Lesson and Activities for "My Body"

Little man has been showing an interest lately on learning about the body. He asks questions about bones, muscles, and everything in between, so I figured we should dig a little deeper. Now since the body has a lot of info, I'm not putting a week constraint on these activities, I'm sure we are going to go deeper. We are also focusing on the letter X for X-ray.

Found this website http://www.homeschoolshare.com/ and has tons of lessons for homeschoolers...I'm using their body lapbook http://www.homeschoolshare.com/my_body.php

Also using http://www.homeschoolshare.com/my_body.php by 2 Teaching Mommies.

Activites:
Blowing balloons after discussing the lungs.


Wearable Human Body

Songs:
Head, Shoulder, Knees, and Toes
Head and shoulders, knees and toes, knees and toes,
Head and shoulders, knees and toes, knees and toes,
And eyes and ears and mouth and nose,
Head and shoulders, knees and toes, knees and toes.

Wiggle! Wiggle! Wiggle! Wiggle! Wiggle!

I like to wiggle my body
All around.
I like to wiggle my body
All over town.

I like to wiggle my body.
Can you wiggle yours too?
Everybody get wiggling.
It's fun to do!

Can you wiggle your eyebrows up and down?
Wiggle your nose all around.
Can you wiggle your hips left and right?
Wiggle your fingers.
Wiggle your toes.
Wiggle your arms and your elbows.

I like to wiggle my body
All around.
I like to wiggle my body
All over town.

I like to wiggle my body.
Can you wiggle yours too?
Everybody get wiggling.
It's fun to do!

Wiggle! Wiggle! Wiggle! Wiggle! Wiggle!

Can you wiggle your wrists round and round?
Wiggle your lips up and down.
Can you wiggle your knees left and right?
Wiggle your ears.
Wiggle your eyes.
Wiggle your shoulders just give it a try.

I like to wiggle my body
All around.
I like to wiggle my body
All over town.

I like to wiggle my body.
Can you wiggle yours too?
Everybody get wiggling.
It's fun to do!

Wiggle! Wiggle! Wiggle! Wiggle! Wiggle!

Books:

 The Magic School Bus Inside the Human Body 
Inside Your Outside Learning Library 

The cuteness of little man..

I've decided that I need to document some of things my little man comes up with...here is today's lesson on loyalty...

Little man has a friend, we will call her Little H. We've known Little H since she was born and she is 3 weeks younger than him. We go to the same church and have had plenty of playdates together. Little H is little man's girlfriend in his eyes.
This morning when we woke up, I told him that two friends of ours are getting married and have asked him to be the ringboy.
He responded by saying he didn't want to, so I told him that he would be walking with a beautiful little girl...and to this he looked at me and said "Mama, the only beautiful girl is Little H"

If only all humans were as loyal as him and to little H, you've really conquered my little man's heart <3.

The World Around Me

Every morning I wake up and realize how blessed I am to have two adorable children and a wonderful husband at my side and literally at 7:00 am, they are all at my side. Thank goodness for a king sized bed. Little man is usually the first to wake and tells us all that its "GOOD MORNING TIME!!" Baby girl wakes up hungry and ready to be nursed and the hubby wakes up rushing to get ready to work. Yet through all the comotion of our crazy mornings, I can't help to feel blessed, but what is going on in the world around me continues to puzzle me day after day.
My mom came over for dinner tonight and we talked about her friend's son (6 years old) having a girlfriend (which I don't necessarily think is wrong..little man swears he has one too). My concern though was this little girl has a facebook page. What is a six year old doing on facebook? And why? I can't seem to wrap my head around all these children growing up way too fast. Between children having a social media page, a cellphone, the way the talk, and the way they dress...I can't help but wonder what is going on and if its just here in South Florida or if its all over the world.
In no way am I trying to say I am a better parent than anyone out there, but I look at my children and I in no way want them to grow up fast. I try my best to protect their innocence and keep them young. Little man knows in the house we don't play with guns, we haven't let him watch cartoons with shooting or fighting, and we just try to spend wholesome time together. I know as he grows up, it'll change, but right now he's only 3, he has his whole life to be an adult.
Homeschooling has been heavy on our hearts lately, and we are really waiting for God to give us the green light, but the more I talk with parents the more I really feel like its the way to go. So as I lay me down to sleep, I pray for the innocence of our youth and for their futures.

"Pearl In the Sand"

One of my favorite past times is reading. The hubby bought me a kindle for Valentine's Day, and I think he may regret his choice now, I can't seem to ever put it down. The book I just finished is called "Pearl In the Sand" by Tessa Afshar. It tells the story of Rahab and Salmone, who are the parents of Boaz, who is mentioned in the Bible in the book of Ruth. The Bible doesn't tell much about Rahab and Salmone, but this book tells their story in a fictional romance. Wherever possible the book was based on biblical and archaeological sources. Through the Bible, we are told that Rahab was a zonah (prostitute) in Jericho. After the destruction of Jericho, Rahab and her family settle in the Isreal camps permanently, and are placed under the leadership of Salmone, who comes from a highly distinguished family in the house of Judah. Salmone is very apprehensive toward Rahab due to her past life, and much of the novel is God working in all of their lives. Though Rahab has left her life as a zonah, she still feels guilt of the life she left and thinks that she is unworthy of God's love and any other man's love and there is also the stinging pain over her father selling her to prostitution at the early age of 15, that she must overcome.  Also, Salmone must learn to adhere to God's plan and relinquish in it, while learning to be a husband to a women that thinks she is unworthy of his love. Throughout the whole novel, God's love is evident and His promises for His people are kept over and over again.

When I saw this book on the free list, I was skeptical at first because I tend to not be drawn toward history, but the romance and compassion of the story kept me intrigued. I highly recommend this novel, especially if you need some uplifting. It spoke to my heart and had me identify parts of my life that I just need to sit back and let His plan be done. It also helped me on the subject of forgiveness and reacting toward people who have wrong me by affirming that God is in control and my number one priority is to honor Him. I'm really glad I read this book, and feel a new sense of peace because of it, so if you have a chance, pick it up and read it.

Menu Ideas

Cheeseburger Cupcakes
1 lb ground beef
2 cans pillsbury croissant rolls
hamburger seasoning to taste
4 slices American cheese
condiments (ketchup, mayo, mustard, bbq sauce)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a cupcake pan and place one croissant in each cupcake hole. Season meat and place in pan. Cook until fully browned. Spoon meat unto the croissants and place in oven for 8 minutes. Cut cheese into 4 pieces. When the 8 minutes are up, place cheese on top of meat and cook for another 2 minutes. Take out and top with condiment of your choice.



Plantain Crusted Pork-Chops
2 cups plantain chips
6 Cuban (or saltine) crackers
Large zip-top bag
1 egg (or 1/4 cup egg substitute)
4 boneless top loin pork chops (1 1/2 lb)
1 teaspoon Complete seasoning
1 tablespoon flour
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1 1/2 tablespoons peach preserves
1 tablespoon green pepper sauce

Place plantain chips and crackers in large zip-top bag; crush with meat mallet. Beat egg lightly in shallow bowl. Sprinkle pork chops with seasoning and flour.Preheat large sauté pan on medium 2–3 minutes. Coat pork chops by dipping in egg; let excess drip off and add to zip-top bag (wash hands). Seal bag and press with fingertips to coat pork chops. Place oil in pan, then add pork chops; cook 6–7 minutes on each side or until 160°F (for medium). Prepare sauce by combining remaining ingredients until smooth. Serve over pork chops or use as a dipping sauce.

Steaks with Gorgonzola
1/2 stick herb garlic butter (about 1/4 cup)
1/2 cup crumbled Gorgonzola cheese
1 1/2 lbs flat iron steaks
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 tablespoon canola oil
1/2 cup white wine

Combine butter and cheese in small bowl until blended; set aside. Preheat large sauté pan on medium-high 2–3 minutes. Season both sides of steaks with salt and pepper (wash hands). Place oil in pan; swirl to coat. Add steaks (wash hands); cook 5–7 minutes on each side or until meat is well-browned and internal temperature reaches 145°F (for medium-rare). Use a meat thermometer to accurately ensure desired doneness. Remove steaks from pan. Drain any excess oil from pan; return pan to heat. Deglaze with wine. To deglaze: pour wine into pan and loosen browned bits of food left on bottom. Cook 3–4 minutes or until liquid has reduced almost completely. Return steaks to pan. Add butter mixture; turn steaks until butter melts and steaks are coated. Serve.


Crockpot Pot Roast

3 1/4 to 3 1/2 pounds beef chuck roast
3 white potatoes
1 white onion
5 carrots
1 bottle BBQ sauce
seasoned salt, to taste

Place roast in crockpot and sprinkle both sides with seasoned salt to taste. (Wash hands.) Wash all vegetables and peel carrots and potatoes. Cut all vegetables into 1-inch cubes and add. Pour BBQ sauce over meat and vegetables. Cook on low for 6-8 hours or high for 4-6 hours.

Creamy Shrimp

2 tablespoons flour
1 teaspoon seasoned salt
large zip-top bag
1 pound peeled/deveined shrimp (thawed, if needed)
1 tablespoon butter
1 1/2 cups frozen peas and carrots
1/4 cup white wine
1 cup Alfredo sauce
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper


Preheat large sauté pan on medium-high 2–3 minutes. Place flour and seasoned salt in zip-top bag and shake to mix. Add shrimp; seal tightly and shake to coat. Wash hands.Place butter in pan and swirl to coat. Add shrimp; cover and cook 1–2 minutes, stirring occasionally, until shrimp just begin to brown. Add vegetables and cook 2 minutes, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are thawed. Add remaining ingredients and heat until boiling. Remove from heat and let stand 2 minutes. Serve.


French Toast Casserole
4 Tbs butter, melted
1/2 c. light brown sugar
1 loaf challah or brioche (I used challah) cut into 1″ slices
8 eggs
1 c. whole milk
2 tsp cinnamon
pinch each of nutmeg and ginger
1 c. chopped pecans

Pour butter into bottom of 9×13 baking pan. Sprinkle with brown sugar. Arrange bread in baking pan, ripping pieces in half as necessary to cram everything in there in a semi-even way. Mix remaining ingredients, whisking until eggs are broken up and well combined. Pour over bread. Let stand 3-12 hours (I made mine the night before.)

When ready to cook, bake at 350 for 35-40 minutes. Mine was done at 35, and the top was a little bit crunchy. Serve with maple syrup.

MIA

Let me begin by apologizing for being MIA (missing in action). It feels like a lot has happened this week to keep me extremely busy mentally, physically, and emotionally, but everything is getting a lot more calm around here so that is a big plus!

Anyways, I hope all the mother's had a wonderful Mother's day because God knew just what special traits a mom would need so that we could be everything our children need us to be, whether its doctor, chef, teacher, disciplinary, maid, booty cleaner, etc. I am so grateful for my mother and other mothers/grandmothers that have a played an important role in my life. I am also grateful for the of being a mother. It is such a wonderful blessing to have children and I'm blessed to be able to stay home with little man and baby girl and enjoy every minute of their lives and being able to instill values, educations, nurture and everything else in between. They are truly the joys of my life along with the hubby of course.

The weekend of Mother's Day, we went to Zoo Miami on Saturday and Saito's on Sunday.
We went to the zoo with 7 other adults and one other child for a total of 9 adults, 2 children, and baby girl. We were there from 1-5:30 and we were able to see the whole park but I think it was because we rented a limo bike. If you are short on time or don't want to walk the whole way, I highly recommend renting one. W\e fit 6 adults and the kids sat in the basket in the front, at some points we even had baby girl with us and someone standing in the back. It was definitely a site to see. We had a wonderful time with our friends and are blessed to have them part of our lives and our children's lives.

Saito's is a Japanese Hibachi restaurant, which means that there is a chef who cooks your food in front of you. The prices start at $13 for chicken and goes up depending on different combinations.  With your meal, they give you soup, salad, rice, vegetables, 2 shrimp appetizer, and the meat that you chose. The food is very fresh and yummy. We had a nice time with our family and hope we go back soon.

Party Chicken is in the House tonight..

Last week we went out on party chicken night and this morning I forgot to take out the chicken before we went to the park, so it was a no go on the chicken ropa veija. When I got home, I decided I didn't want pasta again and I didn't want to go out.  I took out the chicken and prayed it would defrost in time. I put it in the sink and let some hot water run on it for a bit and then left it in there. At 5:30, I went to check and it was defrosted...perfect!!! Decided I would cook the party chicken , since I had all the ingredients for it. I'm always skeptical when I make a new recipe...always curious to find out if the hubby and little man will like it...and when they do, I always feel a sense of pride. When hubby goes for seconds and little man eats without complaints, I know I've done good. Needless to say it was yummy!! I'm really liking the Apron meals lately. This week, I also made the Pecan Crusted Pork from the Apron meals and we also highly recommend it. Going to check out the site and see what delicious dishes I can cook up for next week.