Colorful Melted Candy Suncatcher

A burst of color is what we need as we await the beauty of spring that is still yet to come.  And with some Jolly Rancher candies and our oven, we made a lovely suncatcher in the shape of an Easter egg.  It now hangs in the window, catching rays of sunlight through the translucent colors to brighten up the kitchen.  It's easy to make your own suncatcher by melting hard candy.  Here's how.


Supplies needed:

• hard candy in assorted colors (we used Jolly Rancher candies)
• baking parchment
• baking tray
• metal skewer
• waxed dental floss or ribbon

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 275 degrees F (140 C).  Line the baking tray with parchment.
2. Arrange the candies on the parchment in an eye-pleasing roundish shape.
3. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, or until the center is melted flat.
4. Tilt the warm tray to swirl the colors a bit and to even out the shape.
5. Allow the disc formed to cool.  Trim the edges with a knife or break off small shards to even out the edges somewhat.
6. Heat the pointed end of the metal skewer over a stove top burner and puncture a hole near the top of the disc.  Allow the edges of the hole to harden before threading with floss or ribbon.  
7. Hang up your suncatcher near a window.

I might be sharing this idea here.

8 Ways to Welcome Spring, No Matter the Weather

The calendar says that spring is here.  Winter is reluctant to leave these parts, but we're going to welcome spring with some of these activities anyway.  Here's how you can join us:

1.  Plant some seeds, inside or outside.  A recent post at Simple Bites demonstrates how to start seeds indoors.

2.  Make some colorful springtime snacks.

Ladybugs on a Celery Stick

Vanilla Sprinkle Ice Cream Bites

Deviled Eggs with Greens

3.  Play a spring-inspired game.

Eco-Friendly Flower Game

 Ladybug Games

 4.  Create some watercolor cards to send.

Watercolor Easter Cards

5.  Sing songs or recite poems or rhymes (with actions) that celebrate spring, Easter, and/or Passover.
     
          Some possibilities:

• Round and Round the Garden
• Two Little Blackbirds
• Five Little Ducks
• 1-2-3 Jesus is Alive
• Three Days
• Chad Gadya (One Little Goat)

6. Add flowers to your table or home decor.  Gather them fresh from outside or craft them inside.

Tulip Napkin Rings

7. Make a pitcher of fresh lemonade and invite a friend over to enjoy it together.

Cherry Lemonade Mixer

8. Sort through clothes and have a spring fashion show.  In the process, decide ahead of time what to wear to events like Easter or spring concerts.

I'm sharing this post here.

3 Kid-Friendly Ways to Celebrate the Olympic Games at Home

The winter games are here, and I am eager to watch some Olympic action this weekend!  This is one of the rare times when I wish we had access to T.V. programming.  Since we're an internet-and-DVD-only household, I'm planning to whip up some goodies over the next week and a half and invite myself over to watch some of the events with friends.

In addition to watching, there are some hands-on, feet-on activities that I'd like to do with my kids to celebrate the Olympic games that start this week.  Here are three things I'm planning for us:

1)  Eat some Olympic Rings!

Recipe for Olympic Rings Gummy Candy

2)  Do some indoor figure skating!

How to Make Carpet Gliding Skates

3)  Make and award some ice medals!

Champion Ice Medals

Are you planning to watch the games over the next week?  

If so, what will your family members be doing while you watch?

Great Read-Aloud Books to Fire the Imagination

Though our children are now school age (save one), we still believe in reading to them.  My husband has a knack for picking great books to read.  On our honeymoon, he read The Chronicles of Narnia to me.  And he finally read the Narnia series to our children this past year.  But we did not stop there.  We've developed an evening ritual of Daddy reading to the family, and more often than not, we can be found entering the imagined worlds found in the pages of a book.  It is delightful for all of us.

Books We've Read Together: 

The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane by Kate DiCamillo

The story of Edward proved captivating, as the main character was gradually transformed by his experiences and hard knocks. This book was actually one of the choices in the Barnes and Noble Summer Reading Program, though that is not where my husband got his copy.  Sadly, my daughter chose a graphic novel over this, but I think she might choose differently after hearing it read.



The Tale of Despereaux by Kate DiCamillo

We read this tale on a long road trip to Canada.  When he drove, I read, and vice versa.  Hearing it together was a thrilling way to travel.

A Kingdom Far and Clear: The Complete Swan Lake Trilogy 

My husband just started reading this trilogy by Mark Helprin to the children. While it is a bit above my five-year-old's comprehension, he still enjoys the reading ritual that has been established. So far we're getting the background to the main story, and I look forward to discovering how the plot unfolds.

The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis 

While having our garage sale this summer, we discovered that a 12-year-old friend from our church had never read these classic fantasy books, though she had read The Hunger Games. What a travesty! We immediately thrust our well-loved set into her arms. And then my husband ordered a new set (Book One Through Book Seven) for us to devour again. 

 
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory  by Roald Dahl   

My 5-year-old son absolutely loved this book, as did the rest of us. Prior to reading the book aloud together,  I had only seen the movie version, Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, which is also a classic. We watched the movie after finishing the book. And then we read Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator.

 

James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl 

I thought this book might be a little scary for my son, but he mostly enjoyed it along with his older bug-loving sisters. The movie was a bit too intense for him at points, but diverged from the book considerably, and was therefore more palatable to young viewers than the original story would have been.

  

The 13 Clocks by James Thurber  

The theme of heroism rings through the absurdity of the language and the ordeals that the protagonist encounters. This book was an unexpected treat, and demonstrated to me again why it is wonderful to have a husband who excels at selecting great children's literature.

Their Imaginations Will Thank You 

Perhaps this list will inspire you to search the shelves of your library or bookstore and slake your family's thirst for stories.  These books would also make great holiday gifts for other families with school-age children.  But the key is to invest time as a family reading together, entering other worlds and gaining new perspectives as we strengthen our imaginations via the written word.

 

Nourishing the Soul: The Poetry of Christina Rossetti

 Image Source

Inspiration can be gathered in many ways--from nature, from stories, from music, from Scripture.    I have felt hungry lately for more classical forms of expression--like hymns, baroque music, and poetry.  Though flooded with breezy modern worship tunes, informational articles, and personal blog posts, these do not quite reach the deeper places of my heart, mind, and soul.

The poetry of Christina Rossetti was first introduced to me years ago with the song In the Bleak Midwinter.  Not long after, I bought a book of her poems.  After letting it sit on my shelf for many years, it was time to pick up her poetry again. The first poem in the book, "The Key Note," left me breathless.  It starts:

Where are the songs I used to know.

where are the notes I used to sing?

I have forgotten everything

I used to know so long ago...

 
Ten of my favorite poems by Ms. Rossetti, which I read from my copy of Rossetti: Poems, can be found in the list below.  One can also enjoy her poetry for free via Project Gutenburg and Google books (links below).

1. "The Key Note"
2. "A Wintry Sonnet"
3. "Son, Remember"
4. "Eve"
5. "Hope"
6. "What is Pink?"
7. "Who Has Seen the Wind?"
8. "Later Life: A Double Sonnet of Sonnets"
9.  "Weary in Well-Doing"
10. "Lord, Thou Art Fullness"

This post is linked to Top Ten Tuesday and AP Tuesdays.

Our Alphabet Hunt = Backyard Treasures + Sidewalk Chalk

A few thoughts spring to mind when I think of spending the summer with my kids:

Anticipation of fun; apprehension about the change in routine
         Books to read; boredom to battle
                 Creative outdoor activities; creepy crawlies to study up close...

Last summer we made up songs and had fun together, with a bit of structure thrown in to keep the time from slipping away too haphazardly.  I intend to return to the summer activity calendars from Thriving Family again, but also am looking for more ways to spur fun and learning.

And happily, now I've got another resource in The We Teach: Summer Learning E-book. I joined the We Teach form to download it for free. 


 

The e-book is brimming with 25+ ideas to get our summer off to a great start. Today I'll share our variation on an idea from the literacy section of the e-book.  I loved Amy Mascott's idea to have a backyard alphabet hunt.  We simply made our hunt paperless.

What we did:

1.  Instead of a roll of paper we used pavement and sidewalk chalk.  We made a grid to write in the 26 letters.

2.  We filled in the grid with corresponding objects.
                                                                                                         

"R" is for rope,"V" is for vine, "W" is for wrapper, "S" is for stick...

Our "A" specimen was prone to wandering off the grid.

3.  We took Amy's idea one step further and tried to see what words we could spell with just the filled letters.  For a kinesthetic experience, we jumped on each letter square while spelling the word.  Fun for all!

Find more inspiration at Show and Tell this week!

Amen-Worthy Posts

Our whole family has been occupied with resting and visiting the doctor this week, so I will point you in the direction of what others have said so well.

• Why It's Really Okay: You Need to Slow Down @ A Holy Experience

• How to Be a More Patient Mom in Just 24 Hours @ Inspired to Action

• Time Management without a Schedule @ Life as Mom

• Bono Interview: Grace over Karma @ The Poached Egg

My accomplishments this week are few, but pondering these truths and ideas has left me inspired for when my energy returns.  And it shall; Spring is nearly here!

I'm linking this list of favorite posts to Saturday Stumbles this week.

What to Make for Lunch Besides a Sandwich

Recently, I decided to make homemade bread so I would not have to run out and buy more sliced bread.  While it is a noble and thrifty goal, getting myself to carve out three plus hours to make bread is an uncommon feat.  Especially since I lost the paddle to my bread machine more than a year ago.

So for the past week, my daily lunch dilemma has had the added difficulty of no sliced bread option.  This makes packing my husband's lunch quite challenging, since he usually takes an almond butter and jelly or some other kind of sandwich.

Nevertheless, I came up with a collection of lunch alternatives.

10 Lunches That Don't Require a Typical Loaf of Bread

1. Tortilla pizzas - We had these pizzas for lunch today.  Yes, I used homemade tortillas, but store-bought tortillas are fine too.

2. Fish tacos - We ate these tacos yesterday, using a leftover fish fillet.

3. Pasta salad - Another great way to combine whatever veggies and protein we happen to have.

4. Stuffed avocados - These are gluten free and delicious!



5. English muffin or pita sandwiches -
I like to keep English muffins in the freezer as a backup.

6. Crepes (also known as Swedish Pancakes) - Fill these with ham and cheese for a savory option.

7. Taco Salad - My cousin used to eat this almost every day--in peace, after her kids had their lunch.

8. DIY "Lunch-ables" - I make ours with cheese, meat, and crackers.  Avocado is a nice addition too.

9. Lettuce or cabbage wraps - I use a large leaf to wrap up whatever protein I have in the fridge.

10. Baked sloppy joes - This went into my husband's lunch bag today while it was still warm.

Though not as effortless as a sandwich, sometimes I would rather avoid the hassle of going out to buy bread ( I use mayonnaise when we're out of milk for the same reason).  And these lunches are not too messy to pack up for my husband or for me and my kid(s) if we're on the go.

If you were out of bread for the week, 
what would you make for lunch?

Linked to Top Ten Tuesday

Chinese Jump Rope and the Lunar New Year

Happy Lunar New Year!

Chuc Mung Nam Moi!

Xin Nian Kuai Le!

Across the Pacific, it's already February 3rd, and the Vietnamese and Chinese are busy ushering in the year of the rabbit for the next several days.  So I thought why not celebrate by hopping around a little?  The inspiration to do Chinese jump rope struck me this week as I contemplated what to do with my three energetic kiddos.  We've been snowed in for two days.

Years ago, my best friend and I would play Chinese jump rope together.  In my twenties, I was in China and got to see the real thing.  Now that I have kids, I thought it would be fun to teach them the simple version I learned as a girl.  Here we are, practicing our moves:

In

Out

On!

"Yi, er, san!"

The simple chant of instructions we followed:
One, two, three*,
One, two, three*,
In, out, in, stretch,
In, out, on!

 *We introduced saying the Chinese numbers "yi", "er", "san" instead.

To hear them pronounced, go to the Ting guide.

For rubber band skipping in authentic Asian contexts, take a look at the video slide show and brief YouTube clip below.   Enjoy!

Linking this to WFMW and Show and Tell.

Introducing Winter Activity Week 2011

The Bleak Midwinter is upon us here in Nebraska.  And I want to learn to like it.  Because normally I dread its onset all year long.  Those single digit temperatures repress my desire to revel in the outdoors.   Add three kids who must be bundled up, and it's the perfect recipe for cabin fever.

{Our family took a trip to the zoo this week.

Peacocks apparently don't mind the cold.}

Starting on Monday, January 10th, I plan to post at least one new winter activity per day (some indoor, some outdoor, all kid-friendly).  On Saturday, I will gather a list of links to additional fun winter-inspired activities we've discovered and enjoyed from other sites.  If you have a link to share, leave it in a comment. I will try as many of your suggestions out with my kids as we can.  Then on Saturday I will choose our favorite ones to include in a list of links to wrap up the week.

Feel free to join in the fun by trying the activities
(or sharing something fun you've enjoyed recently or long ago).

Would you like to join us next week?  
Leave a comment and say so.

The more the merrier!



 

Going Under the Hood: Installing a New Auto Battery

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With the new year approaching, it's time for "out with the old, in with the new."  And I experienced the perfect object lesson recently.  Subzero weather, relentless city driving, and leaving lights on here and there all conspired to drain the battery in our minivan just before Thanksgiving.  My kindly father took me to purchase a battery charger and we were good to go again!  And then we weren't.   Just a few weeks later, the old battery went "kaput." So said the mechanic who looked at it.

Lessons?  Ah yes, there were several.

• First, I should have charged the battery more often after it had been drained.  It may have frozen because I didn't keep it well-charged. 

• Second, we were able to manage without our second vehicle for almost two weeks.  I've always been convinced that owning a car is a luxury.  Owning two vehicles seems positively extravagant.  This incident demonstrated that we can indeed get by with "just" one car.  Also, I recognized the benefits of not filling my calendar with activities during this time of year.  I'm not a homebody by nature and prefer to be out and about.  However, it was nice not to have the pressure of having to be anywhere beyond our own neighborhood most of the time.

• Third, I learned a lot about auto batteries, including how to take one out and install a new one.  Thank you, real mechanics in eHow videos!  Rather than jump-start the minivan, I decided to take out the old battery and bring the suspect battery to Sam's Club.  There I had it tested and bought a new battery, which I installed at home myself.

While I begrudge the fact that we own two vehicles (resource-gobbling money pits that they are!), I am thankful to have learned more about how to maintain them.  The last time we had a dead battery in the other car, I simply called AAA.  They sent a tow truck, and after a jump start, I drove the car to a garage where they installed a new battery for me.  But it was so much more satisfying to do the job myself this time!  Kind of makes me want to walk around with a mechanic's swagger, though really I'm just a clueless wannabe.

It also seems that these battery episodes can be interpreted as a metaphor.  Numerous attempts to recharge my depleted inner resources have failed.  I need to swap out what's "old and busted" for new power, obtained from the Source of life, strength, and everlasting joy.

Are you mechanically inclined?

Have you ever felt utterly drained?