Kara Noel Lawson

September 11, 2014 by: Kara Noel Lawson

One Week of Educational Activities from July/August Cricket Magazines

My aunt got me the best gift for my birthday! A subscription to some amazing titles from Cricket Magazines! And I’ve already put the first issue into good use. Try these activities from cricket magazine this week!

I had never heard of Cricket magazines before and I love them. LOVE! Each magazine focuses on a different theme and is age appropriate. The little tree below explains things pretty well.

I created a week of fun activities to go along with the July/August 2014 issues of Spider and ask magazine.

Monday:
We made “Berry Tasty Roll-Ups” (pg 34). You’ll need ripe berries (we used blueberries), bowl, potato masher, knife, jelly roll pan, parchment paper, rubber spatula and a storage container.

Wash the berries then mash.
The kids loved doing this!

Spread the mashed berries on the parchment paper in the pan, and leave in a warm dry place for 24 hours. I put the pan in our small top oven.

The Berry Tasty Roll-Ups weren’t completely dry in 24 hours. I turned on the oven to 200 degrees for about 10 minutes. Then I turned off the oven and left them inside till they were completely cool. (The recipe originally calls for plastic wrap so I had to transfer ours to parchment paper then bake. Just do the parchment paper from the beginning!)

Next we talked about a book summaries and the rule of underlining the title of a story when you write a title on paper. We read Odin’s Firefly Goodbye on page 27, and I had the children summarize the story. Then we wrote a short summary together.

Tuesday:
We read the poem Summer Sunset Song on page 26 aloud, then we made a list of all things we love most about Summer sunsets. The children picked their two favorite things on the list to write their own Summer Sunset Song. We had fun thinking of rhyming words to go with our favorite sunset activities.

Eli’s Summer Sunset Song
The sun begins to fall,
Daddy and I play baseball.
We watch Cake Boss for fun,
When the day is done.

Wednesday:
We learned about the way ancient Spartans sent secret messages to each other. We read Secret Message Skytales, then made a skytale of our own.

Cut 1/4” strips of paper. If you use computer paper you will need about 5 strips.
Secure the strip to the TP roll and start wrapping. I would tape as I wrapped.

Write a message from left to right, using only one letter per strip.

When you unwind the paper, it looks like gibberish.

But when you wind it back up, you have a message!

Thursday:
Today we learned about Moose! We read The Elusive Moose of Yellowstone and The Little Fly and the Great Moose: A Native American Story. We talked about our trip to Yellowstone and Old Faithful. Then we worked on our cutting cutting and stapling skills while making Moose antlers from the back of the magazine. It was fun!

While we were cutting we learned all the jokes from page 20!
The kids think they are hilarious.
I hope you do too!

Friday:
We got the July/August issue of ask magazine in the mail during the week and it was just too fun not to include!
Vikings.
The whole thing was about Vikings! How sweet is that!?!?
Did you know Vikings didn’t have horns on their helmets? (Those were added for theater costumes in the 1800s). And that Vikings were the first people to land in North America?
I didn’t.
But now I do, and so do you!
You’ve just been (home) schooled!

(pictures snipped from ask magazine clockwise from left p 19, 4, 11 & 26)

We devoured the whole magazine. The whole thing!
How I love to see Eli excited about learning! This is a big deal.

Receiving this magazine was icing on the cake for our week! Since we read the whole darn thing, I decided to have the kids write key words from each article instead of doing separate learning activities for each article. But we really could have done a week of educational activities. Maybe I’ll save that for another post!

You can do something like this with any magazine. But the cricket ones are pretty amazing. We have Babybug, Ladybug, Spider and ask. We love them so much, I think I’ll incorporate at least one activity into our homeschool routine once a week.
This gift is really a something that keeps on giving! It’s especially special to me because it’s something my mom would have given me. My aunt knows this… her mom died when she was only 19. I’m so thankful for people who have gathered around our family. Makes this life seem less lonely.
Is there something you can do for someone to make their life less lonely?
That thing… that thing you thought of right now.
Do it!

September 3, 2014 by: Kara Noel Lawson

Oh hey, we homeschool now! {Classical Conversations Cycle 3 Week 1}

Thank you for the most encouraging words about our decision to homeschool.
That was rad. Truly.
Now that we have been “outted” as homeschoolers, the next question is, what do you actually do during the week with Classical Conversations?
Well, here ya go…

Classical Conversations Cycle 3, Week 1:

Monday we go to the Classical Conversations meeting from 9am to noon. One of the main reasons we chose Classical Conversations, is the weekly class with a tutor. The kids formally learn the week’s lessons in the same class every week, with their trained tutor. Everyday we do the Memory Work we learned at the CC class (explained on Wednesday below), in addition to what I’m breaking down by week. (I really can’t stand the name though, Classical Conversations. Can I say that without being mean? Not really. Oh well, it’s my blog. It just sounds like a retired persons online dating site. Am I right??!?!)

Tuesday we did copy work for Latin, English, and Fine Arts (the OiLs acronym along with what each letter represents). And an activity using the 5 Basic Elements of Shape. Memory work.

We practiced using the 5 Basic Elements of Shape with this fun game from Expressive Monkey. I had them build 5 monsters using the dice, then they each got to build their own from their imagination. We pointed out the elements on each drawing (circles, dots, lines, angles and curves).

Eli’s monster looks like the devil.
Maybe its good we moved toward a faith-based education… ha!

Wednesday was a busy day for our family so we only did the memory work.
Memory work is all the facts you are learning in each category – Timeline, History, Geography, English, Latin, Math, Science, Fine Arts. I used this youtube video for the Classical Conversations timeline and this video for the English grammar. Every week we build on the previous week, for week 1 we are just doing the first 7 events in the timeline, and the first grammar rule. We repeat the each category 7 times. To keep track of how many times we have already repeated a fact, I use colored pencils in a mini mason jar. Obviously. Don’t they look pretty? Small Things make me happy.
We were done quickly, then we (mostly me) spent the rest of the morning cleaning, then we went to a water park with friends. The flexibility of homeschool is pretty neat-o.

Thursday we did copy work for History and Math. We discussed even and odd numbers. Memory work.
(Yes, I did notice he was missing 46, It was corrected. But I had taken the pic already. I’m that lazy.)

Then we did a guided drawing activity to go along with the History sentence copy work. I talked them through a picture of Columbus and the Niña, the Pinta and the Santa Maria using the 5 Basic Elements of Shape.

Friday we did copy work for Science, Geography, and Latin. We used a map to make a color coded key for the states and capitals we learned this week. Then we drew pictures to illustrate the Latin prepositions we learned this week and made silly sentences using the prepositions. The sentences are in English but we would substitute the Latin word for the English word. Memory work.

Cora Jane’s sentence is “There was a cat in (in) a box with (apud) a toy, who went though (per) a door without (sine) water. She thought it was hysterical. Seriously, making a silly sentence was such a Small Thing and it made her day… she had the giggles for 10 minutes and the kids couldn’t wait to share their sentences with Brad when he got home from work. (And I was laughing too, because I can’t think of anything “in a box” without thinking of that SNL skit. You know the one!)

There you have it, our first week of Classical Conversation cycle 3. It was fun. More fun than I ever thought it would be. I’ve always been one of those moms who does fun activities and crafts with her kids*. But not everyday, just when I had the time. With homeschool I have to MAKE the time, and I love that accountability!
This week was also extremely productive. Eli and Cora Jane have memorized everything they were taught. And I learned so much too. I don’t know the state capitols. Never have. That’s sad. But now I know five, and by the end of the year, I’ll know them all. That’s happy. Classical Conversations covers the subjects I’ve mentioned but you need other curriculum for Math and Reading. I’m still waiting for that to come in from our charter school. I’ll let you know when I start.

*Don’t think I’m extra cool and have everything together for one second. I’m one of “those” moms that will shirk responsibilities for the fun easy stuff.

I can’t wait to share the projects we are doing this week! Since Monday was a holiday, we didn’t have our CC lessons. But since we are with a public charter school, we need to do schoolwork everyday, so I’ve come up with some great stuff.

September 1, 2014 by: Kara Noel Lawson

Why we decided to homeschool…

“I will never ever homeschool!”
”Kids need to learn from someone else besides their parents. And I don’t think my kids will learn well from me!”
”I can’t wait till all my kids are in school! My house will be clean and I can workout again!”
”Christians need to stay in the public schools!”
”I want my kids to be put out into ‘the world’, while they will still care about my opinion about it.”

These were my responses to anyone who asked my opinion about homeschooling… and some people who didn’t ask, because I’m a jerk like that. And I still think all of these things.
Strongly.
But we are homeschooling anyway. Because I feel something else.
Stronger.

But first, here are NOT some of the reasons we are homeschooling…

Common Core. I don’t mind common core (gasp). I’m not saying I love it, but I don’t think it’s the end of the world. I also think it wasn’t presented well to the schools. They should have rolled it out from the bottom up – kindergarten and first grade, then adding a grade (or two) a year. Then kids would work their way up with the new learning style. AND this Holocaust assignment was beyond offensive. I get the idea behind it, but how about a different event – the space landing would have been more appropriate. Anything would have been.
I missed my kids. I adore my kids, but I didn’t miss them while they were at school.
At all.
Christian Education. I’m a Christian, but I don’t care if my kids have a Christian education (gasp). Christian education comes from the home, and specifically from the parents. Period. End of story. Here’s a great book all about that: Spiritual Parenting.
School shootings. Someone asked me that. Nope, but here is a post I wrote about them.

“So why the hay are you homeschooling?” (you’re thinking)

Eli summed it up perfectly on his last day of public school. He said, “Mom, we had a bad year.” How sad is that!?! What sweet first grader should have a bad year? But, he was right. We had a bad year.

Logistically school was difficult. I had two different drop-off times and two different pick-up times for Eli and Cora Jane. I had to coordinate those four trips to the school (and four trips home) with the Cyrus and Tessa’s naps and meal times and errands and daily home responsibilities. I know hundreds thousands of women do this too. AND they have to balance working outside the home and a so much more. But for me, this was a lot. I felt like I was a failure everyday, from the dirty looks I got from the office when I picked up Eli late AGAIN, to the guilt over running through McDonalds AGAIN to get the little kids fed quickly before nap time.

I found Eli needed a different way to learn. We all respond better to different styles of learning and Eli wasn’t picking up anything with the traditional education style. At all. In fact, the only thing sticking was his frustration and anxiety about school and homework. My bright boy who can solve a Rubik’s cube couldn’t sound out the word “a-n-d.” He was defeated. He was saying, “I’m not smart… everyone else can do this…I’m dumb.” I get it, a teacher with 28 kids in his/her class can’t cater to the learning style of one child. But I can.

Homework took too much time. Kids are at school for six hours. SIX HOURS. Do they really need homework in elementary school? Well, I suppose kids like Eli do. If a child isn’t grasping the information in those six hours, the new information needs to be learned/reinforced at home with homework. So Eli was at school for six hours then I had to work with him one-on-one just to stay with the class. So why waste those six hours? No point. At least that’s what I think.

We wanted to do extra curricular activities and we couldn’t justify the cost or family time. We have a big family, so I wanted a family band. Obviously. Wait, how much are guitar lessons? Ummm… how about the piano… mmmmm… we’ll just do soccer like every other family in Orange County. The price isn’t so bad… but times that by 4 kids and subtract the family time that is eaten up with early Saturday games and evening practices after a SIX HOUR day of school, during the week. And Brad and I would have to divide and conquer to get all our kids to their specific practices. Eeek. I’m overwhelmed. So we never did anything. But we are using a homeschool charter for our home school program, and we get $1,500 per child per year for extra curricular activities and non-religious curriculum. And since we aren’t spending six hours at school everyday, we can do those activities during the day. No rushed weeknight dinners or feeling overwhelmed about getting everything done after school.

Attendance. Last year we took a two week road trip during the school year. Eli was in kindergarten, so it wasn’t a big deal to miss that time. But this year Eli missed over a month of school because of his asthma, it was a bigger deal. And as time passes, attendance will only become more important. With homeschool I’m not limited by the school year calendar. In fact, I’m not limited by anything.

Even with these reasons for homeschooling, I could have just chocked it up to a “bad year” and trucked on to the next. I mean it wasn’t horrible, and next year both my big kids would have been on the same schedule. A lot of the stress involved with my day would have been gone with that simple change. Thousands of people get to school, and juggle activities everyday. Millions. But Brad and I kept going back to one thought.

We want a slower pace of life.

Homeschool wouldn’t have even been on the table if my mom hadn’t died last year. Really. I love public school.
I love assemblies, and scholastic book orders, and new back packs, and passing notes, and cubbies, and big buddies, and school bus field trips, and class parties, and all the wonderful experiences a child gets in the public school system. I have to mourn a bit that my kids are missing those things, and that I won’t get to be a parent at a public school.
But I want something different.
I don’t want to be rushed during this short life of mine.
I don’t want to feel overwhelmed everyday.
I want so be present in every moment.
I want to quit the rushing, and busywork in our home.
I want all our decisions for our family to lend to a slower pace of life.
And right now, for this season, homeschool is the answer.

(Next post will tell all about our first week!)

August 8, 2014 by: Kara Noel Lawson

Spa Day with bambuearth and Cora Jane

Last week I had a friend over, it happened to be while Cyrus and I were making banana bread together. A few of her children asked if they could help, I politely told them, “Sorry, this is a special activity for just me and Cyrus.” Cyrus bubbled up with pride!
My friend asked if I had a special one-on-one activity for each of my children.
Ummm… well… we have one-on-one time… but nothing specific. Not like banana bread time. So I started thinking about how I can incorporate some special and specific activities with each of the kids.
I decided to start with the other middle child… because doesn’t it seem like those middle children get the short end of the stick!?!
The activity has to be something special, aka not just play time. And something that isn’t annoying (for me) or difficult to do often.
Cora Jane loves girly things! Shopping?… Our budget wouldn’t allow a weekly Target shopping trip. (Boo!) Make-up?… she’s a bit to young for lessons on how to highlight your cheekbones. Spa day? Mmmmm… we can’t get massages but we can to a fun scrubs and masks! I started looking into skincare items but didn’t feel comfortable putting all those chemicals onto her sweet perfect skin! (Not sure why I don’t care about my skin… mom problems.) I found bambuearth… all organic… phthalate free, paraben free, sulfate free, preservative free, no synthetic fragrances, no synthetic dyes, sustainable palm oil, never tested on animals… AND made just a few towns away. Whew.
So no pandas are dying for this soap? (It’s a big deal!)
Sold.

(bambuearth is having a kickstarter campaign right now for a storefront in Orange County! Consider donating some $$$… even $5 would be rad!)

I got the spa kit and we had spa day! This skincare routine really helped.
Tea Tree Cleanser – Sugar Glow (scrub) – Rosemary Toner – Petitgrain Facial Cream
Cora Jane was in heaven!

So much heaven…

Cora Jane says the Brown Sugar scrub smells like cookies.
I agree.
I think the Petitgrain Cream is the best lotion I have ever used. A little goes a long way.
Cora Jane agrees.

I have easily been able to keep up this time with Cora Jane (I mean, sugar scubs are delightful) and the way she looks forward to our spa day is crazy.
It doesn’t take much, friends. Our bambuearth spa day takes us 15-20 minutes, once a week and you would think I took her to Disneyland.
Small Things are Big Things for your family.
We have so much fun, but truth be told, I really can’t wait till she is older and we get to do real spa days. With facials and massages and highlights and pedicures. (oh my)

Cora Jane even let her cranky-woke-up-too-early-from-her-nap sister use the toner… just this once.

July 31, 2014 by: Kara Noel Lawson

Krochet Kids {plus a giveaway}

At this time last year we went to an event for Krochet Kids at their office in Costa Mesa.
We were hosting Abby at the time.
Gosh I loved that girl, and often wonder how she is doing.

I can’t believe this picture was taken a year ago!
I really love Krochet Kids. They have empowered women around the world to make a better life for their families.
Women are powerful.
Check out their business model for more information. Job – Education – Mentorship

I want my daughter to know she is a force to be reckoned with.
A world changer.
An valuable part of our family, and her future family.
And I want her to know it’s the small things she does that can make the most meaningful impact in someone’s life.
Like buying a hat.
#YouthForEmpowerment

Thanks Krochet Kids for sharing your story, showing your hats, and changing our lives!

Win this Krochet Kids kids hat… just for funsies!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Small Things change the world.
(Also, I should do my hair more.)

July 30, 2014 by: Kara Noel Lawson

Dear All the VBSes…

We love VBS!
I try to do 3 a summer. Is that crazy?
We keep in contact with friends from other churches and my kids get to learn that we are part of something bigger than our crazy family.
I love a lot of things about VBS, but there is one thing I hate.
Like it drives me up the wall and I want to throw up.
I’ve thought about casually mentioning it to the VBS directors. But how jacked up is that!?!? “Hey, I don’t go to your church, but you are totally doing this wrong.” I don’t want to seem like a complainer. I mean they are putting on an awesome camp for pennies. Instead, I’ll write a open letter on my own blog… and if any VBS organizers happen to run across this post, then they will have the power to change this horrid VBS practice.
”What the hay is she talking about?” (You’re thinking)
Well, I’m talking about foam stickers!
Obviously.

I hate those things. All the foam things.
HATE!!!
I get it though – They are pre-cut, cute, and make it so easy to make non-train wreck craft with kids.
But do you actually keep any foam crafts?
Maybe… reluctantly… only if your kid’s picture is on it.
But every single craft for the last VBS we did, went into the trash.
Ultimately the church’s money went into a landfill.
That’s what breaks my heart.
All those non recyclable foam sticker toxins are going to seep into our water system and our great grandkids will have tails.
How about creating an experiences the kids will remember forever?
Games, scavenger hunts, prayer time…
I get crafts are important. They reinforce what kids are learning and give them creative outlets to express… well, anything! I mean really, you know I love crafts!!
But knowing, all the crafts will end up in the trash… is it worth it? Think of the VBS money that could go to real causes, money that could have made a big impact.
If a VBS has 500 kids and they only spend $1 on each craft each day, you’re looking at $2,500.
$2,500 of trash!!!!!!
Blarg.
So I’m sure you are wondering, “What in the world can we do at VBS instead of crafts?
Glad you asked!
Here’s some ideas:

A piece of blank white paper and a drawing prompt. Some of my favorite pictures are random ones my kids have made from their own imagination. Cost 1 cent each.
Make cards for the troops… or the local retirement community… or fire station… or whatever. Use construction paper or bulk cards. Cost range $.01-.50 each.
How about sending everyone home with a family project. Make your own lemonade. Print out a lemonade recipe and send it home in a bag with 5 lemons. Every congregation has at least 4 people who have a lemon tree and can’t use all those suckers. Paper bag, donated lemons (maybe you’ll have to buy them in bulk), and 1/4 slip of paper for the recipe. Cost $.10-1.00 each.
Face paining. Hire someone or get the youth group involved for free. Supplies and man power. $20-$300 for the day.
The group picture… You have to do one of those! Just have the picture printed then add a magnet to the back. $.50 each.

I just planned your next VBS! A whole week of “crafts” that won’t end up in the trash.
Now I know what you’re thinking… “But we have to keep these kids busy for 3 hours!?!?!?!!
Water balloons. Capture the flag. Candy.
Done!
This Small change would make a BIG impact on the amount of waste we produce and the money could be used to positively impact people’s lives forever.
Clean water wells. Smoke free stoves. Kids aging out of foster care. Buy livestock for a village.
The list can go on forever.
Talk you your church about changing your perspective on VBS crafts.
And for sweet baby Jesus’ sake, don’t ever use those foam stickers again.
Ever.
Small Things can change the world.

July 29, 2014 by: Kara Noel Lawson

Let’s Talk Bums { Cottonelle wipes & dispenser}

We just finished potty training Tess. She was ready. We were ready. That was good!
It’s crazy to think this might be the last little person we potty train.
Boo.

We are pretty casual potty trainers. But I have friends who have been successful with the 3 day boot camp style, or by transitioning to cloth diapers first. However you decide to take care of the dirty business, one thing is the same – eventually you have to teach your little ones to wipe.
To me, this is way worse than potty training.
How much toilet paper do you use?
What’s a skid mark?
How do you know when you are done wiping?
Front to back. Always?
Always.
We opted for the flushable wet wipe option to get those sweet bums clean. I just found this one with an upright dispenser for Tess. I like it because the dispenser keeps the wipes wet even if little people leave the top open. (This was a problem for us with our earlier potty trainers.) We tell our littles to use one when they think they are done to get off any extras… ahem… and wouldn’t you know it? Skid marks are a thing of the past! Buuuut be sure your kids are ONLY using one per flush… the Cottonelle wipes are safe to flush (and for septic too) but lets not get cray.
And the Cottonelle dispenser doesn’t look obnoxious on your bathroom counter. See…

And yes, that is an In-N-Out Burger cookie jar on my bathroom counter.
And no, this shot wasn’t staged.
Our whole guest bathroom is an In-N-Out theme… and it’s fantastic!
I keep womanly things things in there for guests.

I even pop the dispenser in the car for any side-of-the-road potty stops.
(Find my favorite travel potty here!)

Give Cottonelle a try with this coupon!

Happy wiping!

Disclosure, yo: This post is sponsored by Cottonelle but all my opinions are my own. What else can I disclose?… um… I never do posts about something I don’t like… ever. Oh and I cuss at my kids. Hope that covers all my bases. Blarg.

July 18, 2014 by: Kara Noel Lawson

It’s Hot. Eat Ice Cream { ice cream maker giveaway}

About two months ago I was walking past a neighbor’s house, (people we had never met about 7ish houses down the street), and I noticed they were painting an array of chairs in bright colors.
Um… painting old crap bright colors… that’s right up my alley. So of course I stopped to chat. Then invited them to our house to see all our brightly painted crap.
A few weeks later they invited us over for homemade ice cream.

How rad is that!?!?
We had the best time devouring homemade chocolate almond ice cream, and talking into the night, while our kids played with their grandkids.
It was a sweet memory.
And it was something very easy to do.
Small Things are Big Things in your community.
If you had an ice cream maker would you invite neighbors you haven’t met, over for ice cream?
Let’s find out!
Me and some of my blogger friends are giving away an ice cream maker.
But wait…
How about you bless one of your friends with an ice cream maker too?

Leave a comment on this post and let us know who you would gift the other ice cream maker to. Then follow the instructions in the box below…
Let’s change the world one ice cream at a time.
Good Luck!
a Rafflecopter giveaway

You and your friend can win the Cuisinart ICE-30BC Pure Indulgence 2-quart automatic frozen yogurt, sorbet, and ice cream maker. $165 EACH!

July 10, 2014 by: Kara Noel Lawson

The Kitchen House {my own personal book club}

I love stories from The South.
This southern tale starts in 1791 pulls you in on the first two pages.

Book:
The Kitchen House by Kathleen Grissom

About:
Orphaned during her passage from Ireland, young, white Lavinia arrives on the steps of the kitchen house and is placed, as an indentured servant, under the care of Belle, the master’s illegitimate slave daughter. Lavinia learns to cook, clean, and serve food, while guided by the quiet strength and love of her new family.
In time, Lavinia is accepted into the world of the big house, caring for the master’s opium-addicted wife and befriending his dangerous yet protective son. She attempts to straddle the worlds of the kitchen and big house, but her skin color will forever set her apart from Belle and the other slaves.

To Read or Not to Read:
Yes.

I love stories from The South.
This southern tale starts in 1791 pulls you in on the first two pages.

After reading The Kitchen House I felt relief for some of the characters I loved. There are lots of tragedies and miscommunications. Oh hey, literature! I also felt hopeful. But there was also a deep sadness for what happened to African Americans during the pre-Civil War time period. As well as how far we still have to go for equality.

My Thoughts:

The main character’s name is Lavinia. And because I rarely read unique names correctly, I was saying “Latvia” (as in the country) in my head. Good luck with that!
Grissom describes some of the most yummy food ever for a Christmas feast. p36 And now that I’m cooking and all, I’m co curious about how people cooked during that era.
Sometimes you just want to shake the characters, because if they just tell that “one thing” then things will end up so much happier. I often wonder how that plays out in real life. Are there things that would be so much better if we just communicated more? I think the answer is yes.
Page 30: “This world is not the only home. This world is for practice to get things right.” Love that.
There is major contrast between the lifestyles of the slaves who work in the “big house” and the slaves who work in the fields. This theme in the book fascinated me.
The slaves in the big house a very protective of Marshall, even to point of a well deserved murder, and Marshall is so cruel to them. I wondered why throughout the book.

There is so much more… but I can’t ruin everything!