Perler Bead Mania

The newest craze in our house is the perler bead magnet. Of course, my boys couldn't make this project easy and use the included instruction books. They want to make Mario Brothers, Pokemon, and other video game characters (which I easily found patterns for on google). These have made much cooler magnets than my lame "I love South Carolina" turtles. 

The best thing about this project is they have to count repeatedly.

These beads came in two sizes so I bought the larger ones for C and D. I actually think I prefer the large ones. I just used jewelry cement to glue the magnet on the back after I molded the beads together as the instructions on the bead package stated.

New Job

This year I will be a stay at home mommy to A, B, C, and D! I am so excited and proud of James for getting a promotion that allows me this opportunity. I am looking forward to blogging again and sharing my insanity!

What was I thinking?

With my older boys still at Grandma's house and only 1 week until school starts, I decided to take our 2 and 4 year old with me to preschool. I thought they could play with the few toys in my classroom while I hung posters, and started tidying up. Yeah Right! They tore through that room like little tornadoes, pulling things out of shelves and putting them in the floor. Needless to say, I did not get much done! However I did learn something about my room set up and I plan on adjusting accordingly. If only 2 little ones can run amok in that room, I cannot imagine 13 little ones doing the same thing. Tonight I will be making a new floor plan (after PiYo class of course)!

All About Me!

The teacher whose spot I am moving into made all about me books for herself and her aide. I decided to make a small one. I still would like to add a few pics from my childhood, but I haven't made it to my mom's house to rummage through family pictures. I also am going to add captions, but I want my colored pens that are in a cabinet at school. I am just going to attach with 3 rings after I add a few more pages. Anything else I should add? Sorry I took Iphone pics as I worked. Note to self: get a good digital camera to leave at my house!

Age covered with a potpouri leaf! LOL

Last Day

Tomorrow is my last day before I start back to work. The last two days I have spent savoring my time with C and D. We have went to the splash park, McDonald's, Dollar Tree, Grammy's, and watched a few baseball games on TV. 

I did not realize how much easier having just 2 children would be. While it is easier my heart aches for my other boys. I know they are having a blast, but I still worry nonstop. Did she put sunscreen on them? What if they don't like what she cooked for supper? Is she letting them stay up late? Did they wear their seat belts? I could go on and on.

Tonight I will spend making a autobiography to ready to my new class. Most of them had me last year, but I figure they will like looking at the pictures. I also have to spend time going through my curriculum book and starting on making plans for centers.

Chest Hair and Maxi Pads

Today has been a blur. We have been moving nonstop since we woke up to get the older boys packed and ready for their week at Grandma's. Of course, I am completely sick to my stomach so have to occupy my time by randomly cleaning and organizing as we pack. In between the busy tidbits of our day, I have had the opportunity to listen to my 2 little ones share some of their latest quirks.

C has spent the day trying to convince me that he is developing chest hair. He has been watching himself in the mirror and rubbing her chest while telling me to rub his chest, in hopes that I would see it too. It is so hard to keep a straight face, but he is so serious that I know he would be completely devastated if I so much as cracked a grin.

This brings me to my wild maniac D who has spent the past 3 days carrying a maxi pad purse that I received as a freebie in the mail. He told me that it is his "wallet" and is not keen on replacing it anytime soon. It goes well with the naked baby doll he carries on his hip. While it drives his Dad a little nuts, I feel like he will probably be a really good father in tune with his wife's cycle.

With A and B away at Grandma's this week, I am sure I will spend the better part of my days entertaining the 2 little ones. They will for sure be lost without the big boys to follow around. Hopefully this stay goes well and I don't lose my mind and end up driving 8 hours to get them back!

Lego Duplo Read and Build Party

If you are not signed up for House Party yet, then you should be. It gives you an opportunity to try new products for free with your friends. This week we were chosen for a Lego Duplo Read and Build Party. We received 4 Lego Duplo Read and Build sets, a poster, 13 magnet frames, plates, napkins, and 13 sticker sheets. The boys loved the sets! We were sent the farm sets, but I cannot wait to try out the other ones. Here is Decker checking out the animals:

I am definitely going to add a few of these to my block center and reading area. My preschoolers love Duplo anyway, but I love that there are stories and pictures to encourage dialog.

Finally Made It



Left side



Right Side

In between new student orientation(enrolling in 2 separate colleges for fall-vomit), PTA board meeting, and making homemade peanut butter-chocolate chip cookies, I made it to my classroom. I also made it to the Target dollar spot and Dollar Tree on the way. So it happens to be 2 separate classrooms with an accordion wall that I will open of course. There should be more than enough room and I will have 2 sinks. The downfall is that there is no bathroom in my new room and they apparently have a Sunday school group that meets there. I am so selfish and hate that I have to share a room. No one can take care of your belongings like you do. Plus side I found a few $1 items that everyone should have:

From Dollar Tree: Perfect for holding sorting materials

Target: These have 4 slots and holes at the bottom...I am thinking water table!

Nothing a Little Glitter Won't Fix

I wanted to work in my classroom today, but of course I didn't make it there. My husband took the keys to the A-team van that had the carseats in it and the minivan is having thermostat issues. This gave me an opportunity to raid my craft supplies. After seeing someone paint their Tom's with modge podge and glitter, I had to do it! I love Tom's, they take a beating.
Using the finest (size not quality lol) glitter, I mixed it with modge podge and "painted" my shoes. To my surprise, they turned out awesome! I am debating on adding some Texas Ranger T's on them, but I am not sure. This was such a quick fix for my raggidy old shoes. On the original silver sparkled Tom's, I used the same size glitter that was already on my shoes.

Original Silver Tom's with stains and holes

Old gray Tom's with holes

Like new shiny Dorothy-looking Tom's and New Silver Tom's

Total Cost:  $3.47 for fine glitter at Hobby Lobby

Total Saved:  Atleast $90

Speechless!

I woke up this morning and did my typical check email, check facebook, read the local headlines, scroll through pinterest. I was ecstatic to see I actually had a pin. This is the most traffic I have seen on my blog EVER. I have been so horrible at updating my blog and making resources for my boys/classroom. Now I am feeling motivated to get up to my classroom and dive in. Maybe during this one week off I will be able to post some fun ideas while I have all this blog traffic!

Happy New School Year!

So many changes have occurred in our house since my last post. I have started going back to college to get my Early Childhood through Sixth grade teaching certificate, we joined a fruit/vegetable coop, and I am teaching two classes of 3 year olds next year.

This summer I conquered 14 hours of college, took my first trip out of town with no husband or boys, attended the state PTA conference, and had a few great workshops. This is my only week "off" before I start my inservice and organizing my new upstairs classroom. Hopefully this blog will motivate me to be more creative and accountable this year. (or be free therapy!)

Potty Time

Decker is potty trained! He has by far been the easiest one of the four boys to master this task. I know that he is very young. I know this is not possible for most newly-turned 2 year olds. I also know that we will have ups and downs.

As a preschool teacher, I have parents constantly asking me how to potty train their child. Then there are the  parents that send their almost 4 year old to me for 2 or 3 days a week, hoping that I will be able to do it for them. I have a secret for all of these parents....

Stop buying Pull-ups and diapers! Your child knows that you will change them. They know that they can continue going about their day without having to take a break to go potty. When I was younger, I potty-trained fast. Do you know why? Answer: In the 80's we wore more cloth diapers and felt the poop and pee and thought it was nasty!

There is nothing worse than having to change a 40 pound child with a huge poop. Why are you doing this to yourself? If a 3 year old is walking up and telling you that they have a dirty diaper and need to be changed, then throw a pair of underwear on them. Who cares if your child knows the whole alphabet and can speak spanish if they can perform basic life skills, then something is wrong.

As I am finishing my potty rant, I would like to add that some children do have developmental delays that prohibit them from mastering certain tasks at such an early age.

Happy Birthday D-Man!

I cannot believe it has been 2 years now. Decker is growing like a weed. He is by far our most adventurous child. He climbs on everything and jumps off, he never wants to come inside the house, and he is always naked. At 2, he has endured more accidents than his three older brothers combined. He loves to talk and sing.

This year he is beginning to start having his own interest. He loves Blue's Clues because that is what is on during our morning insanity. Unfortunately this is an older show and finding toys or gifts with this character are almost impossible. Lucky for him, mom found a cake pan and greatest hits movie on Amazon.

All I have is a picture of the cake from my mom's phone!

Valentine's Week at Preschool

This week is always fun at preschool because we have parties, chocolate, and tell each other how much we love them. Here is a tiny taste of what is happening in my classroom:

We are gluing foil to Hershey kiss cut-outs in honor of our chocolate day!

 I made an impromptu chocolate play dough. 1 3/4 cups flour, 1 cup salt, 1/4 cup cocoa powder, 2 cups water, 2 tsp cream of tarter and 4 tbsp vegetable oil. Cook until it doesn't stick to the pan. Smells great! The picture doesn't do it justice. All I had was my iPhone. It looks more like a tootsie roll consistency.

My touch table is filled with white beans, large foam stress ball hearts, cups for scooping, and candy boxes to pour the beans into. It is very eye-catching.

We are reading:

Happy Valentine's Day Mouse by: Laura Numeroff

Roses are Pink Your Feet Really Stink by: Diane de Groat

The Biggest Valentine Ever by: Steven Kroll

My Songs are:

(sung to Mary had a little lamb)

Won't you be my valentine,

valentine, valentine?

Won't you be my valentine,

I love you!

Yes I'll be your valentine,

valentine, valentine.

Yes I'll be your valentine,

I love you!

There's a Little Wheel a Turning in my Heart by: The Lauri Berkner Band

Extreme Art

While I love for my boys to be creative and artistic, sometimes they can take it to the next level. Last night while brushing their teeth, our 4 year old "painted" the mirror. I guess I could make a big deal about it, but it is Monday morning so not worth the effort!

New Beginnings

Today was a phenomenal day for my family. We finally joined a church and I feel a huge weight lifted off my chest. There has been several years where B had such a hard time being in church with the crowds and music, that we avoided it altogether. I have had few years of going alone with just the boys, a few years of visiting churches, and a few years of going when A was a baby. Today I feel complete and full. It is the first time in a long time that I don't feel a burden on my shoulders.

One thing I am still finding hard to cope with is the struggle every Sunday morning to get out the door. Church is later than school is and should not be stressful. We have been going to the same church for 4 months and I find myself so frazzled before we get there. Of course, once we are there and here Pastor, I feel a million times better, and have no regrets. I am thinking that I need to lay out clothes the night before like I do for school days as well as iron them. I also need to check Pinterest for easy overnight breakfast recipes.

What is Up With My Blogging?

As I was reading a post by Lisa Murphy (aka The Ooey Gooey Lady), I thought about my own blog. I thought about how it is a bunch of crazy ramblings. I thought about how there is really no particular topic that I stick with. Coupon blogs are a dime a dozen, early childhood blogs are here and there, and the amount of mommy blogs is off the charts.

To separate any of the items on my blog and just focus on one, just would not be me. I am here and there in my real life. I am a mommy, a wife, a sister, a daughter, an aunt, a teacher, a foodie, an extreme crafter, couponer,  and organizer. To focus on one topic would only make me have 20 different blogs and burn me out. My life is a hectic mess of goals, projects, and must-do lists.

The realization is this, I love to take care of my family. I am always down to make a good meal. I thrive in an early childhood classroom. Crafting is an obsession and makes me jump from project to project. Finally, my boys are my life and they dictate the majority of my time. I love that I am able to log family events and important ideas when I can. Hopefully I will become better and possibly benefit other moms in my position.

Italian Wedding Cake=Bliss

I just polished off the last left of my Italian wedding cake. It is my absolute favorite and easily the best cake I have ever made. I will use this recipe over and over again!

Italian Wedding Cake

2 c. sugar
1 stick butter
1/2 c. shortening
5 egg yolks
1 tsp. soda in 1 c. buttermilk
2 c. flour
1 tsp. vanilla
1 c. chopped pecans
1 c. angel coconut
5 egg whites, beaten

 

Cream sugar, shortening and butter. Add egg yolks; mix well. Add buttermilk; add flour and vanilla. Beat well. Fold in pecans, coconut and whites. Bake in 9x13-inch greased pan at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

 

Frosting

1 stick butter
8 oz. cream cheese
1 box powdered sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
1 c. chopped nuts

 

Combine butter and cream cheese. Add sugar, vanilla and nuts.

 

Another Goal Accomplished!

 

 

 

 

7-up Biscuits

The homemade bisquick was a success. These biscuits are just like Popeyes, which my boys loved. Here are the ingredients:

2 cups bisquick
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup 7-up
1/4 melted butter

Mix the bisquick and sour cream together. Add 7-up. Put the melted butter in a 8x8 pan. Pour dough on top. Bake at 450 for 12-15 minutes.

You could always roll the dough and use a cutter if you would rather perfect circle biscuits. I took the easy route.

Homemade Bisquick

Another project I tackled today was my homemade Bisquick. A big box at the store runs us about $7.00.
This recipe calls for:

10 c. all-purpose flour (bought a sack for $1.99)
1/3 c. baking powder (had on hand)
1/4 c. sugar ( had on hand
4 tsp. salt (had on hand)
2 c. shortening (had on hand)

Combine all ingredients except shortening in large bowl. With pastry blender cut in shortening until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Store in airtight container, up to 6 months. Use as you would any other baking mix. Makes 12 1/2 cups.

I am using this tonight for my 7-Up biscuits to test it out. I wrote on the side of the container the directions for biscuits and pancakes, so I can easily put them together without running to my computer

Biscuits- 2 cups of mix and 1/2 cup of milk
Pancakes- 2 cups of mix, 2 eggs (beaten), and 1 cup of milk