Monday, September 28, 2015

Life is Precious - Respect for Life Month


October is officially Respect for Life Month, and although this is a very important topic, sometimes it is hard to figure out how to discuss it with little ones.  Because of this, I was so thrilled to find the fabulous resource Life is Precious, which is aimed at Kindergarten - 2nd grade children and goes through important and basic topics of the value of human life using 4 beautiful children's books!  We are so excited to dive into this program in lieu of our regular Before Five in a Row activities in homeschooling for a month.


This program explores the following books, which we will take one week each to explore:
 
It also includes a fetal model to help illustrate and a fantastic DVD with 4D imagery of preborn babies in the womb!  This is such a wonderful program for us to be studying right now, not only in light of Respect for Life Month but also to continue preparing for the birth of the newest member of our family

Stay tuned for what we are doing and learning with Life is Precious!
Friday, September 25, 2015

7 Quick Takes - Vacation Fun in Minnesota


We have been having so much fun the past few weeks!  My husband traveled to a Medical Conference at an amazing resort in Minnesota a few weekends ago and we decided that myself and our boys would come along as well.  I then stayed in the Twin Cities in the cutest little rental home with the kids for an extra week to catch up with family, friends and enjoy the many fun things to do!  Here is a quick recap with TONS of photos!

---1---
Resort Fun - Alexandria, MN
 
My husband decided to go to a Medical Conference in Alexandria, Minnesota and we decided that it would be fun to come along.  It was so beautiful and had so many fun things to explore including an awesome water park, zip line and lots of nature to explore!  It was a wonderful time and we are already planning our return for next year!
 






 
---2---
Hanging Out Fun
 
We had a busy trip, but also took a lot of time to just hang out together to have fun and relax.  We were fortunate to find an adorable little rental house to stay which was close to so many places and people who we were visiting.  It was nice to have a place for naps, cooking meals and most imporantly for climbing trees!
 


 
---3---
Chutes and Ladders
 
Anyone who lives in the Twin Cities in Minnesota knows that one of the coolest places to go is Chutes and Ladders (or the Hyland Play Area in Bloomington, MN).  It is a GIANT playground with tons of slides and adventures to explore.  We had a lovely morning playing together and having tons of fun!
 



 
---4---
Twins Game
 
I grew up in Minnesota loving the Minnesota Twins so I was thrilled when my Uncle and Aunt kindly gave us their tickets to a game when we were in town.  It was so much fun to take the boys to a game!
 



 
 ---5---
Fun Field Trips - Jackson Street Roundhouse
 
For our train loving boys the Jackson Street Roundhouse is such a treat to go to visit and was one of our favorite places when we lived in Minnesota last year!  We were thankful to be able to go on a morning of "Tots and Trains" when they have a fun morning of story time, crafts and snacks which are all themed with TRAINS!  We then spent some time exploring and after our oldest son proudly told one of the volunteer engineers that he is homeschooled we received an awesome tour of their back rooms where they fix the trains! 
 



 
 ---6---
Mall of America

I think officially one of the most exciting places to go for little kids in Minnesota is to the Mall of America!  We were able to go a few times when we lived in Minnesota for the year last year, but it gets more and more fun as the kids get older!  Also, an added plus at an amusement park is our kids being incredibly tall for their age!  Our 5 1/2 year old was able to go on pretty much every ride, including the rollercoasters that go upside - down; which he thought were AWESOME!  Our 2 year old also got to ride his first kiddy rollercoaster and we all had a blast!

 




 
---7---
Fun with Family and Friends
 
The best part of the week was visiting and catching up with family and friends.  I was born in Minnesota and lived there until my teenage years and most of my extended family still lives there.  I was able to visit with so many people and even go to my cousin's wedding!  It was so nice to see and catch up with so many wonderful people in my life!