If You Give a Mouse a Cookie

BOOK Club–‘If You Give a Mouse a Cookie”

Originally Posted on Home & School Mosaics:
This month we are focusing on the book, If You Give a Mouse a Cookie, by Laura Numeroff.  Two of our writers took on the challenge of this book in their homes and they will be sharing their thoughts and some activities you can do.  The writer for this month is Carrie Cannon.

Did you enjoy the book? Why? Why not?

I LOVE this book. The charming illustrations combined with the innocent and silly series of cause and effect instances that happen when you give a Mouse a Cookie are amusing and entertaining for children.

How did the book compare to other books by the author (or other books in the same genre)?

The author has a series of books that follow the same lines of what happens when you do this. They are fun as well, but If You Give a Mouse a Cookie is by far my most favorite. She has several other books, but I have not read any of those yet.

What about the plot? Did it pull you in; or did you feel you had to force yourself to read the book?

The book is so fun and the illustrations are so wonderful, that you find yourself turning the pages to find out what happens next. I LOVE that it circles back to the beginning…you can see the whole thing happening again!

How realistic was the characterization? Would you want to meet any of the characters? Did you like them? Hate them?

I loved the characterization. I am not sure I would call it realistic, but the characters are sweet throughout the story. I love that the mouse seems to gather energy throughout the book, while the boy is continually cleaning up behind the mouse and looks pretty worn out by the end of the story. Many of the actions remind me of life at home with children. Their wonderful energy, never ending flow of ideas, their creativity, their boundless energy paired with my fatigue at the end of the day, the mouse wanting to sign his name on his picture with a pen, getting scotch tape…my children would have so much fun with a roll of scotch tape.

Did the actions of the characters seem plausible? Why? Why not?

Setting aside the fact that this is a mouse doing these things, I do believe the actions of the characters are plausible. One thing just leads to another all throughout the story. The mouse bounces from one activity to the next with enthusiasm, a little bit of drama and a sweetness that is irresistible to readers of all ages.

Did the book end the way you expected?

I can’t remember what I expected the first time I read it…it has been so long ago. Now, when we read it, it just seems like that is the way it HAS to be.

Would you recommend this book to other readers? To your close friend?

Absolutely YES! My family has all loved this book! It has a nice story with the BEST illustrations. A wonderful book for children!

The Title of this book is ” If You Give a Mouse a Cookie”. The Title is simply the name of the book.

Laura Joffe Numberoff is the Author of the book and her Website is here and you can read about the author here.

An Author is a person who writes a book.

Felicia Bond is the Illustrator and you can find out more about her here.

An Illustrator is the person who draws the pictures in a book.

Activities for “If You Give a Mouse a Cookie”

See my Pinterest Board

My children are all a little too old to do many of the activities for this book, but I had my youngest do a couple of them so I would have pictures! We also took some cookies and a copy of the book to our neighbor for a treat!

Try walking through each step of the story. Have a cookie, ask for a glass of milk, see if you have a milk mustache, get a hair cut…and so on.

Make cookies…here is our favorite recipe.

Make a bed…either your bed or make up a bed somewhere in the house out of something else….snuggle down and looks at books…or take a NAP!!!

Make a family portrait and sign it with a pen. Hang it on the fridge.

Have fun with scotch tape

Clean up after yourself

Start your own if you give a….. story…

Take cookies/the book to a neighbor or friend

Make “signs” of the nouns in the picture…tape them onto the item

Note the verbs…do the actions

Here is a couple of wonderful Chocolate Chip Cookie printables, which are also on my Pinterest board, but you can create all kinds of games with these…numbers, colors, letters, whatever you are working on in your home!
Numbers

Make a felt mouse

Make a paper bag Puppet

Talk with your child or children about when happens when we do this and introduce the idea of cause and effect. Here is a good article on that.

Originally Posted at Home and School Mosaics

Raising Missions-Minded Children

 by Carrie Cannon

We have always had a soft spot in our hearts for Missions/Missionaries. We have been very blessed to create strong friendships with many missionaries because of this. We raised our children around Missionaries, with Missionary stories, etc. We know that not everyone can go to Africa, but we can all support Missions/Missionaries in a variety of ways. Here is a short list of some of the things we have done in our family that have helped instill a Missions-Minded Heart:

We began our adventure in being Missions Minded by writing to the Missionaries our church supported. It began before we had children and continued for many years. As more children came and homeschooling began, those letters really slowed down. I cannot tell you how humbling it was to hear that my letters were the only contact one missionary had while overseas. Especially when I had known I had not written much. Missionaries were always gracious in writing back. This was the best gift to us! Please be VERY careful when writing missionaries. Some countries are not very friendly to the gospel. Also, packages are not as helpful as you might think. Some are opened and things are stolen, but often times, the packages are given pretty heavy fees. More than you would pay for the items being sent. Some good friends of ours are in the process of becoming a missionary family. It will be so much fun for my children to write to them when they go into the field and those children will be blessed as well! Most of the missionary friends we had in the early days did not have children with them in the field.

Attend Missions Conferences if your church has them. Most of the missionaries we know come home once every four years. This is a very busy time for them as they are reporting in with supporting churches, seeing family, taking care of needs, preparing to go back, getting some continuing education, raising more support, and so many other things we all take for granted. These times of “furlough” or home assignment are often filled with more activity than being away. It is a sign of respect and love to attend these meetings. This is where they get to see that they are loved and not forgotten. Can you imagine what it would be like to be alone in a foreign country where you speak very little of the language? We have had missionaries stay in our homes while in town for these conferences, which has blessed us all. I will never forget my little girl crying out incredulously, “YOU WERE BORN IN A TOILET???” at the end of a story a missionary was telling us. We have all formed strong bonds with those who have stayed in our homes. Our children have seen that missionaries are just normal people with a passion to share the gospel with a particular part of the world.

If you can afford it at all, support missionaries. Our regular giving to our church supports several missionaries, we take up special offerings as needs arise, support missionaries independently of our church, and are sometimes led for a particular gift. Any amount helps, even if only $5 a month. Throw all your change in a jar and save that for a missionary need. You will never miss it, and I am sure it will greatly bless someone! I will never forget one day when one of my children was younger. A need for a missionary came up and we knew we were going to take up a collection for it. He took every bit of money he had and put it into the offering plate…every dollar, every coin (I am sure the treasurer LOVED that!)…as his momma, I was tempted to tell him he didn’t have to do that…but I didn’t. My child got so much joy in giving that gift. Children can often be such natural and generous givers. Let them know how important their gift is.

Read biographies of missionaries. YWAM has a great collection of children’s missionary biographies included in their Heroes of the Faith series. Not everyone of these are missionary stories, but they have several that are.   My children LOVED these books about Gladys Aylward, George Mueller, Eric Liddell, Nate Saint and more. We learned of their great faith and more about OUR GREAT GOD!   Often times, after reading the YWAM book, I would look for more books on that person to learn more about their life. These really are great books!

Study different countries and cultures, especially the ones you have missionary friends in. Learn about the country’s people, customs, environment, and culture. Try their food! It would be fun to make it for your missionary friends when they come to your neck of the woods.

If your child starts talking like they want to go to Africa, encourage that. Do not treat being a missionary like they are doing this because they couldn’t get a better job anywhere else. You might never say this to your child, but we sometimes communicate that when it comes to OUR child wanting to go into Missions. These missionaries have a heart for God and a passion for getting the gospel out to people who are perishing. A great missionary, Jim Elliot, once said, “He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain that which he cannot lose.” If God is calling your child into missions, let them go with your blessing and with great joy.

Be missionaries to those around you who do not know Christ. Speak truth, be loving and gracious, be involved in their lives, listen to them…this list is really endless. Jesus said, “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations…” This essentially makes every one of us a missionary.

This is not a complete list by any means, and I am sure you can think of more ideas, maybe even better ideas. This is just a list of things we have done in our house to encourage and support missions and missionaries. We currently have a boy talking about going to Africa when he is older. I don’t know if that will happen or not, but I will trust God to lead each of us along the path He has for us!

Originally Posted at Home and School Mosaics

Just a Little Flat

by Carrie Cannon 

I’ve mentioned before that I go to the World’s Best Co-op Evah…did I happen to mention Biology Dissection Lab? Well, it is co-op season again and we are midterm into this session of co-op. One of the classes I have done before, and am teaching again now, is a Flat Stanley Class. There are so many ways you can take a Flat Stanley Class, that I thought I would share a few of my ideas and maybe this would encourage you as well.

First, we begin with reading “Flat Stanley” out loud and making our Flats. We will make 3 to send out and one more for me to keep until the end of class for a surprise. I LOVE using the Cricut Everyday Paper Doll Cartridge (# 291042) for these. They really turned out CUTE! (Now, because it is just disturbing to me to have their little behinds all nake-y, I flip the paper over after I have cut one set of clothes and cut a second set for the back side so it all matches up…if you are ok with naked little backsides, by all means leave them bare.) I have planned two class periods for this.

The next week, we will ATTEMPT to work on addressing an envelope. Last time I did this, I thought, we would do this each week. Well, with 4 boys aged K-2, that QUICKLY got thrown out the window. This year, I have the same age group, but much more realistic expectations. We are still going to try to do this one time, but will talk more about the proper way to address it, where the stamp goes, and what happens next. You could work in a full Post Office/Mail unit study if you like. (Update: This went so much better than I could have expected this time! So glad we did it! Also emphasized that a STAMP is NOT a STICKER!)

After the third week, we will read portions of some of the remaining books. From these, I am planning for one food item and one activity for each book. Things I learned last time: Papier Mache piñatas MIGHT be the way to go. DO NOT TRY to create your own from cardboard and tape…unless you want to be VERY FRUSTRATED. WE have not yet done the Papier Mache, so I may scrap it entirely if that doesn’t work either. ALWAYS practice the origami project before attempting to teach it. We barely got a Ninja Star done last time. Have a wonderful helper who lives to fill in the gaps you leave by flying by the seat of her pants! I have had the best helpers ever and they totally save face for me before these kids as I can be a whirlwind type in this kind of a class…(UPDATE:  Ditch the pinatas...TRUST ME on this one!)

So, here are some ideas I am thinking over with the books and which weeks I am planning on using them. I am writing this article at the beginning of the class, and I have already told you I am a fly by the seat of my pants kind of girl, so this MAY change AND since it is at the beginning, I have not yet had the opportunity to tell you what went well and what did not. I will try to post updates to my blog so you can keep up to speed on it if you are interested. (UPDATE:  That did not happen...but you can still check out my blog!  AND by this time, I THINK I will be most of the way through my third time with this class...so you just never know!!!)

Week 4: Mount Rushmore Calamity – I will be talking a bit about the History of Mount Rushmore and why the four presidents were chosen. We will take a look at the South Dakota and Mount Rushmore Quarters just for fun, try some beef jerky, and make a Mount Rushmore Card to take home. This week, we will also begin some light map work, coloring in the area we are talking about. I have glued a U.S. map and a World map into a file folder to keep these neat. I had a hard time deciding what to do this week. Many crafts for Mount Rushmore were rubbings of a Quarter, Nickel, Dime and Penny to create the mountain, but it bothered me that Franklin D. Roosevelt was used for Theodore Roosevelt. I got the card idea from a blog post I found on the Clearwater Public Library Family Connection site . My version is a tweak on what they did, but I was pleased to get the inspiration!  

(Update: This class time went very well…I forgot to get pictures of their cards, but I will try to explain as best as I can: We folded over a sheet of blue construction paper. On the front, we glued a color picture of Mount Rushmore. Inside, we glued a copy of the coloring page that is linked in the post above. Here it is just to keep life easy. For the back, I printed off the four presidents from some cards I found and cut around them. We glued them on and wrote what they represented: Washington represents birth, Jefferson growth, Roosevelt development, and Lincoln preservation.)
(ANOTHER UPDATE:  I could not get the pictures to load from the Library blog post...not sure what the issue is there...Big bummer!)

Week 5: Australian Boomerang Bonanza – I MAY try to see if I can find some Vegemite for the kids to try…I hear this is a BIG deal down under. If not, I know there are some cookies that are also very popular.  We will also be making boomerangs from foam core board and I will bring in origami boomerangs that actually SHOULD return to you when you throw them. I will make these at home though…I don’t think that my group can be this precise. (UPDATE:  I waited too long to find Vegemite...I think I found some Australian candy for them)

Week 6: The Amazing Mexican Secret – We will be making cheese quesadillas with the SECRET ingredient and making a piñata. The Piñata MAY take two weeks…if it does, we will not do the activity planned for week 12. (UPDATE: Just say no to the Pinata!!!  Get something like these instead if YOU HAVE TO DO THEM...and if the link is gone, just search mini pinatas on Amazon...PLEASE TRUST ME ON THIS!)

Week 7: Japanese Ninja Surprise-Origami – We will try a Ninja Star and I will send home some papers for them, with directions, to make a crane to make at home. We will have the children try Roasted Seaweed Sheets that you can get at Costco. We have MANY people at our co-op who love these, so MANY of the children enjoy them as well. I will have a back up treat if that fails…maybe pocky…(upate:  Have an Origami NINJA helper if this is not your gift!  We did the one project and sent the other home.  Did the seaweed and pocky)

Week 8: The Flying Chinese Wonders – I have not yet fully developed this one because I just received the book …but I have a fantastic picture of The Great Wall of China that my husband’s great aunt took when she was there and I will bring that in as well as some of those rice paper candy things you can get at the store. We used to get these from time to time in the Chinese Restaurant when we were little. The book mentions Chinese New Year, talks a little about determination and lists some Chinese Food. The book also covers quite a bit about acrobatics…maybe this will be a good time to do somersaults or cartwheels. Emperor Qin’s Terra Cotta Army is mentioned too and that would be a fabulous thing to show the students as well. We will either make a Chinese Dragon Puppet or a paper lantern. We will have fortune cookies and tea too!

Week 9: The Great Egyptian Grave Robbery – I will be making falafel and bringing in my good friend’s Persian dip. I have a pin on my Flat Stanley board for making mummies in a sarcophagus , or we can use hieroglyphics and make a Cartouche. I also have a pin for a death mask…so LOTS of ideas for this one.

Week 10: The Intrepid Canadian Expedition – For Canada, I am thinking of creating Northern Lights Art and serving up some poutine. If poutine isn’t in the cards, I may try to get my hands on some Canadian snack. Growing up in a hockey family, I may JUST HAVE to talk about the Stanley Cup too! (Update:  I had a friend who was going up into Canada close to when my class was and she brought back some candy.  I cannot even believe I was thinking about making poutine...)

Week 11: The U.S. Capital Commotion – For the U.S. Capital week, there are so many different directions to go, that I am having a hard time focusing.   I may try making a model of the Washington Monument, or we may make newspaper hats. Many D.C. attractions are mentioned and there will be no end of what we can talk about. I may give just an overview of them all. For a snack, I was thinking Apple Pie, because what is more American than that, but Nachos/Chips and Salsa are mentioned in the book so I may do that instead.  (Update:  I cannot even remember what we did here...it was week 11 for goodness sakes!  And actually, I think this ended up being week 12 because something took longer.)

Week 12: The African Safari Discovery -The African Safari book is my ace in the hole. I don’t think we will get to it, because I am pretty sure week six will be two weeks long. It is the book I am also having the most trouble pulling ideas from. I would LOVE your suggestions on what you would find interesting to do with this one. (Update: We did NOT end up doing this one!)

Check out some of the links I have used on my Flat Stanley Pinterest Board. I have not used all of these ideas, but some did spur on other ideas or are for future use too!

So, a couple of last thoughts:

In this class, I send out all the flats. I want to be sure they get sent and not set aside and forgotten.  I have notified all the parents that I will need three addresses before co-op starts, so they are prepared to have that for me either the second or third week. If my children can, I have them address the envelopes we are sending out. If not, then I do it and mail it with a letter for the person receiving it.

I chose to send out three flats, HOPING they would at least get one back. This time, I made a 4th flat for each child and I am HOPING to create a little book for each one. This might be a bit adventurous when push comes to shove, so we will see if it gets finished, but my thought was just in case someone did not get anything back.  (Update:  The book did not happen, but I had a friend make a cookie for them that looked like their flat...it was AMAZING!)

Have you ever done a class on Flat Stanley? If so, I’d love to hear your ideas! If not, I hope I’ve inspired you!

Originally Posted at Home and School Mosaics

Love, Marriage, and Baby Carriages

 by Carrie Cannon

As Valentine’s Day approaches, a topic heavy on my heart is loving our children.  I know this seems silly as we more often think of romantic love; but hindsight is 20/20 and, as I walk along trying to parent a prodigal as well as other children, I want to share some things I have learned along the way.  As an older woman (if you can call 29 older…wink, cough, cough), I hope that the things I have learned can encourage, instruct, and help you as you walk your path.  I always say that time flies when measured by growing babies and we only get a very short amount of time to influence them.  All of those sleepless nights and laundry piles may be one day wished for again…I know, I am not there yet either!  These suggestions are not in a particular order, just as the Spirit leads me through the things on my heart.

While it feels like you will ALWAYS have three in diapers, NEVER be able to shower or catch up on laundry, and you can’t remember what being rested feels like, I tell you…time is flying by.  We often cannot see the years for the days, but your children are growing so fast and the time we have with them in our homes is really so short.  Engage with them, play, snuggle, read, listen to them, and talk with them.  Make the time to do this with them now so that when they are older, they will still come to you and talk and share their lives with you.  We can “one more thing” or “just a minute” ourselves to death. These things never end and they are important, but they will still be there.  One day, our children will be gone and we cannot turn back or stop THAT clock.

Children do childish things.  Learn to determine what is childish and what needs discipline.  This is one area where I feel like I really failed one of my children.  He was always busy and active, getting into things, creating concoctions and secret “formlias”.  Do not overreact to childish things.  I know you’re tired, I know it is a mess, something may have been ruined, etc…but grabbing your child’s heart is much more valuable and trying to see it through their eyes is time very well spent.  “What were you thinking buddy?  What were you trying to do?”  Clean up the mess together and lovingly guide your child to see a better way this could have gone or provide an outlet for their busyness, creativity, and inventiveness.

The flip side of this coin is discipline.  I am not going to go into methods here…we can all find countless resources to help us there.  I would rather encourage you to be consistent and calm in your discipline.  When you are consistent, your child knows what to expect and can respond to that.  When we are too tired, busy or even lazy, our children learn that sometimes we mean what we say and other times we don’t.   If we wait until we explode in a rage, we are both exasperating our children and teaching them to listen and respond only when we hit a certain point.  Remember, you are modeling behavior for your children.  Instead of a feeling of dread…”I’ve become my mother,” wouldn’t it be sweet to have your grown child sigh peacefully and say that with a sense of great joy?  The cost is small now and the reward is great later down the way.  Try not to lose sight of that in the trenches of mothering.

We all blow it.  We lose our temper, we make mistakes, and we hurt those we love.  As soon as possible, go to your child and make a sincere apology.  Do not look for ways to justify what happened, cover it up, or make it seem like it was nothing.  “I am sorry, I was wrong, will you forgive me?”  This models another behavior that is so important…repentance.   True repentance restores broken relationship and opens up communication.  

Be there, Momma.  Get off the gadgets, shut down Facebook, and be there for your children.  Your children will not remember if you had a Pinterest-worthy home with over the top birthday parties and the best holiday themed decorations.  They will remember the silly crafts you did together, the snuggle times, the books you read, how you pretended to grumble when they sneaked into your coffee, or the way you held them when they were sick.  As I have said before, time is short.  Be there…show them they are more important than your computer, phone, television, or whatever your THING is.

Tell them you love them…A LOT!  Don’t just assume they know.  Tell them as often as you can, even if they don’t want to receive it…tell them!  Adopt code words to tell them if it is embarrassing to hear I LOVE YOU in front of others, but tell them you love them.  They really need to hear it, they need to feel it, and they need to see your love in action.  Do not make your love a conditional reward of their behavior…love them.

Precious Momma, if I could leave you with one final bit of advice, it would be to invite a woman into your life to mentor you.  Scripture says that the older women are to teach the younger women and our generation of Mommas has suffered because many do not have anyone to go to for help.  I KNOW that I have not had enough wisdom in my experience to do things as I should and there are areas where my family has suffered as a result of that.  I am so blessed, though, to have a beautiful mentor in my life who I can count on to give me wise and godly counsel and to be for me and my family.  She does not give me the counsel I want or whatever is popular.  She gives me the counsel I need, that comes from above and out of her life that is steeped in the Word of God.  She always points me to Christ.  I know she prays for me often.  My parenting is better because I have been vulnerable and shared some ugly things about myself and my family.  She helps me to stand in victory when I am tired and cannot stand on my own.  She encourages me to be a better wife, mother and woman of God.  It is hard to admit you need help, hard to let others see the dirty places in your life, hard to let others see your sin, but there is great strength and support in the vulnerability.  There is great wisdom in God’s plan for us!

Originally Posted at Home and School Mosaics.

Blessings & Gratitude

by Carrie Cannon

During November in the United States, we tend to be more intentional about being thankful. We KNOW it is something we should all do more often, but in the busyness of life, what is urgent is what often gets our attention. I want to challenge you to look for ways to be grateful to God daily, rather than at one time of the year.

Here are four ways you can begin to implement gratitude into your routine.

Gratitude: the quality of being thankful; readiness to show appreciation for and to return kindness.

In Song:

Sing Praises to the Lord, thankful for His loving watch care over you. Matt Redmond’s song, “10,000 Reasons” is a great example of this as it encourages the listeners to name God’s faithfulness in praise each and every day of their lives and recall the many reasons to keep recounting His praises forever.

“You’re rich in love, and You’re slow to anger
Your name is great, and Your heart is kind

For all Your goodness I will keep on singing

Ten thousand reasons for my heart to find…”

In Word:

There is a popular book out (actually it has been out for a while now) called One Thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp, that challenges us to “Live Life Fully Right Where You Are.” In this book, we discover that as we “express gratitude to God for what we have, we find that we already have the life that we have always wanted.” I haven't read this book, but I know it is pretty popular with many.  A couple of years ago, I took Ann’s Joy Dare and chronicled 3 gifts for each day for one year. Some of those things were VERY EASY to jot down. Some needed more thoughtful reflection, but some came with many tears as it was a season of hard things. Through that exercise though, I found peace, I found a deeper relationship with God as I recounted His faithfulness to me, I found great joy and a stronger faith as those became memorial stones for me.

In Deed:

Do something kind for someone or fill a need just because of what God has done for you.   Prepare a meal, send a card, make a phone call, buy a gift, or help with a chore. There are so many ways this could be done…think about what you do well or pay attention for what is needed and then bless another in Jesus’ name and for His sake. Sometimes, just knowing someone cares or is thinking about us helps us in ways we might never really understand. I try to keep stocked up on Freezer Meals, just so I have something prepared if a need arises. Taco Soup is one recipe that is easy to get into the freezer and most people have really enjoyed it

In Prayer:

My prayers can get dry, repetitive and all about me. A tool I use from time to time is the acronym ACTS to help me get my eyes off of myself and focused on worshipping God. You can use this method to pray using Scripture as your starting point or you can just use it as you step through your prayer time. Another method is to use your fingers to step you through your prayer. I have seen a few of these through the years, but I liked this one from Bob Young.

FIVE-FINGER PRAYER

• Thumb: pray for those closest to you
• Pointing finger: pray for those who guide us: teachers, doctors, counselors, mentors
• Middle finger (tallest one): pray for those who lead us: government, civic, and business leaders, police and firefighters
• Ring finger (weakest one): pray for those who are weak: the poor, sick, disabled, infants, homeless, the powerless, the persecuted
• Pinkie (the smallest, the least): Pray for myself

This year, let us be a people of God, filled with gratitude; and when people ask why we overflow with such joy, we have the opportunity to share with them the wonder of our Glorious God!

Originally Posted at Home and School Mosaics

This Beautiful Life

by Carrie Cannon

One of my dear friends is just so very lovely that I want to be her when I grow up! She makes her home so warm and inviting, is an amazing hostess, she’s creative, plays the harp, and is just plain fun! My dear friend has written a book that is just so amazing that I wanted to tell you about it! It is so lovely to look at and is so useful in helping me keep my priorities in place. Let me just walk you through it.

The book is called This Beautiful Life: A Priorities Journal for the Christian Woman. It is divided into five main sections: Vision, Nurture, Focus, Growth, and Celebrate. Chloe takes you from the big picture of what you want your life to look like, has you break that into things you want to intentionally work on, and then has you document the growth steps taken each month. I knew this was a FANTASTIC tool for me as I wanted certain things to be areas that I purposed to continually work on throughout the year. It is so easy to set goals and then never revisit them. This tool has me frequently revisiting the things that are important to me. I will give some brief glimpses into this marvelous book and hope that it is something that you might find useful as well.

So we begin with a prayer of dedication. You might be able to sit down and know exactly what you want to say or you may prayerfully consider it for a few days or even weeks. I got one of these books in February and just got around to writing mine down in early April. While this is a vital step, I felt like I hit the ground running with a bit of a late start so I dug right in to the places that were easier for me and really tried to prayerfully consider what I wanted to say here.

In the Vision section, there are many sweet tidbits, but the meat and potatoes of it for me is The Big Five page. This is where you list the five priorities that are those areas you want to focus on. Why five you ask? Chloe has an amazing post on this here. I had already chosen my five areas, but this clarity helped me solidify that these were the right five for me for this year. Who knows…this list could change or it could remain very much the same from year to year. Your list will be as unique as you are, but to give you an idea of what this could look like, my five are Faith, Family, Friends, Field (work, profession, employment related) and Fun (the creative things I often do not make time for or those things that bring joy). Once I had begun, I liked the fact that all of my five began with the same letter. There are two more topics that are on the outskirts here…Fitness and Finances. I am leaving them there, because these are the things that are MOST important to me at this time.

I am going to skip over the Nurture section (not because it is lacking, but I want you to discover some of the treasures of this book yourself) and move to the Focus section. This is the area to take each one of your five priorities and note your desire, what it looks like at its best, what it looks like right now and some steps you can take to make the reality become the desired outcome. This section is a work in progress for me as I am taking the time to think, pray, and dream about what this would look like for me.

Growth is next and this is where you can write down the successes you have had in each area each month. This is the part where talk becomes the walk. Some of the things I have written here are the smallest of baby steps, sometimes nothing has been gained, but I am being very focused day by day as I think on these things and stepping closer to what I want these things to look like.

There are so many more parts to this wonderful little book, but I do want there to be some sweet surprises for you if you choose to get one of these for yourself (by the way, I am not getting any compensation for these comments…I love this book and want to share it because I find it helpful personally). One thing that makes this book so lovely is that Chloe has done all the sweet artwork and made it so beautiful that you really want to keep working in it. I did not want to write in it in the beginning, but got over that fairly quickly. I often throw this in my purse or in my bag as I am out and just jot down a couple of things as they come to mind. I do have more to get done in this, but I am ok with that too. I just want to add one quick thing – this HAS to be a walk of grace for me, not a legalistic box of do’s and don’t’s. There are enough places for me to see where I fall short. This has to be a safe place where I am stretching for growth, but can back up if it is too much at this time.

I have really loved this little journal. A beautiful place where I can keep my First Things, FIRST! What would your BIG FIVE be?

This was originally posted at Home and School Mosaics

Seasons of Busyness

by Carrie Cannon 

This past year was the YEAR OF WAY TOO BUSY! I started this school year with three part time jobs and two extra children (not to mention Orchestra, Band & Choir, Speech Club, Co-op, Bible Study and AWANA).   I woke up tired and went to bed even more tired. We were getting hardly ANY school work done; and I knew I could not keep up this pace for too long, but wasn’t sure what would have to give. It is so easy to say yes to everything before we have counted the cost. If you find yourself on this same end of crazy, I hope you are looking for ways to get out of some of your commitments or to slow down, but here are some tips to get through it.

— Organization is KEY: Developing a plan is essential to keeping your head on your shoulders during a busy season.   This will look different for different families, but calendars, meal planning, budgets, cleaning schedules and lesson plans can be included in this category. The more time I spent in this category, the better things went for me. ESPECIALLY with meal planning. If dinner is taken care of, ALL IS WELL!   Have you heard about the Bullet Journal method? This is a system that I am just beginning to implement. I am a pen and paper girl trapped in a digital world. I LOVE this system. I’ll let you know how it goes.

–Focus is VITAL: Keeping the important things in their proper place is so very important. We get trapped in putting out the fires of the urgent while the important slips by. Why answer the phone in the middle of a conversation with your teenager? That phone ringing is grabbing our attention away from a conversation that could turn into something that could never be recreated. I have a precious friend who has created a beautiful little book to help us keep these first things FIRST…I will talk more about it next month, but it is a sweet little book that I highly recommend. You can find This Beautiful Life here. This wonderful tool helps me keep focused on those things I want to intentionally keep front and center.

–Simplifying Life is ESSENTIAL: This is not the time to make things more difficult than they are. When I was at the busiest in this season, I was making things as easy as possible. Easy meals, easy cleaning schedule, easy lesson plans (If you could really call them that…school consisted of all the extra things. Co-op, Band, Choir, Speech, Home Ec). This was not the time to introduce Latin, sew everyone’s clothing and cook gourmet, multi-course meals. The crock pot was my best friend, with freezer meals a close second.This was one of my favorite meals in this season.

–Teamwork is IMPERATIVE: I cannot stress enough what a blessing my family has been to me in this season of busyness. They have, of course, ALWAYS been a blessing, but when the pressure is applied, you find out the stuff you are all made of. My family really came together and were exceedingly helpful doing chores, meal prep, holding babies, and just really taking care of all the things that needed getting done. One of our favorite methods for getting things accomplished is the Job Jar. Many hands make light work!

–Clearing the Calendar is CRUCIAL: I know I cannot keep up this pace forever, and have already taken steps to slow things down a bit. I have quit one job, and the hours on another job have cut back significantly. We are evaluating our out-of-the-house activities to see if there are any that do not make the cut for next year. Some of these decisions may be very difficult to make, but insanity is ugly and I am closer to it than I want to admit. I see the light at the end of the tunnel though as some things are coming to an end. School books have been dusted off and are being cracked open and the lesson plans are singing with completed work being checked off. Now that we have a driver in the house, I am able to have that child run errands and be the taxi a little more, so that I can be home attending to things only I can do. I know that you cannot get rid of everything and you may need to continue in a season of busyness longer than I have done so far, this too, will look different for each family. Prayerfully consider the things that remain on the calendar and see if they align with the goals you have for your family. So many things look good, are beneficial, but do not accomplish what you desire.

–Taking Care of You is REQUIRED: Seasons of busyness are sometimes unavoidable. If you find yourself in one, try to make sure you are taking care of yourself. Get plenty of sleep, eat as healthy as possible, try to exercise at least a little, do something to pour into yourself. Living off energy drinks and four hours of sleep a night will not be a sustainable lifestyle for very long. You need true energy and stamina to get through this season.

Hopefully, all these tips will help you get through your season of busyness too!

(*This was written ALMOST 2 years ago and it is not at all lost on me that I could say the very same thing past school year as this year that I was writing about!  I am planning on taking my own advice this year!  Keep me to it, OK?)

Originally Posted at Home and School Mosaics

It’s That Time of Year…Already

by Carrie Cannon 

Even though we try to continue schooling throughout the summer, at least to some extent, Fall is the great kick-off for us for a new school year. New books, lesson plans and fresh optimism flow as the box of crayons are opened for the first time, we can actually FIND several pairs of scissors and pencils are sharpened in anticipation of the BIG DAY. As many of us are gearing up, planning, buying curriculum and trying to have a clue about what on earth we are going to do, let me share some of the things I am doing right now to get ready for the big day!

Planning:

A good lesson plan book is an invaluable resource. My personal favorite right now is The Ultimate Homeschool Planner by Debra Bell. There are many good helps in the beginning of this planner that make it THE ONE for me. Yearly, Monthly, and Weekly planning sessions keep me focused and remind me of our priorities for our school and for each child. I will also try, once again, to develop that important life skill of time management with my older children using student planners.

My other favorite planning tool is My Home School Grades.This helps me keep my grades in one place that I can access at any time and will create, when I am ready, a professional transcript for my child’s academic and extracurricular achievements. Created by a homeschool Dad and a homeschool grad, this is an extremely user friendly tool. One thing I LOVE about My Home School Grades is their FANTASTIC customer service.  I really cannot say enough about this WONDERFUL resource!  It really is AWESOME!

Organizing:

One thing MOST homeschoolers LOVE are BOOKS! So as the summer winds down, make time to go through your bookshelves and see what you already have, before contemplating what you need. Perhaps there is a treasure awaiting you in there somewhere. If not, what can you clear away before adding more into our stores of books? Maybe there is something you can sell, consign, or give away to a friend. Not only will this be a blessing for you, either in earning you some school money or in being a blessing to someone, but this will make room for more BOOKS! Things you will actually use.

After you go through the books, go through your supplies to see what you need for the upcoming year. I LOVE to use plastic shoebox size containers to gather like things together. This helps all of us locate what we want quickly, provides a consistent place to return supplies to AND helps you to see fairly quickly what you need or will need soon. Stocking up on supplies in the summer is smart because of the rock bottom prices most stores offer at this time.

Don’t forget all those OTHER things that pop up as September approaches. Sports, Weekly commitments like AWANA , Music lessons, or Co-op, and work schedules all play a HUGE factor in both your “school” time AND your budgeting needs. Look for good deals on sports equipment and band instruments, buy a few things here and there now, set aside money you will need for fees, dues, and supplies you will need for these extras. Often, we need several hundred dollars for these activities all at once and September (or August) hits us with a whammy. You KNOW it’s coming…prepare for it now.

One Last Thing:

Take a moment and write down your hopes and dreams for this year and seal it into an envelope and slip it into the back of your planner or tape it to June’s calendar page. Really think of what you hope to accomplish…academically, relationally, spiritually, physically, etc. Try to be as detailed as you can. It is my prayer that when you open these at the end of your school year, that you will be encouraged and energized as you recount your days in view of your hopes and dreams. In the trenches, we can often lose sight of the goal and focus on the things that were not done, books not finished and all the defeats. Remember and celebrate the victories. These are usually NOT measureable in a standardized test or in the grade books, they are measured in your child’s heart.

Originally Posted at Home and School Mosaics

Just Whistle While You Work

by Carrie Cannon

Heigh Ho, Heigh Ho…it’s off to work we go…

We do chores a little differently in our home…It has worked very well for us and I thought I would share some of the things we do with you this month. We have never paid for chores (well, I shouldn’t say NEVER, but we don’t USUALLY pay for chores). We are all part of a family, each one contributing to the mess and each one contributing to the upkeep. I know there are many different views on this, but we have treated house work with a teamwork mentality. After all, many hands make light work! We do not do all of these every day or week…we shift everything around from time to time to keep things fresh and interesting. The first two ideas I mention are our main ways of handling messes though.

Speed Cleaning – Everyday (well, it should be everyday…) we have three speed cleaning periods. We dedicate 20 minutes around breakfast time, around lunch time and close to Daddy coming home time to work together to clean up the major messes. This is ALL hands on deck time as everyone takes on a particular area and puts it back into shape. This is also time to unload/load the dishwasher and washer/dryer. We may have to do that more often than three times a day, but that keeps things moving when we get caught up in our daily duties. The timer is set and we race around tidying up. This is NOT a time for deep cleaning, this is “get things looking ship shape quickly” time.

For those heavy spring cleaning times of life where the mess is more overwhelming than you can deal with, we do a job jar. Everything gets cleared off the calendar and all the jobs go onto individual slips of paper into a container to draw from. Each of us, one at a time pulls a job out of the jar. We set the timer for 20 minutes and everyone works together on that one particular job. So if we pull out Living Room, we are all working to put that space back into order…including dusting, cleaning windows, etc. If the job is complete when the timer goes off, we throw the paper away. If not, we put it back into the jar. I have found that we can all focus and work well together this way, because the jobs change frequently and we also throw in some surprises…read for 20 minutes, watch TV for 30 minutes, snack time, 20 minute break and things like that. This has helped us IMMENSELY for the big cleaning days.

Room a day is another way we get everything done…well it is NEVER DONE, but you know what I mean. Using this technique, we schedule a particular room on a day and everyone works together cleaning that room. So, this is when bedding gets washed, rooms get vacuumed, etc. When we have worked through all of the rooms, we just start over again. When we use this technique, we schedule about 2 rooms a week (I put them into my Outlook Calendar so reminders pop up on the day of!). Some rooms, like bathrooms need to be cleaned more often, other rooms, once a month is good for me. Some spaces, like the kitchen, are cleaned up regularly, but don’t get deep cleans done often and this is a good way for those things to get done. When we use this method, we do not set the timer, but work together until the job is complete. It does not take very long when you work together like this.

You can also find household planners that schedule in duties for you and just follow their recommendations. I have used this method from time to time, but for it to be truly effective, you need to actually LOOK at the planner. I have enjoyed the planner that Susan Heid created at the Confident Mom. She breaks down weekly tasks into bite sized daily chunks and includes things I don’t think of, like wipe out microwave, wipe down all appliance doors, disinfect trash cans. I really do love this planner for keeping on task for my housework!

Ok, the last method I use does involve money…this is the MOM IS GOING TO PANIC and I don’t care how much it costs me, this house better be clean today method. This is only pulled out RARELY, but motivates because of the bribery element everyone wants to bless mom while she is freaking out. This is usually saved for the days we have Bible Study at the home or company for dinner, or something like that. I pay for these instances, because my children are giving me a gift and helping out in instances where I am caught off guard and super stressed out.

Well, that is pretty much how we handle chores around our home. While what we do really works well for us, I want to encourage you to find the groove that works for your family. Each family has different circumstances, needs and giftings that make certain methods work well for your need

Originally Posted at Home and School Mosaics

Grads, Dad, Brides and Birthdays

by Carrie Cannon 

Spring ushers in a season of gift giving opportunities as graduation announcements, wedding and birthday party invitations fill your mailbox.  Giving gifts is not about how much money we spend, but in celebrating someone special in our life.  Thanks to the internet, fresh ideas abound and ways to get creative on a budget  are at your fingertips.  I will warn you though…giving gifts is my love language and I am SURE I go way overboard on this…I just can’t help myself, but I am learning to cut back a little.

Graduation gifts are always a challenge for me.  You often see people suggesting books, a watch or loads of cash.  Cash is ALWAYS a gift that is appreciated!  Maybe you can give it in a creative way.  Search Pinterest for “Graduation Gift Ideas”   to see some of those creative ideas.    A gift card to Target or another store of your choice is ALWAYS helpful.   Creating theme kits might be fun too – laundry soap and quarters, or a basket full of cleaning supplies, midnight munchies or bathroom supplies are very useful at this point in a graduate’s life.

Birthday Parties are the next hurdle to get over. Figuring out which Lego set a child DOES NOT have, what THING is THE THING this year and finally giving up and getting a gift card or giving cash.  Some ideas I am kicking around are movie tickets (Thank you, Costco), zoo, aquarium or museum tickets.   I find that my children do not need more STUFF, and I am trying to think of things we can do to create memories for them instead.  I think that sometimes we get all worked up if we give cash.  My children LOVE to get cash as a gift, because they do not often get money for things. I would not write that off completely, but maybe scale back on the amount you give.  I like to give dollars equal to their age.  I think it makes the gift a little more memorable.

Weddings are made a little easier for us with registry lists.  Often, we can find a gift on a registry within our price range and call it good.  One special gift I have created a couple of times now is a homemade cookbook.  This works beautifully if you have known the bride or groom for a long time.  Recently, I created a cookbook for a dear friend from a Smash Book and scrapbooking supplies on hand.  I did this start to finish in one evening, so it is completely possible, I just don’t really recommend it!  Currently, I have been scouring Craigslist for a used Kitchen aid Mixer  at a FANTASTIC price for a precious friend who is getting married soon.  My Kitchen aid is one of the best gifts I have ever received and has lasted more than 20 years. Other ideas might be to create an evening out with dinner gift card and movie tickets, or a date night in with popcorn, movie, and treats.    There are so many ideas; have a look around Pinterest for wedding gifts or DIY wedding gifts, or even think about the best gifts you have received and I am sure you will be inspired with an idea.

Finally, Dads . . . Dads are really tough  because they often aren’t helpful with what they would like.  How about something for the barbeque?  New cookbooks, cedar planks, or seasonings get those creative juices flowing and bring blessings to the whole family.  What about a basket of different hot sauces – my hubby would LOVE that!  Gift certificates to go out to a nice dinner or Starbucks to grab some coffee on the way to work are great options too.   Coupons for a foot massage, a car wash, or some yard work ease Dad’s burden a little.  If none of these ideas apply to your guy, you can always grab him another tie!

The best advice I can give when gift giving opportunities arise is to focus on the person you are giving your gift to.  As you think about who they are and what they mean in your life, I am sure you will come up with the PERFECT gift idea!

Originally Posted at Home and School Mosaics