Sippy Cup Central

Valentine Love Boxes

2012-02-03T22:25:00.000-05:00

We think it's a lot more fun to deposit cute Valentine's in a fun box, rather than a paper bag. Here are some our valentine box creations that I think turned out super cute.

Olive's garden of love:

Jem's tissue paper heart:

This is last year's creation of a kitty:

Homemade Liquid Laundry Soap

2012-01-03T21:28:00.000-05:00

The Duggar Family - Duggar Recipes - Homemade Liquid Laundry Soap- Front or top load machine- best value
I have been wanting to try this recipe and finally purchased the three items needed to make the laundry soap. I figure this is one way that I can cut costs in the new year. I have made powered laundry detergent before, but never liquid. I'll test it out and let you know how it works. Happy New Year!

Awesome Christmas Crafts

2011-12-21T22:48:00.001-05:00

You will have a blast making these two adorable Christmas crafts this week.

This cute caroler is made out of a toilet paper roll and
the reindeer is made out of a glove.

Glove Reindeer:
-Poke thumb inside glove
-Use stuffing material to fill 4 fingers and hand
-Use string to tie 2 fingers on each side together
-Tie bottom of glove with yarn and thread jingle bell
-Stick wiggly eyes on face
-Glue berry nose

Christmas Carolers:
-Wrap and glue construction paper around tube
-Place hat on tube- hat is made out of old baby sock tied with yarn
-Trace a face on oval paper and glue
-Glue mittens to music paper and add it to tube

Enjoy your weekend, we are counting down the days.
Many Blessings, Karen

Wayfair Review

2011-12-14T01:30:00.001-05:00

Yeah, It's the holidays and I received the opportunity to do a review for the new Wayfair. I am really impressed with their toy selection for both baby and older children.

They have a zillion things for every part of the home. The Wayfair site is easy to navigate through and has good prices for all your holiday needs.

I am placing an order for a coffee percolator, they make the best hot coffee with out a filter. I'll post a picture when it arrives.

Happy Holiday Shopping!

Santa Advent Calendar

2011-12-02T11:26:00.000-05:00

We will be bearding Santa Claus again this year! My girls adore this Santa beard advent calendar that we found here.
Our boxes are all unpacked, but now I am trying to get organized. After school today we plan on getting out our Christmas decorations.

Thanksgiving Downloads

2011-11-19T12:34:00.000-05:00

My girls have really enjoyed planning their Thanksgiving table around these free printables. The menu planning, napkin rings, and name cards have already been assembled. Be sure to check out Paper and Glitter for these fun paper crafts.

Count Your Blessings

2011-11-14T21:01:00.000-05:00

Count your blessings, big, and small!

We are settling into our new life in North Carolina. The move went well, the girls have made new friends, and our little pumpkin is just perfect. We have a lot of fun activities planned during the next few weeks that I will post about soon.

We're Moving...

2011-10-15T23:19:00.000-04:00

I just wanted to keep you all posted...we are moving to North Carolina. I would love to know how many of Sippy Cup's followers live there, please message me if you do. We have a house full of boxes, but I see a light at the end of the tunnel. It will be a good move and for a good reason, so please join us on our next adventure.

Halloween Hand Bats & Vampires

2011-10-08T23:01:00.001-04:00

We used a simple paper roll and black construction paper to create a spooky vampire bat.


We make hand bats every year. I like to see how long their fingers have grown since last Halloween.

Have A Spooktacular Day!
Linked to: No Time For Flash Cards
ABC and 123

Word Girl Halloween Costume

2011-10-04T20:29:00.001-04:00

Last year WordGirl and her sidekick Captain Huggy Face took to the streets to trick-or-treat in our neighborhood!

These two superheros fight evil with word power. My girls love the PBS show WordGirl.

I used yellow felt and cut out a super hero cape.

For WordGirl a basic red long sleeve T-shirt and red leggings did the job. I cut the yellow emblem and belt out of felt and glued it onto the shirt. The belt buckle is a circular piece of cardboard wrapped in foil.

For Captain Huggy Face I used a blue sweatshirt and sweatpants. I glued a yellow felt lightning bolt onto the front. I made fake shorts with red felt and glued on the belt the same way as the WordGirl costume. The shorts tie around the waist, which is hidden by the cape. I used a red stocking cap for both costumes, but CHF has yellow felt ears glued on and an antennae made out of foil that is held on with a rubber band.

Linking up with:

Word Up!

Columbus Boats

2011-09-28T12:01:00.000-04:00

We made these cute boats to go along with our Classical Conversations history sentence and they turned out great.

History Sentence:
In 1492, Columbus sailed on the first of four trips to the Caribbean on three Spanish ships, called the Nina, the Pinta, the Santa Maria.

I think they will make cute name cards for our Thanksgiving table. We followed these directions, but used a chopstick to hold the sails up.

Apple Pie Playdough

2011-09-19T11:59:00.001-04:00

Apple pie playdough with my favorite recipe here.
Perfect Playdough
1 c. flour
1/2 cup salt
1 T. cooking oil
1 T. cream of tartar
1 c. water
Food coloring of your choice
Add-ins of your choice (i.e. spices, extracts, glitter, etc.)

Stir ingredients together into a saucepan. Over medium heat cook the dough until it pulls away from the pan. Lay onto a cutting board and knead well, it will be hot to touch. Allow to cool and enjoy.

Linked to: No Time For Flashcards and Homeschool Confessions

Toilet Paper Pumpkin

2011-09-15T14:18:00.000-04:00

Here is a great last minute craft idea for decorating just about any part of your house. Plus, this cute little pumpkin would be good to place on the back of the toilet seat, just in case you run out.

-Take a roll of toilet paper and give a little smoosh.
-Take a Fat Quarter and start stuffing it into the center all the way around.
-Secure with a twig pushed into the middle and add ribbon to decorate.

These toilet paper pumpkins can be left out until Thanksgiving too. We made this cute craft at MOPS, you can find more toilet paper pumpkins here.

Thirsty Celery Experiment- Science

2011-08-31T22:46:00.000-04:00

The girls had a fun time watching the celery veins change colors over night. This science experiment is an example of absorption. They learned that the stem of the celery stalk soaks up water through the ground to survive. When we cut the stalks in half the girls noticed that the colored water was sucked up through little holes in the stalk. The veins in the leaves also turned a color.

The data was recorded over a three day period using this data record observation form from ABCteach.

Me On The Map

2011-08-19T10:33:00.000-04:00

This is a great way for kids to get an idea of where they are in the world.

Each circle zooms out into the big picture:
home, street, city, state, country, continent, planet

I have seen this over at Counting Coconuts, Finally in First, and the Activity Mom. This is a fun activity to do with an atlas and we now have a good understanding of where they live.

Haddie's Beautiful Birth

2011-08-17T23:52:00.001-04:00

6 weeks

I had a beautiful birth, I never thought I would say that, but baby number three was magical.

The details leading up to Haddie's birth:
Little Haddie kept us guessing up until 40 weeks and 1 day. She was a "flipper"- one week breach, next week transverse, the following day head-down. The word C-section was mentioned a few times, but my babies usually come late and I was in no hurry. I did many head stands in the pool, used hot and cold packs on my belly, and crawled on all fours to get her to turn. My girls got the biggest kick seeing me perform these tricks.

I had a regular doctor check-up at 40 weeks and 3 days. I was doing well and so was baby. It was finally confirmed with an ultrasound that little girl had followed directions and was head down! My doctor knew how much I wanted things to happen naturally, but thought it was a good idea to be induced that evening as she was in the right position. I agreed, but had second thoughts, but my hubby assured me that I was doing the right thing. I was already 3 centimeters dilated, but not effaced. With my previous births, I was 2 weeks late, and only 1/2 centimeter dilated so this was big news for me.

To the hospital:
Everything was going as planned...I was still able to go to my daughter's swim meet at 5, eat a good dinner with hubby, and arrive at the hospital around midnight. Well, the swim meet was a rain-out, my parent's took the girls, and hubby and I went home to relax. Shortly after arriving home I used the bathroom I had a bloody-show. I was happy that things were happening naturally this time. Then about an hour later, mild contractions began. My contraction progressed to about 5 to 4 minutes a part for a short time and I started getting nervous. I never had contractions prior to being induced with my other children. I told my husband that if these contractions continued after a hot bath, we were heading to the hospital.

Well, they slowed, and we went to the hospital as scheduled. Since labor had already begun they had me labor on my own during the night (I could have stayed in my own bed for that). The next morning, the doctor broke my water, not much happened, and my good "nurse" friend arrived to help labor and deliver me! She started pitocin around 7 in the morning and I progressed well. I was now around 4 centimeters and asked if I wanted an epidural. I was doing fine with the pain, but the hospital was getting busy, so I caved. To me, the epidural, is one of the scariest parts. I started shaking, and crying, and asking a ton of questions, like, "are you sure that needle is in the middle of my back?" It turned out well and it felt like a walking epidural, which was fine with me.

Delivery:
I'll jump to the end now....The doc arrived, it was time to push. I asked for a mirror so I could see what was happening, BIG gulp. It was noon and I was starving! I totally understood how to push this time, I was told to push like you're on the potty. I got it, and in about 13 minutes out came Haddie. The cord was wrapped around her neck and she was greyish in color. They laid her on my chest and I kissed her. It seemed like forever, but my hubby says it was about 30 seconds until she started breathing. She had a lot of fluid in her lungs, but her color perked up fast after being placed under the warming lights. She weighed 7lbs 1oz and was 19 1/2 inches long, with a perfect little head. That little head was a blessing, it was so perfect and round since she never settled into position until delivery time.

Nursing:
My recovery was much faster this time, did I mention she has a lovely small head, and nursing is going fantastic. I have nursed with each baby, but this time it's with out any supplementing. I was nursing constantly the first 6 days, but it was worth it, and I am making an abundance of milk now. I was never able to pump before, but now I hold up my 4 oz bottle like a kid at Christmas, "look what I got!" This fascinates my girls. At 6 weeks she is sleeping for 6 hours and I am so happy. The third times a charm for me.

Thanks for reading about my little miracle. I am thankful she turned head down, I am thankful for patience, the blessing of a beautiful birth, the support of my husband, and a healthy joyful family.

Big sisters and Haddie 2 weeks

Homemade Doll Car

2011-08-14T17:17:00.003-04:00

My girls fell in love with a big plastic pink doll car at a big name store, but the problem was it was a big plastic pink car that cost way too much. When we arrived home they decided to make their own with items from our recycled craft box. I just love how creative my girls can be!

We used: a box for the car, canister lids for steering wheels, foil to cover side mirror, bottle cap for horn, wheels from plastic totes, ribbon for seat belts, cupcake wrappers for headlights, and the wind shield is a piece of clear plastic. Hot glue holds everything in place.

So far our American Girls have traveled to China, Florida, and California in their new car.
Linked To:

Sponge Bombs

2011-07-24T11:18:00.000-04:00

We found this fun idea for Sponge Bombs over at Counting Coconuts and the girls love taking them to the pool. Just grab a few sponge packets, cut, twist, and secure with a zip tie and you'll be ready for summertime fun!

Sponge Bombs!

Bubble Snakes

2011-07-20T03:00:00.001-04:00

The girls enjoyed making bubble snakes this afternoon. This is a fun summertime project that we learned how to make from Confessions of a Homeschooler.

Items Needed:
-1 plastic bottle with bottom cut off
-half of an old washcloth
-rubber band
-bubbles
Just dip the washcloth bottom of your bottle into the bubble solution and give a big hearty blow!

A Precious Gift

2011-07-17T21:03:00.000-04:00

When I opened the box that arrived from my blogger friend, Kira, over at Just Like June, tears came to my eyes. Look at this precious gift that she handcrochted for us to welcome our new baby Haddie.

She knows that we love color and our beautifully crocheted afghan is exploding with a rainbow of love. I learned how to correctly crochet my first blanket by watching Kira's tutorials and her handy work is sold over at Ami Lang Organics on Etsy.

Thank-you Kira, we will cherish this precious gift!

Baby Photo Shoot

2011-07-07T20:28:00.000-04:00

My husband took this wonderful photo of Haddie and I crocheted the baby cocoon. She is a little bundle of sweetness!

Here is Olive and Jem meeting their new sis for the first time, what a precious memory.

Introducing Our Little Girl

2011-07-06T13:56:00.000-04:00

Our family would like to introduce you to our newest family member...Haddie (blog name), born one week ago, weighing 7.1 lbs and 19 1/2 in. It was the best birth I could have ever wished for in a hospital. I will share our story soon! The big sisters have been a huge help and are taking great pride in caring for her. I am proud to report that nursing, healing, and sleeping are going well. We feel so blessed to have a healthy, adorable daughter. Thank-you for your love and support during these past 9 months.

Haddie

High Chair Remodel

2011-06-27T13:37:00.000-04:00

I purchased a used Peg Perego high chair for $15 a few months ago. Everything works fine, except the seat cushion was all ripped-up. I pondered what to do as a new seat cushion costs around $50.....hmmmm, instead I bought a plastic tablecloth and attempted to make my own.

I traced the cushion onto the front side of the tablecloth and left an extra inch for some wiggle room. The last thing I did was add the rick-rack to make it look like a custom cover. I must say this is probably my best sewing remodel EVER!

Easy Sewing For Baby

2011-06-20T04:00:00.003-04:00

Our little bundle is due in less than two weeks and we are so excited to meet her. My nesting started with organizing, then cooking, and now crafting. Here are some cute and simple projects that I made for our new baby.

This is my first crochet had that I learned how to make from watching a u-tube video. I love the fabric flower that I made for the hat. I will share how to make these in a later post. They look adorable on head bands as well.

I used out-grown tights to "baby legs" for a little crawler.

This is my favorite project, but it took me 3 out of 5 onesies to get it right. I think this skirted onesie is super cute and the directions can be found over at Prudent Baby.

I used thick cloth diapers to make these homemade burp clothes. Just pick a piece of fabric and embellish with ribbon.

Every baby needs a cute homemade taggie blanket. Just sew the fabric like a blanket, but insert 2 inch pieces of folded ribbon on three sides.

My first crocheted blanket.

These come in very handy- rice filled love owls. You can make any shape and fill it with rice. We have two in the freezer for bumps and two that I heat up in the microwave for sore muscle and stomachs.


I was surprised how easy these bibs were to make. You can use this simple pattern found here.

I can't wait to share some photos of our new baby when she arrives!
Linked to:

Mommy's Having a Baby- TMI

2011-06-17T04:00:00.000-04:00

We have enjoyed selecting books on the topic of being a big sister and mommy's having a baby from the library, but this book is "OVER THE TOP."

My Mom's Having a Baby, By: Dori Hillestad Butler

Jem picked this one right off the library shelf and it looked so innocent with cute cartoon illustrations. Then you read the second paragraph on page five where the man shoots a "white liquid" into the woman's vagina. I have a 6 and just turned 4 year old and luckily I was able to flip the page with out any notice! My husband and my friends could not believe it either. Olive knows that the baby will come out of my uterus, I even mention sperm and egg, but for now they are happy knowing that the baby pops out of my belly.

End Of Year Testing

2011-06-14T04:00:00.000-04:00

We have a very happy 1st grader in our house! We followed a K-1 mix all year and I used Mrs. Perkins assessment to test her end of year knowledge.

Olive enjoys Math more than Reading, but she does both equally well.

We have also enjoyed Classical Conversations this year. She has learned a huge amount of History and Geography from taking part in our homeschool group.

Jem also wanted me to test her on what she learned.

We hope you had a great school year as well.

Jem's Butterfly Cake

2011-06-12T08:29:00.000-04:00

Jem turned 4 and we celebrated at the pool with 6 families. She wanted a butterfly birthday with a butterfly cake! She is such a smart, curious, and energetic little girl.

The cake was easy to make using two circle cake pans.
Directions:
1 circle cake pan for base.
1 circle cake pan for butterfly: cut this circle in half, place curved halves together, and cut small triangles on the flat side to make wings.

Jem's little sister is due in just 2 weeks, we can't wait!

Weaving Loom Purse

2011-06-01T21:04:00.000-04:00

Olive is such a crafty 6 year old! She received a weaving loom in her Easter basket and just finished her first project.

I forgot to take a picture of the loom, but it looks something like this. She loves making patterns and choosing her yarn to weave. After she weaved the correct length, we pulled it off the loom, and she sewed the sides together. We decided to use the left over yarn threads to make a closure with a button. She is now working on a little purse for her friend.

***Please be sure to check out some of our other weaving projects: cardboard loom, and paper weaving.

Origami Puppy Necklace

2011-05-30T19:48:00.000-04:00

The girls and I had fun folding paper to make these cute origami puppy necklaces. We saw this idea over at the Crafty Crow, but if you keep following the links you'll come to this amazing origami site (all in Japanese, but with easy folding videos) found here.

Enjoy your week and make some crafts.
Linked to:

Dino Dig Sensory Tub

2011-05-17T08:38:00.000-04:00

Jem's Dinosaur island was a big hit this week. We added pasta shells, rice, glass beads, rocks, paper tube, a playdough volcano (not pictured), and little plastic dinos and a palm tree found at the dollar store. I love how excited she gets to have a new sensory tub all to herself.

Linked to:

Rainbow Work

2011-05-09T21:12:00.001-04:00

Jem enjoyed making a book of colors and a rainbow mosaic this week. We sang some songs about colors and enjoyed talking about what makes a rainbow.

The cute color book came from Thoughts Of Me, print a copy of today.

Growing A Pizza Garden

2011-04-28T12:05:00.000-04:00

We love to eat fresh vegetables and herbs right out of our garden. We are currently working with four rectangular planted boxes to grow a delicious pizza garden. We first filled the planters with a hearty mix of compost and garden soil and each family member got to choose a favorite topping to grow.

Head on over to The Homeschool Classroom to see what we planted.

Great Spring Books

2011-04-26T19:32:00.000-04:00


A few weeks ago Olive finished her 100 Easy Lessons book and was so excited! During the year we mixed it up with Bob books, Dr. Suess, and Hooked on Phonics. I feel she now has a good grasp on reading and is gaining more confidence with each book we read. As a reward she can pick out a dress for her American Girl Doll. I am so proud of her!

The girls loved Strega Nona's Harvest by Tomie dePaola, it went along nicely with planting our small garden.

Mr. Rabbit and the Lovely Present, By Charlotte Zolotow is a lovely book that teaches colors in a special way.

I loved the illustrations in Cinderlily, By David Ellwand. This twisted fairy-tail has an adorable rhythm with lovely photos.

What are you and your children reading this month?

Egg Math

2011-04-20T08:08:00.001-04:00

Save an egg carton and some plastic eggs to make this fun math game for you child.

With a sharpie write the math problem on the front of your egg and add a slip of paper with the answer on the inside.
Linking to:

Our Egg Tree

2011-04-18T22:03:00.000-04:00

My family has always decorated a branch of a tree with real hand-blown painted eggs for Easter. I have about a dozen left that my great-grandmother made.

Here are some cute Easter decorations that we have around the house.

Happy "early" Easter!

Linked to:

Surviving When You Husband Travels For Work

2011-04-13T22:41:00.000-04:00

Finding balance and maintaining your household when your husband travels for business is tough work. Sometimes it’s just a relaxed few days that I get to spend with my girls, but on those long trips being resilient is the key.

Please stop by The Homeschool Classroom and read my post about how I keep my sanity when hubby's away.

The "Ouch" Sound

2011-04-12T22:13:00.003-04:00

This activity really helped Olive learn the "ow" and "ou" sound. She matched up the words with the sound on the sorting mats found over at Finally In First.

The "OU" and "OW" phonograms.

Olive then practiced writing the "ouch" words on her sorting mat. She really enjoyed this activity and it helped her sound out these word families much easier.

(These pictures were in the right direction prior to downloading, sorry.)
Linked To:

Easter Pillowcase Dresses

2011-04-11T08:55:00.002-04:00

Here is my first attempt at making a pillowcase dresses. Olive was happy to model my new creation.

I added a little bunny on Jem's dress and it turned out cute.

Here is a great tutorial from Prudent Baby. I think my nesting starts with more crafting because my sewing machine has been working over time. What have you been creating?

Linked to:

A Birdie Surprise

2011-04-08T10:57:00.001-04:00

This birdhouse has been sitting on our table for months and just the other day the girls peaked inside, and got a big surprise! It looks like we have a nest of Nuthatches.

It's hard to tell, but there are 2 baby birds inside and they look like mini hairless chickens. We saw the Mom inside the house yesterday, that's how we were able to identify them.

Olive drew this fantastic picture of a Nuthatch.

Here are some other birds that she saw at the bird feeder this week. I love that my girls will spend hours outside exploring nature.

Favorite Spring Activities

2011-04-05T10:12:00.000-04:00

With every lovely day in the Southeast, my girls are anticipating Spring. The warmer temperatures bring new birds to the bird feeder, allow us to take casual bike rides through our neighborhood, and play outside until it’s time for dinner. The start of Spring also brings new learning opportunities for our homeschoolers.

Please head over to the The Homeschool Classroom and read my full article about our favorite Spring activities. Have a wonderful day!

Easy Easter Wreath

2011-04-04T10:39:00.004-04:00

The girls and I had blast making this colorful Easter wreath. I was in charge of the hot-glue gun and they helped by sticking the plastic eggs to the foam wreath. This is a nice way to recycle all those left over plastic eggs. We even added a little Easter grass to make it look more festive.

My girls know that I usually plan a fun craft to do after their school-work is complete. Happy Easter Crafting!
Linking to:

My April Fool's Joke

2011-03-31T22:12:00.000-04:00

Can you keep a secret.....I can't wait until my girls and my hubby pop the lids on these cans! I found this awesome idea over at Sun Scholars.

Start by opening the bottom side on the can and save the oranges for later.

Add something funny to the inside of the cans. I used grapes, peas-carrots, and beans.

Next, carefully hot-glue the bottoms back on and keep yourself from laughing until they open them!

Graphing With Goldfish

2011-03-30T10:06:00.001-04:00

Jem had fun the other day graphing with goldfish. I handed her a handful of fish and she placed them on her graph by color. She counted how many of each color she had and we talked about "more than" and "less than." Her favorite part was eating them all up!

You can find a variety of goldfish graphs by googling it by name.

Easter Hand Lilies

2011-03-28T05:41:00.005-04:00

I just love how these cute Easter hand lilies preserve your child's little hand prints. This hand print craft makes the sweetest keepsake for birthdays and holidays.

Step 1: Trace and cut hand print, find a pipe cleaner for a stem, and a different color cut short for flower center, twist together.

Step 2: Curl hand print fingers and fold around stem, secure with tape.

Step 3: Add your lovely hand print lilies to a vase, no water required, just love!

Linked to:

Bridge Building

2011-03-23T10:11:00.000-04:00

Here is our latest bridge building activity that was completed during our Classical Conversations co-op last week. The kids were given straws, play dough, and tape to build their creations. The bridge will soon be tested with small weights to see which design holds-up the best.

Olive and her two friends used almost the entire roll of tape and just about every straw, but it's strong!

Beach Mobile

2011-03-21T09:41:00.001-04:00

We just spend a wonderful long weekend camping at the beach. We had perfect weather, ate yummy smores, and enjoyed playing in the water (well, the girls did)! Here is a fun little beach project made with a piece of drift wood and shells. All that was left to do was string the shells and enjoy.

Just search for shells with the hole already in them. This mobile looks lovely hanging from a window.
Linked to:

Link and Learn

Shamrock Math Game

2011-03-14T20:20:00.000-04:00

We had a good time playing this Shamrock Math Game. Olive would grad a hand full of pennies and drop them on the table. She then separates the heads from the tails and starts her math problem. This picture is showing 10+10....we would also switch it up with subtraction. Olive thought that this was a fun way to work on her math. I like that "heads and tails" can be adapted for just about any holiday.
Linking To:
No Time For Flashcards

Sweet Sunday

2011-03-13T11:58:00.000-04:00

This photo was taken about 2 weeks ago when Jem was under the weather. Her big sis played doctor, read to her, and brought her ice packs. It was a sweet moment to witness. Have a lovely Sunday afternoon.

Learning Synonyms

2011-03-10T08:49:00.000-05:00

This week we are learning about synonyms, words that mean the same thing. I placed the words on the left and Olive had to match the synonym on the right.

These useful cards came from Montessori For Learning. It's a wonderful site with great resources.

Pookster and Bubs Review and Giveaway!

2011-03-08T19:30:00.002-05:00

I was lucky enough to review these two lovely books for children by Rhonda Funk. Pookster and the Unloose Tooth and Pookster and the Practically Perfect Pickle, teach valuable lessons on using kind words and patience.

I love that they are written by a christian mother and the audio book is handy in the car. My girls laughed while I read the book, but they could also pick out the important lesson the story told. The illustration are delightful and the each book ends with a Bible verse.

This book series is a creative way to teach your children about the fruits of the Spirit. To learn more about this new series check out their website here.

Two lucky followers can win one of The Adventures of Pookster and Bubs! Just leave a comment below and a way for me to contact you. You can win extra entries by liking Sippy Cup Central and Pookster And Bubs on Facebook. The giveaway ends on the 12th....good-luck!

Leprechaun Mirrors

2011-03-06T20:36:00.000-05:00

We converted this dollar store mirror into some St. Patrick's Day fun. Just peek in the mirror to get a glimpse of your inner leprechaun. All you need is just felt, glue and scissors. Good-luck finding your pot of gold!
Linked To:

Book and Hand Puppet Fun

2011-03-03T06:14:00.000-05:00

Go Dog Go, by P.D. Eastman, was one of Olive's favorite books when she was little. Now she enjoys reading it to her little sister. We made this cute paper bag hand puppet to go along with the story. Just cut out felt pieces to make the dog and glue them to a paper bag. I am trying to add more activities in our homeschool that the girls can work on together.
Linking to:

Dr. Suess Goop - 2 Ways

2011-03-01T07:22:00.000-05:00

This recipe is perfect for little hands and only requires two ingredients: water and cornstarch.

Goop 1
You'll Need:
Water
Cornstarch
Orange food coloring
Directions- Mix the water and the cornstarch in a bowl. The new mixture behaves like a liquid and the a sold.
The girls enjoyed watching their spiders slowly sink, but if forced they would stay close to the top. I would use this recipe with younger children.
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Goop 2:
You'll Need:
2 cups -White Glue
1/1/2 Cups -Warm Water
4 TBSP. -Borax
1 Cup- Cold Water
food coloring- orange

This GOOP is very similar to Silly Putty and it won't stick to your hangs. You can keep it fresh by storing it in a plastic bag in the refrigerator.

Mix glue and water in a separate bowl and borax and cold water in a separate bowl. Mix 2 bowls together and add food coloring or tempera. Stir well, then kneed. Store in air tight container. Do not use near carpet as it's glue
I posted about this second recipe a few weeks ago. Now you can see the difference between both of them.

Seussical Fun!

2011-02-28T20:31:00.000-05:00

Here are some activities that we did last year to celebrate Dr. Suess.
We've been having a good time celebrating the birthday of Dr. Suess by reading a ton of his books, making a hat, fishing for letters, color foot stamping, and green egg fun.

I found some great ideas from Suessville, it's really a wonderful site! Click here

We also subscribe to a site called Kidssoup that has some fun ideas too. Click here.

We are in the process of making this Cat In the Hat mask. All you need is a paper plate and construction paper.

Olive loves to rhyme words so in honor of Dr. Suess we started to make rhyming word list.

Train Plane

Box Fox

Cat Hat

Fish Dish

Cake Rake

Book Hook

Car Star

I hope you have fun this week...his official birthday is March 2nd. Please keep me posted on your Seussical fun!

Forcing Bulbs

2011-02-24T07:24:00.000-05:00

We are a little behind in forcing tulip bulbs this year, but it only took four days for the girls to start seeing roots emerge. Olive says it's because she picked the most perfect place in the house to help them grow. The girls are in charge of making sure they have just the right amount of water touching the bulb.

We purchased rocks and glass marbles from the $1 store and used some narrow glass vases to force the bulbs. Hopefully we'll have lovely tulips in time for Easter.

Kool-Aid Playdough

2011-02-23T11:05:00.000-05:00

This playdough smells so yummy and it was so easy to make. The best part is that you DON'T have to walk around for a week with stained hands.

It's was nice NOT to use cream of tartar and it turned out really soft, just like the real thing.

Just store it in a plastic bag and keep it in the fridge until you are ready to use it.

Thank- you Pink and Green Mama for this really cool recipe.

1 cup flour

1/2 cup salt

3 teaspoons of oil

1 small package of Kool- Aid

1 cup boiling water

Mix the dry ingredients in a bowl and then add oil and boiling water (the boiling part is important).

Mix it all together and knead on a piece of waxed paper.

The first time I made this I added too much oil and had to add some extra flour and it turned out fine.

Do this for each color. ENJOY!

Preschool Activities

2011-02-21T08:16:00.000-05:00

Here are some activities that Jem (3 1/2) likes to complete when I am doing school with big sister. We have watched Jem go through a learning explosion this past month. She has learned her letters and sounds mostly by watching and listening to us do school.

Please note that at the beginning of the school year I thought that I wasn't going to be able to teach her, she didn't want to learn, and now she's at the school table before her sister asking for activities to do. This is so exciting to see!

Matching colors, lacing beads, and pattern work.

Putting stuffed animals into categories and counting.

Finding the right letter for the words. Big sis likes to help with this and so does our dog!

Threading colored pasta necklaces, this is a big hit.

Homemade lacing cards.

Linking to:

It's a baby......

2011-02-20T14:45:00.000-05:00

It's a baby GIRL! Can you imagine shoe shopping with three little ladies? This is a photo of me and baby taken at 21 weeks. This is also the first time we ever found out what we were having. Jem wanted a girl and Olive wanted a boy. I really thought we were having a boy as the heart rate was 130 and the pregnancy started out totally different, but what a fantastic blessing.

CSN Stores

2011-02-16T02:00:00.004-05:00

CSN has over 200 online stores where you can find anything from this cool swing set, to strollers, to educational toys. I look forward to posting my review on a special gadget that Olive and Jem have been wanting for a long time, a rock tumbler. I have two little rockhounds who are always filling their pockets with "beautiful jems."

When you get the chance be sure to check out CSN and everything they have to offer.

Finally Learned To Crochet

2011-02-15T20:36:00.000-05:00

So this is my third time trying to teach myself how to crochet. I actually made something this time and it's pretty easy if you stick to the basics. I learned by watching videos on U-Tube and checking out Just Like June's site, thanks for the help.

Do keep in mind that I was trying to make a hat for the new baby, but I am glad that Olive can enjoy it. She actually has worn it everyday since I gave it to her.

Valentine Songs and Rhymes

2011-02-13T14:42:00.000-05:00

Five Big Valentines
Five big valentines from the corner store,
I mailed one to a friend and then there were four.
Four big valentines, lovely ones to see,
I mailed one to Mommy and then there were three.
Three big valentines, red, shiny, and new,
I mailed one to Grammy and then there were two.
Two big valentines, as happy as can be,
I mailed one to Daddy, and he gave a kiss to me.

Special Friend
(Mary Had A Little Lamb)
You're a special friend of mine
Friend of mine
You're a special friend of mine
Be my Valentine.

I'm a Little Valentine
(I'm a Little Teapot)
I'm a little valenitne
Red and white
With ribbons and lace
I'm a beautiful sight
I can say, "I Love You"
On Valentine's Day
Just put me in an envelope
And give me away.

Ten Little Valentine's
One little, two little, three little valentines
Four little, five little, six little valentines
Seven little, eight little, nine little valentines
Ten little valentines in a row.

Six Great Chapter Books

2011-02-10T19:17:00.000-05:00

My six year old daughter loves for me to read chapter books to her before bed. We read a chapter or two a night and she always begs for more. Head on over the The Homeschool Classroom to read about these amazing books.

Valentine Holder Ideas

2011-02-08T03:00:00.002-05:00

We have a fun Valentine Party to go to today! Here are some our valentine box creations that I think turned out super cute.

Olive's garden of love:

Jem's tissue paper heart:

This is last year's creation of a kitty:

Bird Feather Study

2011-02-06T19:02:00.002-05:00

Can you match the feather with the bird?

Scroll to the bottom of this post for the answers.

My girls love watching birds! We have really enjoy exploring the books above and matching the feather with the bird. Thank-you Grandmom for finding all these feathers in her North Carolina backyard.

(Top page answers:)

Blue Jay, Robin

Hawk, Wren

Woodpecker, Goldfinch

(Bottom page answers:)

Mocking Bird, Crow

Tufted Titmouse, Dove

Chickadee, Cat Bird

Happy Birding! Be sure to join the Great Outdoor Bird Count starting February 18th.

Natural Suburbia

The Edible Rainbow

2011-02-03T08:46:00.000-05:00

I have been placing a colorful food tray out before meals and for snack time. The girls like to help me find healthy munchies that make-up the colors of the rainbow.

Rainbow Food Ideas:

Red: cherry tomatoes, cherries, cranberries, apples, berries

Orange: bell peppers, orange, melon, cheese, crackers, carrots

Yellow, bananas, peppers, pineapple, cheese, crackers, apples

Green: celery, kiwi, grapes, avocado, broccoli, peas, apples, melon

Blue: berries, grapes

Purple, grapes, dried plums

Borax Snowflakes

2011-02-01T19:22:00.000-05:00

Here is a quick look at how our Borax snowflakes turned out. I think they look lovely hanging from the window. Be sure to check out my post on snowflake activities.

Have a wonderful day!

February Sensory Box

2011-01-31T09:46:00.001-05:00

1. read beans
2. heart shapes
3. rice
4. cookie cutters
5. spoons and scoops
6. pipe cleaners to string hearts
7. pom-poms

Linking to:

Snowflake Bentley and Snowflake Fun

2011-01-27T19:27:00.000-05:00

We are in the process of making snowflake crystals.

We used 2 chopsticks, 5 pipe cleaners cut in half to twist into snowflakes, 2 glasses, boiling water, food coloring, and enough borax to saturate the water. Leave your pipe cleaner snowflakes in the water for about 20 hours. To see how pretty these snowflakes get, go to Tired, Need Sleep. We'll be posting ours this weekend.

Today we read Snowflake Bentley, by Jacqueline Martin with excitement, due to all the snow our family received up North.

We used this magnifying snowflake activity from My Montessori Journey .

We finally learned how to make pretty snowflakes from this post found here. I cut them out of coffee filters and then we used watercolors to decorate. Here is a special little craft Olive made for me today after we read the book.

Math: We learned that the snow belt receives about 120 inches of snow a year. We estimated how much that would be and then measured it out.

We don't have any snow here, but if you are enjoying a snow day, we are thinking of you, and please make a snow angel for us!

Word Family Fun

2011-01-26T16:32:00.000-05:00

I put together these word family cards for Olive to help her realize how many words she now knows. This activity also gave her confidence with learning how to spell.

Word Family Fun:
op, ight, unny, ing, ut, un, ow, it, ip, oy, old, uck, en, et, eat, ed
Even if the word is spelling incorrectly like "hunny," I did not correct her. I believe it's better to learn the sound of the word and then later learn the spelling rules. What suggestions do you have?

Valentine's Day Scrap Wreath

2011-01-24T03:00:00.008-05:00

Here is an easy scrap fabric Valentine's Day wreath that I made this weekend.

I used a hard foam craft ring and cut one inch wide by ten inch long fabric strips out of some Valentine's Day scrap material. Then I simple knotted the fabric strips around the ring. Enjoy!

Today is also my birthday...I'll be eating a big piece of cake for all of you!

Barbie Pajama Party

2011-01-22T15:35:00.000-05:00

My baby turned 6 this week and we celebrated with a Barbie Pajama Party.

This cake was fun to make and decorate. I used a bake and fill pan, but you can also use a pyrex bowl to make the dress.

Since it was a pajama party they woke up ready to have fun. They also woke up to sleet and a bit of snow flurries, which is so unusual in the South.

Each Barbie had their own special party seat made out of play-dough. We also painted nails, played pin the candle on the cupcake, ate yummy food, and ended with a Barbie movie. Happy 6th Birthday my dear Olive!

It's in the Box

2011-01-18T20:45:00.000-05:00

We had a really great school day. Here are some activities that were placed in Jem and Olive's workbox this week.

This was are first time using Geo Boards, Jem really enjoyed this activity.

Kumon cut and paste workbook.

Linking cubes for Math.

Egg carton counting with beans.

100 easy lesson in reading for Olive.

Chopsticks and pom-poms.

Color matching with buttons and pom-poms.

Word color matching.

Olive's pipe cleaner and bead party mask.

A little blue paint goes a long way....have a great week.

Hand Peace Dove's for MLK Day

2011-01-16T19:37:00.001-05:00

We had a lovely conversation this evening about peace and ways that we can show peace to the world. We talked about Martin Luther King and how he wanted all colors to come together.

Olive: Peace is....
Sharing and caring with others, being helpful, helping someone when they get hurt, and praying about nature and loving animals.

Jem: Peace is...
Helping others and being kind to your dogs, helping friends get up when they get hurt, and being nice to your family and friends.

I must say that I am a true believer in Classical Conversations as Olive said, "you mean Martin Luther and the Protestant Reformation." I am impressed with the knowledge that she has picked up from her History timeline. I explained the difference between the two Martin Luthers.

Baby news: I felt the baby kick for the first time this evening! I am right at 17 weeks and I have a big smile on my face as I type this.

Linking this post with:

Featured on ABC & 123

2011-01-13T14:09:00.000-05:00

Today I am featured on ABC & 123, it's a wonderful blog full of so many great teaching ideas. Dictate, Draw, and Drama is all about creating, telling, illustrating, and then acting out a story.

To read my full post just click here and be sure to head on over to ABC & 123 to check out their blog.

Arctic and Antarctic

2011-01-11T13:27:00.000-05:00

It's a major freeze around here this week. The cold weather prompted us to start learning more about our two polar regions- "Arctic is for polar bears and Antarctica is for penguins."

I started by saying polar bears live up there (pointing up) and penguins live down there (pointing down.) O says, "you mean they live way under the ground." How confusing can one mom be? Then I got out our world map rug and they got it.

Olive and Jem enjoyed making these adorable paper penquins. We made them last year as well, they were easy to make and the idea came from Kidssoup.

Little One Books Winner

2011-01-08T15:12:00.000-05:00

Thank-you to everyone who participated in the Little One Books giveaway!

Congrats to Amanda over at Mommy of Two Little Monkeys
She said...
I would love to get a few of their books such as the Bear feels Sick and the little engine that could :) Cute books on their site! Thanks for the giveaway :)

Stay tuned for more giveaways in the near future!

Hooter Hider Tutorial

2011-01-07T07:49:00.002-05:00

If you are expecting or know someone who is, here is an easy gift you can make that will benefit any nursing mother.
Hooter Hider:

Here is the finished product, thank-you friend for modeling the hooter hider. Your baby can hide inside and discreetly get the job done.
1. Start with a yard of fabric and fold it in half.
2. Cut out a half circle for your head, but big enough to peak at the baby.
3. Surge or zig-zag stitch around the head circle.

4. Next surge or stitch around the outside of the fabric.

5. You have essentially made a big bib to nurse your child under.
Happy Nursing!
Linked to:

Soups On

2011-01-05T19:00:00.000-05:00

This is what I do with holiday leftovers, make soup, and lots of it.

Ham and the kitchen sink soup:
-Diced holiday ham
-left over turkey stock
-rest of the mast potatoes
-rest of the stuffing
-chopped green beans
-rest of the carrot casserole
-1 can of white beans, or rice
-salt and pepper, seasoning to taste
-simmer for 4 hours
My family loved this soup. All the flavors mixed well together and I will make it again.

Turkey Posole
-saute onion and garlic in olive oil
-1 can of diced green chilies
-1 can cannellini beans
-diced pepper
-left over turkey stock
-15 ounce can hominy
-salt and pepper, seasoning to taste
I love a nice "hot" soup with a kick. This was a yummy way to use up that turkey.
I would love to hear how you use your leftover turkey and ham.

Hot Air Balloon Lapbook

2011-01-04T03:00:00.006-05:00

We made a hot air balloon lapbook to go along with the book, The (Mostly) True Story of the First Hot-Air Balloon Ride, by Majorie Priceman. Little One Books sent us the book and is also giving a $25 gift card to one of my readers, just click here and enter to win on my blog.

Homemade Hot Air Balloon:
We used a plastic bag and cut it almost in half, then stitch around the outside, and used a piece of egg carton for the basket. The basket has four pieces of thread, the same length stitched from the basket to the balloon.
We then placed a hair dryer in the balloon opening and turned it on...up it went, but it was hard to take a picture of it. The girls learned that hot air makes the balloon rise. You can find a good tutorial over at Ramblings of a Crazy Woman. Using a candle would be a better representation of how a hot air balloon works, but the hair dryer got the point across.

The first hot air balloon was invented by the Montgolfier brothers in France. It was first thought that smoke was the force that lifted the balloon, but years later it was discovered that hot air rises because it weighs less than cool air.

It may not be true, but the story goes that the first riders in the hot air balloon were a rooster, duck, and sheep. We learned counting by 3's.

Some new words from the book included: splendid, ambassador, amateur, aeronaut, and slender.

This sticker B was made by Jem for balloon.

The front of the lapbook: We learned the points on a compass and colored the first balloon design.

Inside: Pictures of who watched the launch, sequence cards on the stages of launching a hot air balloon, new words, and a map of France.

I found great resources for the book and hot air balloons over at Homeschool Share.
Linked to:

Little One Books Giveaway- Hot Air Balloons

2011-01-03T07:47:00.001-05:00

We love "Hot Air: The (Mostly) True Story of the First Hot-Air Balloon Ride" from Little One Books. Today we are working on a lapbook to go along with the story. We will be posting pictures and crafts from our hot air balloon adventure tomorrow.

Little One Books if kindly offering one of my trusty readers a $25 gift certificate to their online store.

The owners of Little One Books, Barney and Joan, have personally selected and reviewed each and every item they carry. The Little One Books site is organized by age, and each product is matched to what they believe is the youngest appropriate age.

In addition to selling quality products, they strive to entertain and inform their customers through their blog and feature articles, and provide “over the top” customer service.

This Little One Book giveaway is open until Friday, January 7th. They request that you “like” Little One Books on Facebook, and sign up for their newsletter. So check out their lovely website and decide which product you would like to win. To enter just leave a comment telling me what book you would be interested.

Be sure to check back tomorrow to see our hot air balloon lapbook!

Baby On Board!

2011-01-01T10:31:00.000-05:00

We have some big news to share to start off 2011...baby number three will arrive at the end of June. The girls are over the moon and I am feeling much better during my second trimester.

Jem loves her new "big sis in training" shirt. We are trying to decide if we should do bunk beds, twin beds, or have Jem and baby share a room...decisions, decisions, but those are the easy ones in life.

Happy New Year!

Getting ready to start fresh...again

2010-12-31T09:12:00.000-05:00

Today we'll be cleaning, mopping, and getting a little organized since we are still basking in the after Christmas glow. Daddy has been off work and we've been spending quality family time together. We went on a lovely zoo trip yesterday and saw a baby giraffe and koala.

We have doing just a little homeschool these past few weeks. We have enjoyed crafting, advent activities, reading, and building. Olive really enjoyed putting this Lego camper together with her Dad...it's really cute.

Today the girls are playing store. Olive made these really pretty construction paper fruits. Each fruit is worth five cents and Jem has to count out five pennies. They are really playing nicely together, it makes my heart happy.

It's been a year with big highs and a few big dips, but we are so blessed. I know 2011 will have more surprises in store for all of us. I am keeping my eyes wide open so I don't miss a thing! May you have a peaceful and healthy New Year and thank-you for coming along on my journey.

Puzzle Swap

2010-12-29T09:42:00.000-05:00

We go through puzzles like crazy around here. I was wondering if any of you would be interested in a puzzle swap?

You would mail your puzzle by January 20th. Just dump the puzzle pieces into a large ziploc bag along with the front of the puzzle box. Then head to the post office and mail the puzzle in a manila envelope. I will E-mail your swapper info by January 12th.

If you are interested, please E-mail me at sippycupcentral@gmail.com by January 10th.
Include:
-child's name
-age
-address

Thanks and have a fantastic day!

Olivia Goes To Venice- SINKS!

2010-12-28T07:53:00.001-05:00

We are big fans of the five previous Olivia books by Ian Falconer. We read them over and over again, but Falconer's new book, Olivia Goes to Venice, is one that sinks into the Grand Canal.

The part in question reads,"As they went through the airport, Olivia was searched for weapons. She was very pleased." The illustration is of two security pigs wanding Olivia with her parents looking from behind.

My girls are well-traveled children. We use to live on the West coast, while the rest of the family lived back East. When we would go through security check points I would remind them that we didn't always have to take our shoes off and it's not OK to have your rights taken away (but that's another topic all together).

I really wanted to like this book. The illustrations were lovely, we laughed when they ate a ton of gelato, and we enjoyed the trip through Venice. There is just something about the wording and illustrations on the third page that bothers me enough not to keep it in our library. The child pig, Olivia, being wanded for weapons is not cute or funny in my world!

Being Thankful

2010-12-23T21:00:00.003-05:00

I am really excited to share a post with you that I wrote for The Homeschool Classroom.

My goal for 2011 is to help my family be "thankful the whole year through".
I would also like to thank all of Sippy Cup Central's faithful followers. Thank-you for taking this homeschool journey with me and for being my support system. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Ginger Bread Houses- Hot Glued!

2010-12-22T23:26:00.000-05:00

Tomorrow we are decorating these little houses with left over Halloween candy. I think I hit the easy button this year when I got the idea to hot glue the houses ahead of time, it will make decorating a lot easier for the girls.

The girls were so excited to see Santa and they are counting down the days with their Santa Beard Advent Calendar.

Tiny Prints Christmas Cards

2010-12-14T02:00:00.029-05:00

We love our design for this year's Christmas card. My husband is an avid photographer and was really impressed with the variety of layouts Tiny Prints offered, and I loved their vintage styles. Drawing inspiration from one of the older-looking designs, my husband made the cover photo of our girls look like a hand-tinted black and white. You can take a peek at their holiday collection here. The colors are vivid and the cards are made with a fine quality card stock.

One service my husband noted is that Tiny Prints provides a digital proof before printing and offers the ability to get help from a graphic designer (a real person!). This is great for anyone who is a bit nervous about using an online print service and prefers to have someone hold their hand rather than the "click and hope it turns out ok" approach of some online services.

We are thrilled with the quality of our Christmas cards this year and we will definitely order from Tiny Prints again.

Tiny Prints would like you to know that they provide stylish, modern and unique stationery from photo cards to personalized greeting cards to thank you and business cards. Offering exclusive designs from the nation’s top designers, easy card personalization, a powerful preview engine and top-notch customer service and paper quality, their designs have been lauded by numerous television networks, publications and celebrities. With Tiny Prints by your side the Holidays will be a cinch! They offer adorable Christmas cards, Birth Announcements, and even New Year's Eve cards. All cards are fully customizable and can be made just the way you like.

*Tiny Prints provided me with free cards for my review.

Creating An Advent Wreath

2010-12-10T21:18:00.000-05:00

I have wanted to make an advent wreath with my girls for quite some time. We had some left over spruce from our Christmas tree and an extra foam ring from our coffee filter wreath project. The only thing left to buy were the purple and pink candles.

The candle lighting is progressive from week to week preparing for the birth of Baby Jesus. The Bible passages were recommended by a friend.

First Sunday of advent : Hope
(just passed) Light one purple candle (Hope).
Read Isaiah 60:2-3

Second Sunday : Peace
Light two purple candles. (Hope and Peace).
Read Mark 1:4

Third Sunday : Joy
Light two purple candles (Hope and Peace),
and one pink (Joy).
Read Isaiah 35:10

Fourth Sunday: Love
Light all four candles (Hope, Peace, Joy and Love).
Read Isaiah 9:6-7

Christmas Eve
After Sunset...
Light all four candles and add a fifth white candle
(the light of Christ).
Read Luke 1:68-79 and Luke 2:1-20

You can find a similar example here as well.

Fun Christmas Games

2010-12-07T13:08:00.000-05:00

We spent an hour this morning playing these counting and matching Christmas games. Our favorite game was "Fill the stable" found over at Musing of Me. You need two dice to play or if you can't find the dice, like me, just write the numbers on slips of paper. Jem was so excited when she got to add baby Jesus to the stable.

We found this cute Christmas tree matching game over at Kidssoup. Jem really enjoyed this game!

We also built and drew a Christmas tree by playing this dice game from Homeschool Creations. The girls want me to create a gingerbread house game next time.

Santa Beard Advent Calendar

2010-12-05T19:00:00.001-05:00

My girls adore this Santa beard advent calendar that we found here. They loved adding a cotton ball each day as we count down the days until Christmas.

We have also been busy elves making wreaths to send to our family out of town. The girls added the decorations and I hot glued them on.

It's been a busy weekend around here. We just started cookie baking, the girls were in the local Christmas parade, we added the finishing touches to our decorations, and put up the tree. How are your preparations going?

Linked to:
My Delicious Ambiguity
Homeschool Creations Pre-5

Snowmen Bookmarks

2010-12-01T10:01:00.000-05:00

Happy December 1st! We are all on the mend and ready for some fun advent activities and a lot of baking. Here is a fun popsicle stick craft that we are making for the avid readers in our family.

Gather popsicle sticks, small googley eyes, foam sheets, tiny pom-poms, strong glue, and a marker to drawl on the nose and mouse. I cut out the foam shapes and the girls glued everything onto the popsicle sticks.

Pot Holders For A Cause

2010-11-29T12:07:00.000-05:00

Olive has become a pot holder making machine. Some of you may remember when she received her loom for her 5th birthday in January. A few month ago she learned how to finished the edges of the pot holders all by herself and she now makes about three a day.

She plans to sell her pot holders at our holiday MOPS bazaar and will donate $1 for each pot holder sold to St. Jude Children's Hosptial. Her goal is to make and sell 40 pot holders for $2 a piece. I am very proud of her for making this decision.

These are some common uses for pot holders at our house: a coaster, a barbie blanket, and a handle holder.

Olive says that "potholders are the perfect stocking stuffer"!

Pipe Cleaner Tree

2010-11-27T15:28:00.000-05:00

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving with friends and family. I hope you did too! Three of us are sick so we've been taking school slow this past week, but we are starting off the Christmas season with music, decorations, and a cute pipe cleaner craft.

I first saw this craft at MOPS and brought an extra one home. Olive really loved twisting the pipe cleaners around the dowel rod. She glued a red pom-pom on top of her tree to finish it off. The dowel rod is glued into a wooden base, but you could also use a strong plastic plate covered in felt.

Prepping For Turkey Day

2010-11-24T08:47:00.000-05:00

Every time I see a full fridge I feel so blessed. I had a hard time trying to stuff all of tomorrows bounty inside.

I am making the bread and potato stuffing this morning, prepping my veggies, and getting ready to brine the turkey. My family will be joining us and some close friends. We have so much to be thankful this year, have a wonderful turkey day.

Menu: Turkey, green beans, stuffing, yams, broccoli, creamed corn, carrot casserole, 1/2 of ham, cranberries, apple bake, and yummy pies.

Thanksgiving Book Suggestions

2010-11-22T04:00:00.000-05:00

One Is A Feast For Mouse
By: Judy Cox This cute mouse gets greedy after everyone leaves the dinner table, but learns that a little can sometimes be a lot.
Activities: balancing objects, counting, discuss sharing, how to set a table.

Turkey Trouble
By: Wendi Silvano
It's Thanksgiving Day and turkey knows he's in trouble. He offers creative suggestions to a traditional Thanksgiving dinner.
Activities: Discuss other countries that celebrate Thanksgiving and their food traditions, puppets, make disguises.

P is for Pilgrim
By: Helle Urban
This is a wonderful book for an older child. It walks you through the alphabet with interesting Thanksgiving facts from A to Z.
Activities: Map pilgrims route, geography, growing crops, Indian tribes near you.

Updates

2010-11-18T16:22:00.000-05:00

The girls did amazing job in the Nutcracker as an English Cracker and Little Mouse. I could tell that Olive loved performing on stage and Jem was just as excited to wear make-up.

I have many holiday activities to post, but the past two weeks have been a bit hectic. I flew to California on a "friendship emergency," while Buzz looked after the girls. He even had to get the girls ready for the Nutcracker, he did great!

We are heading to a funeral as one of our favorite Uncles passed away this week. He was a good man who lived a full life. Our Uncle made everyone laugh and loved God and his family.

I'll be back in action on Monday...have a lovely weekend.

Gobble Hat

2010-11-10T04:00:00.001-05:00

Cut a bunch of feathers out of construction paper, and a long hat piece. I used foam to make the turkey head, waddle, nose, and glued eyes onto pom-pom. Glue the rest of the pieces onto the hat strip.

Nominated "Best New Homeschool Blog"

2010-11-09T03:00:00.001-05:00

I am thrilled and honored to be nominated! Thank-you for all your support, it really means the world to me. If you would like to vote for Sippy Cup Central as "The Best New Homeschool Blog," please head over to The Homeschool Post to cast your vote.

Thank-You!

Indian Corn Weaving

2010-11-08T04:00:00.000-05:00

My girls really enjoyed this weaving craft.

I cut slits in an oval piece of paper and strips of paper to weave.

The girls weaved the paper strips, glued them down, and cut off the extra length. The indian corn was a fun project to do. You can also find another cute indian corn idea over at Almost Unschoolers.

Turkey Magnet Clips

2010-11-05T02:00:00.001-04:00

Look at these adorable turkey magnet clips we made!

We glued on eyes, waddle, and nose, small note clip, and hat to a colored craft stick. All these supplies came from the craft store including the cute little hat.

We added feathers to the back side of the craft stick with strong glue and stuck another craft stick on top. Just add a magnet and your turkey clip is ready!

I have not seen this craft on any other blog. These will be great for Thanksgiving name cards. Enjoy your weekend.