For those hot summer days - a recipe to cool you off!

Strawberry Lemonade Slush (serves 3-4)

Ingredients:

- pink lemonade mix
- 1/2 cup of water
- 3 cups of ice cubes
- 1 cup of fresh or frozen strawberries (frozen strawberries will need to thaw first)

Directions: Measure drink mix to 1 quart line in cup (the cup that comes in the drink mix container) Place drink mix, water, ice cubes and strawberries in blender container; cover. Blend on high for 10 seconds. Turn off blender. Stir with spoon; cover. Blend for 5 more seconds.

*Serve immediately. Store any leftover slush in freezer.*

Menus for Moms

I found this site this morning and thought it might be helpful for moms. They have some great tools for menu planning. I try to revamp my menus during the summertime when I have more spare time. I find that if I do that during the summer, I don't have to worry about it during the school year. I think I shared on here that I take a whole calendar and fill in every single block with a menu, then I just start with the first day of the month and make my grocery list from that. Honestly, we can't remember from month to month what we ate when, so it really does help us. It certainly lowers my stress level and helps me keep my brain cells. Ha! I used to do weekly meal planning, but found I just didn't have time during the week to do. So, I spend a good portion of a day meal planning and it's done until summer comes again. I've also been known to do a fall/winter menu and a spring/summer menu. We eat different foods at different times of the year, so that's another idea. If you want to see an idea of one of my menus, scroll down to the very beginning of when I started blogging and you'll find it there. Here's the link:

http://www.menus4moms.com/index.php

Happy meal planning!

This little one needs our prayers - More inside

Here's the link: http://www.preschoolersandpeace.com/?p=423

Please lift this little one up to the Father. Pass the word! I'm sure Kendra will be most grateful!

Free Summer Reading Programs!

A study conducted by Jimmy Kim of Harvard's Center for Evaluation found that reading 4 or 5 books over the summer months had an impact on fall reading achievement comparable to attending summer school." I don't know about your family, but I have a few booklovers here and they can read 4-5 thick books in about two weeks now that they are older. Books are a homeschoolers best friend. They are windows on the world that act as springboards to real learning. While many homeschoolers are avid readers, there are those that struggle with reading or are simply not motivated to read very much. Summer reading programs sponsored by libraries and corporations not only reward eager readers, but provide incentives that encourage the reluctant to read as well. Take advantage of them - they are great tools that may enhance your homeschool experience.

Here are some free Summer Reading Programs that are available to all:

About.com's Homeschooling Summer Reading Club - Homeschooled children in grades K-12 are eligible. Read books and when the total number of pages reaches 500 - win a certificate, stickers and a prize.

Barnes And Noble Summer Reading Club - This reading program (for students in grades 1-6) is based on books by children's author, Andrew Clements. Read any 8 books and write about your favorite part. Bring a page of what you wrote to a Barnes & Noble bookstore and choose a free book from a list of paperback titles.

Half Price Books' Feed Your Brain Summer Reading Program - Children 10 and under (with help from mom or dad) log 15 minutes a day of reading time each week and earn a $3 gift card to Half Price Books, or a free Kids Buffet at Cici's Pizza. (This can only be redeemed at a retail location for either company.)

National Amusements Cinema: Bookworm Wednesdays - Kids get free admission to a select children's film (at theater locations throughout the U.S.) every Wednesday at 10 AM from June 25 to August 13, 2008, when they present a book report at participating theatres. Children under 6 and adults who accompany a participant receive free admission to the Bookworm Wednesdays movie.

Pizza Hut's Brain Food Summer Reading Program - Open to all K-6 students within the U.S. Each student must read a total of 5 books between June 13 and August 15, 2008. Send entry form that includes a short paragraph listing the student's favorite book and why. Many prizes awarded including Nintendo DS Lite. This is an extension of the Pizza Hut Book It Reading Program that runs from October 1, 2008 through March 31, 2009 where reading earns kids a personal pan pizza each month. You must sign up for the Book It program by June 30, 2008.

Pottery Barn Book Club for Kids! - This is a year-round reading program. Kids of all ages can attend a story time at Pottery Barn on Tuesdays at 10 AM. Receive a Book Club Card at the first story time. Attend 5 more story times and receive a free gift!

Scholastic's Summer Reading Buzz! - Keep your kids turning the pages all summer long! Just choose the appropriate grade level (from pre-k through middle school), and find printable best bets for summer reading. Log the books you read at the website and access games and fun activities too. For every 4 books read, Scholastic will donate one book to those in need.

SCORE! Educational Centers' Summer Reading Program - Over the summer, students read books (at their grade level) to earn fabulous prizes such as a free pool pass to go swimming at the YMCA, or a free game of bowling at the local alley! Only available at participating SCORE centers. For information contact: Michael Solo, Community Outreach Director, SCORE! Educational Centers, Telephone (650) 948-8118.

Sylvan Learning's Book Adventure - This year-round reading programs encourages kids to create their own book lists from over 6,000 recommended titles. They read the books and then take multiple choice quizzes on the books they've read offline. They earn points and prizes for their literary success.

Don't' forget to check your local library for summertime reading programs too!

Ideas for fun with water

When my children were ages 2 to 3 or 4, I would give them a regular size paintbrush and a bucket of water. They would spend at least a half hour painting the bricks on our house with water. They had a blast pretending to be a painter.

My husband brought home a big green bucket from a restaurant one day. They will give them to you for free. The one he brought home was a pickle bucket and is very durable. We have used it to wash our cars for many years. I would fill the bucket up with bubbles and sponges. The kids and I would wash the car in the mornings when it was cooler. They would wear their bathing suits. It was a lot of fun to play in the bucket of bubbles and to wash the car. The kids would squeal with excitement from the fun they were having. I was so happy to get the car cleaned at the same time. :-) You know how we moms like to "kill two birds with one stone"? That's what I was doing, making memories and getting my car cleaned at one time.

Have fun making memories with your children this summer!

BUBBLES, BUBBLES EVERYWHERE!

I don't know about your children, but when ours were little, bubbles were a favorite pasttime. I can still hear my children squealing as they chased the bubbles. I used to buy the biggest bottle I could from Walmart and then I found a homemade solution. Here's the recipe I used for a homemade solution:

Bubble Solution: 2/3 cup of dishwashing soap, 1 gallon water, 2 to 3 tablespoons of glycerin (available in pharmacies). Mix together and start blowing! I kept all the bubble wands from the containers I bought from Walmart.

Have fun making bubble memories with your children this summer!

It's SUMMER!

Well, I know it's not "officially summer" by the calendar, but where I live, it's SUMMER! We've been dealing with temperatures in the 100's for about five days. That doesn't include the heat index, which have been up to 116 degrees! This has been more like what we experience in August or September around here. Now, I don't know about you, but when it's that hot, we're going to be inside our house in the cool air, sipping lemonade! I don't like summertime heat and humidity, so I'd like to just skip summer. I enjoy the spring, fall, and winter months so much more. I can handle the heat, but it's the humidity that is so awful. I thought I'd write a few posts on things we have done in the past with our children for summer time fun.

Graduation Prayer

Father, I have knowledge. Please show me how to use it wisely and find a way somehow to make the world I live in a little better place, and make life with its problems a little bit easier to face. Grant me faith and courage and put purpose in my days. Show me how to serve You effectively so my education, my knowledge and my skill may find their true fulfillment as I learn to do Your will. And may I ever be aware in everything I do, that knowledge comes from learning, and wisdom comes from You. Amen.

"The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding." Proverbs 9:10

Board break

In case you've noticed, the posts have been far and few between. My children and I have been painting our kitchen! We finished on Wednesday night and now we're busy with graduation. Our oldest daughter will graduate on Saturday. We have family coming in from out of town this weekend and then we're off to the beach with family next week. So, I wanted to pop in and let you know that I'll resume posts the second week of June. Hopefully I'll come back refreshed and rejuvenated. With our daughter graduating, it's a time of reminiscing and preparing for what the future holds. Let's all spend some time prayerfully considering what the Lord would have us do next. I want to concentrate on what His agenda is. May the Lord bless your day as you serve Him amongst your families!

Let's Work on the Master Bedroom Today!

As we go through our homes while we're on this decluttering mission, I find it easier to take one room at a time, tackle it completely before moving on to the next room. The next room that I will work on is our master bedroom. I want that room to be a haven for my husband and me. I want it to be neat and orderly, so we can relax. Sometimes we all need time just to be by ourselves and just think, spend time with the Lord, pray. Oftentimes, it's the only room I can go where it's quiet. :-) The older I get I'm having a harder time with concentration. While I enjoy being with my family, it does me good to just be still and quiet. So, here's the plan for the master bedroom:

Walk into your bedroom and look at it critically. Is it cluttered? What’s the first thing that you notice? Tackle that area first. Does the bed need to be made? Do the sheets need to be washed? Have you aired out the pillows recently? Does the bedspread or comforter need to be washed? Whatever it is, tackle that now.

Now, clear off the top of the dresser. If you're like me, you've got piles that need to be gone through. Weed through those piles. Put those items in their "home" or throw away whatever needs to be tossed. Go ahead and go through the drawers and straighten them up. If you find clothes in there that you've not worn in a year, put them in a bag for donation. After the dresser top and drawers are clean, give it a really good dusting.

Now, let's tackle the floor. Before I started doing this "decluttering thing" a few summers ago, I used to have a pile of papers, books, articles, etc. sitting in a pile in my room. I really got tired of it collecting dust and the pile just kept getting bigger. I wanted to see the carpet underneath, so that's when I tackled it. Can you walk freely in your room? If not, grab a box or use your laundry basket and pick up the things on your floor.

Next, I will pull out whatever is under the bed. (Oh, that's a scary thought, isn't it?) It amazes me how much dust ends up under the bed. I feel so much better about sleeping in the bed when I know that at least for a few days or weeks, the dust isn't accumulating under my bed. Can you get rid of anything under your bed? Take a few minutes and put those items in their correct location and run the vacuum in the areas where you can walk.

Look at your windows—can you see through them? What about the window ledges? Grab your rag and window cleaner and give them a quick once-over. You’ll be amazed at how much dust you pick up and how clean your ledges will look after that! And don't forget the miniblinds. I was amazed at how much dust they collect in a year! No wonder we have sneezing fits. It's such a good feeling to know I can once again see through the windows. I love to sit in my chair and look out at the beautiful scenery, blue skies and trees blowing in the wind.

Okay, the last thing I do is give the furniture in our bedroom a really good dusting. I think I've mentioned that we do a spring deepcleaning and a fall deepcleaning. We declutter every three months and maintain the rest of the year. I can't homeschool my children and manage our home and keep things spotless, so I find this to work for our family. We do clean our house on a weekly basis though not a deep cleaning. I've used this system for about three years now and it works for us.

So, now what can you do to add a few inexpensive decorations to your bedroom. Can you put a few candles in the room? Add a new flower arrangement? Think of some things that will make it feel like a haven for you and your husband. Our husbands work hard every day to provide for our families. Most of them have to relate to the public and work with challenging people. Coming home to rest after a hard day is a reward and comfort for them. It's our way of ministering to them.

I started doing this decluttering a few summers ago. It's been rewarding to be able to actually keep our bedroom mostly straight. I try not to let it get to be a catch all and get all cluttered up again. I'm on a mission to keep it straight so I don't have to work so hard to declutter it again. I take a few minutes each Friday when we clean house and if things have gotten messy, I put those things in their "homes". Hopefully these suggestions will be helpful in your journey to declutter. Remember, less is better! Happy decluttering!