Recycled Fun with the Kids

Hi everyone!

Just wanted to pass on a great site that Jackson and I found the other day!

We were watching Qubo and a show by the name of Artzooka came on! We had never seen it before…what a great show!

It teaches children how to recycle items in order to create something new! This particular show was about creating a party critter out of newspaper, modeling clay and some other ‘junk’ found around the house.

After seeing this, Jackson and Mommy were inspired and had to find it online! We googled Artzooka and found the official site here: http://artzooka.com/

(Although I’ve had this post ready to go for a few days and I can’t seem to get back on the site! I hope it works for all of you! You can find Artzooka through Qubo’s Website though)

They have recycle challenges, downloads available to print out project ideas, and even an upload section if you would like to share your child’s work!

Jackson and I had a blast checking out the site and creating our own party critter that you can see in his pictures on this page!

He is very proud of his Party Critter!

He’s also pretty bummed that we have not been able to get back on the site in the past few days! He wants to make the rocketship! LOL!

Enjoy your little ones! They don’t stay little for long! ❤

Create a recycled art project today!

Never Give Up!

Wow!

I’ve been checking out some inspirational videos on YouTube lately!

I came across this one and it just brought tears to my eyes!

I had to share it with all of you!

I was a sophomore in High School when this happened and I have to admit I really don’t remember this part of the olympics.

We’re always told to “Never Give Up!” But, do people really take the time to think about what this really means? No matter what your struggles in life may be, you are only given what you can handle!

I remember telling God, out loud, at my grandmother’s funeral (when I almost lost my mom too) “Ok, I can’t handle this too!”

You know what? He listened to me and I have my mother to talk to if not see on a daily basis!

My mom didn’t give up that day!

God didn’t give up on us that day!

Grammy didn’t give up on us that day! (We believe this was Gram’s 1st Miracle ;))

I didn’t give up on believing the fact that I am only given what I can handle in my life!

I know I’m being watched over! I am grateful for it! ❤

Anyway, back to the video:

Would you have given up?

I would have kept on going!

I will always Keep Going!

If you like this post, Comment and Share.

Share it with someone who needs a reminder to Stay Strong and Keep Going!

Appreciate what you have! 😉

Anxiety Will Not Get ME Down!

Definition of PANIC ATTACK:

 

 

an episode of intense fear or apprehension that is of sudden onset and may occur for no apparent reason or as a reaction to an identifiable triggering stimulus (as a stressful event); specifically : one that is accompanied by usually four or more bodily or cognitive symptoms (as heart palpitations, dizziness, shortness of breath, or feelings of unreality) and that typically peaks within 10 minutes of onset 

From Merriam-webster.com

I wrote the following post in my journal while sitting at the dr’s office on a Saturday night! I am a real person! I fight real battles! Sometimes I feel like this:

I thought I would create a post about anxiety and panic attacks. This is something that happens to a lot of society, but it’s a matter of will you let it get you down?

I have posted before about my amazing grandmother who passed away back in 2008 and my mom who survived a widow maker heart attack on the way to burying my grandmother. This was a very traumatic day in my life! I understood everything with my gram because I had helped take care of her and had her live with us during the last 4 months of her life. So yes, understood, but still missing her!

Mom’s heart attack on the other hand was a complete shock to our family and the entire funeral procession for my gram! Mom had suffered a widow maker heart attack while in the limousine of the procession! The entire procession stopped in the middle of the street! My aunt performed CPR on my mom and a sergeant in the local police department “made a wrong turn and came upon our funeral procession!”

Being a sergeant in the local department, he had a defibrillator in his vehicle. He used the defibrillator on mom right before the ambulance showed up, they raced mom ( breathing at that point ) to the nearest hospital where they performed surgery immediately! Mom is at 100% and doing amazingly! God definitely watches over all of us!

Anyway, why did I tell you this story? Well, because as I said earlier it was a very traumatic day for me! I was very strong that day and trying to help figure out things for the situation at hand, but as time went on, my anxiety got me down! I ended up at the doctor in the middle of a panic attack and crying my eyes out! He tells me that I am not alone! Other people get like this too! Panic attacks are one of the scariest things for me to endure! They make me feel completely out of control of myself and sometimes even feel like I could die!

I can’t stand it anymore! As I write this, I am sitting at the doctor’s office in the middle of a panic attack! It absolutely sucks! What horrible feelings! I am writing this to help calm down, because I love blogging, and to say out loud that I am tired of letting anxiety get the best of me!

I AM STRONG! I AM IN CONTROL! I AM ME!

This is important! If you feel this way, you are not alone! Remember that and take the steps necessary to feel better! Visit your doctor and discuss it with them! I couldn’t battle the feelings on my own! I tried for a long time! I finally came to the realization that i need a little extra help sometimes!

Hope this post has helped someone today! I know writing it has helped me as I wait for the doctor to come in.

I refuse to let anxiety and panic attacks get me down! I push right through the best that I can and keep going as Mommy and wife.

Enjoying Your Little One! #1 Art with Shaving Cream

Hi everybody! I’ve never mentioned this but… I used to be a teacher before I became a Work-At-Home Mom! (Bet you’d never guess with my adventure days and crafts I do with my little one… LOL) I had my son Jackson in September of 2006 and have enjoyed every milestone and teachable moment with him possible. I was thinking that maybe you might like to hear about some of the things that Jackson and I do throughout our days together on the blog. This was my reason to start working from home!!! Years 1 – 5 are the most developmental! 🙂

Art is very important in Early Childhood development. It encourages your child to explore different mediums and artists, as well as, getting hands-on into the MESSY! This is one thing I absolutely love about Art. I have spent time encouraging Jackson to get down and dirty while teaching him about sensory things through playing with shaving cream and creating goop out of cornstarch and water to name a couple!
Children love to assist adults, so this is a great way to encourage learning through creating a special art project together! It will also incorporate math skills through measuring! 😉

Shaving Cream – I recommend using the sensitive kind, as you might see a reaction using others…if you see any allergic reaction or you are concerned about one, consult your child’s pediatrician. Jackson was pretending to shave with Daddy one day using Daddy’s shaving cream and ended up with a slight rash that went away quickly. This is why I point out any concerns you might have about allergic reactions. We use baking pans or the kitchen table to play with shaving cream. 😉

Mix the shaving cream with white school glue and create some “sundaes with whipped cream” or “ice cream sodas” or “snowy pictures.”

If you are not concerned about your child’s “art” clothing for the day, then add some food coloring to the shaving cream for some more fun!

Goop –
food coloring
1 cup cornstarch
1 cup water

This is a great recipe! It feels wonderful in your hands and your children can close the Goop into their fist and then open their hand to watch it transform and slip through their fingers!

Expand this experience more by adding the classic book Bartholomew and The Oobleck by Dr. Seuss to the fun for the day! Go visit the library and borrow it to read with your child!

Recipes from Creative Resources for the Early Childhood Classroom – Judy Herr and Yvonne Libby Larson