Learning With My Boys

Chocolate Freezer Pies -14

My Sweet Boy is not 14! He loves Jesus, Lord of the Rings, spending time with family, computer games, and watching The Big Bang Theory. He is getting ready to start a big new adventure- High School!

Chocolate Freezer Pie

Ingredients:

8 oz. Hershey’s bar
8 oz. Cream Cheese
16 oz. Cool Whip
2 Prepared 8 inch Graham Crust
1/4 cup milk

Directions:

Heat the chocolate and 2 tablespoons of the milk in a saucepan over low heat, stirring until melted.
Beat the cream cheese and add the remaining milk. Add chocolate mix and beat until smooth.
In a bowl, fold the chocolate mix into the cool whip and blend until smooth.
Spoon the mix into the crusts. I decorated the pies with some extra cool whip and shaved chocolate bar for my son’s birthday.
Freeze for 4 hours.
Add the Birthday Candles and enjoy!

He got a Nerf gun for his birthday and his little sister was al about helping him open it! She also helped me wrap the gift in her Pink Minnie Mouse wrapping paper! He loves her so much, he has been her primary babysitter every summer since she’s been born!

He informed me that it is technically not a Nerf Gun, and that it is better than Nerf.

He is turning into such a handsome young man! He has the sweetest heart, and the most empathetic teenage boy that I know. He brings joy to whomever he comes into contact with each day. I love you, My Sweet Boy!

Here are a few other birthday parties posts that you might enjoy:

Kids Henri Rousseau Mixed-Media Jungle Art

First we read the book The Fantastic Jungles of Henri Rousseau by Michelle Markel and looked at some of Henri Rousseau’s jungle pieces. We noticed that he painted a variety of animals and very large jungle leaves.

Next I had the kids watercolor green background: We talked about how Henri Rousseau used many different shades of green. Show kids how to use just a bit of water so the paper doesn’t take too long to dry. Show them how to mix green with yellow, blue, white, black, and brown to make different shades of green.

Next we found some tutorials for kids to draw animals:

Tiger by Messy Little Monster
Sloth by The Crafty Cucumber
Lion by Art Projects for Kids
Toucan by Art Projects for Kids

Draw your animals and then paint or use colored pencils to color them. After it dries, use a black sharpie to outline them and the cut them out carefully.

I found some tropical leaf outlines to enlarge and print on cardstock to use as tracing templates. Teach the kids how to trace the leaves on the edge of the paper so not to waste paper. Cut out the leaves and then use sharpie to outline and add veins.

Glue the animal and leaves to the green watercolor background.

Crumple little pieces of brightly tissue paper as the flowers and fruit. Glue them to the jungle scene.

3 Year Old Mulan Preschool Photos

We enjoy visiting our local Botanical Gardens Chinese festival days to take her Disney Mulan photos. She really enjoyed exploring the Botanical Gardens as I followed her taking pictures. I really enjoy my Canon EOS Rebel camera.

Mulan is a super independent, courageous woman. She tries to honor her father in the way that he expects, but she discovers that she can honor him in a whole new way that takes courage and independence.

Storm is also a very independent individual, constantly saying “My doos it!” She loves to play outside as much as possible and I encourage her to have courage whenever she sees a bug or jumps in the water.

We rarely purchase a brand new dress for her princess photoshoots, but this is one of the times that she did get a new dress (Mulan Dress for Girls). She loved looking at herself in the mirror before we left the house to see the “pretty princess”. We just combed her hair straight after her bath and then parted it slightly. Her shoes are the black flats with a bow and her earrings are from a multi color pack that I bought when she was a baby.

Philippians 4:13 “I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength.”

You might enjoy Storm’s other Mulan photoshoots:

Or some of her other Princess Photoshoots:

Little Artist Preschool Photoshoot

These girls love to paint (and do anything messy); play dough, bubbles, pain, baking, anything! So I decided to paint the back shed wall and let them have some fun while I took pictures of them.

She is 3 and a half now, and is getting so animated. She loves dancing and singing all day long. I found this child’s artist hat on Amazon.

She enjoys spending time with her niece, and asks me every morning if she is coming over.

We splattered paint on the back wall of the shed and then put down an old white sheet and splattered paint there too. Then we brought out their easel and paint and brushes. They loved that they were allowed to get as messy as they wanted today.

You might enjoy these other photoshoots:

2 Year Old Pink Balloon Photos

Éowyn is 2 years old now, and is a joy to have in our lives. She loves music, sugar, Mickey Mouse, cuddling with Grandma, and playing outside.

Éowyn is very excited for her pink birthday cake. She is a very playful, pretty, and peaceful toddler.

I just blew up lots of different shades of pink balloons and dressed her in the birthday shirt that says “I’m two cute“. I hung a white sheet for the background and used a white toddler size rocking chair.

She knows that she is 2, and held up 2 fingers!

3 Year Old Tiana Preschool Photos

Disney’s The Princess and the Frog is a fun classic story. This girl thinks it is so funny that Tiana thinks it is gross to kiss a frog. I used a rubber tub toy frog when she was a baby, but this time we found a ceramic frog that fit so nicely in her hands.

Tiana is such an inspiring princess for children to learn the value of hard work and big dreams. She sets out with a precise plan to own and run her very own restaurant through her hard work, but she ends up accomplishing her dreams taking another path (but still with hard work).

One thing that I try to teach my kids is that you need to work hard to get what you desire in life, but to also be flexible and creative. If things aren’t going your way, then use your brilliant mind to solve the puzzles that life throws at you.

This is the dress that I made for her last 2 year Tiana pictures. With colored tulle tied to the baby stretch crochet hair bands. Then I cut felt and glued it to the front with a big silk lily. We went to a local park that had a pond and small gazebo for this photoshoot. I put her hair up with a bun shaper and curled some on the sides of her face. She wore her green earrings are from a multi color pack that I bought when she was a baby. She wore her sliver strappy sandals too.

Jeremiah 29:11 “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”

You might enjoy Storm’s other Tiana photoshoots:

Or some of her other Princess Photoshoots:

Classroom Easter Minute-to-Win-it

Titus’s Middle School class Easter party had fun with a competition called Tournament of the Peeps. We had 4 teams, each a different color of Peep, and they played Minute-to-Win-it type games.

Angry Peeps

Stand 4 bunny Peeps of each color at one side of the table. 1 participant from each team will stand at the other side of the room. Use a rubber band to knock over the Peeps of the other team colors in one minute. Once all of your Peeps are knocked over you are out while the other teams keep playing.

Peeps in a Nest

One of your teammates will hold an Easter basket on his head, at one side of the room. Another teammate will get 10 Peeps and stand 6 feet away from the buckets. The teammate with the Peeps will see how many of the 10 he can toss into their teams bucket. You only have 1 minute.

Peep Tower

Teams will use 6 Chick Peeps to build the tallest Peep Tower in 1 minute. Peeps can be torn, stacked, or whatever other method the team comes up with to make the tallest tower (no other supplies allowed).

Peep in Your Face

Place 8 Peeps on a place at the table. 1 player from each team will stand at the table with hands behind their back. They player has 1 minutes to eat as many Peeps as he can.

Peep Catapult

Each team will build a catapult in 5 minutes. Teams will have access to craft sticks, rubber bands, and plastic spoons. First stack 5-7 craft sticks and use the rubber bands to fasten them on each end. Then make a stack of 2 craft sticks and fasten them together on 1 end only. Pull the 2 sticks apart and wedge the stack of sticks between them. Use 2 rubber bands to secure the spoon to the upper craft stick. Place a Peep on the spoon and hold the base of the catapult securely against the floor with one hand. Use the other hand to push down the spoon. Release the spoon and the Peep should fly.

Place an Easter basket 3 feet away from the catapult See how many Peeps you can catapult into your basket in 1 minute.

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8th Grade Class Auction Project

Each year our school does an auction fund raiser. Each class makes a collaborative art project and an auction basket. My 8th grader’s class worked together to create a wooden Christmas ornaments for the school fundraising auction this year.

Collaborative Christmas Ornaments

I had each child a wooden circle with a whole near the top. Then they decorated their hand with paint markers in a Christmas design. After they decorated them, we put twine through the whole and added a wooden bead or bow.

Dinner Menu Gift Cards/ Auction Basket

We found a chalk board that said “Weekly Menu” on it. Then strung twine back and froth across the front to hang gift cards from. We used tiny wooden clothes pins to hang the cards.

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3 Year Old Jasmine Preschool Photos

We love the Disney Aladdin movie, from the songs to the animals! Tiger is Storm’s favorite animal and she got a giant tiger for Christmas. Every time we go to the zoo she just talks about the tigers.

What I love about Jasmine is her generosity and her integrity. She cares about her people and doesn’t like to see the poor go hungry. She gives the apple to the hungry children with no thought about the consequences. She knows what’s right and wants to make her own decisions.

Storm is so kind and generous too, she is constantly wanting to share her things with others. She tries to give her stuffy to her best friend, and share her food with everyone! I also spend a lot of time teaching my children to stand up for what is right and to live with integrity. We read the Bible and discuss what we read to help us learn right from wrong.

I broke down and bought her a brand new Jasmine Costume this year. The rest of the props and back drops are all from thrift shops. I pulled her hair back into 3 spaced pony tails. She wore her gold earrings (I like these ones that screw on the backs) and her gold flats.

Psalm 119:105 “Your word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.”

You might enjoy Storm’s other Jasmine photoshoots:

Or some of her other Princess Photoshoots:

3 Year Old Rapunzel Preschool Photos

Tangled is a family favorite for our house, the entire movie is great and upbeat!

Rapunzel is a sweet passionate girl who always keeps her word. She tries to be happy in all situations but also has hopes and desires. She outgoing and friendly with everyone, even the strange looking ruffians in the bar. I also love her innocents of the worldly things she encounters.

Just like Rapunzel, Storm doesn’t know a stranger. Ever since she was a baby she would reach and point to people whenever we are out and about. Now she is always giving hugs to people that she knows, she is a very sweet and thoughtful girl.

We went to an entrance to a subdivision that had these cute little towers this year for her Rapunzel photos. I painted a sun on the tiny frying pan when she was a baby for her Baby Rapunzel photos, I printed out a picture of Flynn Rider on some resume paper to give it an old look, and I found this neat candle lantern at a thrift store. We also added some fun pink flowers. She is wearing a Rapunzel dress that we found at a yard sale too, and her silver flats with white tights. I combed her hair straight after her back and parted it on the side. She wore her purple earrings are from a multi color pack that I bought when she was a baby.