So Thankful for...

Here is my continuing list of things to be thankful for...

81. Holiday traditions like our Thanksgiving tree
82. My missionary service in Argentina

83. Crocs!  I love my lined Crocs (Mammoths I think they are called)

84. A strong church family
85. An awesome piano teacher for Noah
86. A lady in our church that is teaching me to be positive in everything I say.
87. The hard times...makes me appreciate the good ones all the more.
88. Thai food

89. Time to exercise
90. Machines around the house that make my life so much easier (washer, dryer, etc.)
91. The upcoming holidays
92. Warm clothes to keep out the cold
93. Tim's job
94. Our medical insurance
95. Zach's awesome time at youth group this past week
96. Great sermons to learn from
97. My students in the Jr. High Sunday School class that I teach
98. One of my students was baptized this past weekend
99. Dog training class for Titan
100. Wonderful family movies like Gifted Hands that we watched this past week

101. A great night's sleep
102. The weekend to relax
103. Birthday of a friend


Wow, I made it past 100!!!  Can't wait to get to 1,000 which is the goal.  To find out more about Multitude Mondays and the Gratitude Community, go here.

Explormania-Gymathtics

I recently received Gymathtics from Explormania to review for the TOS Crew.  What could be better than mixing math with exercise, right? Gymathtics is a 30 minute workout for kids that explores math concepts along the way. For example, during the warm-up the kids are asked to make different shapes (lines, angles, circles and polygons) with their bodies. In the aerobics section they are introduced to skip counting, odd/even numbers, place value and prime numbers while jogging, and doing knee lifts, jumping jacks, punches and kicks. There is a section called Pattern Power in which the kids do patterns of different athletic moves (squats, lunges, push-ups and crunches).  The cool down is different from the rest of the DVD in that while it is going on there are subliminal messages such as "Eat right." and "Be nice." being spoken.

While I think that this is an awesome idea to put math and exercise together, my boys really didn't like this DVD.  My boys are in 7th and 3rd grade, and that might have been the problem. I really think with the way this DVD is set up that it would appeal to younger kids (K-2nd). However, some of the math concepts were new for my 3rd grader. Even though he could gain some knowledge with the DVD he just wouldn't go for it.

I can't totally recommend this DVD considering the response from my kids, but since mine are older you might want to go see other reviews from the TOS Crew and look for how younger kids reacted to it. Also here is a link to see part of the video so you can make a decision on if it is a fit for your family.

The DVD retails for $24.99.

These products have been provided to me for the purpose of reviewing them. I am not being paid to do this review. I am sharing my honest opinion of how these products work for my family.

November Cooking-Part II

Here are the rest of the recipes we will be doing...

Honolulu Beans and Rice
(Note: this recipe is already "big"...if you don't want to make as much you can reduce it)
2 qts. chopped onion
1/3 oil
2 #10 cans of kidney beans
3/4 cup hoisin sauce
2 T. dijon mustard
1/2 cup tomato paste
1/2 cup soy sauce
2 T. sesame oil
2 T. cumin
2 T. orange peel
1 qt. unsweetened, crushed pineapple
Saute onions in oil. Mash 1/3 of the beans and combine them with the remaining beans, onions and the rest of the ingredients.  Cover with foil and bake at 350 for 30 minutes. Serve over rice.

Taco Soup
1 lg. can crushed tomatoes
1 can corn with juice
1 can black beans, don't drain
1 can kidney beans, don't drain
1 can pinto beans, don't drain
1 pkg. dry Ranch dressing mix
1 small onion, chopped
1 pkg. taco seasoning
tortilla chips
shredded cheddar
Mix all the ingredients except the chips and cheese.  Bag and freeze.  To serve, put in a crockpot and cook on low for 4 to 6 hours.  Serve with chips and cheese.

Cooking Adventures for November

My friend, Marnie, and I missed our cooking adventures in October because we were both so busy.  But our freezers are almost empty so we will be cooking soon!  Here is what we are going to make...

Thai Cashew Chicken
Honolulu Beans and Rice
Taco Soup
Tortellini Soup (Scroll down to it)
Chicken Pot Pie

Thai Cashew Chicken
1 lb. chicken, cut in bite-sized pieces
1 lg. onion, cut in 1/2 inch wedges
2 cloves garlic, crushed
2 t. ginger root, minced
1/4 t. ground pepper
1/2 t. ground coriander
4 t. soy sauce
3 t. fish or oyster sauce
4 T. water
1 T. lemon juice
1/2 t. ground cumin
1/2 cup unsalted cashews
cooked rice
Saute the chicken in oil.  Add the onion, garlic, and ginger. Fry until onions are tender and chicken is completely cooked. Add remaining ingredients except cashews.  Fry 1 minute longer to blend flavors. Add cashews.  Serve over rice.

Tomorrow I will post the other recipes.

Missionaries in Malawi

We had the unique opportunity this past week to meet Tim's cousin, Jeff and his wife, Mary.  They have been missionaries in Africa for over 20 years.  They are currently working in Malawi, but on furlough to the States until January.  The boys had a wonderful time with them listening to their stories.  Jeff is an awesome storyteller!  We heard about elephant poop falling on one of the missionaries in Africa while he was crouching down on the ground hunting. Jeff told of the crazy antics of monkeys stealing his coffee and baboons harassing one of the MK's (Missionary Kids) for his gold cross pin.  It was just hilarious!

Jeff and Mary hold a special place in our hearts as one year a long time ago when they were on furlough they asked Tim (my husband) to take them to church...that one invitation eventually led to Tim giving his life to the Lord.  I am eternally grateful!

We took Friday last week to do a quick study on Malawi.  Since the boys had already heard stories, they knew the name of the captial (Lilongwe) and other facts about the country.  I thought I would capitalize on this opportunity and have them do a lapbook of Malawi.  We used Homeschool Share's Choose-A-Country lapbook.  These lapbook pieces can be used for any country...so cool!  Here are some pictures...

Here are pictures of Jeff and Mary enjoying the lapbooks!

Do you smell like Jesus?

Recently, in the Jr. High Sunday School class that I teach we talked about how leprosy is like sin.  Both are infectious, decaying (one decays the skin, the other the heart), hard to look at, and smelly.  Smelly? Yes, decaying flesh smells and so does sin.  I asked the kids what they wanted to smell like and told them that they could always opt to smell like Jesus!  Smell like Jesus...what in the world does that mean? Have you ever gone into someone's home that smelled so good from baking (think chocolate chip cookies or apple pie!)that when you left  your clothes smell that way? Or have you ever gone into a building where someone had been smoking?  What did your clothes smell like after that?  How did you get those smells on you?  By spending time in those places. How do we smell like Jesus? By spending time with Him!  We are the aroma of Christ, and we need to make sure we smell like Him to high heaven! I constantly have to remind myself that I have two options...to smell like sin or to smell like Jesus.

"For we are to God the aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing."  II Corinthians 2:15

A Multitude of Blessings

Here is my list of the things I am thankful for this week...

61. Friends that take my kids on field trips when I have to work.
62. The snow that fell last week...makes everything beautiful.
63. Watching Titan experience snow for the first time.  Very funny!
64. Noah's spiritual birthday
65. One in a Million Bible study
66. Angie--a new friend!  I absolutely love her...she is funny and so sweet!
67. Long stemmed roses that I received this week.
68. A good night's sleep
69. Protection on the icy roads
70. Delicious, juicy pears
71. Being able to walk with a friend every Tuesday
72. A visit from Tim's cousin...a missionary in Africa
73. Mexican food

74. Finding Christian humor at Inherit the Mirth.
75. Snuggling with the boys when it is cold outside.
76. Noah's enthusiasm for learning Scripture.
77. File folders!  Couldn't keep myself together without them!
78. Chess club for Zach.
79. The fall festival for the boys.
80. Hot baths with bubbles, of course!