I always have so much fun trying to find new ways to decorate my house (especially at Christmas) inexpensively! The cheaper, the better! BUT I want it to look nice and classy, too. Look at how I used leftover branches from our frasier fir Christmas tree for Christmas decor....
~ Lisa
This little basket was free (a gift basket that we received years ago). I added the after-Christmas-sale flowers (50 cents a piece and there are 4 of them) and some leftover pine branches. Total cost: $2.00
Here is a basket that I received as a gift (Valerie Parr Hill - QVC). It had candles in it, but now....just pine branches! Totally free!
And here's where it sits...on our entertainment center.
Last, but certainly not least...my favorite! This is my dining room centerpiece!
I used a candle I already had (gift from my Mommy), some after-Christmas-sale fruit ($2) and a fruit/bread pedestal display that I use year-round for centerpieces ($20 at Sam's Club) and OF COURSE my free pine tree branches! Total Cost: $22!
We love to let our little ones play with all kinds of learning manipulatives, providing the pieces aren't too small or that they are being watched closely. I believe this is why our "older" children all have great spatial reasoning skills and math comes relatively easy to them. Yes, some of it is God-given natural talents, but it really does make a difference when kids can touch and see, rather than just read about these concepts. They are also great for entertaining preschoolers while doing "school" with the older kids.
Our family LOVES to use games in our homeschooling! I believe that it really helps to make boring facts become second nature. Below are some of our favorite games that we have given in years past to our children for Christmas or birthdays (we always give something educational, and the grandparents take care of the rest!). What games have you enjoyed in your homeschool?
Kids' hand-me-down-clothing that will "make another round" on another child later on. If they are labeled properly and stored in Rubbermaid containers, it can help so much with sorting through sizes when the next child in line is ready to inherit the older siblings' clothing!
Small toys that can get lost in a toy box. Label them with words or pictures so that the kids can easily sort and put things where they belong. Cover words or pictures with clear tape to preserve.
Card game storage. Loose cards that have lost their packages can be kept neat in smaller zippered bags.
Car/Van organization: loose tissues, first aid supplies, quick pick-up cleaning supplies, car games, books for kids to read while on trips, etc.
Hairbow storage - organize by color, type, etc. and keep neatly in a drawer.
Yarn storage
Organize the baby drawers...socks, onesies, towels/washcloths, toiletry items, bath items, etc.
Gotta love CHEAP organization! What are some ways that YOU use these bags? Leave a comment...I'd LOVE to have more ideas!
A video of a 2006 interview with now-Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel for president-elect Barack Obama reveals plans for mandatory induction for all young adults into a civilian "force."
"If you're worried about, are you going to have to do 50 jumping jacks, the answer is yes," Emanuel told the interviewer, a reporter who was podcasting for the New York Daily News at the time.
WND reported last weekend when the official website for Obama, Change.gov, announced he would "require" all middle school through college students to participate in community service programs.
However, after a flurry of blogs protested children being drafted into Obama's proposed youth corps, officials softened the website's wording.
Originally, under the tab "America Serves," Change.gov read, "President-Elect Obama will expand national service programs like AmeriCorps and Peace Corps and will create a new Classroom Corps to help teachers in under served schools, as well as a new Health Corps, Clean Energy Corps, and Veterans Corps.
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Our family has been using this GREAT advent devotional for 4 years now and we LOVE it!
You and your family can discuss, interact, and focus on Jesus through:
Scripture Readings
Familiar Songs & Hymns
Devotional Thoughts
Lighting of the Advent wreath
Nativity Building
Directions are included as to how to build your Advent Wreath and how to "build" your nativity (you use existing nativity sets that you own). Our kids LOVE this and all will sit and listen (ages 2-16). This is a precious way to emphasize Jesus ~ the true reason for Christmas ~ and to have a memorable family worship time during this season! I HIGHLY recommend it....and the price isn't bad either!
"If Psalm 1 is to be believed, we must not allow our children to stand, sit or walk with those who deny biblical truth and morality. Instead, we must place them in situations that will aid them in meditating on the law of the Lord 'day and night.' Surely this involves how and where they are to be educated."
