WW: Bass Pro Shop {Linky}

We took the boys on Sunday to Bass Pro Shop to see Santa.

The boys each had a letter.

Mica's had something written down for himself and me. Daddy peeked to see what he had written for me to receive. It's a ring with Mica's name on it. Daddy's busy making a ring with not just Mica's name on it, but Isaak's name to.

Isaak's letter had pictures drawn of things that Santa likes. Mica said, "Isaak you're supposed to write on there what you want." I reminded Mica that it's no big deal, and that Isaak saw Santa in the mall a few weeks ago to tell him what he wanted.

Mica was a little bent out of shape because there was snow on the ground, so he couldn't wear his nice shoes to see Santa. Snow boots it was.

We took pictures by their fireplace.

They got a sample of fudge.

 Then they got to see Santa.

That's when the trouble started. Isaak gave Daddy his candy cane to hold onto. Well Daddy left it on a barrel, while they were shooting wooden ducks with a kid's bow and arrow. Someone threw that candy cane away, or ate it. Then a slight melt down occurred. Luckily there was plenty of stuff around to distract him: They raced cars, colored, and more. Later on Isaak did get a candy cane from a gallery we went to.

Thankful

The boy's Thanksgiving and Halloween papers that were up on the classroom walls finally went into their backpacks.

Here's Mica's Thankful Tree:

In case you can't read it here's what he's thankful for: Ms. Pederson (his teacher), Thanksgiving, Safety, Having a Heart, Universe, Big Bang, Being Alive, and Technology.

No where on there is: Mom, Dad, Isaak, and Family. This kid cracks me up.

Happly Waisting Time

The boys were cranky on Saturday. I know exactly why; they stayed up until 10, or later on Friday.

Daddy, Grandpa (my Dad) and I went to gallery openings Friday night. We left the boys with Grandma (my Mom) because she graciously volunteered to watch them. The boys aren't horrible at openings if we have the portable DVD player. The only problem is, is that they expect a movie, and gallery snacks as soon as they walk in the door. I was hoping to train them better, but they are boys with lots of energy, and short attention spans. It helped my outlook when we walked in the gallery and I saw two little girls sitting on the ground watching Turbo.

Daddy likes to mingle. It's good for him to make those connections. I on the other hand like to look, and leave. I get antsy. Isn't it usually the girl that likes to shop and talk, and the guy that likes to look and leave? With gallery openings it's the opposite.

A few of Daddy's new pieces. The first on is a large steel piece, with wire and painted metal balls. The second one is done in resin. You can see more of his work here.

The boys woke up grumpy on Saturday. Daddy had a really hard time understanding why they were so sassy. I knew why. They are always that way when they stay up late the night before.

Daddy left for most of the day on Saturday, and went to a holiday art show where his work is at. I went to take the boys to get our hair cuts. We came back home and Isaak and Mica actually took a nap. It was so nice having the grumpy boys sleeping soundly in their beds.

When they woke up we happily wasted time with Photo Booth. Have you ever played with Photo Booth before? You can pick effects to make yourselves all distorted. The boys giggled and laughed themselves crazy. Then when Daddy got home they wanted him to try it out to.

We look like we seriously have a rare disorder of some kind.

These are our only normal shots, minus the hearts above our heads.

My never ending forehead. I look like I have hair from the B52s.

Mica the magician.

We're a cute couple, don't you think?

My cute deformed children.

Christmas Stockings

People have asked me, "What do you put in your kid's stockings?" They think it's difficult since I have boys. With girls you can put hair things, jewelery, fingernail polish and more.

But what do you put in a boy's stocking? Let's face it underwear and socks aren't that fun!

I'm not giving my boys all these things featured. I'm sure the Easter Bunny will leave a few of the things. All the things are stocking stuffer size.

Stuck on You pencil cases. I love things that can be personalized!

A Stuck on You Bag Tag. {Front and Back}

Crafty things. My boys love tape, so they've gotten it the last few years. You could get colored pencils, fun cutting scissors, markers, single hole punchers, Model Magic, Play-Doh, clay and more.

 Fun erasers, pencils, stationery are all fun for boys, or girls. Below I found a Lego stationery set. The erasers are shaped like Legos. I am thinking the Easter Bunny is going to leave these sets (I have two).

Lego Minifigures work well for stockings, and gift toppers. I keep them around for birthday party present toppers.

Knucklehead Wrist bands. I thought Isaak would like these.

 

Sure socks can be boring, but slipper socks with their favorite characters on them become fun.

Books! Reading is good all the time.

Movies! You could have a whole stocking prepped for a movie night. Put in a DVD, movie theater candy, and microwave popcorn.

Other ideas:

• Fruit
• Fun Refreezable Ice Blocks for their school lunches
• Cloth Reuseable sandwich bags for their school lunches - I found Marvel character ones last year.
• A Tooth Fairy box
• Gift Cards
• Character Band-Aids
• Temporary Tattoos
• Stickers
• Flashcards 
• A Character Switch Plate for their bedroom
• Polished Stones
• Travel Card Games
• Video Games

If you celebrate Christmas, what do you put in your Christmas stockings?

Whistlefritz, French for Kids {DVD Review}

One thing that my kids do not have in school is a foreign language. I know learning languages is best when kids are younger. In other countries it's common for them to know more than one language. Here in the US we're lucky if we know our own language. I'm trying to help our kids learn Spanish and French.

I have the wonderful opportunity to introduce to you the award winning Whistlefritz's new DVD. It's called: French for Kids: Dedans et Dehors (Inside and Out).

It's for ages 2 to 7. I tell you our 8 year old Mica is glued to the TV when it's on. He likes Whistlefritz! Mica likes it just as much as Isaak, who is 5 years old. We have one of their Spanish DVDs to. We got the Spanish one when Mica was about Isaak's age.

This is Mica's drawn version of Fritzi when he was 5 years old.

I can understand why they like it so much. Their company has won 49 awards! It's used in schools and purchased by many homeschool families.

A few things that their DVDs include:

• Cool Actions
• Animation
• Lively Music
• Tons of Fun

About French for Kids: Dedans et Dehors (Inside and Out)

Fritzi’s in the house!  But où est Fritzi?

Finding the mischievous mouse Fritzi is just part of the fun in this lively language learning program from Whistlefritz, the award-winning producers of the Spanish for Kids series of DVDs and CDs.

This French immersion DVD welcomes you to Fritzi’s house, where up or down, inside or out, there is lots to learn and plenty to do.

It allows kids to explore every area of Fritzi’s house, from la chambre (the bedroom) and la salle de bain (the bathroom) to le salon (the living room) and la cuisine (the kitchen).

It's an engaging interactive format teaches children basic greetings, positional words, food, daily activities, numbers, and more.  But that’s not all! Nous allons chanter et danser!  (We’re going to sing and dance!)

This DVD will have children on their feet dancing along to upbeat rhythms.  Dedans et Dehors is an engaging blend of colorful backgrounds, charming animation and live-action that kids will want to revisit again and again.

This DVD includes an easy-to-use translation guide for parents and teachers, who are first time learners of French, as well as French subtitles.

Designed for children ages 2-7, Dedans et Dehors is fun for all ages!

Like Whistlefritz on Facebook.

Mica and Isaak liked this DVD just as much, if not better than the Spanish one we already have. I'm glad we have something educational to pop in when we're busy making meals. That seems to be a good time to have them watch their movies.

Disclaimer: The opinions on the post are my personal take on the product. This blog is a personal blog written and edited by me. I was under no obligation to review it if I so chose. Nor was I under any obligation to write a positive review. I did get products to help with the review.  
 

 

I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

Sing, Sing a Song Saturday

Sing, Sing a Song Saturday is all about me discovering something that is different to post. I don't want to post things that you and I have more than likely heard before. I want to find something different. It could be from another country, someone singing from the streets of NY, and more.

Last week I skipped Sing, Sing a Song Saturday. I wanted to spend as much time with family as possible. Plus getting holiday things done was a plus to.

This week I wanted to share something unique. It's close to Christmas. Even if you don't celebrate the holiday, it's close to a new season. That's a reason to celebrate to. To me it's the time of year to feel all warm and fuzzy.

There is a nonprofit organization called Pro Infirmis. They are all about giving people that have disabilities a feeling of acceptance. I followed them before I had a nephew that has disabilities. It's a Switzerland organization, so I can't understand what they are saying, but their message speaks past their language.

Source

 What does this have to do with music?

Since I didn't cover anything last week, I'll cover the organization as well as the band featured in the video. It to is also very interesting.

 Because Who is Perfect? - Music: Lost At Sea By: Dave Thomas Jr.

The original video that drew me to Pro Infirmis. I've shown it before. It still makes me tear up towards the end.

Get Closer - Music: The Funeral By: The Band of Horses

 

Like Pro Infirmis on Facebook.
Follow Pro Infirmis on Twitter.

Dave Thomas Jr. (featured in the first video) is a songwriter and singer from England. He has an eclectic range of styles and skills. He also works with the indie band out of Chicago called Money Penny.

singer songwriter from England with an eclectic range of styles and skills, from writing and producing for his alter ego ‘The Lost’ signed to Island Records in the UK, to writing with Echo & The Bunnymen for their upcoming release ‘The Fountain’.

His acoustic songs are written from the heart, and recorded in the early hours of the morning when everyone else is asleep. 

Source

3 Wishes By: Dave Thomas Jr.

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