Wordless Wednesday : Morikami Gardens

This past week we went on a field trip to the Japanese Morikami Gardens. The kids got the opportunity to feed the Koy fish, learn to count in Japanese, see what it is like in a Japanese school room and a house and much more !! We finished the day off with lunch at a Hibachi Buffet ( mostly because the kids wanted to use chop sticks :)

Recipe: Doritos Chicken Casserole

This recipe is a favorite of my kids and it's nice and easy!

You will need the following ingredients :
1 - 2 lbs do chicken breasts ( sometimes I buy the Tyson already cooked and diced chicken)
1 can of Rotel tomatoes
2 cans. Cream of chicken
1 jar of tostitos salsa con queso
1 family size bag of Doritos


Set oven to 350 degree

1. If you bought whole chicken breast you will need to dice them into small cube shaped pieces.
2. In a skillet cook (or warm if pre cooked) the chicken breasts.

3. In a large bowl mix the 2 cans of cream of chicken, Rotel tomatoes, and salsa con queso together.

4. When the chicken is cooked add the chicken to the mixture.

5. Spray a 9x13 pan and line the bottom with Doritos
6. Pour the chicken over the Doritos and spread evenly over the pan.
7. Now layer the top with more Doritos until most of the mixture is covered.

8. Cook in the oven about 15-20 minutes ( you will notice the top Doritos darkening and the cheese bubble a little)
 9. Plate and serve ( I usually serve mine with yellow rice and beans)
 Enjoy!

Wordless Wednesday

Here are some oldies but goodies...... Fourth of July, Madame Tussaud's New York, and a more recent one the boy having his first bite of chili and he loves it :) finally he will try some new stuff!

Wordless Wednesday: Say Goodbye to the Hair.....

Well, my son finally decided to cut his hair! I had mixed feelings about it but he seems to like it so I guess it will have to do for now :) Enjoy!



Before:

Here goes nothing:

After: He loves it!

Wordless Wednesday: As They Have Grown

Every year for the past 6 years we have taken the kids to Hoffman's Chocolates to have their picture taken with Santa and Mrs. Claus. Last night after we got home from this year's picture taking I could not believe how much they have grown. Take a look....

                                                                             2007

                                                                             2008

                                                                                2009

                                                                           2010

                                                                             2011

And Finally.......

                                                                              2012

Hug Your Kiddos....

    I have taken a break from the internet for the last couple days. Mostly because I just can not stomach any more media coverage regarding the recent tragic event that took place in Newtown CT. I can not even begin to imagine the grief and emptiness that those parents are feeling. I felt their grief as though I was grieving for my own..... I know that is not healthy, and so I had to remove myself from all of the coverage and stories and just take a minute to reflect. I am lucky that my children are still here to hold....and I am so grateful.
    As parents we sometimes take for granted that tomorrow will always come. We have a false sense of security that our children will be safe no matter where they go. We homeschool now, but there was a time when my daughter attended school and my son attended a part time pre-school and we just always dropped them off and took for granted that they would be there and be well when we picked them up later that afternoon.
    I don't know what the answer is. We can't live in a bubble and we certainly can't live in fear.  What we can do is cherish every moment we get with our children and be present with them. Neither us as parents or them as children are promised tomorrow. Live in the now, enjoy every moment no matter how small. Hug your children, kiss them, listen to them, tell them you love them. Most of all, please pray for those who have lost their loved ones in this horrifying ordeal and for those young children that have been called home all too young. May God watch over those families and provide them with comfort.

All About The States....

    The kids and I have been studying the individual states of the United States of America. We started during the summer and have slowly been working our way through the states one by one. This has been a very fun and interesting unit to study and I was very surprised out how much the kids enjoyed learning about all the different facts and places.

    We have used a variety of materials while studying the different states. Each child has their own States work book that tells a little bit about each state and includes some fun activities for the kids to do. We have not really gone in alphabetical order as the book is designed because I have let the kids pick the states they wanted to study first. ( Caleb loves Texas and California for some reason lol)

We also have used puzzles and flashcards. The flashcards are filled with all kinds of fun facts and the kids love the flashcards so much that sometimes I see them playing with them on their own even when we aren't doing school :)

I also found the cutest game called The Scrambled States of America Game ( there is also book that you can buy separately that goes with it). The kids love to play this game and it can easily be adapted for all ages and skill levels.

We of course listened to the Fifty Nifty United States Song. It is very catchy and very easy for them to memorize. If you have never heard it before you can catch the you tube video here:

Lastly, as we have learned about the different states, if the kids can recall the location and the capital later when we are reviewing, we write the state name on our map that is in our school room. This has been a great way for them to review and a good visual for them to see how many states they have learned about.

What activities have you used to teach the states to your children?