Create Fake Magazine Covers with your own picture at MagMyPic.com
Create Fake Magazine Covers with your own picture at MagMyPic.com
SPRING BREAK FUN
We took the boys bowling (for free) but made up for the freebie by going to Medieval Times Restaurant. Kids ate free during Spring Break, but we still dropped a load of cash that we would NEVER usually spend on food (tax season does bring perks. lol) **We opted for Medieval Times over Six Flags this year.
We had sooo much fun! We cheered for "our knight" and boo-ed the rest. The boys were so in to the whole thing, that it made the night just perfect. We ate with our fingers and no one seemed to care that half our food was hanging out of our mouths while we cheered and yelled (their food was hanging just the same as ours!).
The only "downside" according to Greg was this: the knights would throw roses into the audience to young ladies as they saw them. Our knight pointed to Liv and threw her a rose . . . the old lady next to Greg jumped over him to grab the thing . Greg wasn't a bit happy, but I figured the lady probably got more use out of it than Olivia would have. :)
(How do you like my attempt to disguise the young safety patrol next to Calvin?)FISHING
Greg took the boys fishing twice last week. Once at the park and once at "Mr. Dudley's house". Mr. Dudley is a wonderful little old man in a wheel chair who loves our family and we sure love him. He helped Greg fix a Go-Kart for the boys one year, and then asked for it back so he could tinker with it some more. . . he returned it with a new engine and a two-seater deal! It is so much fun. This is why having land (1 1/5 acres) is worth the work. lol.
Anyway, Mr. Dudley has a lake in his yard and also seems to have fish as well. Calvin wouldn't touch his fish, nor would he bait his own hook, but had no problem watching Greg filet the fish later at home. Me? I had to walk out of the room while Greg did his thing. :(
Liv's famous tongue!! Dad is plugged into his iPod . . . sometimes I can hear him singing as he cuts the grass. I don't think he knows I can hear him. lol.
Liv chillin' in the office chair
I found the boys this morning in the same position! They both had their knees up, both had their heads turned the same way, both had their hands folded the same way, both sound asleep. I thought it was cute. :)
Our baskets really weren't that big, so it gives the impression that they are stuffed to the hilt with goodies. :)
After church (Greg came home shortly after we did - miracle of miracles) and he hid the easter eggs . . . the first time I think he ever did that. This year our eggs didn't contain candy. Credit for the following idea comes from the Ensign Magazine. I put pictures of Jesus and scriptures in each egg. As the boys opened their eggs, we talked about what each picture was and their thoughts - we read each scripture. One egg was left empty. That was the best one of all . . . to help us remember the emtpy tomb on Easter. 
We "read our way to bowling". For each book the boys read, they earned a bowling pin for the wall - - at the top was a bowling ball that said "Family Bowling Trip" Once we reached the bowling ball, we got to go bowling- hence the photos posted earlier with our bowling trip. :) It got the boys reading and was fun to see the books we read!
Okay, so Calvin is working on memorizing his multiplication tables, so I jazzed it up a little . . . I saved several dollars and made our own flash cards. I taped them to the wall in the kitchen, the wall in the bathroom (yes, the bathroom) and even on his bedroom ceiling. See the quarter taped to the door? When he completes a number set and has them all memorized, he can take the quarter down and it is his to keep (most kids would ask for more than a quarter, but Calvin is not one of those kids. lol.) When he has a fact memorized he can turn the card over to hide the answer.
The bedroom flashcards? Well, credit goes to Family Fun magazine for that idea . . . Calvin gets a flashlight for bed and has to spend time each night shining his FLASHlight on his FLASH cards to memorize them .
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Our "Get up and GO" Chart. credit goes to Supernanny for this one. This is a bad photo, but the boys each have a wooden pirate piece and each morning their pieces start at the bottom of the poster. First thing is to read scriptures (with mom), then make bed, take bath (if needed), get dressed, brush hair, brush teeth. We use velcro to move the pieces up to the Pirate Ship. They both love it and it makes the morning go so much more smoothly!! We keep scripture sets in their bedroom so as soon as they are awake enough, we move to the floor and read.
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Another idea that doesn't have a photo . . . credit goes to my mom for this one . . . I sometimes wake the boys up with a cup of hot cocoa. I got so tired of "begging" them to wake up, that I started bringing a mug of cocoa to their beds. They sit right up and start chugging. Josh will often wake up and announce that "The cocoa is coming!" Each time I have woken them up with this technique, they get right up and our day is bliss!!!
As an aside to this, I used to make our morning cocoa from scratch (the best way to do it), but was lured into using instant cocoa by KBB - talk about carnal security! Sheesh.
The quote below came from our ward newsletter, thanks to ALO for adding it so we could read it again.
Stand a Little Taller
President Hinckley
For I remember the word of God which saith by their works ye shall know them; for if their works be good, then they are good also. ~Moroni 7:5
"You are good. But it is not enough just to be good. You must be good for something. You must contribute good to the world. The world must be a better place for your presence. And the good that is in you must be spread to others."
Doesn't that sound just like President Hinckley?
