseph.  He was described as a just and righteous man.  When he found out about Mary's pregnancy, he felt the right thing to do woul be to put her away, but privately so she would not be shamed.  The kids and I talked about what a godly man he was - determined to do right.  I asked the kids if they could think of other righteous men in their lives and was pleased to hear them immediately answer with 'Daddy, and Grandpa, and Pop." 
The kids designed their clothespin Josephs similar to the Mary clothespin dolls they had made. 

December 10th:  Joseph Has a Dream
It was very interesting to talk to the kids about dreams today.  Gabi in particular was eager to share some dreams she had had recently.  I explained that back in Bible times, sometimes God spoke to his faithful followers in a dream.  Then we read about Joseph's dream in which the angel of the Lord told him not to be afraid to marry Mary. 
The kids chose fabric out of my stash and put together this little pillows to represent Joseph's dream.  While they worked on their pillows, I reminded them that God always reassures us and makes His presence known when we are doing right.

Truth in the Tinsel: Days One through Five

December brings a host of activities and events to our family.  This year, I am trying to be more purposeful in the things we choose to do this holiday season.  I don't want to do things just for the sake of "doing them."  So when I heard of Truth in the Tinsel, I thought, "That might be just the thing to do with the kids this year."  It would be purposeful - the intent being that the kids (and me!) would have some time together every day to focus on Jesus and the amazing gift that came to us at Christmas.  However, I was hesitant to commit to it.  I didn't want to start something and then get so caught up in all the busyness of life that I never finished it. 

Finally, I decided to purchase the book, and we would just have to see how it would go.

 

What's Truth in the Tinsel?  A mom and teacher at Oh Amanda came up with this program to help her kids understand the true meaning of Christmas.  It's a great way to celebrate Advent.  Each day, you read some Scripture verses to your kids.  Then you talk about what happened in those verses and apply it.  The best part is making an ornament together to represent what you just talked about. 

We have had such a great time doing them so far that I am no longer worried about not finishing it. 

 

So, this post is about the first five days of our Truth in the Tinsel adventures.  I will do five posts in all to share what we have learned together on this journey.

 December 1st:  Jesus is the Light of the World

We read together in Isaiah 9 how the people who were in darkness had seen a great light.  David said, "Mom, I don't like it when it's dark.  That's why I need a night light."  This was a great lead-in to our talk - how the whole world was dark with sin and despair.  It needed a Light desperately, and God planned on sending that Light.  The prophet Isaiah predicted His coming. 

The kids enthusiastically glued their tissue paper to the candle silhouettes while we held a discussion on what things can make our hearts dark. 

 December 2nd:  Jesus is Our King

We read in Isaiah 9 again and focused on verses 6-7.  He is our Prince of Peace!  He will establish His kingdom forever.  "How can He be Prince AND King?" Gabi wondered.  And so the conversation began.  We looked at all the names of Jesus - Wonderful, Counsellor, the mighty God, and so on.  He is the only king that can guarantee true peace.

The kids chose their paint colors and intently decorated their crowns with sparkly sequins.  Mikey said that he wanted to be a king when he grew up. 

 December 3rd:  The Angel Gabriel Visits Zachariah

This day, we went to Luke 1 for our reading.  Gabi helped me read the story of how the priest Zachariah was visited by the angel Gabriel.  We talked about how scary it must have been for Zachariah to have an angel appear to him in the temple.  And even though the angel was bringing good news to him, it was easy to understand why Zachariah didn't believe him. 

The offspring glued macaroni and googly eyes to their yogurt lids and chose different yarn hair styles for their Zachariah ornaments.  Their favorite part was attaching the bubble wrap mouth and then popping it, symbolizing how God struck Zachariah dumb for his unbelief. 

 December 4th: Gabriel is God's Messenger

Today, we followed up yesterday's story of Gabriel and Zachariah with Gabriel's visit to another person, Mary.  Gabriel was God's messenger.  We discussed his name, which means "God is my might."  Gabi has the feminine version of his name; she was excited to learn that her name also means "God is my might."  Gabriel willingly carried God's messages to people, whether it be a priest or a young girl. 

The kids looked through my stash of Christmas cards, and each chose one to fold into Gabriel's robe.  With Momma on glue gun duty, we added ribbons, glittery pipe cleaners, and jingle bells to make our angels. 

December 5th:  Mary Listens to Gabriel

We read yesterday's passage in Luke 1:26-38 again.  This time we focused on Mary.  She was a young girl, obviously troubled when she was approached by the angel.  Still, she listened, and although she had questions, she was willing to do what God wanted her to do.  She offered herself as the Lord's handmaiden.

As the kids carefully glued felt dresses and tiny buttons on their clothespin Marys, we talked about how we could be like Mary.  We could be willing to do what God wants, too.  Mikey said that he would pick up his toys, because that's "what God would want." :)



Theme Thursdays - Apples

A few weeks ago, I wrote up my first Theme Thursday, documenting what we do on our theme days in homeschooling.  Here's the next one in the series.

 

Here on Temporary Insanity, I will be posting Theme Thursdays each week to share what activities we did and what resources we used on our special day. All of the instructions and links will be right here so please feel free to use them. I am including lots of extra ideas as well - no need to do them all, of course! Keep in mind that my activities are tailored to two kindergarteners and one second-grader; you can adjust them to fit your family.

This week, the theme is apples.  You can find previous themes here. 

BOOKS:

1.  The Life and Times of the Apple by Charles Micucci.  This read is full of interesting facts about apples and how they grow.  The hand-drawn illustrations are fascinating!

2.  Ten Red Apples by Pat Hutchins.  Fun counting book!

3.  How Did That Get in My Lunchbox? The Story of Food by Chris Butterworth.  We just read the part about how apples are made into apple juice and put in juice boxes. 

4.  Apples, Apples, Apples by Nancy Elizabeth Wallace.  This is the book that gave us the idea for our craft project. 

     Here are some other apple reading suggestions:

5.   How Do Apples Grow? by Betsy Maestro

6.  The Seasons of Arnold's Apple Tree by Gail Gibbons

7.  Apple Fractions by Jerry Pallotta and Rob Bolster

8.  Ten Apples Up on Top by Theo LeSieg     

 I drew up some pages for the kids to make their own apple book.  They colored the cover, and we worked on the pages together.  We reviewed the sound a makes and made a list of words with a in them.  We labeled the parts of an apple on another page and did some apple math problems on the next.  We talked about how the apple tree changes throughout the seasons and colored a page to go along with that discussion.  Just click on the pictures below, save them to your computer, and then print them out for your apple book activity. 

 ART PROJECT: 
     The kids really enjoyed making star stamps with apple cores.  As you can see in the photos above, we cut an apple in half horizontally, cut out the center, removed the seeds, painted the apple stamp with white paint, and then carefully stamped in on colored cardstock.  When the prints dried, the kids folded their paper and made cards for their grandparents.  (handwriting practice!)
Some other apple-themed arts/crafts:
1.  Fingerprint Apple Tree
2.  Paper Plate Apple
3.  Apple Shrunken Heads

 KITCHEN ACTIVITY:
     We decided to make baked apples for our snack.  Simply take your apples (we used Pink Lady apples) and core them almost down to the bottom.  Make a mixture of brown sugar and cinnamon and let the kids fill up their apple with it.  Cut some small pieces of butter to top off the apples.  Put a few inches of water in a pan and place the apples in the water.  Bake for fifteen minutes at 350 degrees. 
Some other apple-themed kitchen activities:
1.  Applesauce
2.  Apple Pie Party Dip
3.  Caramel Apples

HISTORY:
    A natural history study for an apple theme is Johnny Appleseed.  There are lots of printables and other activities on the internet that you can use to learn more about Johnny Appleseed as well as many books available.  The Drama Queen happened to have a story about Johnny Appleseed in her reader that she read aloud to all of us, and then we reenacted his story in the living room. :)

Have fun;  our next theme will be Spiders!

Changes

Did you all see I finally have a blog button? You can use the code in the box to the right to grab my button and add it to your blog if you like. Let me know if you do, and I'd love to add yours to my blog as well. We'll call it "Trading Buttons"...

More changes are coming to the blog as well as I am trying to switch directions a little, if you will. The main focuses of the blog will be our journey with autism, recipes and crafts, and homeschooling. If you're trying to find a previous post or label, use the "buttons" on the right side of the blog to find what you're looking for. I hope you'll stick around for all the changes!

Speaking of changes, there is a very unhappy and very stinky baby making eye contact with me right now...

The Craft Nerd Needs Her Mojo Back

I joined the Pinterest craze last summer in the midst of the nesting phase of my pregnancy. Within the first two weeks of joining, I had already tried several crafts, sewing tutorials, and recipes from my boards.

Then. Well, I got larger and larger and less and less motivated. My kids were lucky to be getting fed those days, let alone with some fancy recipe off Pinterest. At the peak of my largeness, Little Sprout finally joined our family and we entered a new era of crazy. I have changed my outfit three times today due to that darling little child's spit-up and other body fluids. I have not counted how many times I changed her outfit. I explored the territory of root words and suffixes with my first-grader while simultaneously nursing the baby and imploring the boys to just clean up their room already. Pinterest has dropped way down on the priority list.

So. I am determined to rediscover some of the things that originally captured my attention and do them. It might take me several weeks to accomplish them, but hey, creativity needs to make a comeback at this house. I actually started one project already (two weeks ago), and the second my hand touched the paintbrush, I did a giddy little dance of excitement. Yes, I am that crafty-nerdy.

Here's a couple of things I am hoping to try soon:

Source: kingarthurflour.com via Jeanette on Pinterest

Source: simplesimonandco.com via Jeanette on Pinterest

Source: daydreamliving.blogspot.com via Jeanette on Pinterest

Source: bystephanielynn.com via Jeanette on Pinterest

cheer me on!

Creative Endeavors

I've been in a bit of a creative haze lately. As in, I am bookmarking DIY projects like crazy and planning out an insane amount of crafty things to complete before Little Sprout arrives. Last week was particularly productive in the creative arena.

I mentioned a few weeks ago that I really wanted to try this flip-flop makeover. I found an old pair of flip flops that were ready to throw out two seasons ago, and with a little matching fabric, I transformed them into these cute ruffly T-strap sandals.

The Drama Queen saw my "new" sandals and wanted a pair for herself. She had no pair of flip flops (we tend to go the Crocs route for the littles around here) so off we went to Old Navy to score a cheap pair of the current favorite color - yellow. She chose some leftover Amy Butler fabric from my stash for her ruffly straps. I had enough left over to make her a matching belt. (the poor girl cannot keep a pair of jeans or skirt up without one!) Even at age five, though, she struggles to keep flip flops on her feet when she walks. I think it's because little kids don't have a deep enough crevasse between their big toe and second toe. Anyway, today I am going to sew on little elastic straps on the back to help those cuties stay on her feet!

The Drama Queen's best friend is at our house every day - so naturally she needed a pair too. We couldn't find her size at Old Navy, but my favorite store Target filled our need with a fun pair of pink flip flops. Little J. ended up choosing a fabric that matched the purse the girls had made in our "home ec" class, and I think they turned out super adorable. :)

On Friday, I was blessed to have my mother-in-law take all the kiddos for the day. I need a hair band to push my hair out of my face but couldn't find one that went with my outfit. Still in "I can sew" mode, I decided to make my own. I think it turned out rather well. The big flower was in part inspired by the ruffles I sewed on all those flip flops. Unfortunately, I forgot to take pictures of each step of the process - so a tutorial will have to wait for a little while. I like it so much though that I am going to make it in a few more fabrics - hence an opportunity for tutorial photos.

The project currently on the table is a nursing cover for Little Sprout. I originally was going to make a very simple one, but once I saw the tutorial for this reversible cover, I was hooked. It is almost finished! Here is a sneak peek at the fabrics I chose.

We'll see how long these creative juices last. . .

Happy Love Day

It's that time of year again - time to celebrate our loved ones with what else? sugar and chocolate and all things sweet! The Nerd and I took advantage of free babysitting on Friday night (thanks Grandma and Grandpa!) to celebrate Valentines' Day. We ordered food from Chevys' and picked up some chocolatey dessert and movies from the local grocery store. It was a glorious, kid-free time.

Today is the Drama Queen's first Valentines' Day school party. Being a crafty soul like her mother, she wanted to make her own valentines for her friends. We found lots of great ideas at Family Fun and settled on these lollipop flowers.

The petals are hearts cut out of sturdy scrapbook paper, and the leaves were cut out of green construction paper. The stem and flower center was of course a Dum Dum lollipop, and we stuck all the "flowers" into a foam brick for easy transportation.

I love cupcakes, and these fun Fruit-By-The-Foot roses were another idea from Family Fun. I am sure the Drama Queen and all her little friends will enjoy these sweet treats.

My other two valentines are home watching Busytown and are thrilled beyond words that Mommy allowed them to have a cupcake for breakfast! Today also happens to be the Spud's half-birthday, and we always celebrate half-birthdays with cupcakes. Luckily, the Spud could care less that the cupcakes have pink frosting. :)

Happy Valentines' Day everyone! Oh, and pop on over to this blog to wish my good friend Rachel a Happy Birthday today!

Found It Friday - Water

I cannot believe that it is Friday already! I must confess, I had to do some scrambling to get my Found It Friday post ready, as puppeteering and painting have taken up most of my week.

For those new to Found It Friday, I'd love for you to come in and join in on the fun! Read here on how to get involved and please link up up your Found It Friday post below. (And really, please please please link up! I would like to really get this meme going!)

Our theme for inspiration this week is water, so here goes:

1. Since it's summertime, I thought I would include something showing water in its solid form. You can get ice cube trays in just about any shape. I think this Tetris ice cube tray is genius and would be a perfect party conversation starter! (ice cube tray by ThinkGeek)

2. Even something as simple as water can inspire fantastic works of art. I was captivated by this pixelated street art piece and had to share it! (artwork from WebEcoist)

3. Apparently you can also make art with nothing but water and a smooth surface. Somebody with much more talent and a much steadier hand made these ultra-cute water pictures. (simple water art by dunn of my interesting files)

4. Nutrition experts say we should drink at least eight glasses of water a day. But let's face it - water is boring and not nearly as fun to drink as soda or iced tea! Flavored water can help, but it can get expensive too. I found an interesting article on how to make your own flavored water, even using chocolate syrup, jell-o mix, or coffee flavor syrups. (full article by Kristie Leong at Lifestyle)

5. Just had to include one of my favorite activities with the kiddos. Give them some old paint brushes, a few buckets of water, and let them "paint" away outside. My kiddos have painted sidewalks, driveways, railings, tires, and more with this extremely inexpensive activity. It dries, and then they start all over! I couldn't find a pic of my kiddos painting with water, so I (ahem!) borrowed this one from QuatroMama to illustrate my point. (check out her blog, folks, it's inspiring and a great read!)

So link up folks with your water-themed posts!

and next week's theme will be: stars.

Thanks for participating!

Found It Friday - Daisies

It's time again for a breath of fresh inspiration. Welcome to Found It Friday, where I (and other awesome bloggers) share how we were inspired by the simple yet beautiful flower called a daisy. In case you're joining us for the first time, each week I post a theme for inspiration. All participating bloggers come up with five things inspired by the theme. You can read more about how you can join in on the fun with this new meme here.

He loves me, he loves me not. . . let's explore this field of daisies together.

1. I love the cheerful effect that giant Gerber daisies have. I couldn't think of a more appropriate place for my daisies than my big sunny kitchen window. I bought adorable hourglass vases at IKEA, filled the bottoms with white rice, and then inserted the Gerber daisies (which I cut down to the height I wanted.) Instant happiness!

2. Perhaps if you love flowers but have trouble keeping them alive (I have no green thumb whatsoever!), this steel daisy chain may work perfectly in your garden. It is made entirely out of recycled propane tanks by Shining Sun Garden Works. Gorgeous!

3. The Drama Queen and I were so inspired by the shape of daisies that we made our own monogrammed daisy hair clippies. (tutorial)

4. Daisies are just lovely at weddings! Here is a very chic and easy way to make your wedding favors memorable - just add a sweet daisy to the top of a standard wedding bubbles container. (daisy wedding ideas)

5. And speaking of sweet, make edible daisies like these charming beauties to decorate cupcakes for your next garden party or bridal shower. (Puffed-Up Petal Cupcakes by Wilton)

And finally, as a little bonus this week, I made a daisy-inspired treasury at Etsy, highlighting items featuring fresh yellows and clean whites. It's easy (and addicting!) to make your own treasuries at Etsy.com. It's strangely exhilarating to organize a group of your favorite things and make it look beautiful. You can see my entire treasury here.

So, show me your daisy love! Link up with your Found It Friday daisy post below, and be sure to visit everyone else's posts to kick up the creativity this weekend!

Next week's inspiration is: Sand and Surf . Start gathering your wonderful finds now and wow us with a beautiful post next week!

(and if you came visiting through Follow Me, Chickadee Fridays, welcome! I am so glad you dropped by!)