Halloween Ghosts

Well, October begins this Friday, and I thought I would share our new Halloween decorations.

We made them for FREE! with materials we had around the house, but you could make them pretty cheap if you're resourceful.

Here's what you'll need:

• Some old tennis balls (or golf balls for smaller ghosts)
• White fabric (I used garage sale-find curtains)
• Scissors
• White pipe cleaners
• Fabric (or permanent) markers
• Needles & white thread
• Very enthusiastic helper

Here's what you do:

Cut the fabric to cover the tennis ball, plus enough to hang in a spooky fashion. I just eye-balled it. You'll need more than one layer if your fabric is thin. Also, more layers mean a fuller "body."

Put the tennis ball in the center & gather the fabric around it. Fasten with a pipe cleaner.

Shred the fabric that's hanging loose. I started it by snipping several places along the edge & then let the boys finish by ripping the strips apart. Be sure all the rips move up, toward the tennis ball. (I couldn't get a picture because Riley needed a little help.)

Draw a ghostly face with your marker.

Fasten a loop of thread to the top using a needle & thread. Just thread the needle and slip it through a couple layers of the fabric. Then knot the ends.

Repeat until you have several, then hang them in your home or from your tree.

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WFMW - A Fancy Breakfast

This breakfast has three main parts, all of which can be changed to suit the season & your family's tastes. It's a little more effort, so I usually save it for special occasions, or I make enough to quickly throw it together each day for a week.

Part One: Pancakes.
You can use your favorite scratch recipe (I use one I altered from my Betty Crocker cookbook - my version has no fat and whole wheat flour), box mix, frozen, or whatever you like best. You could also use waffles.

Part Two: Fruit salad.
I make mine fresh with whatever is in season. The one in the picture (below) included apples, oranges, fresh pineapple, blackberries & blueberries.

Part Three: Yogurt Sauce.
I blend together a banana and about a cup of yogurt. My kids also like a little honey in it. If you use banana, it won't keep very long in the fridge, so if you're planning to eat this another day, you might want to pick another fruit.

You are limited only by your own creativity. In the summer, I will sometimes use chopped fresh pineapple for the fruit & flavor the yogurt with a little coconut extract. We call this the Tropical Fancy Breakfast. In the winter I cut up bananas & pecans & flavor the yogurt with a little maple extract.

Anyway, warm up your pancake or waffle.
Top with fruit salad.
Pour a little yogurt sauce on top.
Enjoy!

That's about it. Again, a recipe so simple you can hardly call it a recipe. My kids love it because it's tasty; I love it because it's actually healthy.

For more WFMW ideas, visit We Are THAT Family.

WFMW - A Tasty Summer Treat

We call this refreshing summer snack

"Lemon Fizzy-Twizzy."

It's so simple to make that I'm not sure it can be called a recipe.

Here's what you need:

~As many drinking cups as you have people
~ White soda, cold (I use Ginger Ale)
~ Lemonade, cold (Right now we're using Country Time)
~ Twizzlers - they have to be the regular kind, like that shown (We like cherry the best)

Here are the super-difficult directions:

1. Fill the cups a little more than halfway full with soda.
2. Top it off with lemonade.
3. Give each person a Twizzler & tell them to bite off each end.
4. Put the Twizzler into the cup and use as straw*.
5. Eat your straw when your drink is gone, or as you drink it.

 *Note: Occasionally the "straw" will close up at an end. If this happens, just bite off the collapsed part & keep going.

 

That's it! My kids think it's fun to use their edible "straws." And, as an added bonus, if you happen to have a youngster with sensory needs (like those from autism or ADHD), this is a great sensory snack. The hole in the middle of the Twizzler is really small, so kids have to work all those oral muscles to get their drink. Plus, the cold temperature, fizziness and tart flavor all provide sensory input.

I do want to mention that the handsome (and very enthusiastic-looking) chap in the above photo helped to concoct this snack. I promise, he likes it a LOT more than it looks like in that picture!

Oh, and kids who don't have sensory needs think it's a yummy treat, too!

I know it's not exactly healthy, but on a hot summer day, this snack works for me!

For more Works for Me Wednesday happiness, check out We Are THAT Family.

WFMW - How I Cook Bacon

Okay, let me start with a confession.

I cannot cook bacon in a skillet.

If the world was coming to an end and its very salvation depended on my ability to cook bacon (to an edible state) on a stove top, we'd all be in trouble.

But I LOVE BACON. I cannot think of any food that is not made better by the addition of bacon.

So I have learned to adapt. I nuke the bacon in the microwave.

I start by getting out the bacon, two dinner plates, two paper plates and a roll of paper towels.

I put one paper plate on the dinner plate, then add a paper towel (or two if it's thick-cut bacon) on top of that.

Then I put my bacon on top of the paper towel. Be sure it's in one layer.

I was making BLT's for dinner this night, so I cut the bacon strips in half before I cooked them. When I make it for breakfast, I leave the strips long.

Then, I put another layer of paper towel(s), another paper plate and another dinner plate on top, and pop it into the microwave.

Cooking times vary, but in my microwave, I cook it on high for approximately 1 minute per whole strip of bacon. (I cooked this batch for 6 minutes.) Also, if you're doing more than one batch, you might need to decrease the cooking time a bit for subsequent batches... at least I have to.

When it's done, you'll need to take everything out of the microwave carefully. The whole thing will be extremely hot. I put it on a pot holder next to my sink. I remove the top dinner plate and set it aside, then I remove the top paper plate & paper towels and put them into the sink until they're cool enough to throw in the trash.

The bacon comes out really flat, which makes it perfect for BLT's. Oh, and see all that bacon grease on the paper towel there? I would rather have it there than on my sandwich.

So there you have it. That's how I cook bacon. I know that it's not exactly eco-friendly, with all the paper towels and paper plates, but this is what works for me!

For more Works for Me Wednesday tips, visit We Are That Family.

WFMW - How We Learn Spelling

I know most homeschool families don't do spelling as its own subject; spelling words are learned incidentally, as they come up in other subjects. But we here at the Purple Brick Road do a hybrid - public school Aug-May & homeschool June-Aug. Since we a have a child who doesn't learn best through public school methods, we spend our summers catching up on what was missed during the school year (and we also focus on subjects that public school doesn't really teach, such as faith/religion and patriotism).

Thus, some of our SHS (Summer [Home]School curriculum is dictated by the district's benchmarks. This is a long way of explaining that we have to focus on spelling as an individual subject because there are lists to be mastered.

With a multi-sensory learner, this means that we don't just copy, copy copy word after word onto a paper. We take a... well, a multi-sensory approach. Most of our strategies can be used for anything that needs to be memorized:

 On the first day of the week, Tyson copies the list (usually 12 words) onto the sliding glass doors with a dry erase marker. Did you know this wipes right off, like it would on a white-board? This puts it on a vertical plane, thus altering the visual perception.

On the second day of the week, he copies each word onto an old cookie sheet in shaving cream. After he has copied it, he reads the word, spells it out loud, and says it again ~ spelling bee style. This incorporates tactile and auditory learning.

On the third day, we build the words. Sometimes we use magnets (and those trusty cookie sheets or the metal front door). Other times we use these fun foam stickers (which I got at Target - 100piece packs in the $1 bins!). We will either stand at the table or put the letters on one counter & the cookie sheet (or cardboard/paper) on another, so he has to walk between them. This engages tactile & kinetic (movement) learning (and also gives him a break from the horrible, terrible handwriting part).

On the fourth day, we play a game where I call out the words, and he jumps, steps, hops, etc. from one letter to the next in order to spell the words. If he gets stuck, I help him sound out the word, or I will sometimes write it on the white board for him. This engages auditory, tactile and kinetic learning. It also acts as a practice test since he's no longer copying the words, and it helps with his working memory because the letters are out of order. He has to remember which letters he's already done.

The last day of the week is spelling test day. I read the words, give it in a sentence and he writes them on a white board. Paper and pencil is by far our least favorite tools for learning, so we use them only when necessary (like for journaling.)

Of course, his little brother gets to participate, too, so he's already learning some of his letters. But mostly, he just does it for the fun of it:

For more Works for Me Wednesday posts, visit WeAreThatFamily!

WFMW - The Basket

This is "The Basket." It comes out whenever either of our boys are sick. And since Riley (2yo) just had a two week, double flare-up of strep throat, I though I would share this little convenience.

It began when Tyson (the older) was a few weeks old. Then it wasn't the sick basket; it was the baby basket. Babies need stuff. Lots of stuff. And I realized when I was still on maternity leave that I felt like I was constantly roaming the house to get this or that or whatever Ty needed at the moment.

When we were upstairs, his bulb syringe was downstairs. When we were downstairs, his extra socks were upstairs. We ended up with burp cloths everywhere, and rarely had a clean backup binkie handy when he needed one. I decided to corral all of the baby stuff into one portable place. We kept the baby nail files, extra socks, binkies, burp cloths, etc. in one place. Thus, The Basket was born. It went everywhere the baby went.

Eventually, he grew up a bit and we didn't need it any more.

And then he had his first bout of the flu, and I realized another valuable lesson:

Kids need stuff. Sick kids need lots of stuff. Pretty much now.

So I dug the basket out of the closet and put it to work again. And that's what we do any time either of the boys gets sick. We take the basket out of the closet and fill it with sick kid stuff:

• thermometer
• Motrin
• lip balm
• hand sanitizer
• pad of paper + pen (to record fever, time & dose of meds, etc.)
• lotion (for giving massages to aching little backs & shoulders)
• doctor's card with phone numbers (just in case)
• anything else we might need 

We just keep the basket with the kid. This way there is no need to stumble down the stairs for more Motrin in the middle of the night. That definitely works for me!

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WFMW: Coralling the Tub Toys

I mentioned in this post that I have a cheap, home-made, but totally functional bath toy keeper.

Today I'm going to share with you my super secret, totally complicated device, and instructions on how you can make one of your own.

Here are the materials you'll need:

1 small mesh garment bag
1 small plastic waste basket
   (both are available at Target, Walmart, even the dollar store!)

Be sure that the opening of your mesh bag will fit over the opening of your waste basket.

Okay, here are the really complicated assembly instructions:
1) put the mesh bag into the waste basket.
2) Turn the top edge of the bag over the rim of the wastebasket.
3) Secure with a binder clip or big rubberband if needed.

I always pull down on the edge of the bag so that the bottom of the bag is not sitting on the bottom of the waste basket. This allows space for everything to drip dry without the toys at the bottom sitting in stagnant water.

It cost me a only a few dollars, took about 45 seconds to assemble, and not only keeps the tub toys coralled in one place, but also allows for drying and super easy washing.

 And the washing? Well, I don't know about you, but we have hard water in these parts. This means that everything in the tub gets a buildup of soap scum (tasty!) and mineral deposits (exfoliant!) after a while. So, I try to wash the tub toys every so often.

When it's time for a wash, I zip the bag shut:

And then lift the whole thing out:

I then carry it to my washing machine and toss it in with my load of towels. I wash those on the hot setting to kill all the little germies, and I guess the agitation of the washer gets the film off because they always come out clean. (Of course, I do not run them through my dryer. I just put the whole thing back in the waste basket t drip dry.)

Oh, and let me say this:

I am absolutely not a domestic diva. (Seriously! I don't even know how to work our coffee maker!) I do not know if this is harmful to my washing machine. All of our tub toys are soft-ish plastic, and none contain small parts. And so far I haven't had any problems, although it does sometimes sound like someone put a bowling ball in the washer... I am not responsible for damage done to anyone else's washing machine if they run their tub toys through it. I'm just sharing with you the way that I  do it. It's not my fault if you're crazy enough to take me seriously...

Works for Me

This is my first time. Please be gentle...

We have recently revamped our system of discipline.

The boys are getting older (22 months, and 7 years) and things were beginning to get a bit out of hand. They keep coming up with new & innovative ways to break rules, "shurk the work" and generally get into trouble.

My husband & I realized over Christmas vacation that we were doing a lot of reacting, and it rarely turned out good. (Think crying, stomping, yelling full-on temper tantrums... and that was just me!)

So, we implemented three new tools that have stopped the virtual spin cycle that had become our house.

The first thing we did was to sit down with our 7 year old & work together to put those unspoken household rules (you know, like "speak to others with respect" and "obey Mom & Dad") into a clear & concise list. The list was written out & posted in the kitchen. (Isn't it nice when kids start to read fluently???)
The second thing we did was to think up some creative (and useful) consequences for breaking those rules. We wrote them on strips of paper & put them into the consequence jar. Some examples of consequences you might find in this jar include:

"wash the kitchen floor" - I don't know about you, but mine seems to be a magnet for all things sticky.
"Put five words into alphabetical order" - because this is a great skill to practice when you are in 1st grade.
"Empty recycle bag into large can" - there is always something to be taken outside.
"Scoop the poop" - we have two dogs and a fenced backyard. If it's raining, there is a gecko cage upstairs.

Here's the really fun part: if Mommy or Daddy break a rule, they, too, must draw out a consequence & get it done.

Attitude during consequences is faced with additional consequences being drawn out & completed. (The family record was four in a row - it was not set by me.)

It's working wonderfully. Ty gave himself a consequence last week because he realized he had disrespected me (after I gave him my "mom look.")

I should mention that Riley is exempt from the consequence jar at this time. He's too little to understand & do most of the stuff, so he still gets a minute on the rug when he needs a correction.

The other thing we did was to implement "Sticks."

We have given Ty an allowance for several years. He can do specific chores & extra things around the house to earn money. Since the chores that need to be done are different each day, they are written in a notebook for quick reference. We give one craft stick per chore or helpful deed, and at the end of the week, the sticks are exchanged for cash. (Each stick is worth a dime. Daddy just gave us all a raise - cheapskate Mommy was only giving a nickel per stick...) Until recently, Ty was the only one who received sticks.

But, in the face of a few really lazy weeks, we decided to make sticks available to anyone who gets the work done. Each family member has a cup (they will be more stylish cans, as soon as I save enough) on the table in the hallway.

The person who does the work gets a stick in their cup. Ty is the official family stick counter. This means that at the end of the day, he has an opportunity to see how helpful each family member was that day, based on how many sticks they got. Last week, his little brother helped do all but one of the chores while Ty loafed on the couch. Ty really began to understand the system.

Now, they do not get sticks for some things, like keeping their rooms clean, clearing their own dishes from the table, picking up their toys in the living room, or generally taking care of their own stuff. But, they do get sticks for things like helping me unload the dishwasher, helping me with laundry, dusting the baseboards & swiffering the floors.

I know allowances & discipline can be controversial topics, but this is what 'works for me.'

For more great WFMW ideas, visit We are That Family