Easter Week: Day 3 Parables and Teachings

Symbol: 2 pennies to stand for widow's mite.

The event depicted in the picture actually happened before Jesus' final entry into Jerusalem; I chose the picture because it shows Him teaching. 

The candy holder holds pompom balls, small cards to record good deeds, and candy (empty as of this morning!).  The kids write their good deed on a card, place a pompom ball in the jar and take a piece of candy for fun.

Easter Week: Day 2

I couldn't find a broom or mop, so I "upgraded" the symbol to a small hand vac.  

First reaction from the kids last night: "oh does it have something to do with cleaning house?"

It did. Jesus cleansed the temple a 2nd time after his final entry into Jerusalem.

Where I keep the eggs before they are hung on the tree.  If you're wondering where the rest of the eggs are, I am changing all the eggs to the bigger variety so they are the same, so they are all taken apart right now (I had the symbols in small plastic eggs, and I think I like the bigger ones better!).

Spring Break

Spring break came and went WAY too fast!  I liked being home without any set schedule to follow, and liked having the kids home all two weeks!  We had so much going on without a trip planned even, that I wish every day was just like Spring Break.  Maybe homeschooling won't be that bad?  just. kidding.  Although Miss Allie would LOVE for that to happen.
So in a nutshell, we shopped, jumped on the tramp, celebrated St. Patrick's, shopped some more, became van people (after saying we would never ever drive one, but test drove one and liked it better than a Tahoe! way to go Honda Odyssey!),  had our good friends Scott and Jen visit from UT - (we visited til Scott was half asleep and still had to drive all the way back to Camelback Inn), and on Saturday we capped off the last day of Spring Break with a family game day at Golfland, but not after enjoying ButterBurgers at Culver's.  I've been culverized.  Love it better than In-N-Out.

Maddie golfed like this the whole time, and would sit the ball really close to the hole and then use the club like a broom!

Easter Week: Day 1 Palm Sunday

Kicked off Easter week with Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem.

Symbol: Donkey

from left: Jesus' Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem, warm fuzzy jar


for the complete Easter Week Ornament Tradition and activities, see here.  Please let me know if you're doing the tradition at your house!  I'd love to know how your kids like it!

Jaxon's Blessing

It's been over 2 weeks since this little guy (my nephew!) was blessed, and I barely got to these!

Isn't he just pinchably cute?

with his dad

Squishy nose!

Easter Week - Preplanning

I am posting this year's Easter activities, revised and improved from last year's.  Our activities are based on the book,  A Christ-Centered Easter , and I revised (so it fits) our Easter egg ornament tradition to go with it.  I have countdown calendars for Thanksgiving and Christmas - and for Easter, I have this.  One thing I wanted to do was have something tangible, a symbol, for the day's happenings as recorded in the scriptures.  Hence, there may be one or more ornaments to hang up that day, depending on the events of that particular day.  We also do activities along with the ornament-hanging tradition as described in the book.

You will need: 19-21 empty plastic eggs to put your symbols in, small number tags (so you know which eggs to open!), 1/8 ribbon for the ornaments, 1/2 in ribbon (optional, it makes the eggs cuter though), and a small basket or box to store your eggs in, easter tree (optional, but I like looking at the eggs and having it as a centerpiece all week), and the Gospel Art Picture Book/Kit (available at Deseret Book for $3.50; some are printable online).

To make them into ornaments:

Drill a small hole on the top half of the empty egg (works with either 5/64 drill bit, I am estimating here, but the hole should allow a thin piece of ribbon to go through it).  Cut about 8 inches of 1/8 in width ribbon, fold in half, and thread thru small hole, the cut part going in first.  Tie a knot on the inside like this:

I also numbered the eggs and added a second decorative ribbon to make it all festive:

Now the empty egg can hang on a tree like this one from Pottery Barn Kids or  if you would rather not do the ornaments, you may simply put the eggs in a basket.

Prepare area to display GAK pictures (timeline of the Easter Story) - I use an easel, you can do a more contemporary cable wire display idea using wire and simple clips, like this one from West Elm - the advantage of this is that your kids can see the Easter story timeline in its entirety!

The Tradition:

Day 1 (Sun, this year it is March 28) - Palm Sunday, Jesus' Triumphal Entry 
Scripture: Mark 11:1-11
Symbols in Egg: Donkey or Palm Leaves (handmade from felt)
GAK (gospel art picture kit):  #223 Jesus' Triumphal Entry
Activity: Reintroduce warm fuzzy jar (acts of service - whom can I serve today?), make faux palm branches out of cardboard (for spines) and green paper.

Day 2 (Mon)- Cleansing the Temple

Scripture: Mark 11:15-18 or Matthew 21:12-16
Symbols: Miniature temple or Broom/Mop
GAK: #224 Jesus Cleansing the Temple
Activity: Clean house

Day 3 (Tue)- Parables and Teachings
There are so many parables, you can really do more than just one egg, but I chose the parable of the Widow's Mite so we can focus on the word "sacrifice" and giving our all.

Scripture: Mark 12:41-44 or Luke 21:1-4 (Widow's Mite account)
Symbol:  Penny (looks and acts just like a widow's mite, in my opinion); a mite is an ancient Jewish lepton denomination coin during Christ's time.  A lepton was the lowest denomination coin in all of history.
GAK: #212, #216 or any other picture with Christ teaching
Activity: Make oil lamps.

Information to add on the widow's mite:
The word "mite" is from the 1611 King James Version Bible translation, lepton being the word used in the original Greek language. So while scripture references only the lepton, due to the commonalities of these two coins, today both coins are commonly referred to as 'Widow's Mites'.  In fact, the lepton is probably the lowest denomination coin ever struck by any nation in all of history! The value of these coins during the time of Christ was typically based on combined weight with other coins and not on the individual coin's value.

Day 4 (Wed) - Rest in Bethany
No events are specifically recorded for this day, and assumed that Christ spent the day in Bethany), so we will spend the day discussing later verses such as Mary anointing the Savior and Judas bargaining for the
betrayal of Christ. Or discuss the parable of the 10 virgins and burn oil lamps from the day before.

Scripture: Matthew 26:14-16 Judas Conspires to betray Christ
Symbol: 3 dimes (30 pieces of silver)
Activity: Burn oil lamps

Day 5 (Thu) - Last Supper, Jesus' Prayer and Agony in Gethsemane
Scripture: Mark 14:22-24
Symbol: Sacrament Cup
GAK: #225 The Last Supper, #227 Jesus Praying in Gethsemane
Activity: Passover Dinner (simple dinner with foods common in Jesus' Day, I have picky kids!); Make matzah

Info on Matzah:
Matzah (the plural form is Matzot) is a form of unleavened bread and represents Israel’s abrupt and swift escape from Egypt—a flight so sudden that the Israelites could not wait for their bread dough to rise but had to bake it while it was still flat. Leaven causes dough to rise through a unique fermentation process that transforms, or corrupts, the original ingredients. Subsequently, gasses are produced that case the dough to rise. Anciently, leaven was generally associated with the corruption of sin and, specifically, with the inflated self-importance of pride. The use of unleavened bread during the Passover, then, suggests the quick surety of the Lord’s redemptive word and at the same time cautions the children of Israel against moral corruption and pride.

Day 6 (Fri) - Jesus' Trial and Crucifixion
As there are 11 symbols to tell this great story, you may choose to do 5 in the morning and 6 in the afternoon to coincide with the events as recorded chronologically in the scriptures.

Symbols/Scriptures/GAK:

Between Friday midnight and 3 a.m.:
hershey kiss - Mark 14: 42-44, GAK #228 Betrayal of Jesus
rope - Matthew 27:1-2 or Mark 15:1

Between 3 a.m. and 6 a.m.:
chunk of soap - Matthew 27:15, 17, 21, 24-26
red cloth - Matthew 27:28-30
nail - Matthew: 27:31-32, 33, 38, 37 GAK #230 The Crucifixion
dice - Mark 15:24

Noon to 3 p.m. (Jerusalem)
small rocks (put in small baggie) - in Jerusalem: Matthew 27:50-54; in the Americas: 3 Nephi 8: 5-23
In the Americas: 3 black fuzzy balls (to represent 3 days of darkness in the Americas when Jesus died)


Before sundown:
white cloth - John 19:38, Matthew 27:59

spices (cinnamon stick or whole nutmeg, bay leaf) - John 19:39-40, Luke 23:55-56

big flat rock - Matthew 27:60,  #232 Jesus' Tomb

Day 7 (Sat) - Jewish Sabbath, Christ teaches in the spirit world
Scriptures:
Matthew 27:62-66 (setting watch over sepulchre),
Luke 23:56 (rest on the Sabbath)
1 Peter 3:18-20, D&C 138:19-24, 29-30 (While His body laid in the tomb, Jesus visited the righteous in the spirit world)

Symbols:
small Roman soldier
a small white hand puppet (when Jesus died, his spirit left his body and went to heaven, when he was resurrected, his spirit came back to his body - you may use this symbol again to explain what happens during the resurrection in Day 8)

Day 8 (Sun) - Jesus' Resurrection and Appearances
Scripture: Mark 16:1-6
Symbol: Empty Egg
GAK: In Jerusalem: #233 Mary and the Resurrected Lord, #234 Jesus Shows his Wounds; In the Americas: #315 Jesus Appears to the Nephites, #316 Jesus Teaching in the Western Hemisphere, #317 Jesus Healing the Nephites
Activity: Prepare and eat Easter breakfast rolls (rolls that are hollow in the middle)

On Easter Sunday, the kids get an Easter basket but they get new scripture markers, a new journal, scripture helps, or a gospel-related book.  Last year I did CTR rings/tacks and books, mixed in with some candy.  This year is great, as Easter falls on Conference Weekend, our usual "Conference Binders" and awesome materials and treats will just be a part of the basket.  (Usually the Conference stuff is something separate).  For all the time I spent putting all this stuff together, I am glad I can cut corners this year!

Enjoy your Easter Week! And do include in your comment if you are planning on using this Easter Tradition - I'd love to hear feedback and see how you did it in your home!

Girls' Play Date

After our St Patrick's morning fun, these girls went to Activity Days and then spent the rest of the afternoon together playing pretend divas.  They were all dressed up to the T that I couldn't resist asking them if they would be up for a photo shoot for fun.  And that we did.  Funny girls!

Meet Kelly Billion-Bucks, Yasmin Bling-Bling, and Khloe More-Bucks
"Riding a Rad Motorcycle" Shoot

Can't do without the diva headshots

Had to get a shot of all them wearing their shoe closet finds.  They'll be borrowing my shoes in no time.

The joys of being 9!

Leprechauns!

Leprechaun Day started off with the kids waking up way early. Reminded me alot of Christmas morning, the way Collin ran downstairs and back up again, whispering and waking Allie up because "the leprechauns came!" The night before they wrote these letters on teeny tiny postcards which were no larger than 4 postage stamps and left them on the stairs for the leprechauns to find.

Collin drew the middle picture; they both also crafted some "leprechaun plates" out of playdough, but Collin's broke.  The handmade envelope on the bottom left contained the mini postcards below:

Of course leprechauns don't take wish lists.  They just give what they want.

I was still in sleep mode and then a few minutes later Allie comes up asking me if they could go hunt for the treats (she knows how much I like to document stuff!).  I asked her to take some pictures or video tape so she did.  Then I couldn't keep to bed any longer and got up to take more photos while they were discovering the loot. This was the first photo she took:

Message made of green pixie stix.

The leprechauns made a huge mess of the kitchen, dumping a whole box of Cheerios all over the floor all the way to the laundry room.  Shamrocks marked the spots where there could be leprechaun (green) stuff.  They decided the leprechauns got mad we didn't have Lucky Charms, so they got in our pantry and spilled cereal all over.  And the oranges were in a bunch of random places - we assume they played a game of bowling or something from the looks of it.  The kids think they escaped thru the laundry room vents because the cereal trail stopped short of the laundry room.

Just a little peek at the mess the little creatures made

They left some awesome green stuff - green books, candy, frog movie, a leprechaun in a box, clovers to grow, shamrocks and some glitter.

Allie's leprechaun that she named Lucky O'Malley

Allie was so excited to find a dictionary (yeah, she loves to spell!)

Maddie was into all her "handies" (candies)

After we vacuumed the mess up I made some pancakes and eggs (they voted NO green this year), and mixed up some green milk (an unfamiliar small spoon made it to our silverware tray, which the kids think the leprechauns left behind).  The milk was spared this year, but when I went to fix the eggs, there was a wooden egg mixed in with the real eggs so I couldn't crack it open.  Collin figured out that that was why the fridge doors had shamrocks on it. 

For dinner I made some beef and broccoli and Grandma and Pop came to eat with us.  And then we ended the day with a special "green day" story.  We read a story the night before St Patrick's and then the end the actual day with another one.  This year we got two new stories to add to our St Patrick's book collection:

Note to self for next year: Watch Darby O'Gill and the Little People (my friend Jen and her family love this green day movie!)

Bounce, Bounce!

Last year, when we were drawing up plans for the backyard, we included an in-ground trampoline for the kids.  We've had the backyard now for a little while, but no trampoline! Kevin was a little leery about getting a trampoline -- safety, safety, but I know the man's heart :) so I went ahead and got a well-priced one from Sam's Club.  It was way way cheaper than an in-ground kind AND we have spring break for two weeks, so why not? 

I think he changed his mind quickly as soon as he saw the kids' excited faces and happy voices when they talked about the trampoline.  They woke up early on Saturday morning and didn't complain when I asked them to carry all the parts to the patio so we could start building it. The kids and I put together the legs, and all of them helped, including Maddie who was our "screw" girl.  Then Kevin assembled the rest, with Collin handing him springs in a wheelbarrow.

The kids couldn't wait to bounce on it and it's gotten a lot of use so far. Maddie likes to say "I go bounce, okay?". Today she needed some clothes on before going outside, and I asked Allie to dress her. When they came back down, Allie was so excited to announce that she "dressed up" her sissy. And really, little sissy was all dressed up!

Maddie had on a pink tutu and a big pink headband to match, and two pigtails!  Allie also decided she was going to "match" and put on a tutu.  It was so cute and funny at the same time, so I took some pictures.  All that dress-up to go bouncing. Cute girls.

New Look!

Losewithhcg.com has a new look!  Check it out - the screenshot is awful.

A Word on Fasting

Reading from the Why book has become a nice little treat for the kids.  Last night before bed we read Fasting" *Why do I have to fast?*.  I didn't realize how much the kids were listening to Kevin and I, until this morning at breakfast before Allie went to school.  She casually asked as she was putting out her breakfast, "Mom, can you do "breakfast and lunch" or "lunch and dinner", for fasting?" Yep.  I wonder if she's thinking of doing it next month?

Remember the post on allowance?

Last week, the post I did on allowance made it to the Gilbert Republic which comes with the AZ Republic on Wednesdays.  Brooke Romney made a good concise summary out of two posts.

Collin and his Legos

Collin loves his legos.  Last night, I was reading them "King Midas" for a bedtime story, and I asked if they would want the gift of being able to turn things into gold.  Collin promptly replied, "no thanks, I don't want my legos to turn into gold."  Funny!  You know he loves them when that's the first thing that comes to mind.

Anyway, I have neglected taking photos of his lego creations!  He always comes up with some original designs from scratch and no instructions, just his imagination.  They are so detailed that I don't think I even could come up with the designs he does.  Every little piece has a purpose.  So the other day he made a big moving truck with steps and moving back doors and such, and I was so impressed I wanted to take a picture, so I let him store it in my room to be safe.  Well, before I could take a photo, Maddie knocked it over!

The next thing I know he had re-modeled the truck into an extra-long garbage truck with moving arms (to pick up cans), a fork lift front to pick up dumpsters, a back door that flips open and of course, the whole dump part really lifts to get rid of all the trash "at the landfill".

He wanted to make sure I got one with him in it. :) This is the truck in its "dumping" position.

The truck with the "side-arm" down - in its "trash pick-up" position.

The back door opens to let the trash out.

Collin also likes going to his "Let's Play Music" class on Tuesdays. Here he is doing his homework.