We also had the news that our dear friend Polly regained consciousness and has a very good prognosis. Considering we went over a day thinking she had died and then it seemed she'd be brain dead if she did survive, this is wonderful news. Told ya life was magical sometimes. :)
Now, on with the newsletter.....
~~~~~~~~~~~
Cleaning and
scrubbing can wait 'til tomorrow
For babies
grow up, we've learned to our sorrow...
So quiet
down, cobwebs, Dust, go to sleep...
I'm rocking
my baby, and babies don't keep.
(author unknown)
..............................................................
PUFFY PAINT
Flour
Salt
Water
Tempera
paint
Mix equal amounts of flour, salt and water. Add liquid Tempera paint for color. Pour mixture into squeeze bottles and paint. Mixture will harden in a puffy shape.
from
http://www.recipegoldmine.com
...........................
Quick
and easy lunch idea.....
When
I need a filling, quick lunch I make seasoned veggies and pasta.
It hardly costs a thing and is very healthy, plus it's tasty!
1.
In a large pot, heat a 1 pound (or so) bag of frozen veggies (broccoli,
mixed, Chinese, or whatever the kids will eat) with a bunch of water.
2.
Once the water comes to a full boil, drop in one pack (or 2) of Ramen noodles.
3.
Cook 3 minutes.
4.
Drain. Add seasoning packet and a tbs or 2 of margarine. Serves
1-2 hungry adults and 2 hungry toddlers.
It tastes a lot like the pasta mixes you buy, except it's full of nutritious veggies and cheaper. You can use fresh or canned veggies too, of course. We love it!
**
Ramen noodle seasoning often contain MSG, which makes affects some kids
negatively and is just creepy to others. You can leave out the packet
and just season yourself.
...............................
Do your
kids have journals? Give them beautiful, empty books to keep as diaries
and encourage them to start writing down their days, poems, stories, memories,
or even doodles. My friend Val has kept journals since she was a
child and the treasure of memories is incredible! It's worth the
investment. Most important, don't peek unless invited. If you
want trustworthy kids you have to be a trustworthy parent!
............................
Use
the talents you possess, for the woods would be very silent if no birds
sang except the best.
— Henry Van Dyke
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A great resource for homeschoolers & book lovers.....
This site has thousands of surplus books of all types, with over half of them free (other than the cost of shipping).
~~~~~~~~~~~~
When's the last time you played charades? How about tonight? It's fun! Turn off the TV and be your favorite book, movie or song title. ;)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Jingle Bell Child....
Get some jingle bells and some strips of cloth, string, or an old bracelet. Help kids attach the bells to the cloth, decorate it, and fasten it to their ankles. Spend the day making music with each step. Make one for you too! How can you be grumpy when you jingle when you walk?!!!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
From magical mama Jacqueline........ Garden cards!
Use heavy sheets of paper and paint them with watercolors. Fold into cards. Add pressed flowers from your garden and decorate with clear shimmer or glitter glue. Top them with clear contact paper and on the inside write something like "From our garden to your home with love." =)
Note: I've attached a picture at the end of the newsletter. --A
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
If You See a Tiny Faery
~by William Shakespeare
If you see a tiny
faery,
Lying fast asleep
Shut your eyes
And run away,
Do not stay to
peek!
Do not tell
Or you'll break
a faery spell.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
From the Dollar Stretcher
newsletter
www.stretcher.com
Special 18th Birthday Party
"Here's a very special 18th birthday gift we gave our eldest son.
We sent a letter to about
15 men who had an influence on or meant a lot to our son. This letter
asked each one to write him a letter giving him advice for his future,
reflections on their relationship
to our son, qualities and
traits he has or should pursue, advice, instruction, or expectations on
the subject of "manhood". We told them: "You are one of the
men Aaron and I (my husband wrote the
letter) know and respect
and I want Aaron to benefit from the wisdom each of you possess."
Then we compiled all the letters in a notebook with page protectors and
gave it to him on his 18th
birthday. He was very
impressed that so many men from his past took time to write their thoughts
to him (especially the 6th grade teacher!). We also got letters from
friends we had moved away
from, his former pastor,
grandfathers, etc. If you want to read further about this idea, we
got it from the book "Raising a Modern Day Knight" by Robert Lewis."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I love this site! Check out http://www.playhouseradio.com/playhouseradio/ to listen to hundreds of songs for children, complete with lyrics and artist info. You can compile your own custom CD for around ten dollars. I want to make a bedtime CD and a funny one and one for exercising.....
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
10 Ways to make today magical......
1. Let
your child use washable markers and give you an ankle tattoo.
2.
Go to another town and on the way make up totally different identities
for yourselves. All day, call yourselves by your fake names and play
along with your alternate life. Encourage the kids to really get
creative for eavesdroppers.
3.
Take apart a bunch of old jewelry and try to make a new artistic creation
together.
4.
Have dinner with all conversations in pig latin.
5.
Write and mail letters to yourselves.
6.
Build something out of supper! Create a landscape, for instance,
with a big mountain of mashed potatoes surrounded by broccoli forests and
a log cabin fish stick house. Let kids cut your creation like a cake
and eat their favorite parts.
7.
Learn something together. Pick a subject-- from origami to bird calls--
and look it up online, at the library, or ask a friend to teach you.
8.
Start making toasts at meals.
9.
Play hide and seek.
10. Look
for signs. Tell the kids you're going to find 10 signs as to what
you should do next or to solve a problem. Assign someone to write
them all down. Then go on a walk and pay attention to accidental
letters spelled in the sky by airplanes, birds that caw as you pass, flowers
growing in the sidewalk..... At home, randomly open a book and point to
see what word your finger lands on. Have the kids help assign "meanings"
to each sign. Make sure they know it's all in fun. Afterwards,
talk about how you can find signs to tell you to do anything if you try
hard enough. Encourage them to be as outlandish as possible!
........................................
Happiness is a conscious
choice, not an automatic response.
— Mildred Berthel
........................................
And now, kiddos, I should quit being an idiot and get some sleep. ;) Have a great week!
~Alicia
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A Magical Childhood
http://www.magicalchildhood.com
Copyright 2001, Alicia Bayer
A Magical Childhood Newsletter is just something I throw together because I love children and those who love them. To subscribe, send a message to abayer@magicalchildhood.com. We do not use ads. It's not about money. :)
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