Fun
School Projects: Great Plains Native American Tepee Home
Great Plains Tepee Project
Brina recently did a Social Studies project for school. She was studying about the Native Americans and the different regions. Brina picked the Great Plains Region and the tepee for her project. She had to make a tepee and write a paragraph on how the lodging benefited them. On this Social Studies project Brina did the Great Plains Region with Tepee housing and Karlie chose the Southwest Region with Pueblo housing.
Making her designs on the tepee!
She finished the Native American designs on her tepee! Looks good!
Tepee Construction:
- Cereal Box
- Old White T-Shirt
- Elmer’s Glue
- Wooden Dowels
- Hot Glue & Hot Glue Gun
- Markers
Cut a cereal box into a semi-circle. Use Elmer’s Glue and attach the T-Shirt to the non-print side of the cardboard from the cereal box. Once the glue dries use the markers to create your own special Native American designs on your tepee. Cut out the door to your tepee. Hot glue the wooden dowels to the inside of the tepee. Once the glue dries stand the tepee up and hot glue it to the poster board. To help your tepee maintain its shape you can use rubber bands around it as it dries in place.
Brina’s Great Plains Paragraph: The Great Plains Native Americans used tepees because they were very transportable. They used the tepees so they could follow the buffalo and other animals while hunting them. Their main source of food was buffalo meat. The tepees were light weight, transportable, could be folded up, and carried to the next spot. they also used the tepee poles to carry buffalo meat. The tepees were shelter during the nights for the families and transportable when they were trying to find food. The tepees were a valuable tool used to help feed their families.
Brina’s social studies project ready to go!
She was so excited to hot glue her horse and a folded up tepee on her poster board!
Her tepee turned out well!
Brina was super excited about the fire because Jake used his 3D printer to make it for her project!
Awesome learning lesson about the Great Plains Native Americans and their transportable home – the tepee! It was a great project!
Family Activities: Fall Pumpkin Carving Fun
The girls carved pumpkins glowing on the front porch! Can you guess who designed which one?
It has been a tradition for our family to carve pumpkins around Halloween. A lot of times we carve the pumpkins the weekend before Halloween, but with everything going on this year it was a little later this year. On Halloween afternoon our family went out to search for the perfect carving pumpkins. After stopping at three stores we started to wonder if we were even going to find any pumpkins to carve. Finally, we ended up at Publix and thankfully they still had a lot of pumpkins including some huge ones. All the pumpkins, not matter what size were $5! Of course the kids picked the biggest ones they could find. We came home with one 25 pound and one 26 pound pumpkin!
This year instead of dressing up and running around doing trick and treating the kids decided they would rather spend the evening as a family celebrating Halloween. So thankful that the girls wanted to hang out and spend a relaxing evening with us. We let each kid pick out their favorite bag of candy, a pumpkin to carve, some fun games, and family activities to do Halloween evening. For Halloween dinner we picked up Chinese take out as a special treat.
My brother and sister-in-law brought my nephews came by dressed up as the cutest little lion and minion! It was the first year we had trick or treaters because usually we are never home for Halloween! It was great getting to see them and spend some time hanging out with them on Halloween!
The pumpkin is fresh, washed, and ready to be carved!
Cleaning out their pumpkins! They did the majority of the cleaning, designing, and cutting on their own!
Brina saw a cat designed she liked online and used that as an example to draw one on her pumpkin! We used wet erase marker to draw on the pumpkin before carving it out.
Karlie couldn’t find a design she liked online so she drew a rough draft of what she wanted on a piece of paper than drew it again on the pumpkin! She really wanted a rocket, Saturn, and a star on her pumpkin so this is what she created!
Brina carving her cat pumpkin out!
Karlie carving her space pumpkin out!
We have a space and cat pumpkin glowing on our front porch!
The girls chose more non-traditional pumpkin designs. Brina got her cat idea from another pumpkin she saw. Karlie designed her rocket, Saturn, star, and space one completely on her own (and fit her personality and interests perfectly)!
The pumpkins! I am pleased with how well the girls pumpkins turned out and they really did most of the work on them!
Relaxing and Reading
Relaxing and reading!
One of the best parts of having a relaxing Saturday morning is having extra time to read. This is what I saw recently when walked into Brina’s room! Brina was catching up on a pile of Berestain Bears books. Jake and Karlie were checking something out in the World Book Encyclopedia. The girls love books. It makes my heart happy to walk into the room and see the kids reading.
Brina enjoying her book!
Sweet Treats for a Spooktacular Halloween!
3 Easy Seasoned Pumpkin Seed Recipes
Wishing your family a Happy Halloween! I have been away for work the past couple of weeks so we decided to celebrate this Halloween by staying home and enjoying a family night. It is great to be back home and to see my handsome man and sweet kids! The only thing that the girls specifically requested for the our family Halloween celebration was some pumpkins for carving and something good to eat. I also picked up some caramel for making caramel apples!
Here are some of our favorite Halloween and delicious pumpkin recipes!
Pumpkin Cheesecake Muffins (4 Ingredients)
Carmel Apple Dip
Pumpkin Dip
Halloween Rice Krispie Treats
Super Easy Halloween Punch
Intentional Living: Weekly Goals
It was a crazy week. I spent some time in Kansas with my family helping Fall Harvest last week, however, I continued to have difficulties and pain with my back, neck, arm, and numbness in my hand so I came back home earlier than expected. Jake picked me up from the airport and took me directly to the doctor. After a couple more doctors visits they “think” it is a bulging, dislocated, or chipped disc in my neck along with strained/pulled muscles in my shoulder, and a pinched nerve. They are hoping I will feel better with the current treatment soon otherwise the next step is a MRI and possible surgery.
While away I did learn a lot. My time in the Midwest made me appreciate my parents and many of my extended family members who are in the farming industry even more for all the hard work they do on the farm. During Fall Harvest the days are long, very busy, and a lot of activities are going on simultaneously (harvest, drilling, hauling, prepping fields and meals, and so much more). It takes a lot of coordination, communication, and skill to keep everything and everybody moving forward smoothly. Plus, you have the weather that effects your days and activities too.
I am thankful that I was able to pitch in a small way and learn a few new things as well. I did manage to drive the tractor and grain cart a little bit and the track tractor for a few hours which is something I have never done before. Thankfully, I managed to make some progress forward and didn’t break anything (when operating such big equipment like the tractors, trucks, combines, vehicles, and equipment during harvest it is one of my fears that I will break something which could be costly in time and finances). I was super excited about helping my family with Fall Harvest, my biggest disappointment was that I had to come home early due to my health. For some reason God wants me home during this time, but I continue to pray for safety for all my family members still working the long hours out in the fields, prepping meals, and traveling to deliver the crops during this very busy time. I love my family dearly and truly wanted to be a blessing to them during this time.
Praying that I heal quickly because after over two weeks of sleeping restlessly in a recliner, being in pain, and having the side effects from the medicines I am ready to be myself again (I think my family would really like that too). With all that being said I have made adjustments with my schedule and hope to still accomplish many of my goals this week, but I want to be realistic as well with everything that is going on right now.
Last week’s goals
Family Goals
- Mail at least one note to Jake and the girls – I took cards and stamps, but with the busy days, pain, and coming home early it didn’t get done
Speak to my husband and kids at least once a daySend at least one Text, Picture, Instant Message, or Email a day to let them know I am thinking about them– my phone was not cooperating in KS, but I managed to IM at least once or twice a dayHave Hangout chat with the entire family at least once this week– I did do one short video hangout chat with Jake and the girls one eveningPrepare for Upcoming Fall Events & TripsSpend time with extended family– worked with them and went to the Country Harvest Pumpkin Patch with my parents, brother, and nephews on Sunday near Hastings, Nebraska
Personal Goals
- Drink 8 glasses of water each day – didn’t do so well keeping up with my water (one day I left my water in the pickup while I was in the tractor for several hours)
Continue my YouVersion plan(s)– I was ahead with my plan before heading to KS so I remained caught up- Exercise at least 5 times this week – ummmmm….no this one didn’t get done, I was moving around, but really only out of necessity not for exercise because moving was at times pretty painful
Home (Yard & Pets) Management Goals
Keep up with my laundryUpdate Evernote with any home / yard / pets activities for Jake and the girls
Business Goals
Work on ideas for upcoming blog posts- Keep up with the day to day items that need my attention – there were some activities I let slide this past week, hoping to get caught back up soon
- Work completed for clients – still have a couple items that need my attention
Ministry Goals
Meet a friend or family member for Breakfast or Lunch
Financial Goals
- Payoff the Car – working on it
- Payoff Outstanding Debt (microwave and refrigerator) – working on it
My goals for the upcoming week
Family Goals
- Pick another book to read to the kids (Jake is currently reading Last of the Mohicans to them)
- Plan one special activity with the family
- Prepare for Upcoming Fall Events & Trips
- Spend time Monday – Friday helping the kids with Homework
- Attend After School Activities
- Lunch Boxes & Book Bags packed the night before
- Ride Bikes with the kids
- Go for a Walk with the Kids
- Play a Game with the Kids
- Attend School Board Meeting
- Start Organizing the Kids Scrapbook Items
- Plan Family Halloween Dinner & Celebration
- Orthodontic Appointment for Kids
Personal Goals
- Drink 8 glasses of water each day
- Continue my YouVersion plan(s)
- Exercise at least 5 times this week
- Go to my Doctor Appointments Scheduled this week
Home (Yard & Pets) Management Goals
- All laundry for the week washed, folded, and put away in one day
- Weekly Dinner Menu planned out for the week
- Do at least one “Make 1 & Freeze 1” Meal Prep (make a main dish to eat that day and one to freeze for later)
- Clean out & Organize Refrigerator & Freezer
- Clean House (Focus – Basement Floors)
- Organize Chaos (Focus – Storage Room)
- Put Spring/Summer Clothes in the Attic
- Yard Cleanup (Focus – Pool taken down and put away)
- Pet Care (Focus – Refill Goat Food Bin & Make Homemade Treats with the kids for Skipper)
- Make 1 – Freeze 1 Meal Prep (make a main dish to eat and one to freeze for later)
Business Goals
- Work on ideas for upcoming blog posts
- Respond to Inquiry – Business Relation Emails
- Keep up with the day to day items that need my attention
- Work completed for clients
Ministry Goals
- Meet a friend or family member for Breakfast or Lunch
- Prep for our Samaritan’s Purse Operation Christmas Child boxes
Financial Goals
- Payoff the Car
- Payoff Outstanding Debt – (replacement microwave, refrigerator, and other debt)
- Pay Bills & File Paperwork
- Make an extra payment on Outstanding Debt
- Earn some Creative Cash
- Go grocery shopping one time to one store this week and stay within budget
I think it is important to share and encourage each other as we seek to improve our lives and the lives of those around us. I want to live intentionally not just hope all my dreams and goals come true. When I focus on small steps of improvement I am able to see results as I get closer to my goals. Some weeks I get closer to the goals I have in my life and other weeks a take a few steps back (life happens, emergencies occur, people get sick). Once the goals are written down and shared it provides a guideline for what I aim to accomplish this week.
Why Share My Goals?
- To keep me accountable
- To share a piece of my life with you as I strive to be a better Child of God, Wife, Mom, Friend, Homemaker, Entrepreneur and the many other roles I have each week
- To have my goals consistently written down so I can gauge progress more accurately
- Create healthy habits in my life
- To encourage you to share your goals with me as you continue to grown and learn
How did you do this week on your goals? Feel free to share or link to your list of weekly goals.
The picture above is one that I created for my own purposes, however, The “SMART” acronym was originally coined 30 years ago by Peter Drucker in his classic work, Management by Results.
Barnes & Noble Kids Event: Click, Clack, Boo! Halloween Storytime on Saturday, October 25th
Barnes & Noble Storytime Children’s Event Details and Participating Locations:
Barnes and Noble locations will be hosting a Kids Storytime Special Event featuring the new title Click, Clack, Boo!: A Tricky Treat by Doreen Cronin on Saturday, October 25, 2014.
Head over to your local Barnes & Noble for this Halloween Storytime with fun giveaways and activities. Trick-or-treat? Be sure to wear your costume for trick-or-treating throughout the store. Check for times and locations near you.
Charleston: The Charleston Explorer Program
Charleston Explorer Goodies
Since we go to Charleston a few times every year we signed the kids up for their Charleston Explorers Club a little over a year ago. It was a great way to explore the Charleston area, learn pieces of history or science and more plus earn a few prizes along the way. We have always enjoy our trips to Charleston and every time we try to go to a new place which made the Charleston Explorers a great program for our kids.
You could pick up a Charleston Explorer passport at any of the Charleston Area Visitors Centers. It was free for any kid under 18 to sign up for the club. When the kids enrolled they each received a passport, prize, a list of more than 30 participating locations, and information about how the program worked. Each time the kids visited one of the locations they would get a stamp specific to that location and enter the “stamp code” into their online profile and rate the place they visited. Every 5 stamps they would earn a prize that was mailed directly to our house. We never knew what the prizes would be and the kids were always very happy with the neat items that came in the mail.
Some of the places where you got the stamps were free while others required paid admission. Several of the places you could buy discounted tickets if you bundled them together. The program started back in April 2011 and recently ended. It is probably one of the best travel programs we have participated in, it was ran well, the prizes were amazing, and we had a blast doing the Charleston Explorers with the kids. We would love to see them do another program for the kids in the future!
I would encourage you to check out any of these types of explorers programs in your local area or another area where you visit frequently. These are programs can provide great learning opportunities for your kids. It was a wonderful experience for our whole family. I wish more places had kids programs like this one.
Some of the items we received:
- Charleston Explorers Water Bottles
- Charleston Explorers Magnetic Keychains with Flashlights
- Charleston Explorers Binoculars
- Charleston Explorers Pens
- Charleston Explorers Stickers
- Charleston Explorers Bag
- Charleston Explorers Clips
- $25 Wonder Works Toy Store Gift Cards
- iPod Touch
The highlighted places on our brochure are the ones we have visited since we started the Charleston Explorers program! Great places to visit and wonderful times exploring with the kids!
The girls passport books! Here is what two of their pages look like with the Fort Sumter, Patriots Point, Heyward Washington House, Nathaniel Russell House, Edmonston Alston House, and Aiken Rhett House stamps on these two pages. We filled their passport books up. The girls loved getting their stamps at the end of their tours.
One of the prizes they earned was a $25 Gift Card each from Wonder Works a Toy Store in Charleston. The girls can’t wait for our next trip to Charleston so they can use their gift cards!
The girls were so excited when FedEx dropped off a package at our “Google only” household! Guess, we now need to include another platform…. Their final Charleston Explorers prize was an iPod Touch! They were so very EXCITED to receive the iPod! Wow!!! Thanks Charleston for making our trips so enjoyable and for the amazing prizes! It has been a awesome exploring with the family and we look forward to our next visit! We still have several more locations we want to see on our list!
Mom & Daughter Date Night at Hearts of Clay
Brina working on her new plate!
Earlier this year I took the girls to Hearts of Clay to make their first pottery creations. We were super excited when we got the call from Hearts of Clay saying that the items were ready to pick up, however, one of the pieces had broken (Brina’s big flower plate). They were very sweet and offered to let her create another plate if she wanted to come in and do it. Although, she was sad about the broken plate that she had worked so hard on she was a good sport and felt a lot better knowing she could create another one. We made it into a Mom-Daughter Date Night and had a great time being creative together. Thankful for Hearts of Clay and their kindness in letting her come make a new plate. We had a wonderful time and look forward to another fun activity at Hearts of Clay in the future.
Brina’s new plate! She made the plate beautiful, but simple this time around. Instead of a flower she chose a square shape. Her colors are very similar to the last one she created.
We also picked up the pieces that were done from the previous visit to Hearts of Clay! They turned out really well! Glad the girls enjoyed this fun adventure!
All the pieces that survived the first fun creative evening at Hearts of Clay. Karlie’s is the rocket plate and the goat! Brina’s is the purple heart, black lab, giraffe, and cat (whose tail fell off).
Karlie was so thrilled “Oreo” the goat came out well.
Karlie loves space so her rocket, stars, and planet plate was a perfect display of something she enjoys! She was pleased with how it turned out!
We are looking forward to seeing how this Brina’s recent plate turned out along with her other little creations she made with the extra clay. We met up with Jake and Karlie after finishing up at Hearts of Clay and the four of us went out to dinner together. It was nice to spend a little one-on-one time with Brina as well as a relaxing rest of the evening with the family.
Greenville: Playing Around Downtown at McPherson Park
Brina figured out a creative way to swing!
Sometimes it is nice to get outside for a few moments. A little extra fresh air and Vitamin D from the sun will do you good. We have driven past McPherson Park near downtown Greenville many times over the years, but one day I finally made a point to actually stop when the girls were with me. They have a small playground, a miniature golf course (bring your own clubs and balls), tennis courts, and pretty walking trails. It was nice to get out and play for a little bit. The girls want to come back sometime and play miniature golf!
Karlie relaxing, chatting, and swinging!
Kids Day at THE AG: Framers Who Were Farmers Constitution Day
The girls earned their Jr. Historian Badges for Framers Who Were Farmers – U.S. Constitution Event
On September 17th every year we celebrate Constitution Day! Back on September 17, 1787 a total of 42 of the 55 delegates held their final meeting at the Constitutional Convention. It was the day they signed the Constitution of the United States of America!
Shortly after Constitution Day we attended an event at the Bart Garrison Agricultural Museum. The event was called Kids Day at THE AG: Framers Who Were Farmers. It was for students in 4th to 7th grades. They had activities, role playing, field work, and discussions pertaining to the U. S. Constitution. They covered information such as:
- The Preamble
- Separation of Powers
- History, Framers, and Impact of the U.S. Constitution
- Declaration of Independence
- Articles of Confederation
- Bill of Rights
Staff dressed up as James Madison. Discussion on the U.S. Constitution.
The Founding Fathers used scientific inventions and various forms of farming techniques. Some of the men who signed the Constitution were farmers, a few of them were:
- George Washington
- James Madison
- Charles Pinckney
- Charles Cotesworth Pinckney
- Thomas Jefferson
- Benjamin Franklin
There were several things the farmers experienced such as depletion of soil nutrients, purchasing local produce and crops, local insects, trees, vegetation, and being self-supportive farms.
Some of the activities the kids did at the event were discussing the Constitution. Designing a poster. Experimenting with soil and the nutrients in it. Planting some seeds and recording their findings. The kids received a Jr. Historian Pin and a U.S. Constitution pocket guide. The girls had a lot of fun learning about the U.S. Constitution, activities, and experiments.
Timeline include French & Indian War, Declaration of Independence, Articles of Confederation, American Revolution, Constitutional Conventional, Bill of Rights, and more!
Brina’s poster!
The poster Karlie made at the event!
