Emily in Pigtails

You would not believe how much effort it took to take this picture to send to Clint @ work!

Hannah Bean

in tutu

with big smile

I caught her trying to takeover the Wii board while Bethany ran to the restroom.

Indoor "Sand" Box

To make an indoor "sand box" to entertain little ones, buy a bus box and fill it with rice.

I've tried the short sided plastic containers with lids, but they do not hold up to the children putting their weight on them. The sides end up cracking. Bus boxes are made with commercial grade plastic to handle heavy loads and lots of slamming, so they hold up well. When the children outgrow the "sand box," I will still have a sturdy container to use for something else.

I prefer using rice in the box over beans because beans are a choking hazard for small children. Add measuring cups, raid your outside sand box, or fill with clearance priced beach toys. I used the girl's toy dishes.

If you put down a clean sheet or blanket, it makes clean up very easy. Just pick up the toys and then gather the edges so you can slide the rice into the box.

You can find the bus boxes a bit cheaper at your local Sams Club.

Emily and Hannah love their rice box and it allows me time to read with Caleb (camo shoes in top picture).

Good Letter from a Homeschooling Mother

http://home-educate.com/unschooling/lettertorelatives.htm

Free Printable Flash Card Maker

http://www.kitzkikz.com/flashcards/

Storage Idea for Large Families

If you are a large family living in an average sized home, you will appreciate any and all extra storage you can find.
I purchased the wire shelf from Lowes for under $6. It was originally twelve inches deep, but Brandon cut it down to six. Six inches seems to be perfect. There is extra storage space, but it is also out of the way of people showering. Brandon cut it so it fits tight and our shower design keeps it from flipping, but you can purchase fasteners to anchor the shelf if needed. The baskets were Dollar Tree finds and coordinate with our new and still unfinished bathroom. I flipped the shelf upside down so the "lip" will keep things from sliding off. It holds seven of those baskets from Dollar Tree. It's not Better Homes and Gardens beautiful, but it is practical. I also have a painted wooden shelf over our shower stall in the upstairs bathroom.

The Adorable Miss Em

wool hat, sweatshirt, jeans, tutu
In winter, we bring the outdoor ride on toys into the house (after a good cleaning) so the younger children can burn off some energy.
Emily is playing on top to the beautiful, thick quilt Gramma Susan made for Clint and I!
Yep Susan, it's still fluffy! :-)

Cost Your Grocery Bill with Clara's Recipes and Tips

This little lady has an entire series of these videos. They are great for families looking to cut meal costs or those interested in personal historical accounts for homeschool students.

In case YouTube makes embedding unavailable (the box above will not work), use this link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DuMkW35BwK8

Another Christmas Picture

Happy New Year 2010

To all of our beautiful friends: Happy New Year!! Thank you for the many laughs you've given our household! May God richly bless each of you in 2010! We hope the love, kindness and generosity you've given to others is returned to you many times over! We hope the trials of this year become outshadowed by the many blessings of 2010! We hope you find everlasting peace and abiding joy in this New Year. We care about each friend of ours and we pray for you often. ~Clint & Wendy

Dog Outtakes

I think Shanee was tired of having her picture taken! :-)

Shanee

likes her bone so much she is smiling about it!

Joshua on the Guitar Praise

We wanted something with Christian lyrics for our children and Guitar Praise fit the bill!
http://www.guitarpraise.com/

Guitar Praise: Solid Rock on CD-ROM From the creators of the hit game Dance Praise comes Guitar Praise! You can grab the guitar and play along with some of Christian music's top bands. Pretend you're right there on stage with your favorite bands as you handle the guitar controller and play the notes they're playing. Or you can add your own unique sounds as you shred those riffs or blast the bass by using the whammy bar. Watch out, though--if you can't keep up, the artists stop and take a break, and you'll have to start all over! You'll get a USB Guitar controller (requires 4 AA batteries that are not included), the CD-ROM Game, wireless adaptor, and guitar strap. To play, press the fret buttons and strum on the strum bar in time the color-coded cues as they scroll across the screen. If you tilt the guitar at the right time, you'll activate spinner bonuses for maximum points. There are 4 different levels, so beginners can start slowly, while experts will have their fingers flying as they use all 5 fret buttons while playing the chords and burning through the riffs! Guitar Praise supports 2 guitar controllers so you can play alone or with a friend. Each player can play the same track, or one player can play lead and the other play bass. You can even send surprises to your opponent to mess with their playing. Keep score and earn enough points to get a new guitar with richer sounds and different effects. Best of all, this game has over 50 songs from some of today's top Christian artists like 12 Stones, tobyMac, Stellar Kart, Skillet, David Crowder, Hawk Nelson, Superchick, Caedmon's Call, Lincoln Brewster, Relienk K, Whitecross, and many more. The lyrics also display on the screen so that you and your audience can sing along as you play. Recommended for all ages. Note: item ships in manufacturer's packaging.

Guitar Praise: Expansion Pack 1 Looking for more music for the game you love? Don't fret! In this blockbuster compilation, you get 25 top-of-the-chart hits from your favorite Christian artists. Praise the Lord as you strum along to tunes from tobyMac, Stryper, the Newsboys, Audio Adrenaline, Sanctus Real, Lincoln Brewster, Steven Curtis Chapman, and more. Windows XP/Vista or Macintosh 10.3.

New Toys