Lesson Plan Mondays - Letter 'Dd'

This week at the Nguyen Nguyen Academy we are working on:

For KJ

• The letter 'Dd' (writing and sounds)
• Math - Addition/Subtraction Review of counting by 2s, 5s, and 10s.
• Math Review of Telling Time and Money
• Reading practice: sight word flash cards, single and plural
• Social Studies - Days of the week review
• Science - Dissolve Activity
• Typing practice
• Bible time - David
• Voice/Music Class

Fun projects we will be doing for 'Dd' week:

• 'Dd' Dancing Dino for our board
• Color Mixing (Primary/Secondary) w/ Family Paint Night
•  Sight Word Bingo!!

For ET: 2 months old

• Songs of the week:  Jesus Loves Me, ABCs
• Sign of the week: Food/Eat,
• Activities: Tummy Time, Batting practice, and Conversational Cooing!!

This is the last week for our 2 month activities.... Little ET will be turning 3 months!

Free Write Friday - Mr. D

A few months ago I blogged about my awesome relationship with my Mother and how much of a special woman she was in my life.  Well, today I feel really motivated to brag about my amazing husband, Mr. D.

I met my husband on eharmony right after my divorce in 2008.  KJ had just turned 1 when we started chatting online, and a month later, we finally had our first date.  We were to meet at Cracker Barrel for lunch.  Well we met, we ate and we didn't want to leave each other.  So I took him to Austin's popular Mt. Bonnell since he had never been.  Then we went to Ikea and walked around for a while.  Our first date ended up lasting over 5 hours, and still we didn't want to leave each other.

He met KJ about a few weeks after that, and he was so nervous.  He stated "I don't just have one lady to impress, I have two!"  haha....  KJ loved him instantly and they have been two peas in a pod ever since.

From there we dated for over two years before finally tying the knot on the top of Mt. Bonnell on June 12, 2010.

During this time Mr. D was in the army as a crew chief for black hawk helicopters (a very sexy job).  He was deployed twice while we were together, once for 15 months to Honduras, and the last for 5 months to Afghanistan.  We managed to skype almost everyday during those deployments thanks to the efforts and hard work of Mr. D always finding internet.  It was a very happy day when he ETS (or got out of) the Army after serving for 6 years.

Now he is a contractor on base doing his black hawk job as a civilian but with no deployments.  I have to state this fact about my husband..... He is the hardest working man in the world.  He usually works 60-70 hours a week and then comes home and manages to still play with the kids.  I really don't know how he manages, except for the fact that he is amazing.

Mr. D, as a father, is the better than I ever could have prayed for.  He is compassionate, kind, patient, stern but not over bearing, and a very big kid himself!  As a husband he is the leader of this household in the BEST sense of the word.  I have never felt like such a queen as I do now being his wife.

There isn't just one thing that makes my husband so amazing, but it is the total whole of who he is.  I am so blessed to have such a loving and supportive husband and I thank God everyday for bring him into me and KJ's life.  Now as we make our family grow with ET and hopefully more kids someday, I only see more joy and love grow in him.  I never knew I could love a man as much as I love him.

A prayer for my husband today:

Dear Lord,

Help my husband throughout today and the hardships of his job.

Help him feel the love from his family as he is working right now.

Give him the strength and glory that only you can provide.

Help me to be a Godly wife to him.

Help our relationship flourish,

and you Lord, be the guide of our family.

Thank you for my children.

Thank you for the man you have picked for me.

I count my blessings every day,

I know I don't deserve them.

Thank you mostly for your Son

who died on the cross for our sins.

May our family bring Honor and Glory to your Name.

It is in Jesus's name I pray all of these things.

Amen

KJ, Mr. D, and ET

Thoughtful Thursdays - Top 5 Chores for Kids Under 5!

As a Mom I can use all the help that I can get, just like most Moms out there.  Chores should be presented to children as a fact of life and not a punishment, and if you start early enough most kids really enjoy doing 'grown up stuff'.  So here is a list of chores that are beneficial for kids to promote character development and for Moms to get some extra help around the house!!

Picking Up:  At the age of 1 kids should be helping you pick up their toys.  This is good to do right before you start bedtime routine.  If you did all the picking up for them after they are in bed then they won't learn that those toys actually needed someone to pick them up.  They need to see the work behind cleaning up their play area.

Make pick up time fun with a song "Clean up Clean up everybody everywhere, Clean up Clean up everybody do your share!"

Make pick up time easy with 'homes' for all their toys.  You can use different color toy bins with picture labels, or cubby organizers.

Also, as soon as your child can take his/her clothes off by themselves, make sure you tell them where our dirty clothes go.  If you start your child out early with putting dirty clothes in the hamper, you will have a way easier time when they are older.  Which brings me to our next chore for kids!!

Laundry:  At the ripe age of 2 kids can already help out with laundry.  They can help you take stuff out of the drier and put it into the basket.  If you have a front load washer they can help you take the clothes from the washer and put in the dryer.  (NEVER let your child clime in or on your machine!!!!!!)

At an older age of 3 you child is ready to help you drag her/his laundry hamper to the laundry room, and help by matching socks together!  Make this a game for them.  Search and rescue to find the sock in the basket and then once all the socks are 'rescued' matching them all together (reuniting their loved ones).

And by the age of 4 they can help you put the detergent in the right place and push the buttons on the machines, if they can be reached.  Right now, my big 5 year old KJ can actually do all the laundry herself, but only because we have a washer and dryer that is front loading with the buttons on the front so she can reach them.

Dusting/Sweeping:  At around age 3, give your child a swiffer duster and let them run wild!  You will be amazed at how much fun they have and how much dust they will be able to find.  Since they are still short you will have to get up in the high places, but this saves your back from getting in all the low places in your house.  

Tie a towel around a mop and let your 4 year old shine up your hard wood floors.  They will love feeling like a grown up and your floors will look awesome.  Pop the towel in the washer when they are finished and you are ready for the next time.  Also the towel will prevent any damage to floor boards incase your child gets crazy and keeps hitting the walls :)

Cups, Plates, and Silverware... Oh My!!!  At the age of 2 introduce your child to setting the table.  Give them napkins to put at each place setting (this also helps with counting! Yay!)  When they are a bit older let them put out the napkins and silverware.  When they are around 4 they can usually carry one plate at a time and cups for everyone.  

At the end of a meal, have your child clear their area taking the dishes to the sink for you.  (KJ started do this at around 4.  Before then, she would ask to be excused and would leave her stuff on the table.)

At the age of 5 your child might really enjoy the idea of doing the dishes.  Who doesn't love to play with soap, water, and bubbles???  Well, I know most Mom's don't love doing the dishes, so have your kid help out.  Show them how to make sure the dishes are clean and how to save water by not letting the water continuously run.  If washing is still too hard, let your child dry :)

Bathrooms:  My daughter absolutely LOVES to clean the bath tub!  When it is time to clean the bath rooms she always asks to clean the tub.  This is perfect for me since I can't STAND cleaning tubs.  She was especially helpful when I was pregnant and physically couldn't bend over the tub anymore.  

Have fun with chores and they will go by much quicker for you and your kiddos.  The sooner they learn these life skills the easier your life will be in the future.  Take the time out this week and explain to your child how to do some of these things.  Try one new chore at a time and you will be surprised about how excited your preschooler will be to help Mommy out!!!!  Happy Cleaning!!!!!

What's for Dinner Wednesday - Baked Rotini

With only 4 ingredients, this is so easy to make and yet everyone in the family loves it!!

Baked Rotini

Ingredients:

1/2 box Rotini Noodles

1.5 large cans of Hunts spaghetti sauce of your liking

1 lb Ground beef

1 lb bag of mozzarella cheese shredded

Optional:

Veggies - carrots and spinach (chopped)

Boil Noodles and drain

brown hamburger and rinse

add hamburger to noodles and add sauce, stir all together

Put mix in 9x13 dish and top with as much mozzarella as you want

Bake at 350 for 28 mins or until cheese is melted and slightly browning on top :)

ENJOY!!!!!!!

Book of the Week!

This week KJ picked a book that we read a lot to her now and when she was really young.

Buy this Book!

This book talks about the attributes of a child who had Jesus in their heart.  It is a great depiction of a christian child and good values in behavior.  A must have for anyone with kids!!! :)

Lesson Plan Mondays - Letter Ww and Zz

This week at the Nguyen Nguyen Academy we are working on:

For KJ

• The letter 'Ww' and 'Zz' (writing and sounds)
• Math - Addition/Subtraction Review of counting by 2s, 5s, and 10s.
• Reading practice, sight word flash cards, punctuation
• Social Studies - Geography - State of Washington
• History - Washington State
• Science - Weather/water Cycle
• Typing practice
• Bible time - Walking on Water
• Voice/Music Class

Fun projects we will be doing for 'Ww' 'Zz' week:

• 'Ww' Watermelon for our board
• 'Zz' Zebra for our board
• Weather in the world, climate study
•  Field Trip on Friday

For ET: 2 months old

• Songs of the week:  Itsy Bitsy Spider, ABCs
• Sign of the week: Sleep
• Activities: Tummy Time, Batting practice, and Conversational Cooing!!

Free Write Friday!!! My Addiction

Okay I have an addiction I would like to share with everyone.  I don't condone addictions and the Bible preaches against them.  But this addiction doesn't interfere with my prayer time nor my family time... so I think I'm okay ;)  Most addictions are considered bad in nature, like drugs/alcohol, eating your emotions, and even online social sites like Facebook.  But in my opinion, Pinterest.com is a WONDERFUL addiction to have.  

If you have no idea what Pinterest is then you have been living under a rock!  So it is time to crawl out from under that rock and get pinning!!  This site is a wealth of knowledge from DIY crafts and home decor to art, cars, food, places, and much much more.  You create 'boards' and then pin websites related to those boards to share with fellow pinners.  I feel like this site has actually enriched my life because the amount of good ideas in one place.  Plus it is a very visual website, which is great for visual people such as myself.

Pinterest

This past week, we had a Pinterest week here at the Nguyen household.  We made three completely new dinners from my 'Food' board and all of them were a hit with the family!  I did a new hair style on KJ, made a two new skirts (one for KJ and one for me).  All from tutorials that I found on Pinterest.

Hair Blog

Circle Skirt Tutorial

Also.... if you are a homeschooling family like we are, there are some really priceless resources I have found through Pinterest.  Art ideas, science websites, worksheet/book resources, and activities from other homeschooling families.  (Below you can see the spring flowers we made for art time).  

Most social or addictive websites really aren't worth the amount of time spent on them... but with Pinterest I really believe it is benefiting my family and myself by expanding my creativity and knowledge.  Pin On my fellow Pinners!!!!!

What's for Dinner Wednesdays - Homemade Vegetarian Quesadilla

My Homemade Vegetarian Quesadillas!!!

Ingredients:

1/2 bunch of Spinach

1/2 Onion

2 peppers (have fun with the colors)

tomatoes or 1 can of diced peeled tomatoes

Few shakes of Worcestershire Sauce

Quesadillas (whole wheat)

Rice

3 tbs of butter

Cheese of your liking

sour cream (optional)

Dice all peppers, onions and spinach.

Add butter to a large pan and heat med/high.

Add all peppers, onions and spinach.

Add Worcestershire Sauce and any other spices you might like.

Let the mixture simmer with the lid on for about 7-10 mins.

Fix the rice in accordance with directions on the box.

Once the veggies are all simmered pretty well, add in the tomatoes.

Stir and put lid back on. Let simmer for a few more mins.

FOR KIDS:  if you have a very picky eater who won't touch their veggies, fix their quesadilla with rice and cheese only :)

Once the veggies are finished on the stove.  Put your quesadilla together.  Rice, veggies, and cheese.

We have a quesadilla machine that cooks ours into triangles.  Here is the kids one with just rice and cheese.  If you don't have a quesadilla maker you can use a frying pan and make it just like you would a grilled cheese sandwich.

Top with more cheese and sour cream!  Enjoy!

Book of the Week Tuesday!

KJ's pick for book of the week is a very special book for our family.  It was a gift to her from us on her first birthday.  

I found this book when I was googling custom made bday gifts for children.  The Starrytime.com site came up and they have custom made books and blankets!  The book is really cool.  You pick the illustrations to look like your child and then personalize the book with your child's name.  So through out the book it reads as if the story is about your child.  KJ loves reading it and I think it was a great present for her first birthday.  I know she will love and cherish it forever :)

Click here to custom make your book!!

Lesson Plan Mondays - Letter 'Ee'

This week at the Nguyen Nguyen Academy we are working on:

For KJ

• The letter 'Ee' (writing and sounds)
• Math - Addition/Subtraction Review of counting by 2s, 5s, and 10s.
• Reading practice, sight word flash cards, and Ending sounds
• Social Studies - Earth Day and Recycling
• Science - Earth's Ecosystems
• Typing practice
• Bible time - Esther
• Voice/Music Class

Fun projects we will be doing for 'Hh' week:

• 'Ee' Egg Picture for our board
• Estimation activity
• Spring Flower art activities

For ET: 2 months old

• Songs of the week:  Twinkle twinkle, Paddy Cake, ABCs
• Sign of the week: Eat
• Activities: Tummy Time, Batting practice, and Conversational Cooing!!

What's for Dinner Wednesdays - Garlic Bok Choy and Butter Shrimp

Mr. D cooked up some fantastic shrimp and bok choy with steamed rice.  It was awesome!!!

Bok Choy Ingredients:

baby bok choy

garlic

butter

fish sauce

Put some butter in a skillet and add mensed or chopped garlic.

Add bok choy and small amount of fish sauce.

Cover and let simmer stirring and adding butter as necessary.

Shrimp Ingredients:

shrimp

butter

green onion

cilantro

Add butter to a skillet and heat to medium.

Add shrimp, green onion, and cilantro.

Cover and let simmer stirring and adding butter as necessary.

Serve dishes with a side of steamed rice and veggi rolls.

Enjoy!!!!

Mr. D's Garlic Butter Bok Choy and Shrimp 

Book of the Week Tuesday!

KJ is still in Texas for spring break, so I picked this week's book of the week.  I decided on a series that includes movies, cds, and a workbooks.  

Marriage on the Rock

Mr. D and I took the workshop classes and watched the videos for our pre marriage course through our church.  I LOVED the videos and we both learned so much about each other and how to have a successful marriage.  I recommend this book and the videos for ANY couple.  If you are engaged, newly weds, or been married for 40 years..... this is a great resource for anyone who is in a relationship.

Free Write Fridays: Family Game Night

How many of you have a family game night?  We don't have a specific night but some of my fondest memories of my family have been when we sit around the table, after dinner is cleaned up, and do something creative or fun together.

Painting pumpkins, playing games and puzzles, etc....

Growing up we didn't have a family game night, and maybe that is why we don't have a specific night we do things like that.  We do have family picnic/movie night usually on a Friday.  We spread out blankets in the living room and eat our dinner sitting on the floor.  Then we pop popcorn and put in a family friendly movie.  KJ gets so excited when we announce it is family movie night..... she goes running for the blankets.  :)

So what are your family fun nights??

Do you have a specific night?

Do you play games? Paint? Watch a movie?

Please comment below and share your family fun for everyone to get some cool ideas!

Painting Pumpkins

Family Picnic/Movie Night

Paint by number

Legos... I think dad had more fun than KJ :)

Thoughtful Thursdays: Scary thoughts about Food

I'm not going to lie... I LOVE FOOD.

I love to eat, I love the warm comfy feeling of being full and happy...

Well I am totally worried about the food industry in America.  Not just the overly processed food, but the use of GMOs (genetic modified organism) and other things that are happening to our natural foods.  I feel like it is really not safe to eat anything from anywhere.

I know some of you may say 'Ignorance is bliss' when it comes to these issues.  But I chose to have the right to know what is going in my body, and what I'm feeding my family.  I can't possibly go into all the details about the health and food crisis in America today.  (the post would be way too long).  But if you are interested in what is happening to our food please watch some of these documentaries.

The Future of Food

Forks Over Knives

Food Inc

Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead

Super Size Me

Killer at Large

Dirt: The Movie

Fresh: The Movie

New recipe

Today I REALLY REALLY wanted a cookie... but decided to juice instead.

I made my own recipe of things that just sounded good to me :)

2 leaves of kale

handfull of spinach

3 carrots

almost a full bunch of strawberries

1 banana

walnuts

honey

everything goes in the juicer EXCEPT the banana, walnuts and honey.

I put the walnuts in a food processor and ground them up really fine.  Then added pieces of the banana to smooth it out.  Add a small amount of honey at the end and whip up.

Once everything is smooth... add to your juice!  Kinda makes it more like a smoothy. 

Carrot and Veggi Juice

Juice Recipe

Good morning everyone!

Today's juice taste much better than the mean green did yesterday.

Click the link for the recipe.  I changed it a little to add more sweetness.

Instead of 1/2 apple I used a whole apple, and I also added in a handful of purple grapes :)

The Mean Green Recipe

The Mean Green is the juicing detox recipe used on 'Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead'

I got the recipe from this website:

The Mean Green

I used the 3rd recipe and I'm currently sitting here drinking it as I type.  Not great but not bad either :)  I am sure I'll get used to it.  I bought some watermelon yesterday and grapes... can't wait to juice that for dessert tonight!

Lifestyle Change: A Challenge

Got inspired a few days ago.... 

I was a vegan for about 8 months before I got pregnant with ET.  People thought that it was weird and most of my family couldn't understand why I wanted to be a vegan.  I turned vegan after watching 'Food Inc' and a few other documentaries about food.  The first week was rough but after that I lost a few pounds and felt the BEST I had ever felt in my life.  More energy, working out was easier, better focus and concentration.... Life was good.

I got pregnant in May of 2011 and was so sick my first trimester I couldn't even keep water down.  The toilet was my new best friend.  I lost 5 lbs my first three months being preggo, and I lost all interest in good food.  The thing that tasted the best to me, and actually stayed down was an Arby's Beef and Cheddar... go figure!  Through my pregnancy I kept my weight gain to a reasonable amount (39lbs), but I went back to a diet with meat and dairy which left me feeling tired and gross.  

02-02-12 The day ET was born!!!

Now that ET has been born and is two months old, I want to get back to my vegan ways.  The only problem is my taste for 'normal' processed foods and sugars have returned.  I have been feeling extra tired, run down, unfocused, and just really bad the past few months.  My migraine headaches have returned and I have been taking meds more than normal.  I know it is all because of my horrible diet of overly processed foods and sugar.

Well a few days ago, I was watching a documentary 'Fat, Sick & Nearly Dead' about a juicing detox and benefits of a nearly vegan diet, and now I'm ready to get my food life back in order.  So when Mr. D got home from work I talked with him about lifestyle changes and he was totally on board!!!  We went to Target and got a juicer the next day.  Hopefully soon I'll go back to my vegan ways and drop the rest of this baby weight and get healthy again!  

The Challenge:

Start Juicing using fresh veggies and fruits,

and of course, drinking lots of water too.
(Because I'm nursing I can't do a full Juicing detox or fast... so I will still be eating a raw lunch, and a steamed dinner All Plant based)
Going back to a vegan diet.

Also adding in my old workout routine.

So who is with me?

I called my dad and he is going to do this with me ;)  I'll be posting juicing recipes, and progress that I have made and I'm sure some grumblings along the way.  If you would like to try this with me please comment and let me know.  

Two weeks after giving birth to ET.... 15 more lbs to go!

DISCLAIMER:  I'M NOT A DOCTOR.... DON'T DO A DIET OR DETOX WITH OUT CONSULTING YOUR DOCTOR FIRST!!!!!!!!