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All Amazon links help support my church's mission fund.

Please go to this post on my new blog to comment. Thank you!

~Andrea

I like to give my children the opportunity to enter summer reading programs and contests. They all read quite a bit, but it's nice to have a little incentive sometimes. It's a bit late, but here are a few programs that I found this year (As always, check out the sites first to see if you are comfortable with having your children use them.):

• Scholastic Summer Challenge - Kids sign up, take a quiz to get sorted into teams, log minutes read and read for a cause, Save the Children. At the end of the year, the winning reading team gets to choose which Save the Children U.S. program will receive a donation.

• Summer Reading Splash - This reading program is hosted by HomeschoolBlogger and includes Splish's Blog, where children may share their reading lists, enter weekly contests and interact with others. Download the reading log for younger students here and for older students here.

• Barnes & Noble - Children in grades 1-6 download a reading journal to keep track of the books they read and record their favorite parts. Return the completed form (8 books) to a local Barnes & Noble for a free book (books are pre-selected by age and based on local availability).

Don't forget to check your library! All of the libraries around us have summer reading programs with prizes.

To post a comment, please go to this post on my new blog. Thank you!

~Andrea

We studied tornadoes yesterday, and today I saw that Kris at At Home Science posted a video that shows inside the top of a tornado! I love it when that happens!

The team that recorded the video is from Vortex 2, a field research program studying tornadoes.

Here is the video:

Amazing, isn't it?

To post a comment, please go to this post on my new blog. Thank you!

~Andrea

I own her Writing Workshop CDs, and I found these workshops to be extremely helpful! Marcia has a baby-step way of explaining how to teach your children to write that makes you feel like you are never behind. It looks like this webinar is the same as the Writing Workshop that I own, but it is free! You do have to register, and "seating" is limited. Here are the links to read a summary of each session and register:

Writing Workshop I:

June 15, 3:00-4:00 pm (EDT)

Session 1 Registration and Workshop Summary

Session 1 Handout (pdf)

Writing Workshop II:

June 15, 8:00-9:00 pm (EDT)

Session 2 Registration and Workshop Summary

Session 2 Handout (pdf)

Click here and go to the "Workshops" tab to keep up on all of the current webinars offered by Tapestry of Grace. You will find several virtual conference workshops available:

• "Teaching with Tapestry of Grace"
• "Introduction to Tapestry of Grace DE (Digital Edition)"
• "Writing Workshop I"
• "Writing Workshop II" (free download available - Windows Media Player needed)
• "The Nearness of God is my Good" (free download available - Windows Media Player needed)
• "Teaching Devotional Techniques to our Kids: a Toolbox Approach"

There are several handouts available for the various workshops: Materials Download Page These virtual conferences will be going on throughout the summer, so be sure to check back at this link to stay updated! Enjoy!!

To post a comment, please go to this post on my new blog. Thank you!

~Andrea

I put my menu plan on Google Calendar with daily cooking notes and links to recipes. I have that set up to e-mail me an agenda every day. I also keep it current each day if I change meals. My menu planning calendar is available here if you are interested in seeing it.

Monday

Breakfast: oatmeal with homemade applesauce
Lunch: leftover chili on homemade ww tortillas
Dinner: Crockpot Chicken and Quinoa

Tuesday

Breakfast: green smoothies
Lunch: leftovers
Dinner: Curried Sprouted Lentils with a Ginger & Garlic Cilantro Sauce (this will be moved to Wednesday if the lentils & wheat aren't sprouted yet)

Wednesday

Breakfast: cooked millet
Lunch: salmon patties, celery sticks
Dinner: Garlicky White Bean Soup with Dark Greens

Thursday

Breakfast: green smoothies
Lunch: leftovers
Dinner: Crockpot Taco Soup (scroll down to "Thursday" for recipe)

Friday

Breakfast: kasha (I am going to try soaking and drying the buckwheat before toasting this time)
Lunch: leftovers or sandwiches
Dinner: spaghetti with meat sauce, salad

Saturday

Breakfast: eggs, toast, fruit
Lunch: leftovers or sandwiches
Dinner: not sure yet :-)

Sunday

We usually eat a late lunch/early dinner after church and graze if we're hungry later. :-)

Breakfast: toast, hard-boiled eggs
Lunch/Dinner: grilled spareribs, baked potatoes, salad

For more menu plans, go to orgjunkie.com.

Please post comments at my new blog. Thank you!

The potato sausage chowder that I made last week fed us for several meals! It was yummy, but I think I'll cut the recipe in half next time. :-)

I put my menu plan on Google Calendar with daily cooking notes and links to recipes. I have that set up to e-mail me an agenda every day. I also keep it current each day if I change meals. My menu planning calendar is available here if you are interested in seeing it.

Monday

Breakfast: green yogurt smoothies, toast
Lunch: black bean chili (from freezer), carrot sticks
Dinner: spaghetti with meat sauce, salad

Tuesday

Breakfast: oatmeal, apple slices
Lunch: probably sandwiches
Dinner: garam masala red lentil soup

Wednesday

Breakfast: green smoothies, toast
Lunch: grilled cheese sandwiches, homemade tomato soup (this soup is wonderful!)
Dinner: beef stroganoff, green beans

Thursday

Breakfast: cooked millet, orange slices
Lunch: black bean chili (from freezer)
Dinner: grilled salmon, green beans, scalloped potatoes & carrots

Friday

Breakfast: blender batter pancakes, eggs, fruit
Lunch: leftovers or sandwiches
Dinner: chicken stir fry with brown rice & lots of veggies

Saturday

Breakfast: green smoothies, eggs
Lunch: leftovers or sandwiches
Dinner: taco potatoes, salad or cooked veggie

Sunday
We usually eat a late lunch/early dinner after church and graze if we're hungry later. :-)

Breakfast: toast, hard-boiled eggs
Lunch/Dinner: chili, blender batter cornbread, salad

For more menu plans, go to orgjunkie.com.

To post a comment, please go to this post on my new blog. Thank you!

~Andrea

I really did not menu plan at all last week, and it definitely messed up our budget. This week's meals will come from foods already in our pantry, except some dairy and fresh produce. I am hoping to do a bit of stockpiling this week.

I put my menu plan on Google Calendar with daily cooking notes and links to recipes. I have that set up to e-mail me an agenda every day.  I also keep it current each day if I change meals. My menu planning calendar is available here if you are interested in seeing it.

Monday

Breakfast: oatmeal, apple slices

Lunch: black bean burritos, carrot sticks
Dinner: spaghetti with meat sauce, salad

Tuesday

Breakfast: green yogurt smoothies, muffins
Lunch: navy bean soup (leftover)

Dinner: potato sausage chowder

Wednesday

Breakfast: cooked millet, apple slices

Lunch: grilled cheese sandwiches, homemade tomato soup 
Dinner: chicken stir fry with brown rice & lots of veggies


Thursday

Breakfast: green kefir smoothies, sourdough toast

Lunch: black bean chili (from freezer)
Dinner: beef enchiladas (recipe is for chicken, but I'm using beef), corn

Friday

Breakfast: baked oatmeal, apple slices
Lunch: leftovers or sandwiches

Dinner: grilled salmon, green beans, scalloped potatoes & carrots

Saturday

I'm trying a large brunch and see if I can get away with two meals, as I do a lot of cooking & baking for the week on Saturdays.

Brunch: blender batter pancakes, homemade turkey sausage or eggs, fruit
Dinner: chili, blender batter cornbread, salad

Sunday

We usually eat a late lunch/early dinner after church and graze if we're hungry later. :-)

Breakfast: toast, hard-boiled eggs, fruit
Lunch/Dinner: leftovers (I hope!)



For more menu plans, go to orgjunkie.com.

Please go to this post on my new blog to post comments. Thank you!

It's a bit late for this, but I have seen so many great ideas for celebrating Resurrection Day that I wanted to be sure to post some of them.

I love the Names of Jesus Garland at The Homespun Heart. Hat tip to Keeper of the Home for the link. I adapted this to use as a children's ministry craft. You can read about that here if you are interested.

Holy Experience shares instructions for making an Easter Garden. Although we should have had this ready for Palm Sunday according to the directions, we're making one today or tomorrow (haven't found plants yet) because it is such a beautiful and visual way of "remembering of the grief of old beginning, the dazzling wondering of new beginnings." If you haven't visited this blog before, be sure to stop by just for a taste of the writing!

Make your own Resurrection Eggs. I use these in our children's ministry every year. We hide them and everyone takes turns opening his/her egg, sharing the contents and reading the Scripture. It is a fun, interactive way to share the Scriptures relating to Jesus' death and resurrection.

We have also made Resurrection Rolls before. We make these on Saturday evening, but we leave them in the oven overnight, "sealing" it with tape. We "unseal" the oven in the morning and pull out the rolls after I have warmed the rolls up a bit. The first time we made them, the kids couldn't believe that the "tombs" were empty the next day! We are going to try making our own marshmallows for this instead of buying them.

The Archaeological Study Bible's Easter Story Site includes notes, images and information about several historical aspects of the Resurrection.

The Urban Homemaker shared a link in her e-newsletter to a 5-day Easter Unit Study. Again, this is a bit late, but you could still squeeze some of it in.

Hold That Thought offers printable Easter-related Scriptures and quotes to make into a Scripture card ring. They also provide instructions and a template for children to make their own Story of Easter, scrapbook style.

Enjoy!

Please post comments at my new blog. Thank you!

~Andrea

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