Book Review - The Berenstain Bears' Holiday Cookbook: Cub-Friendly Cooking with an Adult by Mike Berenstain

The Berenstain Bears' Holiday Cookbook: Cub-Friendly Cooking with an Adult is written and illustrated by Mike Berenstain and is published by Zonderkidz.

To give you a little bit of an idea of what this book is about, I will begin with saying it is filled with beautiful, colorful photographs of, what I believe must be, tasty food. All of the recipes are kid friendly, but they do require adult supervision. They involve using a stove and, sometimes, sharp knives. That said, the kids can do most of the preparation themselves. 

The recipes are not always what people consider to be healthy fare - something that is the craze in these days of overweight, unhealthy children - but they ARE foods that kids will like to eat. The one that caught my eye immediately is on pages 58 and 59: "Oven Roasted Corn on the Cob". This corn has a rub of mayonnaise, parmesan cheese, chili powder, pepper, and parsey on each plump ear of corn. 

There is a holiday theme in the cookbook, obviously. At the beginning of each "chapter" is an introduction to the holiday, such as 1 John 4:19 - We love because he first loved us - for Valentine's Day. This introduction is in the form of a very short, one page, story.

Okay, so I love this little cookbook, which really isn't all that little. This is a hardcover, well thought out book of 96 pages. I give it a 5 stars because I really like it and I believe it to be something that parents and children can do together, something that is becoming rarer by the day.

*I received a copy of The Berenstain Bears' Holiday Cookbook in exchange for my honest opinion. My thoughts are my own.*

Guest Post by Susie Monday: 9 Creative Ways to Help Kids Say I Love You

Guest post by Susie Monday, co-author of The Missing Alphabet: A Parent's Guide to Developing Creative Thinking in Kids.

9 Creative Ways to Help Kids Say I Love You

by Susie Monday

Got a tactile-learner? A kid who loves to dance? Or maybe your child really loves color? While every child has a constellation of Sensory Alphabet strengths (shape, color, movement and sound are just a few), your child probably has one or two that really stand out — that you notice in his or her artwork or in elements of his or her collections and activities. Valentine’s Day crafts provide ways for parents to nurture these strengths and help kids say I love you in fun creative ways. Below are craft ideas designed for each element of the Sensory Alphabet.

SHAPE: Is your child’s art always full of shapes? Cut out cookies! Make the process easier and faster by using dough from the grocery store refrigerator case. Find imaginative cookie cutters and combine shapes and words to say I love you in new ways.

SOUND: Let sound-oriented kids make a Valentine’s wind chime with metal, glass and wooden craft store finds. Throw in everyday household items like bowls and plates to create loving symphony.

COLOR: Make "stained glass" cookies with color-loving kids, using bread stick dough. Shape it to make the "leading" on a cookie sheet topped with foil. Use crushed colored sugar candies in the spaces, cook at 350 degrees and let the candies melt. Let cool before peeling off the foil. Experiment with the colors and explore what else can represent love besides red.

MOVEMENT: Have your kids spell out the letters of “I Love You” with their bodies, and then take pictures. These can be used to create a sweet card or frame.

LIGHT: Appoint the light-loving child as the official photographer for holiday events. A lesson in digital app photo editing (PhotoPad is free for the iPad) or in designing digital slideshows or print-on-demand books puts this creative eye into action.

TEXTURE: Make a Valentine’s card that focuses on touch rather than sight. Use bows, ribbons, homemade tassels and other textured embellishments. Feathers and sponge-and-paint prints are fun to cover things with.

SPACE: For little builders, create a giant heart using recycled boxes wrapped in plain paper or Popsicle sticks. Decorate it with stickers, markers, doilies and colored paper. When it’s done create a set of keys, and have your child give them to family and loved ones.

RHYTHM: With your rhythm kid, fill small glass jars (such as baby food jars or small jelly jars) with a tablespoon of different shake-able items such as beans, rice, red-and-green beads, and metal washers. Decorate the lids with foil tied around the tops and stickers for patterns. Shake along to Valentine’s songs.

LINE: A linear thinker loves stories. Put him or her to work making handmade Valentine’s books using photos that tell a story about the great love stories in your family. Start with folded paper with a construction paper cover, hole-punched and tied with string or stitched down the center on the sewing machine for the binding.

Matching a creative thinking strength to the right set of materials and a fun challenge can make it more fun -- and help your child build from his or her strengths.

Susie Monday, educator and artist and co-author of The Missing Alphabet, A Parents’ Guide to Developing Creative Thinking in Kids, with Susan Marcus and Dr. Cynthia Herbert. http:/www.themissingalphabet.com.

 

Thirty Days of Thankfulness - Day 28

Last night, Amanda and I made the first batch of Christmas cookies of the year: peanut butter. After half were baked, we put chopped dark chocolate into the remaining batter. The consensus is that the chocolate makes a delicious difference.

I am SO thankful that I have a daughter with whom I can do some fun, girly stuff. The boys are great (and I have four wonderful sons), but a daughter is a terrific blessing.

Thirty Days of Thankfulness - Day 18

My family is finally recovering from a really nasty throat infection - similar to strep but not strep. Ryan and Amanda (above) had to stay home from our church's Ingathering dinner today, but they are getting well. Yay!

Thanks, Coppertone!

This summer I had a chance to sample a lot of Coppertone products, via the good folks at Coppertone. This year we have had a lot more sun - and heat - than what we usually have up here in the northern half of Michigan. It seems that the sun was more intense as well. Where there's an intense sun, there's usually a lot of intense sunburns.

The Coppertone sunscreen we used on Amanda and Ryan helped prevent the burns.

I miss the summer (we had a few inches of snow last night). When the wind is blowing and the cold snow is falling, I'll remember the warm days of sunshine and the fun we had playing outside, having picnics, and tossing water balloons.

Book Review - The Missing Alphabet: A Parents' Guide to Developing Creative Thinking in Kids

The Missing Alphabet: A Parents' Guide to Developing Creative Thinking in Kids is written by Susan Marcus, Susie Monday, and Cynthia Herbert, PhD and is published by Greenleaf Book Group Press. It becomes available on October 23, 2012 and is priced at $17.95.

Susan Marcus, Susie Monday, and Cynthia Herbert, PhD are the founders of the "New World Kids Program" as well as the Foundry in Austin, TX. They are not strangers to the world of children and their development, as their well-written book proves. They are big advocates for developing creative thinking in kids and the roles their parents play, hence The Missing Alphabet. 

Have you ever heard that children are either gifted in creativity or they are not? Are they just born with those creative juices flowing, while other kids just don't have what it takes to think creatively? According to Marcus, Monday, and Herbert, all children have the potential for great creativity - plain and simple. In The Missing Alphabet, they expound upon the discovery that each child has a rich potential for creative thinking.

Since children are born with such a large capacity for creativity, it is important that parents build upon that first block of potential by supplying the Sensory Alphabet - the building blocks for creative thinking. Sadly, those building blocks are mostly missing from the schools today.

The Missing Alphabet is very easy to read and interesting to boot. Lots of family fun ideas and activities are suggested, such as visiting the zoo and taking pictures, studying the ways the zoom can suggest movement. Perhaps the family would want to take videos of the animals and then edit them later. Discuss the movements of the animals. Would you have thought that something so simple and fun would build creativity in your child?

 I just took things like that for granted. As long-time homeschoolers, our family has done many of the activities and learning ideas contained within this book, but we had no idea we were building such wonderful structures within our children. We just knew we were having fun and the kids were learning lots. As each of them grew into his or her own creative interests, we thought maybe we simply had "gifted" children. HA!

I thoroughly enjoyed flipping through The Missing Alphabet and reading it in depth. I have two children remaining in our homeschool and I'm thrilled to see suggestions that I hadn't thought of yet for building those blocks of creativity .

**I received a copy of The Missing Alphabet: A Parents' Guide to Developing Creative Thinking in Kids in exchange for my honest opinion.**

Jonathon's Quilt

Yesterday was my second born's birthday. He has drooled over his brothers' t-shirt quilts in the past, so I decided to ask Jenn of Sunshine of Autumn Quilts to make him one. She went above and beyond the call of duty with this one. It is large, soft, and very warm - something we need in our up-north cooler climate. Jonathon loves his new quilt. His bed isn't made all that well, but here is a picture of his custom made t-shirt quilt:

If you'd like to see a better picture (and maybe order one of your own), visit Sunshine of Autumn's Etsy shop. You must come up with your own t-shirts and mail them to Jenn (as well as pay for shipping the quilt to you). You might think that is a burden. Well - yes and no. Your kids might be like mine. They have drawer after drawer of t-shirts. After a while, they thin them out and stuff them in bags, saying, "Get rid of these."

I checked several other Etsy quilt shops and found that the prices are all fairly comparable. Many shops require the purchaser to send fabric, shirts, etc. Almost all require shipping costs to be paid by the buyer.

By the way, ignore the splotchy wall in the above photo. This boy has hung and rehung pictures and guitars (yes, he has two electric guitars hanging over the bed) and he's made a mess of the wall.

Getting the Most with What You Can

We decided to go back out in the state forest last weekend in order to have a cook-out over an open fire. The real reason, though, was to forage and get whatever food we could to store up for winter use. Wow, did we ever find some good stuff!

These mushrooms are Fly-Agraic ones. 

The Chanterelle mushrooms are in abundance in the north woods this year. Supposedly, these are the real delicacy, above and beyond morels. Unfortunately, most people do not know how to correctly identify Chanterelles and they are afraid to eat them. To learn about them, go here.

The berries (above are blackberries mixed with red raspberries) are in abundance too. In fact, most people are saying that this is the best crop of blackberries that they've ever seen. Red raspberries grow wild here, and they, too, are large and abundant. The only problem with the berries is that the thorns just about kill you - and you have to be on the lookout for black bears on an eating frenzy before they hibernate. We found lots and lots of places where the bears had been. They trample down the bushes and leave other - ahem - reminders that they were there.

As long as you are able to walk and move freely, you should make the best use of your abilities to store up for the coming months. 

As an aside, planning for winter is not the same as hoarding. When one hoards, she is amassing all sorts of stuff that she will never use because she is not trusting the Lord to provide - or else she's just plain greedy. Both are considered sin.

Thankful Thursday - November 4

Please visit Women Taking a Stand to find the link-up for Thankful Thursday this month. 

The entire month of October was an interesting one, to say the very least. My son (see pictures below) was working as hard as he could, in spite of severe illness and a shoulder injury, to pass all of the tests required to graduate from the police academy that he had been attending since early July. When it looked as if all would not work out, God worked a miracle. 

Josh passed all the tests with flying colors and graduated with the other cadets last week. That's not really the miracle, however. The miracle is that the boy who went into the police academy is not the man who came out of it. This young man has a stronger faith and a testimony that "God did it!"

THAT is a tremendous miracle and worth all of the money in the world.

So, this Thankful Thursday, I give thanks and praise to the Lord almighty for His miracles. I also give thanks for the many friends, fellow bloggers, family, and others who prayed and prayed for a miracle. NEVER underestimate the power of prayer. It is the weapon of choice against the dark forces of this world in which we live. 

Moving with PlayStation

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of PlayStation MOVE. All opinions are 100% mine.

I'm not in as good of shape as I would like to be. I'm finding that as I get older, I'm moving much slower. That's resulting in a tad bit of weight gain and general sluggishness. NOT GOOD.

I think everybody's heard of the various electronic games designed to help people get fit. The newest one is PlayStation Move. This is the one that is appealing to me, probably because we've had PlayStations before and I understand a little about how they work. I browsed through the different games tonight and found one I'm sure to fall in love with - bowling! When in my teens, I absolutely loved to bowl and went to the bowling alley rather frequently. I no longer do that due to the cost and the generally not good atmosphere of today's bowling alleys.

But to get the workout that bowling gives a person in my own home, that would be wonderful.

So here's what I would do if I suddenly found myself an owner of the new PlayStation Move:

I would get that bowling game and challenge my family to a match - often. The kids would love it and I would hope that my husband would too. Family fun times are becoming few and far between these days, be it from lack of money or lack of ambition. Perhaps if I could tie in everybody's love of electronics (don't include me in this category) with an interest in personal health (you may include me in this category), we'd have fun while getting our bodies in good shape.

I want to say a couple of words here about electronics as they pertain to the average young male. I have four sons. Three of them could spend their entire lives sitting in front of computers and gaming devices just fine - until they are made to leave those devices. Once that happens, they go through "withdrawal" periods. They become angry and tense. Young men absolutely need to spend time doing physical activity. It's the way they're wired. When I think my kids have spent too much time inside on their computers, I pull the plug on them and make them play basketball or take a long walk.


I'm not saying that the PlayStation Move will replace basketball or walks. I do think, however, that it might be a good tool to get kids, and adults, interested in MOVING and releasing tension.


If you are interested, you might like to know that you can add motion gaming to your existing PlayStation 3 for $99 with the MOVE bundle package.

Sausage Outside

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of Johnsonville Sausage. All opinions are 100% mine.


Okay, I never (almost never) embed videos that I've created on this blog. I don't like the sound of my voice. However, we got this really nice campfire grill as a gift and I couldn't wait to share it with you. When I heard about the Johnsonville "Share Your Ville" Video Contest, I decided that this would be the perfect opportunity to do so.

My husband absolutely loves Johnsonville sausages and bratwursts, especially when they're cooked over an open flame. I have to limit him or he would eat them nonstop. I want to talk to you about the video contest, though.

Here's what you do -

Create a short video that will fit into one of the following categories: Friendsville, Familyville, Eventville, and Locationville. Your video will receive votes and, hopefully, you'll be the top winner and rake in cash and prizes. Five winners will get to share $21,000 and great stuff from Gander Mountain, Coleman, and Hefty. The contest will run until July  20, 2010. If you enter in the professional category, you could win $10,000. If you're one of the first fifty to post a video, you get a coupon for a free Johnsonville. The coupon alone will encourage some to enter, I think.

This all sounds good to me. That's why I entered the following video, which takes you through my "ville" and shows you that fantastic grill I told  you about.

Thankful Thursday - May 6

Thankful Thursday is hosted by Laurie at Women Taking a Stand this week.

I spent the last week back in Indiana with my family. It was a time to try to relax and forget about some of the worries and stress that I face here at home. Did I forget all about them? NO.

As much as I kid around and say that I'm going to run away, I have to admit that, like Jonah, I cannot run away from my troubles. However, as a believer in Jesus, I know that He is with me through those troubles. He has a specific job for me to do in this life and He doesn't ask me to go through it alone. As Jonah did not preach to Ninevah alone (for God was with him - he was a prophet), I am confident that Christ has enabled me and takes my hand as I do His business.

How about you? What struggles are you going through today that seem overwhelming? Do you feel alone? If so, remember that God never asks us to do something that we cannot do. When times get tough, He's there with us, holding our hands and often carrying us in His powerful hands.

Here are a couple of pictures from the recent trip back home. This is Evan (son #3) hanging upside down via exercise equipment.

My daughter at Josh's college campus. We were waiting for him to take his last final exam before heading the rest of the way south. He's graduating with a 3.5 average. Seventeen weeks of police academy (same campus) starts in early July.

I'm thankful for the opportunity to see my family. Been missing them. Also, I'm thankful for my son's college training. I think he's done well.

The Secrets of the Mountain - Family Friendly Fare on NBC

One of the perks of homeschooling is that sometimes big companies (i.e. NBC) actually ask for your opinions. That happened last night when Homeschool.com contacted us and asked to "test a product." We complied. So, Amanda and I just previewed (watched the whole thing, actually) Secrets of the Mountain, a new family film to air on NBC next Friday, April 16, at 8:00 p.m. (EST). This film is sponsored by Wal-mart - when you watch it look for the Great Value cereal and milk.

Secrets of the Mountain stars Barry Bostwick and Paige Turco. You'll recognize both of them easily. In a nutshell, this movie is about a family who finds out their dead uncle is not really dead. The group (uncle included) goes on a quest to find a way into a mountain that houses a temple to the Aztec sun god. Along the way they run into all sorts of dangers that bring the family closer together - the real plot line of the story.

Amanda and I loved Secrets of the Mountain and will watch it again with the rest of our family next week when it airs on TV. It's not a Christian movie but it is family friendly. I never heard one cuss word - not even close. The theme of family unity and bonding is prevalent and so RELEVANT to us today. You'll want to watch it too, maybe turn it into a pizza and movie night.

If you enjoy the movie, please be sure to let NBC and Wal-mart know that you appreciated them making a film that families can watch together without any offense. Your voice is important.

Family Fun in Indiana

I just wanted to post a little something tonight just to let everyone know that I'm still around. This has been a very busy week for our family. We had to take a rush drive down to Indiana to pick up a van. Hopefully this one will last ten years or more - the Previa that died a few weeks ago was 19 years old. It had 240,000 miles on it. It had a brake issue that was scary - we lost brake pedal on four separate occasions, always with one of the rear brake pads shooting out unexpectedly. Here's where we were protected: Out of those four occasions, only once did we have a collision (two weeks after buying it!) and then it was minor with no injuries. I would say that was God's protection. As for the old van, I can't say that I'm sorry to see its demise.

Our oldest son, Josh, drove half of our family down Wednesday night. It is a 4 1/2 hour drive to my parents' house. I was exhausted when we got there. My daughter and my brother's daughter (ages 7 & 8) decided that they would stay up all night Wednesday to await Arthur coming on TV - it comes on at 7 a.m.! At 1:45 a.m. I made them get to sleep by putting my own daughter with me while my niece had to go to sleep alone. She didn't make it. She went to her parents' bed and laid at their feet. What a wonderful, rested sleep we all got! I have a sneaky feeling that someday when we're all really old, we'll sit back and reminisce about those little girls doing such silly things.

I trust that my blogger friends are all doing well. I pray often for you.

Caterpillars

I think I have already told you that we are caring for our son's caterpillars as he ministers to street boys in Africa. He is doing well and having the time of his life but won't be back until Monday evening. Guess how big those caterpillars are getting? We are constantly running around changing larvae sleeves and gathering leaves for these voracious eaters.

Yes, that's our little tomboy holding one. She gives them "massages" by rubbing their little backs. Excuse me a moment while I shiver.

I can't wait until Johnny gets back home!

Get Up Close and Personal at Sea World

Are you ready to ride the new Manta at Sea World in Orlando? I'm telling you, I think this has got to be the coolest roller coaster ever invented, and I generally don't like roller coasters. This crazy ride is shaped like a manta ray and glides, but that's not all. It goes upside down and swoops you down so that you're pretty much up close and personal with sea creatures such as tropical fish, rays, and octopus that are in floor to ceiling aquariums. There are more than 3,000 animals and fish inside those aquariums. It's a thrilling ride. Don't believe me? Watch this video.



I love theme parks and wish I could go to any of them a little more often. It's always so much fun to spend all day seeing and experiencing all that they have to offer. What isn't so great is standing in long lines forever. Wouldn't it be great to win a "Front of the Line" pass to Manta at Sea World? I think that would be awesome.

To earn the pass, visit the Manta site and move through six steps. Once you complete all six activities, you got it! Have fun learning about Sea World and the new Manta as you participate.

Snagging a Florida Vacation

Have you ever been to Kissimmee, Florida? I'll admit that I haven't, but I really would like to visit sometime. I don't really get into all of the bright lights of a big city, but I do enjoy going to the beach for an evening walk, doing a little bird watching (and people watching), and yes, doing a bit of shopping as well.

I know the kids and Jeff would want to visit a theme park - they're all close-by in Orlando. We have NEVER taken our children to Disney World, Sea World in Orland, or any of the theme parks in Florida, and they've reminded us many times. It really would be a fun thing to do before everyone is spread out all over the country.

Because of our long list of expenses, a fun family vacation is out of the question this year. But is it really? There's always the chance that I'll win one....

You heard me correctly. I entered to win a Kissimmee getaway - a full 6 nights, including air fair and a rental car - so, who knows? Maybe we'll be out and about in sunny Florida in spite of those medical bills that threaten to squelch our fun.

Have you entered to win yet? You still have time. The drawing will be held on or around June 1.

Wordless Wednesday

Shopping for Boys

I have a ten-year-old boy who is a little bit hard to buy for. His birthday is coming up in a few weeks and I have been a little baffled as to what to get him. In today's society, eleven is somewhere in between a teenager and a little kid. Cars and trucks are a little on the young side while books and such get to be "boring."

I just now browsed the internet for some ideas and found MEGA Brands Struxx Robotrixx 6001. (see below)



The National Parenting Center gave this toy the 2008 seal of approval - that peaks my interest somewhat. Struxx Robotrixx is a lot more than a "toy." It's a building and construction set comprised of 625 pieces. My young fellow can build a large dinosaur that roars because the set comes with a gear box, motor and wire system!

I just think Ryan would have a blast with this set because he's mechanically minded and enjoys building and actually DOING something. He's pretty much the only one in our group of 5 who would play with Mega Blocks when he was a toddler. He'd put together towers and buildings that were pretty elaborate for a little guy.

Now that Ryan's getting older he needs to be challenged while enjoying what he's doing. I think this is an option.

The New Manta at Sea World

Have you heard about the Manta at Sea World opening in May? I just visited the web site associated with this exciting new coaster - a flying ray - and read all about it. In fact, I did more than just read about it. I took the Manta quiz!

Okay, I just love Sea World anyway. When our three older boys were small we took them to Sea World and I think Jeff and I enjoyed the visit as much or more than the boys did. There is so much to learn about marine life that I don't think we can ever know all there is to know. If we could have only taken them on a cool flying manta ray and come up close to a whole slew of sea creatures, our time would have even have been more fun, if that were possible.

Here's the most exciting bit of news I can give you concerning this ride: you can win a "front of the line sea pass" at Orlando, Florida's Sea World! All you need to do is visit the Manta website and complete six steps - just click on the "participate and win" button when you sign up for an account. Hey Twitter users - this one is for you!

Even if you don't win the sea pass, you will still get a complimentary electronic photograph of your experience with the great new Manta ride. So what are you waiting for?