Tag Archives: back to school

Back to School Teacher Gift….

21 Aug

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I’m a gift giver…  I love to give gifts and so do my boys.  I think my “LOVE LANGUAGE” might be rubbing off on them, but I’m OK with that.  Giving gifts need not be expensive or fancy, just a little something to let the person know you are thinking of them!  Here is what we made for our teachers for Back To School NIght…  Like I said, nothing fancy and super easy… I ordered these veggie crates from Amazon and filled them with any “strawberry” flavored items I could find…  You could give these as an open house gift, first day of school, first Friday of school, teacher appreciation, or any time for that matter…  Show your teachers some LOVE people 🙂 They will appreciate it :)!

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For My Boys….

20 Aug

Today Ben and I made a very tough decision.  One that means our boys are growing up….  We decided to send Shaeffer to all day Kindergarten vs. half day.  This means that both he and Sutton will be at school all day.  It was a decision we did not take lightly.  His schooling has been a topic of discussion for quite some time around our house.  We debated Montessori, private school, public school and then now half day vs. full day.  We realized that each of our boys is different and although half day was PERFECT for Sutton, Shaeffer is a different guy.  He will thrive all day and wants nothing more than to “eat lunch with his friends”.  So come Friday I will be shedding a tear as my two babies head off to full day school…  It won’t be easy for me, but I know it’s the best thing for them.  In dealing with my “grief” I decided to write them a little letter.  I actually have been writing this letter to them for about 6 months, but today is the day it is published :).  I am going to try to write them a letter each year before they start school.  Here goes Letter #1…

For My Boys

Ages 6, 5, and 1

I wish all three of you all the innocence of your childhood, the ability to giggle until it hurts, a desire to see the world, and the grace that only God can grant.  I love watching you sleep at night and dream by day.  I love the sparkle in your eyes and the shimmer in your step.  I love your blind faith and your trust in Jesus. I thank God for you every single morning and pray blessings over you every single night!  I am amazed by who you are!  I am the luckiest Mommy in the world!

*  You had my heart long before WHAAAAA….  I never imagined I had this much love to give until I had a baby. You have taught me that my heart and my capacity to love are not fixed, they grow and grow and grow.

*  Keep making art!  Creating art should be a something you do every day! It encourages individuality and expression and fosters your brain to do things it only imagined!

*  Take your time in all you do.  There is a pressure to learn more, faster, quicker, and better than those around you. Please overlook that… Learning takes time and everyone does it differently.  You will be successful in your own time!

*  Play outside as much as possible. Take big breaths! Ride bikes, run, chase, roll down hills, slide, swing, and climb!  Explore the outdoors… Bring home creatures (but keep them in the garage), build forts, climb trees, catch fireflies, make s’mores, sleep under the stars–  Adore God’s Creation!

*  Homemade cards are the best… Continue to leave notes under pillows, pictures on the fridge, and send letters in the mail! I love your creativity!

*  It doesn’t matter to me that you love fairies and princesses- of course you do they are sparkly and glittery and mysterious.  Pink is a beautiful color and to you it is just that- a color.  It makes no difference to me whether you want a pink balloon or a pink birthday cake or a Mary Poppins birthday party.

*  It’s OK to cry…  God created crying as a natural response to our emotions.  Everyone cries-EVERYONE!

*  Books are a gift for your brain, your heart, your intellect.  Read often.  Find books that you love and read them.  Hide under your covers and read books, stay up late reading books, check out books from the library, write books!  Books are an amazing blessing…

*  You were made to be courageous.  Being courageous means you always try to make the right choices, not the easiest ones. Have the courage to lead, not follow. DREAM BIG and then go after it!  You can do anything you put your mind to!   You were made to be courageous!

*   I will always be here for you.  I will not judge you or think less of you.  I will love you unconditionally- that means no matter what!  I may not always love your behavior or your choices, but I will always love you-ALWAYS.  Your home will forever be where we are-you can always come home.  I will always be here for you, no matter what!   I love you S brothers… Today-Tomorrow-and Always!

 LOVE, MOMMY

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Homemade Lollipops for Back to School

11 Aug

OK, last fall the boys and I made these as back to school gifts for our teachers.  They were so fun to make that we are going to do it again this year.  The boys would like to make all sorts of different shapes this year, so we’ll see what we can come up with.  For now, I think last years apple lollipops will be just fine :).  Your kids will love making these!  Post your pics on our Facebook page once yours are done, I’d love to see what you come up with!

These SUCKERS would be a great way for you to “suck up” to your teacher….  HEE HEE…

Apple Lolli’s

What You’ll Need:

Red and Green Jolly Ranchers (I used 4 reds and 1 green for ONE sucker)

Craft Stick/Popsicle Stick/Lollipop Stick

Tin Foil

Gallon Size Bag

Cookie Sheet

Oven 🙂

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat your oven to 250F and sort through all those colorful Jolly Ranchers!

2. Put your red jolly ranchers in a plastic baggie and crush them with a hammer to form smaller pieces (don’t crush too much because you don’t want super small pieces). Repeat this process with your green jolly ranchers.  I’ll be honest, I had my kids do this and they LOVED it….  I thought maybe we should do it outside, but after experimenting myself I found it doesn’t take much to smoosh the jolly’s so we did it inside!

3. Place a lollipop stick on your baking sheet lined with tinfoil.

4. Arrange all your broken red pieces in a circle at the top of your lollipop stick making an apple shape. Make sure all pieces are touching so it melts properly. I sprinkled any “dust” my kids made over the entire apple shape just to make sure it would all stick.  Add the green pieces to the top of the red to form a “stem”…

5. Slide your cookie sheet  in the oven and cook for 10-12 minutes, or until completely melted…  At the end it melts quickly so it’s fun to watch!

6. Remove your  apple from the oven and allow it to cool before peeling it off the foil.  One thing to note is that these are “free formed” lollipops.  If you prefer your lollipops to be perfect you could use an apple shaped metal cookie cutter to help you out…

7.  Wrap it up for your favorite teacher OR eat it yourself!  YUM…

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Apple Lolli’s

3 Sep

For those of you who don’t know, last month I was a guest blogger on a site called “Oopsey Daisy”.   This is the craft that I submitted for her site.  If you live in a state (like Minnesota) that doesn’t start school until after Labor Day, then this is a great thing for you to do this weekend…  If you live in a state that has started school, why not surprise your teacher with a “just because” gift…  If you don’t go to school, why not make these cute apples as a culmination to learning all about apples…  What ever you choose, they are easy and very cute.  I think you could make other fruit the same way if you use your imagination!

These SUCKERS would be a great way for you to “suck up” to your teacher….  HEE HEE…

Apple Lolli’s

What You’ll Need:

Red and Green Jolly Ranchers (I used 4 reds and 1 green for ONE sucker)

Craft Stick/Popsicle Stick/Lollipop Stick

Tin Foil

Gallon Size Bag

Cookie Sheet

Oven 🙂

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat your oven to 250F and sort through all those colorful Jolly Ranchers!

2. Put your red jolly ranchers in a plastic baggie and crush them with a hammer to form smaller pieces (don’t crush too much because you don’t want super small pieces). Repeat this process with your green jolly ranchers.  I’ll be honest, I had my kids do this and they LOVED it….  I thought maybe we should do it outside, but after experimenting myself I found it doesn’t take much to smoosh the jolly’s so we did it inside!

3. Place a lollipop stick on your baking sheet lined with tinfoil.

4. Arrange all your broken red pieces in a circle at the top of your lollipop stick making an apple shape. Make sure all pieces are touching so it melts properly. I sprinkled any “dust” my kids made over the entire apple shape just to make sure it would all stick.  Add the green pieces to the top of the red to form a “stem”…

5. Slide your cookie sheet  in the oven and cook for 10-12 minutes, or until completely melted…  At the end it melts quickly so it’s fun to watch!

6. Remove your  apple from the oven and allow it to cool before peeling it off the foil.  One thing to note is that these are “free formed” lollipops.  If you prefer your lollipops to be perfect you could use an apple shaped metal cookie cutter to help you out (this suggestion made by my very professional pastry chef of a sister in law) and I think it’s a fantastic idea!

7.  Wrap it up for your favorite teacher OR eat it yourself!  YUM…

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