Random Five on Friday (April 19th)

Well, I didn't get my Random Five posted on Friday. We were at the house and we went into town again to figure out a few paint colors. Our busy week was full of many joyful occasions and events. However, we also got a phone call and received bad news this week.

1.) We celebrated my hubby's 39th birthday a few days early. I made him his favorite Carrot Cake to take to the fire station, because he worked on his actual birthday. He said that the firefighters scarfed down the cake and very little was leftover. Alyssa and I took him to dinner at Logan's. We bought him the Hobbit movie and a pair of hunting walkie talkies for his trip in September.

2.) Marcy at Ben and Me helped me create a blog button. She's awesome! I really wanted a blog button but never knew how to create one. I get nervous when I hear about html codes. I love the photo used as the blog button. I have so many fond memories from our trip to Arkansas. We are getting ready for the upcoming move so I have very little free time now. I am extremely grateful that my friends are always willing to help me. Thank you again Marcy. Please, please grab my button code on the right side of the screen and add it to your blog collections. I would appreciate it. Here is the post about my blog button.

3.) Alyssa was caught reading The Royal Diaries of Cleopatra VII in her closet. She pulled the book off one of the higher shelves. She read the first 25 pages. I haven't ever read this historical book so I have no idea as to whether or not it was appropriate. I assume it is not, but I do not know for sure. She's only five so I probably should have placed it on a higher shelf out-of-sight. She enjoyed her Ancient Egypt unit from long ago and recognized the name. She wanted to see what the book was all about so she decided to read part of it. She seems to be interested in it and understanding most of what she is reading. I put the book away for now until I can gather more information about it. I haven't read it and it doesn't look like a book I would sit and read as entertainment for myself. Have you or one of your children read this book? What do you think? Is there any inappropriate material? It states that the book is appropriate for children ages 8 and up.

4.) I am so excited about being featured on the Schoolhouse Review Crew blog as part of the "Spotlight on the Crew" feature. I worked diligently on editing my article this week which was due April 18th. I can't wait for you to read it on May 2nd. Please mark your calendars. I will be sharing more information as the date gets closer. Let's just say there's a celebration of creative fun heading your way! Alyssa had fun celebrating early, but we will complete more activities. Can you guess what the topic will be in May? Please leave a comment below if you think you know.
Note: Avis and Marcy, please don't let the cat out of the bag. Lol.

5.) This week was also an emotional time period for my family. My step father passed away on Friday. I am dealing with mixed feelings and I'm having a difficult time with closure. I didn't think I would care nor did I think a tear would drop from my eye. Sounds harsh . . . I know. But, unfortunately no matter how bad things were growing up he was still part of my life. I don't know who my real father is for sure, but my step father was the only father I had for many, many years. I am trying to remember and focus on the good times, but the bad experiences and memories seem to be more frequent overpowering the good ones. I wish I could comfort my little brother and sister more as their relationship with him was much different as time progressed, but distance keeps us apart. They live in New York and I reside in Texas. Rest in peace Jimmy.

I will link this post up at Random 5 on Friday hosted by Miranda at The Pebble Pond. Please join the fun and link up your random five thoughts, facts, or occurrences. Thank you for visiting A Learning Journey. I would love to hear from my readers, so please feel free to leave a comment so I can visit your blog. 

I HAVE A BLOG BUTTON NOW!

Thank you so much Marcy for creating my blog button and guiding me through the process. I really appreciate all of your help! All of the design credit goes to her - she was very generous with her time. I am a follower of Marcy's Ben and Me blog. I love reading her posts and participating in Blogging Through the Alphabet. We are covering the "Letter E" this week if you would like to participate. You should definitely check out her blog if you get a chance. You won't be disappointed.

I do plan to eventually create my own header and hope to create blog buttons for future projects. As for now, I will focus on packing and surviving our upcoming move. Please grab my blog button and share it with others on your blog if you have a collection. I would really appreciate it! I have been blogging since 2009 and haven't ever had a blog button. Yahoo! THANK YOU MARCY!

God bless,
Tracey

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Random Five on Friday (April 12th)

Miranda at The Pebble Pond is hosting a Random Five on Friday linky and I will be participating again this week. You can read last week's Random Five on Friday post here.

1.) Alyssa and I shop were supposed to go shopping for Jeff's birthday gift. However, we never made it to the store. We left the house late afternoon. His birthday is next week and we thought we would surprise him with an unexpected gift. I will most likely purchase the Hobbit movie as a gift and he really needs some work t-shirts. I will hopefully make a trip into town at the beginning of the week.

2.) We went straight to the house because it was already getting late. I brought a load of boxes to store in the shed. I also brought rock samples for the fireplace. We are not very fond of it so we'll continue searching for the "right" rock or brick that suits our style and will accent the wall color. My hubby told me the other day that we have a problem with our kitchen countertop order. We were originally told that they would be installed the third week of April. For some odd reason, the date was pushed until May 8th which changes everything including our closing date, moving plans, vacation plans, and my review and blog schedule. They also sent us the wrong pantry door so we installed a regular white door which seems to lighten the corner a bit. I know that everything happens for a reason. This schedule conflict does give us more time to finish up the classroom which was put on the back burner. It looks like we'll be moving items in and setting up the classroom first since we can't move into the house until after the closing date.

3.) I finally stepped into my dream kitchen! Thank you hubby! The stained custom kitchen cabinets are installed and finished. They are beautiful and the workmanship is outstanding! I am so happy with the results and look forward to spending many hours cooking and baking for family and friends. Our kitchen appliances arrived the day before yesterday. My hubby and father-in-law already installed the double ovens and vent hood. I snapped a couple pictures of the house. Wanna see them? I took pictures from several angles yesterday.

Gas Stove Area and Island
You can see the pantry in the corner. 

Recently added the lights.
Ignore the dust covered floor and cabinets - they are still working. 

On left side of fridge is a cabinet I requested as seen on Pinterest.
Kitchen window facing the front yard.
My first double oven! Yah! 

You can see the oversized front double doors on right side.
There's plenty of space for visitors to sit and visit. 

Extra space turned into a mini bar area.
Accidental cut in the wall will eventually be covered with tile.
Place for mini fridge at bottom and glass cabinets doors above.

I would love for you to check out my House Projects Pinterest board. In fact take a look around you may see something on my other Pinterest boards you want to pin. Please let me know which board you find most useful.

4.) I am in the process of organizing for the upcoming move. I will use my DYMO Touch Screen Label Manager 500TS to help organize my life this year. My hubby bought it for me on Groupon awhile ago . . . I can't remember the date. I can't believe I am just now getting around to using it. It is charged and ready to go. I will be labeling as I pack. I have so many plans for using this gadget. One major project will be my four large file cabinets of unlabeled folders. Yep that's what I said - unlabeled. I can still find what I need even though I do not have any written labels on the files. I dreaded the last move back in August and was completely stressed out. This time it needs to be simplified and more organized if possible. Be sure to checkout my post later this week to see pictures of what I am doing to help with the move. I am not looking forward to actually moving boxes and packing, but I am soooo ready to move forward in life.

5.) Alyssa lost her first tooth on Wednesday. This was a very emotional experience. She made the decision to keep her tooth. She almost put it under her pillow last night, but then started getting teary-eyed. I told her to wait and if she decided to keep it - it was her choice. Here is the link to my FREE Dental Apps and Questioning the Tooth Fairy post which tells you a little about my daughter's story of losing her first tooth. It is hard to see, but when looking at this picture, she lost the top left front tooth. Be sure to check out my post because I have provided links to the FREE dental apps. I am not sure how long these apps will be free or if they are always free.

I will link this post up at Random 5 on Friday hosted by Miranda at The Pebble Pond. Please join the fun and link up your random five thoughts, facts, or occurrences. Thank you for visiting A Learning Journey. I would love to hear from my readers, so please feel free to leave a comment so I can visit your blog.

God bless,

Tracey

Free Dental Apps and Questioning the Tooth Fairy

This is exactly how my daughter looked when she came running to me on Tuesday to tell me about a tooth that was loose. She was SUPER excited! However, yesterday was a very emotional day for our family. Alyssa actually lost her first tooth. I didn't realize it was going to come out so fast. She used her tongue to wiggle it around ALL day - seriously it was a HUGE distraction. LOL. She told her daddy that he was NOT allowed to pull it out. The next day I served carrots for lunch. Mean mama! She bit into a carrot and her face flushed red with concern. She said her tooth felt "awkward." I asked her to open her mouth so that I could see her tooth. As soon as she opened her mouth, the tooth plopped out with pieces of carrot! At first she cried happy tears which immediately turned into sad tears. She is very attached to her tooth.

She decided that she was NOT going to leave her tooth under the pillow for the tooth fairy even though she secured it inside two containers as seen below. My hubby started talking about the tooth fairy. Out of curiosity she asked more him to tell her more about the tooth fairy. He said she usually brings children money and reminded her of the movie "Rise of the Guardians." Jeff told her she might get a quarter or a piece of candy. She said, "My tooth is too important to give to the tooth fairy especially since it was my first tooth to come out." She may change her mind in a few days. She even asked if she could write the tooth fairy a letter (if she did give it to her) asking to give back the tooth so mommy can have it as a memory of the special day. She also asked me if the tooth fairy was real or not. Honestly, I didn't know how to answer because I know the truth.

What do you tell your children about the tooth fairy? Please share your thought in the comments. 

Stored her tooth in a heart container inside a large Easter egg

The tooth obviously meant a lot to her and was very important.  

She wanted to know more about what was going on with her body so this turned into a mini lesson about teeth. I have a feeling we'll be covering this topic in more depth very soon. I read a couple dental books I had on hand. Are there any books you suggest reading to a five year old? We used a tooth eruption chart so that she could figure out the name of the baby tooth she lost. We discussed primary (baby) teeth and permanent (adult) teeth. Not too long ago, we realized that two teeth erupted on her bottom jaw. She has both of her first permanent (5-6 year) molars now. I rushed her into the doctor's office a couple months ago when her temperature was extremely high. I immediately noticed that she had white erupting from her gums. I knew at that point that she wasn't sick . . . when her baby teeth were coming her temperature always increased. I was even silly enough to think they were wisdom teeth (even though I knew better) until I asked my friends on a forum. Hey, this is my first child - that's my excuse and I'm stickin' to it.  

Free Dental Apps

Alyssa explored the features of her FREE Kids' Dental app. She learned more about her teeth and how to care for them. The wonderful app teaches her how to brush and floss. Different conditions are explained including cavities, early and late loss, broken teeth, abscessed teeth, and gum disease. Furthermore, it discusses healthy foods and good habits. Additionally, the app contains a section called "My Teeth" which allows us to track the dates for her lost teeth on a personal calendar chart. She just added her lost tooth to the calendar today. We were able to add the date and a smiling photo.

Reading about different conditions

Created a "My Teeth" calendar for Alyssa. 

She also used the FREE Time 2 Brush app while brushing her teeth. Before this app, she was constantly asking me "Did I brush my teeth long enough?" Time 2 Brush has put a stop to this question, because a timer counts down two minutes as she brushes and dances to a song. She earns points to customize her Nurdle. She brushes her teeth twice a day with supervision and then we thoroughly brush her teeth at night.    

Star Teeth is a new app we recently downloaded but haven't yet explored. As with any and all apps mentioned on this blog, please review the app for accuracy and appropriateness before allowing your children to explore them.

Which dental apps do you use and recommend? 

We are currently only using FREE dental apps, but we would love to hear all of your suggestions.

I will link this post at Marcy's Blogging Through the Alphabet Link-Up. I was actually working on a completely different post for the letter D, but then I realized D is for Dental Apps so I wanted to share the post with you all.

 

Random Five on Friday (April 5th)

Miranda at The Pebble Pond is hosting a Random Five on Friday meme. Yes, I am aware that it is not Friday, but we have until next Wednesday (I think) to post. The idea is to randomly posts five facts or thoughts about your life that week. I think I am going to give it a try this week. Our week has definitely flown by!

Here are my random 5 for this week.

1.) Yesterday was my older sister's birthday. She lives in New York. I wish I lived closer to her so that I could make her a birthday cake and celebrate this special day together. We hardly ever see my relatives in New York. I miss family and friends so much.

2.) We are going to see the movie Croods tonight. We are in dire need of quality family time. It is time for us to take a break from house building decisions and enjoy each other's company. I can't wait! My sister said it was a good movie. Alyssa really wanted to see it too. Have you seen the previews? If not, check out the trailer below. 

3.) I am looking forward to our vacation in June. We are taking Alyssa to one of our favorite campgrounds. I have many wonderful memories of this place. She's going to enjoy the dance nights . . . that is if they still do them. I hope so because that was the best part! We'll hike, swim, relax, and explore. This will be a much needed break after the move and stress of this year.  

4.) Many of my blog followers already know that we are in the process of building the house. It looks beautiful! I can't wait until we are settled in and can have visitors. We are packing this month and will hopefully start moving in next month (middle of May).  

5.) We spend Easter with my godmother and her family. They barbecued delicious ribs, sausage, and chicken. We ate hot rolls, salad, fruits, macaroni and cheese, beans, and broccoli. She even organized an Easter egg hunt for my daughter. I was thinking how thoughtful it was of her to continue setting up the hunt even though her grandson felt her was too old to participate. We were unable to do an Easter egg hunt this year at the apartment. We really appreciated the fact that Alyssa still had a chance to participate. We had loads of fun! My godmother made Alyssa a beautiful Easter basket with purple tulle to match the colors in her room. My daughter stores her stuffed animals inside the basket as if it were a crib. She played on the swing set and with the dogs while we enjoyed a nice conversation outside.

The basket is so cool and can be used throughout the year. 

She LOVES her bunny!

Would you like to link up your random five? Visit The Pebble Pond to share your five thoughts or facts. Thank you for visiting A Learning Journey. If you are reading this post, I would love for you to leave a comment so that I can hop over to your blog and visit you as well.

Welcome Ultimate Blog Party 2013 Visitors!

Welcome to A Learning Journey! Thank you for stopping by our family blog! It's time to PARTY! The 2013 Ultimate Blog Party hosted by 5 Minutes For Mom has begun. This is my first year participating in this event. I am super excited! I look forward to meeting new bloggers and developing many new lifelong friendships. Would you like to join us? You'll meet lots of people. There will be giveaways too. Click on the button below for more information. Conversations on Twitter can be seen using hashtag #UBP13.

My name is Tracey. I am the blogger behind A Learning Journey. We live in the quiet Texas hill country area. I am a former second grade public school teacher turned into an eclectic home educator addicted to chocolate. Oh wait . . . I have always been a chocoholic. I started blogging about our learning adventures in 2009 . . . my older posts were written under the blog name Tot Play: A Learning Journey. I shared many tot school teaching ideas. I recently changed my blog name. I had to change the name, because my daughter was no longer a toddler (my eyes are beginning to tear up). The time passed by so quickly and the moments shared will always be treasured. I am very thankful that I can be a stay at home mom. I currently write about a modge podge of family and educational topics. You'll find teaching ideas for many subjects, product reviews, life activities, a freebie here and there, and once-in-a-blue-moon a giveaway. I joined the Schoolhouse Review Crew (The Old Schoolhouse Crew) in May and have been blessed with the opportunity to write products reviews. The crew has brought new meaning to my life in more than one way. I have made several great online buddies and hope to gain more this year. My daughter and I love trying new curricula and products! Learning is a serious obsession for us.

I homeschool my kind-hearted five-year-old daughter named Alyssa. She is truly an amazing girl! She enjoys school and all subjects (so far). My daughter is currently working through 1st and 2nd grade material. I haven't pinpointed her exact reading level yet, but I know that she keeps a chapter book or the Bible by her side most days. She is an avid reader that loves to tell and write stories. She is a mini mathematician that enjoys logical thinking games. This little bundle of joy loves to sing, dance, act, observe, and create. She reminds me of her father at times because she's always doing something goofy to make the people around her smile. She doesn't just learn from me . . . Alyssa has taught me several important things over the years.

I am married to a handsome, hard working firefighter. Jeff is committed to doing everything he can to support and provide for our family needs and wants. Everyone that meets him knows that he is full of energy and brings laughter to those in his path. He is diligently building our new home. I am thrilled about how it is turning out! I can't wait to cook in my kitchen. This was my first post about our house progress and there are a few updates included in my Weekly Wrap-Up posts. I really need to write an updated post soon because so many things have changed. We will be packing this month and hope to be moved by the middle of May.

We never thought we would homeschool but after numerous prayers God has chosen this path for us. My husband attended a homeschool conference with me last April and his eyes were opened to new possibilities. We embark on this adventure together as a family with God as our guide.

Please feel free to comment and consider following my blog if you are interested. I love hearing from my readers! Don't forget to also leave your blog address in the comment section so that I can visit your blog as I pack boxes. Thank you for visiting my blog and enjoy your visit. Please be sure to check out my Pinterest boards.

God bless,
Tracey

C is for Colorful Cross Easter Art

Last week, we read The Tale of Three Trees: A Traditional Folktale retold by Angela Elwell Hunt and The Legend of the Three Trees by Dahl Taylor. We read this story every Easter and during Christmas time. It reminds us that Jesus died on the cross so that our sins can be forgiven. The cross symbol can be used in a variety of art projects during Easter. Today I wanted to share two art projects with you. The colorful light ray cross was found at Housing a Forest. PhilZendia did the same project using gel sticks with a cross template which is provided on the website. As soon as I saw this beautiful art project, I knew that we were going to do the same project for Easter. The second art activity at the bottom was a spur of the moment art activity we completed years ago.

Instead of freely drawing a cross shape on scrap paper, I asked Alyssa to cut out a cross shape using manila colored construction paper with the following technique. We used a light color so that she could see the colors easily. This is a quick cutting practice activity. First, fold the paper in half. You or your child can draw half of a cross shape (think . . . Valentine's Day heart activity). Then, the child cuts out the shape and opens it.

I used painter's tape to attached the cross securely to watercolor paper instead of cardstock. Please do not stress about cutting a perfectly shaped cross.

My daughter used Cray-Pas Junior Artist Oil Pastels to draw several thin and colorful lines around the edge of the cross. Then, she smeared the colors upward or outward to create colorful rays of light.

This is what my daughter's cross looked like with all of the colors around the edge.

We carefully removed the paper cross template. She wanted to keep it even though I was going to throw it out. She used it in another art project.

We also cut out a grassy hill and taped it onto the watercolor paper in the same manner. Then, Alyssa used different shades of green oil pastels to create a grassy edge.

Finally, she painted the sky and hill with watercolor paints.

Alyssa enjoyed creating her cross painting. We both LOVED this art project! I think it is absolutely beautiful!

Please visit A Learning Journey to see another cross art project we did several years ago (scroll down). Here's a picture of it. There are also many other hands-on Easter activities that you can try with young learners next year or this week if you are finishing up Easter lessons. Be sure to click on the link provided at the beginning to see more activities from the previous week too. 

If you would like to listen to the classic story titled, The Tale of Three Trees, then please click on the play button below.


I will link this post up at Virtual Refrigerator, Montessori Monday, Three Boys and a Dog: Homeschooling on the Cheap, Share it Saturday, Mama to 4 Blessings Learn and Link, Blogging Through the Alphabet, Cornerstone Confessions Titus 2 Tuesday, 123 Homeschool 4 Me TGIF Linky Party, and Read Explore Learn