Our farmer friend baled the pastures so we got to fill the barn with hay again. This was our second cutting for the season so we have a lot of hay. We have sold a few bales and will sell a few more and have plenty of hay leftover for our 4-H animals in the Spring. Here are some pictures from our afternoon of stacking hay in the barn and some fun videos at the end because there is always fun to be had on the farm. Stacking hay bales is a lot of work, but when everyone works together it goes pretty quickly and there is a lot of fun to be had too. This one did not want to be left out. Getting ready to load hay in the wagon. Working together. Had to stop and put air in the wagon tires. The most beautiful view. Bucking hay bales to the top of the wagon. All in a day’s work. If you are going to stack hay bales, you want to wear thick jeans, long sleeves and work gloves. I had on thinner, more fashionable jeans that I wear all time and actually went in and changed into some old work jeans because the scratchy hay was going through my jeans. Good work gloves are a must. I bought several pair on clearance last year so we would have lots of gloves for everyone in the family. You can get kids sizes too. I keep them in a drawer in the kitchen so we always know where they are. There is a lot of fun to be had when bringing in hay with the family, like hay rides. This one wanted in on the action too! We were out getting hay so we picked up the trash can from the end of the drive on the hay wagon. The boys had a blast tackling hay bales. So much fun to be had on the farm!
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What are your kids doing this Summer? For many of us Summer time with the kids is a time to enjoy the outdoors, the sunshine and if you're lucky the ocean. As much as kids love Summer holidays, keeping them busy can be a challenging! If you've not got the luxury of a Summer camp then it's up to you as parent to find things to keep them busy. Failing that, your kids might spend all their time in front of a computer, tablet, phone or other screen and research has shown that spending too much time in front of a screen can have a detrimental effect on the health and wellbeing of children. Studies have shown that taking part in nature-based activities helps people who are suffering with mental health problems and can contribute to a reduction in levels of anxiety, stress, and depression. In fact, a daily walk in nature has shown decreased activity in a region of the brain associated with a key factor in depression. One in four people are estimated to experience bouts of mental health problems and it's on the rise. Prescription medications of antidepressants are also at a record high level and the demand for more invasive treatments are also on the rise. Health officials are examining different options for cost effective services for mental health sufferers and one of these options is a daily walk of 90 minutes or more. Let's go back to a time when children got excited to spend their time climbing trees and building forts rather than spending hours in front of the tv.
Joe at Nature Rated understands this all too well and has put together an infographic of 15 Summer activities to get your kids outside enjoying nature.
This is what it looks like: From baking a blackberry pie to constructing a pond or insect hotel, there's plenty for the youngsters to do. Head on over to his site for step by step instructions to get your kids outside and into nature. Thank you Joe for guest posting. An outdoor enthusiast, Joe is the lead editor at Nature Rated; a website which rates and reviews the best outdoor gear for people who quickly want to know what to buy. He believes in no fluff, to the point reviews, which help you choose the right gear for your next adventure. Whenever daily life gets him down he heads to the nearest lake or river with his kayak and camera spending time recharging his batteries.
We are trying to raise our boys to explore, create, and use their imaginations so their screen time is very limited. I love these ideas to get kids outside. We also want our kids to have a good work ethic and a great way to instill this is to let them help with outside chores and projects.
The boys helped clean the overgrown mint out the flower beds to make room for perennials. They have also been working hard in the community garden this summer.
Watch this cute video of the boys showing off their catch, which we did cook for dinner.
The boys love to go fishing and have already been twice this summer. Luckily we live close to the lakes and their Dad likes taking them. Fishing is fun, but just being outside at the lake is fun too. They could spend hours looking at rocks, shells, and exploring trails. What are your favorite ways to get your kids outside?
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Last year the boys had a Dr. Seuss dress up day at school to celebrate Dr. Seuss's birthday. Since it is time to celebrate again I thought I would share their costumes.
Our oldest decided to dig this homemade GACK costume out of the costume dress-up box.
He wore this years ago when he was in preschool and was still able to fit into it.
We made a new Green Eggs and Ham costume for our second son. Mostly my husband who is quite artistic made this costume. He painted cardboard to look like a skillet, then we made a form for the green ham. I think we made it out of newspaper covered with green tissue paper. The eggs are made of white paper with green tissue paper yolks. The eggs and ham were taped to the board with packing tape and stayed on really well. They survived a whole school day and I think we still have this costume somewhere.
The yarn holding the costume up was taped to the back of the board and broke during the school day so he didn't wear it the whole day, but I think he made it through the hallway parade. He loved this costume and it was a fun project.
The boys had such fun being a part of the Dr. Seuss birthday celebration. Get ready to celebrate with your favorite Dr. Seuss stories on March 2nd!
You received a text last night…no school today. Snow day !!! At least that’s how your kids saw it. You saw it more like snow day, right after the weekend!?! Ok you didn’t have to get the kids up early and get them off to school. But you think to yourself, what should we do on a cold day right after spending two days at home?
Hmm…Morning chores, kids make beds and pick up hundreds of lego pieces off their bedroom floor. You wonder how long the clean floor will last before you are stepping on lego landmines again. Boys start some crafting projects, craft for a while, then you think...what should we do next? Boys are now running up and down the stairs and all around the house enjoying an adventurous game of chase. As much fun as this is for the kids, you would much rather enjoy some peace and quiet. Since the weather is keeping them inside, you decide a trip to Burger King playland might be relaxing for you and entertaining for the kids. New to the area, your older kids have not been to the playland before and you know it will be exciting and new to them. Also, you know you can bring your laptop and catch up on emails and blog work while the kids are happily playing which is a luxury since (new to the area) you don’t have internet yet. So off you go, bundling up to face the cold on your trek to Burger King playland. Upon arrival the kids settle in happily in the large enough, but cozy play room. Decked out with a Wii console, a climbing tube play structure, a tv playing one of the Minions movies and a roomy seating area, you know this is going to be a good day. You order some food and the helpful employees bring it too you when it is ready. You know you are here for the long haul so no pressure to make the kids eat right away. You let them play and eat when they are hungry. You know they will eat everything you have ordered and they do, during play breaks while watching the Minions movie. You open your lap top while casually eating french fries and begin to work. It has been three days since you have checked your email. It takes a while, but you get through it and even get some photo editing done. You waste some time on facebook, but seriously it has been three days!!! You realize at one point that you have spent almost three hours at the Burger King playland and that you are now on a first name basis with a very friendly employee who may be a manager…you aren’t sure since you didn’t get a good look at her name tag. She actually recognized you from your first visit the week before when you first discovered this magical place where you could actually put two thoughts together and concentrate on something for more than five minutes. Of course you can’t help but watch little bits and pieces of the Minions movie. The minions are adorable and your kids are having so much fun laughing with the movie during their play breaks. So you don’t get as much work done as you could, but you enjoy your time with your kids and accomplish more than you normally would. You think to yourself, I can handle this. Bring on the snow days! You work hard, so enjoy it Mom, bask in the snow day paradise otherwise known as Burger King playland.
Linking up at Share the Wealth, Mommy Moments
Since I have three boys, I thought I would share my thoughts on the best gifts for boys. Our boys ages range from 4 to 8 years old so this is where I will focus. This is an update on a post I wrote last year when our youngest was 3 so it is still relevant for 3 year olds too. I will share our most played with toys over the years and any additional thoughts I have. We really try to limit screen time in our day to day life, so I won't be sharing any videos or movies. I'm also not a huge fan of toys with lots of bells and whistles. Simple is good. I want toys that inspire imaginative play and creativity.
Also, gift giving does not have to be expensive. I have purchased lots of gifts over the years (especially for kids) at thrift stores, garage sales and consignment stores. I have even made a few homemade gifts too. I also keep my eye out for clearance deals and buy gifts all year long and store them away for Christmas and birthdays. These are some of our favorites.
Magna Tiles are by far the most played with toy in our house. We have had them for years and the boys still play with them. They are an investment, but one of the few toys that are worth their expensive price tag. My parents bought the boys a large set years ago for Christmas and they still play with them every day. If you can find them used, buy them. I found a bin of magna tiles at a yard sale for $1 and added to the collection. I have never seen them at a yard sale, thrift store, or consignment store since. I don't have much experience with Magformers (similar to Magna Tiles), but my nieces and nephews love them. They are pricey too, but a toy that will last and entertain for years to come.
Since Magna Tiles are our most played with toy, we are adding to our collection this year (thanks to generous grandparents). We are adding a Magna Tiles Grand Prix set which includes two wheeled chassis. The boys will love the new set. I found them at my local Target, but they are now on sale and the set I want is sold out at the moment so if you know where I can find the Grand Prix set, please let me know. As of this week, all the magna tile sets are on sale at Target.
A classic choice is Lego. Lego is always a favorite toy. We even had a Lego birthday party a couple of years ago. You can sometimes find used lego at Kids consignment shops for a fraction of the price new. Lego are usually pricey new, but look for sales and clearance. I have seen nice sets for half price (which is still expensive, but a nice gift). The younger kids love Duplo. Our boys, especially our 4 year old still play with our bin of Duplo which were mostly purchased at a church yard sale. Our 6 year old received a Star Wars Lego set for his birthday this fall and he thought it was the most exciting gift ever.
If you have boys, you probably have some dinosaurs, but they are always great gifts, especially for 3 to 5 year olds. As you can see they make great dinosaur prints in homemade play-dough too. Dinosaur books are also an excellent choice.
We received our first Switch & Go Dino from a review I wrote a year ago, and it is still a well loved toy. We actually bought a second one at a kids consignment shop for Christmas last year. One turns into a plane and the other turns into race car.
Transforming toys are much sought after in our house. The boys put Transformers on every birthday and Christmas wish list. They have several transformers who are consistently involved in elaborate battles with dinosaurs usually centered around this large castle.
One of the boys received this castle for his birthday a few years ago from some very generous friends. It is a large footprint, but a much used and entertaining toy. If you have the space, this is great backdrop for all kinds of imaginative play. I think it's made by Fisher Price.
This is more for the younger kids, but trains have been a big part of our lives for years. We have quite a collection of wooden trains and tracks. We have a mix of several different brands and they all seem compatible with each other. (I just realized the train in the picture is not a wooden one, there are great plastic trains too.) Wooden trains can get expensive, but if you check kids consignment stores they often have nice sets for a fraction of the price. We have a lot of wooden trains and tracks, but it is from years of birthday parties and thrift store finds. If you have the space for it, a train table is a good investment. Some friends gave us ours when they were done with it and it has been used for all kinds of play. Train tables are common in kids consignment shops too.
Boys love bugs, at least mine do. They spend their entire summer outside climbing trees, playing tag, and yes collecting bugs. We actually have a real wooden insect collection box that the boys were given by an entomology professor when their father took them to visit the entomology department at the University. They learned how to correctly preserve and label insects and their interest grew like crazy. These are some of the boys favorite things. They love collecting and identifying insects. If your child has any interest in science and nature, he will probably love insect related gifts.
Art supplies are always welcome in our house. I love consumable gifts because we all have too much stuff. Other great ideas are magazine subscriptions and fun activities. My son received golf camp for his birthday two summers from his grandparents. It was a great experience for him. There are a lot of great magazines for kids. We have received National Geographic Little Kids, Ranger Rick Jr., and Highlights.
Another idea is Origami. Our oldest is really into Origami right now. The boys learned it at Kung Fu camp two summers ago and make origami at least once a week. I found a box of origami books and paper at a thrift store a year ago and they have really used it. They still love origami and will be getting some special themed origami sets I found at a local kids consignment shop in their stockings this year.
A new favorite in our house are these Star Wars workbooks. The older boys received these as gifts this fall and we purchased some more for them because they love them so much. I love that they are learning and having fun at the same time. We need to get the preschool level books for our 4 year old who will be so excited to have his own. Our boys pretty much love anything Star Wars which is pretty easy to find right now with the new movie coming out.
If you are handy or crafty, homemade gifts are great too. When the boys were younger, they loved to play with geo boards at preschool. The older boys have sort of outgrown this, but it is great for younger kids. My husband made the boys a homemade geo board from supplies he already had in the garage.
My oldest got Travel Tangoes in his Christmas stocking a couple of years ago and he still carries it with him on trips. He loves this game. I need to find another one for my 5 year old's backpack.
Games are always great choices. As our boys get older, they are really getting into games. My husband is a huge board gamer too so he really encourages them by playing with them when he has free time. The two older boys are really into Tally Ho right now. They played for hours last weekend.
Other great games the boys love include Mastermind Jr., Labyrinth Jr., Zingo, and Whac-A-Mole (kind of silly, but fun). Another favorite game is King of Tokyo. My husband taught the boys to play and they could literally play for hours.
Last summer I walked into the living room to this scene. The boys had brought in a card table from the garage and were playing The Reef, all on their own. I was glad to see them getting along so well and playing happily together. My husband is the board game geek in our family and I am so glad he shares his love of gaming with the boys. It is a great way for them to bond and the boys learn a lot from playing board games. Our 6 and 8 year old boys are really into Pokemon. They could spend hours looking at Pokemon cards and books. They have several friends who are also into Pokemon so it must be a popular thing in this age group. Pokemon cards are highly sought after and have been the reward of choice this year at Family Formation. They earn coins for learning their bible memory verses and get to spend them in the "store". Other good ideas for boys are practical things like long underwear, pajamas, socks, gloves, hats. This doesn't have to be boring since there are lots of fun styles. Our boys love anything camouflage or Star Wars. What are your favorite gifts for boys? Feel free to share. Linking up at Share the Wealth, Best Mom Advice, Friendship Friday
I love handprint crafts for kids because they are fun to make (kids love putting their hands in paint) and they become keepsakes that I will cherish reminding me how little my children once were. I still have a Christmas handprint craft my son made with his babysitter (I was teaching full time then) when he was 6 months old and I treasure it. It reminds me of how tiny and precious he was. He is still precious, but at 8 years old he is keenly aware that Mommy is embarrassing and won't let me hug and kiss him in public anymore. Well most of the time, I did get an arm around him in church on Sunday.
Since my four year old and the little boy that I watch part time love to craft, I got out the paints and some poster board and helped them make handprint and footprint turkeys the other day. They had a blast and painted for at least an hour while we let the handprints dry.
I mixed some yellow and red tempura paint to make orange, then swirled some more yellow in to give their handprints a mottled mixed color effect.
I then helped them position their handprints on the poster board. We let these dry for about an hour, then made footprints.
I very carefully dipped their little feet in paint then positioned them on the turkey to make the turkey body. I had baby wipes near by and quickly wiped the boys' feet off before they could run around with a painted foot. We let the paint dry during nap time so that it would be completely dry before moving on.
Then I cut waddles out of red construction paper and beaks out of orange craft foam and the boys helped me glue them on. For fun we added wiggly eyes. I think they turned out really cute and the boys had such fun making them.
I found these play-dough mats at 123 Homeschool 4 Me. You can print them for free and use them for other activities like bean or noodle mosaics or coloring pages or laminate them and use them with play-dough. They are a great way to improve fine motor skills, letter recognition, and if you overlap them like this, you can practice simple words with your preschooler. Here is an easy recipe for homemade play-dough. I experienced some major sticker shock when I took my printed letter mats to several office supply stores only to find out that laminating them would cost $35-$38. Instead I purchased a Swingline laminator from Amazon for around $20. I don't remember what I spent on laminating sheets, but I got 100 of them for way less than $15. My laminator works great and I can laminate a lot more for less than I could have paid at the office supply store. The boys have enjoyed playing with these mats (while learning too ...but don't tell them, they just think its fun).
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Welcome to Home Ec @ HomeHi, I'm Faith, a former Family and Consumer Science teacher turned food blogger. I love God, my family, and food. You can usually find me in the kitchen preparing family friendly, homemade recipes and taking lots of pictures. This website uses marketing and tracking technologies. Opting out of this will opt you out of all cookies, except for those needed to run the website. Note that some products may not work as well without tracking cookies. Opt Out of CookiesFan Favorites
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