A great GIVEAWAY for a Girls Dress with Matching Doll Dress

Over at Joyful Creations at Home you can enter to win a beautiful homemade dress for your little girl and a matching dress for her doll....

http://joyfulcreations2.blogspot.com/2010/11/its-etsy-christmas-countdown-custom.html

The Birthday Express Deluxe Party Pack Winner is...

McMama said...                         46

I just became a follower



Thanks to everyone that entered! 

Cinnamon-Apple Brunch Bake

I have never made these but I can't imagine them not tasting unbelievably good!  The Lil' Chef actually found this recipe in with some of my Mom's old recipes and suggested that I make it for the Mother-Daughter Cookie Swap.  She was excited when I told her that she could make it.

This would be great for a holiday morning breakfast or anytime!

Cinnamon-Apple Brunch Bake
Preheat Oven to 350 degrees

• 3 tbsp butter
• 1/2 cup of light brown sugar
• 1 can of apple pie filling
• 2 tsp of ground cinnamon
• 1 1/2 tsp of pure vanilla extract
• 1 can of refrigerated biscuits
• 1/2 cup of chopped nuts

In a sauce pan, melt the butter and then stir in the brown sugar, apple pie filling, cinnamon and vanilla.  Spread half of the mixture in a shallow 2 quart baking dish.  Next, cut your biscuits into quarters and arrange with the points up and spoon remaining mixture over biscuits.  Sprinkle with nuts.  Bake at 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes.  Let stand for 5 minutes, serve warm.  Serves 8.

Cookie Swap Idea

I just wanted to share an idea with you all of something that I doing with my girls this year.  I decided to throw a Cookie Swap, but not just any old cookie swap, we are doing a Mother-Daughter Cookie Swap. 

I have been to a few cookie swaps but have never held one myself.  I have wanted to do one for quite a while but never had, until now.  I just really thought it would be lots of fun to include my girls.  They can help me bake the cookies and have their friends at the swap too! 

I decided to do it on the second Saturday in December, you know, it's about the time everyone starts getting crazy about the all the shopping they need to do.  We are doing it at 10:30 in the morning and we are having a brunch.  I am going to be making a Baked French Toast, Breakfast Casserole and Cinnamon-Apple Brunch Bake (recipe coming soon).  I have asked everyone to please bring something to add to the table.  I will also provide drinks. 

Everyone has until December 1st to RSVP and once I have a totally head count I will let everyone know how many cookies to bring.  Depending on how many people are going to come we will make 6-12 cookies per family.

The other day I remembered that I had previously ordered snowman paper products to use for a holiday party that didn't happen.  So guess what, I believe I already all the plates, napkins and cups that I am going need for the party.  I am going to try to remember to order them again at the end of the season for next year.  I think I had ordered them from Oriental Trading for a super good price. 

I am really excited and hope that all goes well.  Lord willing, I would like to make this a yearly tradition.  I will of course post pictures and let you all know how it goes!

Do you all have anything special planned this holiday season?

Critical Thinking Co. Review & Giveaway!

We were blessed with two books from the Critical Thinking Co., Mathematical Reasoning Level E and Balance Benders.

  

We have been using Mathematical Reasoning, since the beginning of the school year.  I actually switched The Lil' Chef over to this book for the year from a different program that she had been using for the last 2 years. She has started off with a spiral type math curriculum from the beginning and then started to struggle when she entered 3rd grade.  After getting some advice from some veteran home school moms I switched her over to mastery program, which worked for a while but really seemed to take away her love for math.  Yes, this child loves math!  Anyway, after two years of dragging thru math we started Mathematical Reasoning and guess what... She likes it, she really likes it!!  The Lil' Chef actually loves math again! 

She is doing great in this book, not because this book is easy for her because it isn't, the book challenges her but also explains new concepts to her in a way that she understands.  This is a spiral curriculum, which I believe works best for her, and it includes critical thinking skills.  With critical thinking skills included it is like getting 2 books in one. 

Here are the skills that are included in Mathematical Reasoning Level E:

• Analyze
• Angle
• Area
• Calendar
• Capacity - customary, metric
• Characteristics
• Congruence
• Coordinate System
• Count
• Data Analysis - bar graph, line graph, survey, table
• Data Collection
• Decimals - concept, add, subtract
• Draw - parallel, perpendicular, by definition
• Equations Expression
• Equivalence
• Estimation - addition, subtraction, multiplication, division
• Factors - form/vocabulary, add, subtract
• Fractions
• Graph/Table/Chart - analyze, represent
• Inequalities
• Length - customary, metric
• Likelihood/Prediction
• Mean
• Median
• Mode
• Money - add, subtract
• Multiple
• Negative Numbers
• Order
• Order of Operations
• Pattern - geometric, numeric
• Perimeter
• Place Value - expanded notation, number form, word form
• Polygon
• Prime/Composite
• Properties
• Reflection, Translation, Rotation
• Rounding
• Shapes - 2D, 3D
• Symmetry
• Temperature - customary, metric
• Time
• Variable as Unknown - in addition, in subtraction, in multiplication, in division
• Weight - customary, metric
• Whole Numbers - addition, subtraction, multiplication, division
• Word Problems

As you can see there are alot of great skills that are included at this level.  I appreciate that she gets to learn real life math, you know math that we everyday.  This series also includes several math skills that are normally not taught until the following grade level.

The Lil' Chef likes that she isn't doing the same thing every day and she enjoys the fun and colorful pages.  Mom likes that the answer key is included with this math book which means no extra money on a teacher's key.  For those of you who are probably wondering if I kept the teacher key in the back of the book, of course not.  I took the easy tear pages out, stapled them together and put them away.  I just pull them out to check her answers. 

The Mathematical Reasoning Series currently goes from PreK to 5th grade and ranges in price from $24.99 to $32.99.  I have to say that I very disappointed when I found out that this was the highest level for Mathematical Reasoning and I thought that I would have to again search for another program but I recently learned that they are working on a level for 5th and 6th grade.  Yippee!  So, providing it is available, I plan on using this curriculum again next year for The Lil' Chef.

Now for the Balance Benders, at first we didn't get it.  It really took a few times of sitting down and trying to figure out what we were supposed to be doing.  Once it clicked and we got it we really enjoyed Balance Benders, they are actually pretty fun.  These are not something that I have required her to do every day, although I probably should because she would be learning very valuable reasoning skills.  Mostly we just do them for fun, and even though I am not a math person I really enjoy them too!

These balance puzzles are not only fun but they help students get accustomed to Pre-Algebra.  Children have clues to use to help them to solve the puzzles.  The Balance Benders workbooks would be a great addition to any child's workboxes, these are great learning tools that kids really enjoy.  They would also be great for stocking stuffers or long car trips.

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The Balance Benders Series has 4 books for children in grades 2nd thru 12th grades.  They are very affordable at only $9.99 each.

We have also used other products from the Critical Thinking Co. in the past and they have never disappointed us!  This company will continue to be one of my favorites!!

The Criticial Thinking Company has offered to do 2 Giveaways for my readers.  One will be for a Beginners Level Balance Benders book and the second giveaway will be for a Balance Math & More Level 1.  Both books are for grades 2-6.  


Please leave a SEPARATE COMMENT for each way that you enter and PLEASE DO NOT FORGET YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS! The giveaway is going to run until November 24, 2010. Here is how you can enter to win:

• You must be a Follower of LSG to Win! Please leave me a comment and let me that you do.
• If you have just become a new Follower, please tell me how you heard about this giveaway.
• SPREAD THE WORD! If you blog about this giveaway, please come back and leave me a link to your post.
• Please visit the Critical Thinking Company's website, and let me know what other products they have that interest you!  
• Facebook or Twitter about this giveaway and leave me a comment to let me know about it.
• Like The Critical Thinking Company on Facebook and let me know about it. 

 These products were given to us free of charge from the Critical Thinking Company  for review purposes.  The opinions in this review are my own and I have not been paid in any other way.