For the Tweens...

For the 9-12 year old girl in your life, you might be thinking about a devotional for her.  That is So Me: Flip-Flops, Faith, and Friends by Nancy Rue is a 365 day devotional that elaborates upon Scripture and brings God's Word close to a girls heart with a lot of opportunity for life application.


Many questions are asked throughout each devotional in a conversation style.  Nancy Rue speaks in a "young" voice, that most tweens would likely enjoy.  In addition to an introductory Bible verse, Rue discusses many issues that girls face in their daily lives, and how we can respond in a godly manner.  Each day's devotional ends with an activity.


Each week begins with a theme, verse, and short devotional.  Each day of the week includes a verse or two, several paragraphs relating the verses to the girl's life.  It ends with a section called "Do That Little Thing."  (Yes, that is eight entries per week, but the introduction is very short.)


Each day's "thing" is different.  Sunday is a quiz, where the girl answers the question based on how it relates to her (not right or wrong answers).  Monday is "Find Out" by asking a grown up who loves God help to figure something out.  Tuesday is the day to "Just Think" and it gives something to think about.  Wednesday is a good prayer day with "God? Can We Talk?" as it suggests things to discuss with God.  Thursday is the day to "Listen Up" and listen for God's prompting.  Friday offers a challenge with "You Can So Do This" as it suggests the reader to take action.  Saturday ends the week's theme with another challenge to "Shout Out" and share with others what God taught you during the week.


Much of the "Do That Little Thing" could be almost ignored though it's the "meat" and application of this devotional.  Because of that, I think two sisters, two friends, or especially a mother and daughter reading That is So Me together would most beneficial for some girls.  (It would have been a good idea for me!!  Accountability is huge!)


That is So Me is a neat devotional for the 9-12 age range.  I do want to share that I did not read the entire devotional, but I have read several weeks' worth.  This devotional is a bit more relational than actual Bible teaching, though each day's reading brings the  Scripture to the reader.


What I Like: I think Nancy Rue knows this age group well, and it shows in her writing.  As stated, it is a bit like a conversation, so it will feel like the reading a letter from a friend.  The various suggestions in the "Do That Little Thing" can really make a girl take her faith to the next level.  I also like that this devotional lasts for a full year.


What I Dislike:  I think additional suggested daily Bible reading would beef it up for girls who are already strong in their faith and continuing to grow.  Some of the Bible explanation is a bit too watered-down, but most explains the Bible well.  Overall, it seems good though.


Thank you, Zonderkidz for providing me with an ARC for review purposes.

Her First Book!

M just turned age 4.  She has known her letter sounds for quite some time thanks to some of games (some made up), lots of reading, and the video Leapfrog Letter Factory.  A while ago she started asking how to spell words and identifying (spontaneously) what letter began certain words.  I knew that these were signs that she was ready to begin reading.

We were given a set of books/cassettes of Hooked on Phonics in the summer (or spring?).  We tried it a bit, but M wasn't interested or not ready.  I'm not sure which.  I figured I would try it later, but haven't gotten to it yet.  We have plenty of beginning reader books, but M is in no way ready for them, though she will sound out a word occasionally.

The other day I was cleaning in the spare room, and I noticed the Set 1 of BOB Books that we had gotten a year or so ago that I had hidden in the bookcase.  (I think I won them from Mouse Grows, Mouse Learns.)  I purposely set them aside so that when they were to be introduced to M, they would be new and fresh-not memorized!

I am so happy to say that M sat down with her daddy, brother, and me watching, and read the entire book of Mat (book 1 in set 1) to us!  I am thrilled that we have all of set 1-twelve little books in all!  In the book Mat, only four letters are used M, S, T, and A.  The word on is also introduced.   By using the simple pictures, we can explore and extend the story a bit, too.

I am just thrilled!  I think she has "read" to us some nursery rhyme books (with the entire book being one nursery rhyme), but it was not truly reading.  This was the very first whole book that she read to us, and it wasn't even memorized!

I saw an idea at the BOB Books website that I think I want to do.  I will write her name in the front cover and the date that she reads each title perfectly for the first time.  What a great way to encourage her!

If you have any suggestions for using BOB Books, please share!   I am thinking we may read focus on one book a week unless she needs longer to master it.  If you have used BOB Books, do you recommend all of them?  I know it's early, but I have a lot of initial enthusiasm for BOB Books!

Play-Doh Placemat

The mornings when M does not have school sometimes drag a bit when I refuse to turn on the television.  I have found that Play-Doh is now a great way for us to pass a lot of time-together-and not just when E is napping.  We loved this with M, now 4 since she was just 2 years old.  I'm thankful that E, age 2, is now able to join us for the fun for long periods of time.

We have the Play-Doh duffle bag, and really, I think it is perfect for a preschooler-and the right price!  This last time we added plastic knives to the bag.  M immediately made chocolate chip cookies, as pictured below.

E was all about the cookie cutters this time.  

M is now old enough that she wants to use multiple colors.  We do this very carefully, and she came up with the idea on her own to use more than one color.  Below you can see her spaghetti and meatballs.  

My children also enjoy their Play-Doh placemats that I made for them.  You could just use card stock or computer paper and type their names, alphabet, and numbers.  You can even cut shapes out like I did for E or the child's name like I did for M.  Then just laminate it!  I do love my little laminator, but if you don't have one, you could use contact paper or take your placemats to your local teacher store to laminate.  I made these years ago, but if I were to do it again, I would let the children decorate the placemats themselves.

The Play-Doh placemat reminds the children where the dough is supposed to be, and of course, is easy to clean up.  We must sweep after every play time, so maybe I need a floor mat, too.  Hmm.

I'm linking this up to ABC and 123's show and tell!  Check it out!

You Can Make This for Fall

You might remember that I've shared some Personalized Name Pillows that I made.  That great pattern and so many more are available at You Can Make This, a great site for crafting inspiration.

Now until November 28, 2010, you can receive 15% off any purchase at You Can Make This with coupon code: BlogThisFall (all one word).

Have fun getting started on your handmade Christmas!  Also, I wanted to let you know that I will soon have a giveaway for a bundle of preselected patterns worth $100 from You Can Make This!  I think that is so cool!


Disclaimer: I will have the chance to have a pattern from YCMT for sharing this coupon code with you.

Touch the Art-Classics

As a high school student I was a bit of an artist, but it was not until I went to college that I really was able to study any artists or art history despite my four years of art elective.  These days elementary children are often exposed to some of the great artists, and now Sterling Publishing has a fabulous series to introduce preschoolers and older children to some of the most widely known artists.  The Touch the Art series is a hands on experience for touching the great masters' paintings!


Touch the Art series are stories told through well-known paintings.  I love the concept that Julie Appel and Amy Guglielmo have created! Children get to pet, pull, and stroke their way through art history.  These are sturdy board books, but not intended for children under 36 months due to the delicate pieces often added to the art.  (Of the two books I had the chance to review, I would share Count Monet's Lilies with a mature 2 year old, but I think Find King Henry's Treasure would be too risky.)  The final pages show the paintings again and include information about the artist, location of the artwork, and information about the artist and artwork.  It gives just the right amount of information!  


 Count Monet's Lilies introduces children to the popular movement of Impressionism through the work of nine artists in this counting book.   Children count the objects in the paintings as instructed by the rhyming text.  


"Walk through the park and count the trees.  Touch the bumpy bark and feel the gentle breeze."


The paintings and artists in Count Monet's Lilies will be familiar to many!  Though the artists and paintings are primarily considered to be Impressionism, Henri Rousseau and Vincent Van Gogh represent Post-Impressionism.  

Find King Henry's Treasure is another fabulous book.  This tells the story of a dragon who was trying to steal the royal jewels.  My daughter just loved everything about the story.  I especially liked that the dragon was actually Lady Abigail's pet!  Not only that, but it was also amusing that though he was accused of stealing, nothing was actually missing because the dragon loves to play with shiny things.  

Imagine the history lesson you can teach with this book!  You can touch and teach the art, but you can also teach about some of the royalty in the paintings, including Henry VIII and Queen Elizabeth I!

I truly think these are uniquely wonderful books.  I am so excited to introduce my sister, an artist, to these books since she is expecting her first child.  Touch the Art books are not just for artists though.  They are for all of us who want to introduce our young children to real art in a way they can understand and enjoy-through stories!  The back of the book also informs the reader of which museum the art is located, so it'd be a great  way to tell a child they are going to a museum, especially if they were about to see a painting from the book.  If you are interested in these, you may also want to check out the other titles in the Touch the Art series.

Big thanks to Sterling Publishing for providing me with these two books for review purposes.    

Favorite Kitchen Items

Over the years, I have been given many kitchen gadgets that I use and love.  I thought I'd share my favorites in case you want to think about your Christmas list or someone else's.

1 ounce/teaspoon/tablespoon liquid measure I use this all the time!  A lot of my recipes seem to call for 1 or 2 tablespoons of oil, milk, or water and this little "shot glass" is so helpful to keep those liquids accurate.


Kitchen Aid I haven't used my hand mixer since getting it years ago!

Kitchen Aid Fruit Strainer (applesauce maker!) This is how I make my applesauce now.  It takes much longer to cook the apples than to strain them!  Please note that the food grinder is also needed to use this product though.  You can buy the strainer and grinder together, too.

Kitchen Conversion Calculator (mine is a bit different)  This is perfect for doubling and halving recipes simply.  You can also convert from tablespoons to cups to quarts to teaspoons as needed!  Though I know there are two cups in a pint and many other conversions, this is still really helpful!  This can also be used as a regular calculator.


Measuring Spoons with "odd" measurements (mine set is a bit different)  I really like having a 1/2 tablespoon measurement as well as a 1/8 teaspoon.

Pampered Chef Scraper I actually have two of these "original" scrapers, and I use them many times a week, and sometimes wish I had a third!  (I have had other scrapers, but these are much better, and longer lasting!)



Pampered Chef Mini-Serving Spatula (I want the large one!) This is perfect for cutting brownies and removing cookies from a cookie sheet.


Medicine cork (It allows you to draw up medication into an oral syringe directly from the bottle.)  If you know anyone who draws up small amounts of liquid medication daily for oral use you might suggest something like this that can be found at any pharmacy.   (And yes, if it clutters my kitchen counter, it's a kitchen gadget!)


Parchment Paper I really like using parchment paper when I make a batch of cookies.  I'd like to get the Silpat mats though to try.  Anyone out there recommend them or not?

My favorite three of these items are the shot glass ounce cup, the Pampered Chef scraper, and the kitchen calculator.

What is your favorite kitchen helper that you recommend?  

Little Jewelery Box

My daughter has quite the collection of dress-up jewelery.  It probably didn't help when my son broke a necklace and he replaced it with a four necklace, four bracelet, four ring set-all for $1!  I'd been wanting M to have an appropriate jewelery box instead of her little plastic sandwich baggie.

I found a decent sized wooden box at Jo Anne's.  It's about 6x6 inches.  To spice it up (and cover the cheap wood), I painted it white.  Mod Podged a 5x5 piece of scrapbook paper on top, and stippled the sides for color.  Obviously, the scrapbook paper didn't cooperate with all of those wrinkles.  I embellished the flower paper with three-dimensional butterfly stickers that coordinated a bit.

(Photos taken on M's comforter that is purple, green, and a bit of blue.)
This was given to M for her fourth birthday.