Gone Swampin'

While many in our area were out collecting more beads and candy at the parades we decided to spend our Mardi Gras break doing something as a family we've never done before. We went on a swamp tour. I saw a church sign recently that said "Bloom where you are planted." Well, after almost 4 years here I can't believe we haven't done this before. It was actually quite interesting.

We found Cajun Country Swamp Tours on the Internet and gave them a call. Shawn was our tour guide. He was so nice. Much like a real live Kratt brother from PBS the way he loves the environment and seeks to protect the wildlife there. I learned so much from his talk about the swamp environment.

We saw the swamp teeming with wildlife. Many kinds of birds....

Nutra Rat...

Snakes...

Turtles....

And lots and lots of Alligators!!!!

We got so close to them our youngest son said, "Mom can I touch them?" To which everyone replied, "NO! Keep ya hands in da boat!" They were not scared at all. I think they thought it was like a Disney ride. Thankfully, all was calm in nature today and everyone stayed safe. It was a great trip and the boys really enjoyed it. It was a fun surprise for our day off.

Prescription for Life

The experts say…

·       Exercise for at least 2 ½ hours every week (moderate aerobic exercise) plus strength exercise at least twice a week.

·       Drink 8 glasses of water a day.

·       Drink 3 cups of milk a day.

·       Prepare and eat family dinner together most nights of the week – no TV!

·       Get 7-9 hours of sleep at night.

·       Spend an hour a day in prayer and scripture reading.

·       Call your mother.

·       Keep your home (& laundry) clean.

·       Not to mention your regular job if all of this is not your actual 9 to 5 work.

Of course we could go on and on adding to this list the must-do’s of our daily lives.  Just thinking about this makes you think you need a 52 hour day to accomplish all you need to get done. As a mom, some days just feel like we’re in survival mode. At the end of the day if you’ve fed, clothed, cleaned and said ‘I love you’ to each family member it’s been a pretty good day. Somehow our time with the Lord gets lost in the list like it has above. We put it off thinking it will be quieter later, I’ll be more awake later, there will be less interruptions later. Then later never comes. The result? We are becoming spiritually anorexic. We are starving ourselves of the nourishment that comes from feasting on the living Word of God. We are settling for less than what God intended for us to be when we are in fellowship with Him and are growing in wisdom and faith. So where’s the balance? If I devote all my time to studying the Bible then I’m neglecting something else that’s important like exercise or home-keeping. God says, “Trust in the Lord will all of your heart, and do not rely on your own understanding; think about Him in all your ways, and He will guide you on the right paths.” (Proverbs 3:5-6).  Don’t you think God knows what you need to get done today? Trust me, He does. I believe that He just wants us to put Him first in every little thing that we do. God wants us to live “on every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God” (Matthew 4:4). So today, if you can’t remember the last time you read God’s word outside of church, take your first bite. If all you can do right now is a devotion magazine or book with a Bible verse at the top of the page, that’s okay. It’s a start, a baby bite. Read it, think about it, and memorize the verses if you can. Make it a priority to spend at least part of your day learning who God is. Soon you’ll be craving more of God’s word and you’ll be ready to go deeper into studying the scripture for yourself. I believe God will honor the time you give Him each day. Hebrews 11:6 says, “now without faith it is impossible to please God, for the one who draws near to Him must believe that He exists and rewards those who seek Him.”  Seek Him with all of your heart and not out of routine or duty and you will find the reward is abundant life that can only come from life in Christ.

Sight Word Game

Practicing list after list of Dolch sight words can be boring and frustrating for both student and parent. Here's a little game to make it more fun for everyone.

Print all the clouds (add your own when you need to add more words). Cut them out and put them all face down like a memory game in random order. The youngest player draws first and if they can say the word they get to keep the card and thus get a point. When a lightening card is drawn that person's word cards must be returned to the table face down to be re-played. You can remove the lightening cards from the game once drawn to make the game faster or for more word practice leave them in and try to remember where they are to avoid drawing them again. The game is over when all of the word cards have been drawn. The fast paced game gets your student reading lightening fast and they don't even realize how many times they've repeated the words. They also learn from hearing you say the words you draw and looking at them.

Enjoy this free printable sight word game!

Our First Upward Game

Wishing You a Healthy New Year!

Well, we survived another Christmas season - this year with only the sniffles and sneezes. With New Year's Day just a few days away many are already thinking about 2012 and what it will bring. Many will resolve to exercise more (more on that subject later), to eat better, or work smarter, but ultimately we all just want to be the best self we can be. 


With healthy habits in mind, today I set out to see if I could make an oatmeal cookie without refined sugar, flour, or butter - all the things the experts say are poison to our diets. I started with apples, oats, cane syrup, and about 13 other ingredients and ended up with about two hours gone and a big mess to clean up. The resounding answer was NO you cannot make a good cookie without butter, sugar, and flour! I did end up with something that resembled a cookie but it tasted just okay and left me wanting something else sweet to eat.


So here's the lesson learned: if you're craving something sweet, go ahead and indulge in something sweet just have some self control and don't over-indulge. Actually a little dark chocolate is good for your heart! The trick is to just eat ONE piece of the chocolate orange and not the whole thing. Have 10 M&Ms instead of eating the whole bag. As tempting as it may be around the holiday's opt for just one spoonful of the cake and push the rest away. If this is too much temptation for you and indulging in even one bite a day could lead to a train wreck of overindulgence then you need to take drastic measures and avoid having anything tempting anywhere in your house. It's ok to throw it away! Have a piece of sugarless gum when your temped to eat a box of Mentos. Most importantly, be conscious of what you eat. Too many people just nibble here and there and never realize what they have eaten over the course of the day. It's ok to indulge in one bite of sweets but only do it once a day or once a week - not once an hour all day long. 


So that's my rant about treats. Look for ways to eat healthy all year. Try to always have something fresh at every meal. For example instead of just a bowl of processed grain cereal, add a banana. If you're a snacker, try replacing your pre-packaged snack for a piece of fresh fruit. This rule is a great way to help you remember to eat more fresh (raw, frozen, or steamed) fruits and veggies. Have 5 a day used to be the recommendation for fruits and veggies but now it's even more. The Choose My Plate challenge recommends filling half of your plate with fruits and veggies and the other half with grains and proteins with a serving of dairy of the side. If you find the ever changing government recommendations too confusing or overwhelming try thinking of it in this simple way - If God made it, its good. If man made it, beware. This should help get your thinking about eating more simply with healthy naturally made foods. 


Wishing you a healthy and joyful New Year!

Merry Christmas

Make your own ecard

Christmas Joy!