Today

Today I have been married for eight years!  We've been greatly blessed in many ways, but mostly, God gave us just the right helpmate to get through-and enjoy-life.

I suspect it will be a quiet evening at home.  We'll have fettuccine Alfredo for dinner with cheesecake for dessert.  They are both dishes that Derek has always enjoyed, and I'm glad I finally have recipes for both.

Treasure Box

It seems that most young children are naturally collectors.  My daughter is no different.  

When we were reading an issue of a High Five (Highlights, but for younger children...we definitely like it), M was excited to see the craft idea of making a treasure box.

She really enjoyed the process.  M is four years old, and it was definitely a one-on-one project since she needed help alternating the craft sticks.  (Thankfully E was not overly interested.)

I definitely recommend creating a treasure box with your little collector!

We decorated with a simple "M" and a sticker jewel on the top.  A foam sticker cross decorates the interior of the lid.  

M was very proud, and she still loves her homemade treasure box.

Encouraging a Toddler to Read with You

I love to read, and I love to read to my children.  My first child, M, loved books even as a baby.  She would sit in our laps and just listen, look, and enjoy books.  My second child, E, would not tolerate books, even before he could walk.  He just didn't enjoy reading with us.  We kept reading, and didn't require him to sit while we read.  We never gave up though, and I knew it at the doctor's office E chose to read books instead of playing with the cars in my purse.  Triumph!

Our persistence paid off, and I thought I would share some of the things that seemed to help our child gain an appreciation for books at a young age, especially for babies and toddlers.

Interactive Books
Lift-the-flap and touch and feel books were the first books that perked our son's interest.
Pat the Bunny, Wild Animals Touch and Feel, and any Karen Katz book may be some books to try!  Personally, I think interactive books are an awesome way for any child to experience books, especially during the first two years of life.  (You also cannot go wrong with a book such as these to give to a new baby or expectant parent!)  My four year old still loves interactive books!


Don't Read the Book
Occasionally, instead of reading the book, consider just pointing to parts of the illustration and naming it (cow says "moo", ding-ding, ssss-snake, uh-oh).  Let your child turn the page when they are ready, even if you skip the page entirely.  If your child can talk, they may even start saying words to explore the pages on their own.

Child's Interests
This is pretty simple and obvious, but if your child has demonstrated an interest in something try to find books that are about that subject or character (such as Blue from Blue's Clues or Elmo from Sesame Street).  For our son that meant lots of tractor, truck, and train books.  Freight Train, Baby Touch and Feel Trucks (the first book he ate-literally*), and The Fire Engine Book were some early favorites that have stood the test of time.  I would caution you to still explore a variety of books with your child and not read only one type of book.  If your child watches television shows such as Maisy, Clifford, or Franklin, you should know that those shows are all based on books, and there are a ton out there!


Let Them Play
Read aloud while your child is playing in the same room as you.  Just being exposed to books, even if they are not turning pages and looking at every picture is still important!  Eventually, your child may even come to your lap when you begin a book.

Be a Model
Let your little ones see you read throughout the day.  Since their books are in paper/board form, it is good for them to see you reading books or magazines, too, not the computer screen!

Let Them Choose
We make a trip to the library every couple of weeks.  When we go I take two big, sturdy bags with us that can hold MANY books.  We typically bring home 20-30 children's books and a few audio books, too.  I pick many of the books myself (and also use the library's website to search for books throughout the county and place them on hold), but I also let the children choose books themselves.  I rarely say no to a book, though there are a few that I don't prefer in our home (certain characters with a bit of a reputation or attitude).  Just the other week, we were walking to the kids' section and walked by nonfiction adult books.  My daughter saw a BIG book about the "universe" and was thrilled.  We brought it home and looked at some pictures.  My son will also choose books, especially from the library bins and tubs that show the covers instead of just the spines.

Have FUN!
We like to have book parties.  Often we do this after a trip to the library.  We just collect a bunch of books and place them on the bed or floor.  Then the children take turns picking books for Mom to read for as long as they'll listen.  My daughter has suggested it on her own, too.

If we get new books or dig different books from our basement, I will often showcase them on our coffee table.  Sometimes we need to do this just so we're not reading the same ones over and over again!

We also like to give books as gifts.  Though not every child gets excited about books, many do!  At the last birthday part we attended for a 5 year old, we gave the book Poppleton.  When M's little friend opened it, she  said, "Wow!  A book!"

Having a special place to read is also fun for a child.  It may be under a blanket tent, table, or slide.  Below my daughter, then 2, was sitting in a bookshelf (with no shelves).  She had pulled the blanket down for privacy and had a few books to read.  She used this book nook for quite a while!

Crib/Bed Time
Our children were both in a twin bed before their second birthdays, but we always put books in the crib with the children.  Upon awakening or going to sleep, they could relax and read to themselves.  Though our son did not like books when he had other toys to play with as a baby, he did look at the books when his options were limited.  Once the children had the bed, they could access their bookshelves on their own, and often took books to bed with them.  One important note is to read throughout the day and not just at bedtime.

Easy Access
It's important to have books in a few different places in your home.  Even if it is just a basket in the bedroom and another in your living room, it allows the child and you the chance to remember to read.  Though we use bookcases and baskets, we are not fussy about how the books are returned to the shelves.  Some days the books are not returned to the shelves and remain scattered about the house.  That's okay, too, for our family.  The books in the children's bedrooms are rarely standing with spines out, but we don't mind.  Occasionally, we make the shelves look like a library.

The bottom line is READ despite your child's indifference.  Eventually-hopefully, they will love books, too!  If your own children's book collection is small, don't forget your local library.  They often have board books in a special area for parents like you!  You may also have a friend who is out of the board book stage and willing to give or loan you books.  It's worth a try!

* As a baby, our son didn't necessarily read books in his crib.  He ate them instead.  We lost a few books to E chewing on the spines of books.  However, he was "exploring" the books.  That is supposed to be important for babies, though I don't think they have much fiber in them.  Sadly, many of our near-perfect books from his older sister's baby days don't look so great now.  But they are loved, and that is much more important!

Beans: Fine Motor and Counters

In December I made personalized bean bags for my children.  When I went grocery shopping, I did not really think through the beans that I purchased.  As it turned out, the Roman beans shown below were much too dense to use.  Since the bag was opened, and we do not eat beans (pathetic, I know), they became a play item for the children.

I have learned that if I just let the kids use their fingers to play with the beans, the beans are likely to become projectiles.  Recently when we played with beans, the children just used teaspoons to transfer them from their storage bowls to regular Corelle bowls.  (I know they enjoyed the sounds of the beans on the glass!)

This is considered fine-motor play, and it really is lots of fun!  

When I taught first grade, I bought kidney beans and turned them into colored counters for math.  I spread the beans outside on newspaper and sprayed just one side of them with spray paint.  The bean counters can be used to help complete addition and subtraction problems or to create sets.  Also, you can take a small handful and create math problems by using the colors of the counters.  (If two in your hand are white and three are blue, the problem is 2+3=5!)

I'm not sure what I was able to accomplish while they played,  but I think I washed all of the dishes.  They played with the beans for a long time, and requested more later.  It will be another fun activity when it is too-hot-for-Mom-outdoors.

Easy Cake Mix Cookies

I love homemade cookies.  Some days it's really nice to have them without any effort though.  Though it'd be nice to always have a stash in the freezer, the reality is that sometimes we just need something with immediate gratification.

No-bake cookies tend to be my go-to quick cookie, but if I want M to help me, she can't help with those because they are cooked on the stove-top.  So then I make the easy cake mix cookies that you have probably already tried or seen around, but I'm sharing anyway.  Just in case.

Cake Mix Cookies

1 box of cake mix (I prefer the chocolate type...and buy them when they are $1.)

2 eggs

1/2 cup oil

chocolate and/or peanut butter chips 1-1 1/2 cups

Mix the cake mix, eggs, and oil together.  Fold in chips.  Bake at 350 for 8-10 minutes.  YUMMY!

Cleaning!

Today is the last day for the Shepherding a Child's Heart or Instructing a Child's Heart GIVEAWAY!   I highly recommend these books!

After a weekend away to visit family and purchase a van for our growing family, my mother-in-law is keeping the children for an extra visit.  This will be our first time alone, at home, without the children.  (We have gone away overnight each year since M was born though for some time to ourselves.)

My husband is taking some time off from work.  No, we won't be having a romantic getaway.  We will be cleaning our basement!  From the time we moved in three years ago, our basement has been nothing but a catch-all.  We have gotten several shelves to organize, but all of these have been to organize Derek's tools and home maintenance-type stuff.  The rest of the stuff, mostly baby items, toys, and outgrown clothes are all around.  This will be quite the project.  I'm hoping to get rid of lots of stuff, too, and not just move it around.  We'll see.  

(Gee, imagine how much easier it could be if we would only find out the sex of our baby AND if we knew this would be our last child.) 

Now...hopefully while you read this we are being really productive!

Father's Day Booklet for Dad

Image from Musings of Me

I totally intended to share this before, but I forgot.  Tomorrow is Father's Day!  Musings of Me has a great printable for preschool through third (or so) graders!  You can make your own Father's Day booklet.

For my four year old, I printed out a handful of pages that I thought she would enjoy using for her dad.  An older child would likely do all of them though!  Since the blanks were somewhat small, and we had a lot to write, I filled in the blanks myself as my daughter dictated her thoughts to me.  She drew her own pictures and colored some, too.

Be sure to check out Musings of Me's other preschool printables and ideas in addition to the free Father's Day booklet!

Father's Day Cards: Hugs and Kisses

This year our Father's Day cards are very simple...simple enough for even a young toddler to do, but still interesting enough for my four year old to enjoy creating.  It was also a great way to introduce our four year old to the idea of X's and O's for hugs and kisses.

I cut X's and O's from scrapbook paper.  My large letters are 2 1/2" and the small letters are 1".   (I used my Cricut to do this.)  Honestly, if you want to use little X's and O's as well as large, you may just want to use stickers so your children can do more of this little project independently.

We just used a glue stick to adhere them to the paper.  I had to glue the little letters though.  My 2 year old glued the large letters, and my 4 year old glued the small letters.

Our four year old dictated the inside message, and she traced the words "Hugs and kisses," and signed her name. (I wrote her brother's name.)

This was a simple and easy way to make a card for Father's Day!  We made four cards because my children made a card for their dad, three grandfathers, and one great grandfather!  We get to see them all this weekend, too!   Yay!

Read Alouds: Berenstain Bears

On our most recent trip to the local library, there was quite the display of Berenstain Bear books (and videos).  My children were immediately filling our bag with the books.  Actually, E (age 2) found a book that he decided would be better to hold onto instead of placing in the bag (the Big Road Race, as seen below).  At one point I told M that if she wanted another BB book, she would need to trade it for one we already had in the bag so we could leave a selection for other children.

I really like Berenstain Bear books because Stan and Jan (and sometimes Mike) Berenstain know children and families so well!  My daughter, especially, seems to relate well with the problems the Bear cubs face.


The Berenstain Bear and the Big Road Race tells of four big, fast cars in a race.  Brother is also in the race in a little red car that just says, "Putt, putt, putt" instead of roaring and growling like the other engines.  Despite being the slowest car, Little Red finishes the race...in first place, of course.  Being that my son does not know colors yet, I liked how each car was a different color...and each driver had a different problem (like bragging or hunger) that allowed Little Red to persevere.

The Berenstain Bears Love Their Neighbors tells all about how nice of a community the bears have...except for the Bogg brothers.  However, when it comes down to the Bears needing help, it's the Bogg brothers who come to the rescue.  The Bear family quickly realizes their mistake, and invite them over to dinner.  This title is part of the Living Lights series (published by Zonderkidz) with a Christian message, though anyone can enjoy this book.

Bears in the Night is a perfect book for a beginning reader!  The story is extremely simple in language, but rather amusing to read!  Though it does not use complete sentences, I really enjoy this book.  The repetitive nature is effective and great for that beginning reader!  My daughter read this book with almost no help!

Seven bear cubs are in one bed.  They hear a noise outside and decide to investigate...and sneak outside.
"Out of bed
To the window
At the window
Out the window
Down the tree
Over the wall..."
Personally, this may have been my favorite Berenstain book of the day, but that's probably because my daughter was able to read it to me.  Success is a wonderful thing, you know!  I just wish the bears looked like themselves instead of rats in the book.

The Bear cubs even get into some serious mystery solving in The Berenstain Bears and the Missing Dinosaur Bone.  Three cubs and their dog, Snuff, are the Bear Detectives, helping find the missing dino bone before the Bear Museum opens for the special showing.  Like Bears in the Night, it is also a Beginner Book, but not nearly as simple in language and text.  Still a fun book though!

These were all enjoyable to read.  It was a little Berenstain Bear book party!  hehe!

I'm linking up over at Hope is the Word today!  Check it out for additional read alouds of various kinds!

Paper Plate Snake

My husband plays softball once a week.  Last week when he played it was really hot, and I was not about to take the children to the double-header.  Nor did I want to go outside to play in the backyard.

So we made paper plate snakes.  Both children colored paper plates.  I purposely chose crayons as the medium, because I knew it would take more time to cover the plate.  For my 4 year old's sake, I drew the lines for the snake on the plate before giving it to her so that she could see the different parts of the snake.  

Below shows M's colorful snake, fully coiled.  E is standing on his snake.

 She really enjoyed the snake!  

M's cutting skills are probably a bit behind other 4 1/2 year olds.  I did more than half of the cutting for her, but every time we cut, it helps!  I don't want to frustrate her with curved lines and stiff paper (plates), so I assist.

E also enjoyed this activity, but not as much as M.  However, she loved it when we did a similar preschool snake craft when she was almost 3.  Maybe we should have added dark eyes and a tongue for his benefit.  

It has been a while since I made a craft based on a book.  (I do have a list, though not recently updated, if you are interested of book activities for preschoolers.)  As the children were coloring (and I was cleaning up the ever-messy island) we discussed the story of God creating the world and Adam and Eve's sin and how the snake/serpent/Satan played a role.  We also talked about the book Fur and Feathers (linked to review) where in a girl's dream, she creates new coverings (fur, feathers, scales...) for some animals, including a snake.  Notice we didn't read the Bible story or Fur and Feathers...we know both stories pretty well, and I needed to multi-task.  Some days are like that.  

I still want to link up to a great resource called Story+Art=stART.  Check it out for additional ideas.

Instructing a Child's Heart, by Tedd Tripp (Giveaway)

In my Friday morning Bible study this year, we read Instructing a Child's Heart.  (A few years ago we read and studied Shepherding a Child's Heart...it was also excellent.)

Both books are amazing, and the focus is on teaching our children truth, not just controlling and limiting unwanted behavior.  We are to direct them and teach them (and their hearts) God's ways.  It is solid, biblical teaching.

These paragraphs from chapter 13 Instructing a Child's Heart are convicting for this mom, but it's important that I do not let conviction and guilt stop me from doing all I can do to be a godly mom.  I can still strive toward the goal of teaching my children God's ways so that they can make the choice to follow Him.  I feel that it is a terrific summary of the entire book.

"We don't shepherd our children to assure that our children will 'turn out right.'  We shepherd our children to be faithful to the work God has given us.  Consequences do not serve as power plays to prove our role or power or strength or to put the kids in their place for our convenience.  They are designed by God to display the reality of God's ultimate rule in affairs of men and to extend mercy while there is time to repent and trust in God.
"Discipline is not an opportunity for us to show our children who is boss or hand out punishments that will change their behavior.  Even when our consequences are appropriate and underscore God's truth and our standards, discipline is primarily an opportunity to remind our children of their need to repent and believe in Christ, and forgiveness and provision available from God through Christ.  We are really declaring God's sovereignty and involvement with all he has created, offering relationship with God through Christ.  Show them the beauty and goodness of confession to God and others, and warn them of the coming judgment for unbelief." ~Chapter 13, IaCH


If that speaks to your heart, and you desire to be a godly parent, consider either of these books (or the DVD seminar series...great for a group study) by Tedd Tripp.  (In my opinion, IaCH has more application, but you may want to begin with SaCH.  I'm glad I did.  Both are invaluable resources for this mom.  I seriously need to read SaCH again now that my daughter is not a toddler.)  These books are invaluable resources, and I highly recommend them.  For those of you who like audio books, like me, they are available in audio, too!  Great for listening to as a couple!


Though both of these books were my own copies, but I am excited to tell you that Shepherding Press is offering a copy of either Shepherding a Child's Heart OR Instructing a Child's Heart for one Live, Learn, Love reader.  If you are not a parent, but know a mom or dad that desires to bring their child up in a godly way, do enter anyway and share this great resource!  


Giveaway
To Enter: Check out both Instructing a Child's Heart and Shepherding a Child's Heart and tell me which book you would prefer if you win.  Be sure that I have a way to contact you through your Blogger profile, or just leave an email address in your comment!  Giveaway is open for US residents.


Extra Entries:
~ Follow Live, Learn, Love (through email or GFC).
~ Like Live, Learn, Love on facebook.


Giveaway goes through June 20th.  Winner will be emailed and announced in this blog post.  
Winner of the book of her choice is comment #2, Michelle!  Congratulations!