Whatcha Making Wednesdays... Pumpkin Pie

Welcome Back to Whatch Making Wednesday... Last week Ryleigh and Braeden made Pumpkin Pie for Thanksgiving... Braeden Loves to help his sister bake!Ryleigh stirring... Braeden waiting patiently for his turn...

Ryleigh directing the project...

Braeden has gotten much neater while baking/ cooking...
and concentrates a lot on the project...

The finished pie....

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoon Pumpkin Pie Spice
  
• 2 large eggs
• 1 can (15 oz.) LIBBY'S® 100% Pure Pumpkin
• 1 can (12 fl. oz.) NESTLÉ® CARNATION® Evaporated Milk
• 1 unbaked 9-inch (4-cup volume) deep-dish pie shell
• Whipped cream (optional)

Directions

MIX sugar and pumpkin pie spice in small bowl. Beat eggs in large bowl. Stir in pumpkin and sugar-spice mixture. Gradually stir in evaporated milk.

POUR into pie shell.

BAKE in preheated 425° F oven for 15 minutes. Reduce temperature to 350° F; bake for 40 to 50 minutes or until knife inserted near center comes out clean. Cool on wire rack for 2 hours. Serve immediately or refrigerate. Top with whipped cream before serving.

If you have a baking/cooking (etc.) activity that you have done with children and would like to share... please link up!!!! We are always looking for fun...and yummy recipes. If you do link up...please try and visit someone else's entry and share some comment love...

For a Reminder of the Guidelines to Link Up...Please visit here

My favorite places for Black Friday.... Small Business Saturday...

So here we are... Black Friday....one of my favorite activities of the year... I spend a lot of time mapping out exactly what I want so that I save the most amount of money...I usually like to stock up not only for Christmas but for Children's Birthdays for the next 5 months.... Birthday Party gifts can totally add up!

That being said... I really try and support Small Businesses/ My friends Businesses as well... I am listing below some of my favorites that I have ordered from this year... Also... I have not been given free items to promote these places... I just really like them!!!

If you get a chance, go check them out.... and if you find them on facebook let them know that The Ramblings and Adventures of a SAHM says hello!

My friend Abbie from Missy Prissy Bow Boutique (Find her on facebook!)Makes these beautiful bows and shirts...and she also can do tutus...and skirts....

Ryleigh LOVED her shirt... and so did all of our guests!

My Friend Jen from Jenuine deSigns (Also on Facebook!) makes the best wooden signs.... she does Established Signs, Signs with Sayings, Blocks, etc. .... go check out her selection... you can order specialty signs or choose from her available stock....

How Cute is this Sign I just ordered for Above our Stockings?

I have ordered file folder games for Tot School and K4 from Teenas Teacher Bits and LOVE them!!! She has a great selection.... with a huge age range!!! You can order both down-loadable games.... so you can assemble them yourself... or finished games... that are beautifully put together! (You can find her at the above Link and on Facebook!)

For the Home:
I have enjoyed hosting parties for Pampered Chef, Scentsy and Thirty-One this year... These make awesome holiday gifts!!!!

Pampered Chef- Check out my Friend Alexandra's Site... I have just discovered Pampered Chef this summer... and I'm in LOVE!!!

Thirty-One- Check out my Friend Kara's Page....

Scentsy- If anybody orders from midnight on 11/24 until midnight on 11/25 under "jen's party" she will send you a small free gift in the mail!

TOS CREW Review: The Reading Game.... Fun times!!!

I recently got the chance to review The Reading Game created by “Wordly Wise” author, Kenneth Hodkinson.

The Reading Game is a fun sight word memory game....it consists of six decks of cards used to introduce new words in intervals of 30 words per deck... the game starts of small with just ten words....after every ten new words, there are test sentences so that the parent can tell if the child truly knows the words. After learning all thirty words in a deck, the child is ready to read the corresponding book....The decks and books move in a progressive manner from easiest to harder.

In our K4 class we have been averaging 4 new sight words every two weeks... we have also been working on learning to read by phonics blending... so far I really like the mixture of the two methods... I find that by learning the sight words the kids gain confidence in reading... and enjoy putting the sight words together to make sentences... for us... this game was a perfect fit!!!

We like The Reading Game because although it is basically flashcard memory.... the kids find it entertaining... and enjoy being able to read the stories once they complete the different levels. You may not enjoy this game if your approach to teaching reading is primarily or only Phonics.... for the simple fact that it is completely opposite of what you are doing. Although we have not made it through all the levels yet... we are definitely excited to!!!

From the website:

"The Reading Game is a fast-action memory card game. It includes a series of six beautifully illustrated storybooks. The Cards & Books work together to make learning to read exciting and enjoyable. Game sessions are fun-filled with a winner every few seconds. After completing the first memory card game, the student has thirty words “hardwired” into memory. The Skunk story, Book One in the series, is told using only those thirty words. On completing the series, the student has a reading vocabulary of 180 words. Almost half of them are among the one hundred most commonly used words in the English language."

You can purchase The reading Game here for $24.95. You can get a $15 discount on orders of 8 or more. (This would TOTALLY make a great gift this holiday season...)


*As a member of the TOS Crew review program I was given a free copy of this product to review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. To see what other members of the Crew thought click below:

Whatcha Making Wednesdays... Chocolate Lava Cake

Welcome back to Whatcha Making Wednesdays... this week we made Chocolate Lava Cake...and it took about 15 Minutes...seriously!!!

Some of the girls mixing the cake mix....

Ryleigh...waiting for her turn to add ingredients...

Ingredients:
Cake Mix (we used Devils Food)
Eggs
Vegetable Oil
Water
Can of Frosting- NOT WHIPPED (We used Chocolate)

**Stone Covered Baker is recommended (Pampered Chef)... I don't have one... so I use my stone deep dish Pie Plate.... **

Directions:
Prepare the cake mix as directed on the box.... then pour into the stone wear.... glob frosting in spoonfuls right on-top of the mixture.... put in microwave for 12 minutes... the end... and so very ooey gooey and yummy!!! You can top it with powered sugar, whipped cream... or just eat it plain....

If you have a baking/cooking (etc.) activity that you have done with children and would like to share... please link up!!!! We are always looking for fun...and yummy recipes. If you do link up...please try and visit someone else's entry and share some comment love...

For a Reminder of the Guidelines to Link Up...Please visit here

TOS CREW Review: Math Mammoth

Math Mammoth offers affordable quality math worktexts and workbooks for Grades 1 through 8... These are available as both downloads and printed books....These books concentrate on conceptual understanding and are strong in mental math...

The first 8 pages were Kindergarten review...and as I have 5 kids in K4 this year... it was a great way to make sure that everyone was on the same "page"...

Some Members of the TOS Crew were given the choice of which series they wanted to review...

I had the honor of reviewing the Math Mammoth Light Blue First Grade Curriculum.... I really can not say enough great things about it!!! (Also...as a side note... there is virtually NO parent/teacher prepping needed for these lessons).

From the website:

Math Mammoth Grade 1 complete curriculum consists of two student worktexts (A and B), a separate answer key for each, chapter tests and an end-of-year test, cumulative reviews, and an easy worksheet maker (Internet access required) to make extra practice worksheets when needed.

133 pages
118 lesson pages, of which 8 are an optional Kindergarten review

125 pages
110 lesson pages

1-A contents and samples
1-B contents and samples

Downloads:

(sold at Kagi)

Full set grade 1: $34.00

At Rainbow Resource Center:
Math Mammoth grade 1 books
at Rainbow Resource

The two student books (A and B) for 1st grade cover the following topics:

• addition and subtraction concept and basic facts within 0-10
• place value with 2-digit numbers (a.k.a. tens and ones)
• some adding and subtracting within 0-100
• some geometry and measuring topics
• reading clock to the half-hour
• counting and using coins (US, Euro, or Canadian)

We really liked how straight forward and easy to understand these worksheets were...

There are free placement tests available on the website which are extremely helpful when deciding which grade level to use!!

I also want to make sure and mention that the customer service was UNBELIEVABLE!!! It is definitely tailored to the individual customer...and it is obvious that Maria Miller- the creator- cares about her product...and those using it... she is available by email and is more than happy to answer any questions you have about Math Mammoth!

*As a member of the TOS Crew review program I was given a free copy of this product to review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. To see what other members of the Crew thought click below:

Whatcha Making Wednesdays.... Tomato and Garlic Pizza

This week we made Tomato and Garlic Pizza...a recipe that I recently got from a Pampered Chef Party...we love this recipe...it is a great one for the kids to do....and so yummy!!!

The Kids took turns adding the ingredients...

Ryleigh adding the tomatoes...

And then the cheese...

Ingredients:

• Pizza Dough
• 1-2 Cloves Fresh Garlic
  
• Parm cheese
• Mozzarella Cheese
• Olive Oil
• Plum Tomatoes

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees (F)
2. Roll out and Oil Pizza Dough, put in bar pan
   
3. Spread squished fresh garlic all over the dough
4. Spread out the tomatoes thinly sliced
5. Shake some grated parm cheese over the dough
6. Sprinkle Mozzarella cheese to cover the dough
7. Bake in preheated oven for about 20 minutes...

** You can add all sorts of yummy vegetables/ toppings to this sauce-less pizza!

If you have a baking/cooking (etc.) activity that you have done with children and would like to share... please link up!!!! We are always looking for fun...and yummy recipes. If you do link up...please try and visit someone else's entry and share some comment love...

For a Reminder of the Guidelines to Link Up...Please visit here

Whatcha Making Wednesdays... Mini Muffin Doughnuts

Welcome back to Whatcha Making Wednesdays... for our baking project this week we made Mini Doughnut Muffins... from Raising Leafs... When these were linked up a couple of weeks ago, I immediately put them on the list to make! From her pictures you can really tell the yummyness of the muffin!!! (So go Here and check it out)!!!

Adding the milk... this recipe was great!
The kids could truly do the whole thing by themselves!
The girls enjoyed measuring the flour...
they used knives to make sure that it was level...
Two different approaches to covering the freshly baked muffins with Cinnamon and Sugar...

Ingredients:
1/2 cup white sugar 1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup butter, melted 1 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg 1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup butter, melted 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 cup white sugar
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Grease 24 mini-muffin cups.
2. Mix 1/2 cup sugar, 1/4 cup butter, and nutmeg in a large bowl. Stir in the milk, then mix in the baking powder and flour until just combined. Fill the prepared mini muffin cups about half full.
3. Bake in the preheated oven until the tops are lightly golden, 10 to 15minutes.
4. While muffins are baking, place 1/4 cup of melted butterin a bowl. In a separate bowl, mix together 1/2 cup of sugar with the cinnamon. Remove muffins from their cups, dip each muffin in the melted butter, and roll in the sugar-cinnamon mixture. Let cool and serve.

If you have a baking/cooking (etc.) activity that you have done with children and would like to share... please link up!!!! We are always looking for fun...and yummy recipes. If you do link up...please try and visit someone else's entry and share some comment love...

For a Reminder of the Guidelines to Link Up...Please visit here

Even More Leaf Projects.... it is fall afterall!!!

In both the Tot School and K4 classes we have been celebrating fall... one of the fun activities that comes with it is making leaf projects... we have done several so far... but here are 3 more!

K4 decorated coffee filter leaf cut outs with pipette-fulls of colored water (colored with drops of food coloring)

Ryleigh coloring her leaf...with droplets of food coloring...

The finished leaves... they actually feel like silk leaves... and a great addition to our fall decorations!

For the Tot School class, I had them make Marker Coffee Filter Leaves... it seemed less messy than the food coloring leaves... in theory I guess...

Marker misfire...

After the leaves were all colored in... they misted them to blend the colors...

I had both classes do q-tip painting on index cards... for falling leaves...
I drew in the "tree" with a crayon...

The little ones in Tot School totally got into this project...

K4 working on their leaves...

Ryleigh was very careful with her falling leaves... and very particular of their placement...

The finished q-tip paintings...

One of the stories that we have enjoyed reading this fall is I Know It's Autumn, by Eileen Spinelli... She goes through and says all the different things that may point to it being fall... and the illustrations are great!

For more great stART posts check out A Mommy's Adventures!
For more fun projects check out ABC and 123... Red Ted Art ... JDaniel4's Mom... and
To see what others did this week check out Tot School at 1+1+1=1; Preschool Corner at Homeschool Creations; Mom 2 lil Posh Divas and the Weekly Wrap-up at Weird Unsocialized Homeschoolers.

TOS CREW Review: Memoria Press...Classic Phonics and First Start Reading

This year I have been working on Sight Words with my K4 class and beginning phonics blends with Ryleigh...and when I was given the opportunity to review Classical Phonics and and First Start Reading from Memoria Press I was THRILLED!!!! I had not yet chosen a curriculum for Reading... and now I am so glad I waited. Memoria Press offers a wide range of easy to use AFFORDABLE programs for students of all ages.

From the webpage:

Classical Phonics is a deceptively simple little book our teachers and families use constantly in both Kindergarten and first grade. It consists of phonetically-arranged word lists for students to practice their growing phonics skills. In a word list there are no context clues, so the learner must rely on his mastery of letter sounds. For instance, if your child can pronounce each word in this list correctly – pot, pat, pit, put, pet – he knows his short vowel sounds, and you can move on to long vowels! Classical Phonics can be used as a supplement to any phonics program and covers nearly all English phonograms and sounds taught through second grade. Classical Phonics is your handy tool for phonics practice and for building confident readers.

You can view some sample pages HERE.

I loved this book and found that we jumped right into it..having started phonics/blends before... I thought that it was extremely organized...and who doesn't like organization? And super easy to understand and follow. You could totally use this with other phonics programs! It can be purchased for $14.95.

From the Webpage:

First Start Reading covers consonants, short vowels, 45 common words, and manuscript printing, accompanied by artist-drawn coloring pictures and drawing pages for every letter. Your child will begin reading in the very first lesson as he progresses through three student books and twenty-five phonetic stories, such as "Hogs and Pigs" and "Jog to the Jet." A Teacher Manual guides you through the program and provides helpful assessments and teaching tips.

Ryleigh at the beginning of the book...stringing together A and M to form "AM"...

**This is a photocopy solely for the review...of the page in the workbook I was given...**

We really like how straight forward and easy to use these workbooks are... There is a natural progression and the kids just flow from one lesson to another. I also like that they are pretty much reading from the beginning...and that there is a lot of Handwriting work involved... Repetition is the key to success at this age...

After using this program for the past month, I can definitely see that it WORKS! Because we already use a handwriting curriculum, the only thing that would have made it better...for US...is the order the letters are presented... I have a feeling that would mess with the method of these books though! ;-)

The Student set is available for $22.00, the complete set with teacher’s guide is $29.00.

Some Crew members were given First Form Latin also from Memoria Press to review....their reviews can be found by clicking the banner below...

*As a member of the TOS Crew review program I was given a free copy of this product to review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. To see what other members of the Crew thought click below:

Whatcha Making Wednesdays ..... Butterscotch Oatmeal Cookies

This week in our K4 class, I had 4 of the girls all by myself (usually there are other mommies)... which made baking time a little tricky... especially when you add in a 2 year old who was not so interested in napping... but... we made it work and the girls made Nestle Tollhouse Butterscotch Oatmeal Cookies... I had them pair up to work together...

Having the girls in pairs was actually a great way to practice team work...and... taking turns...

Smooshing in the butter and sugar...

Squishing in the eggs...

The finished cookies...

Ingredients

• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 cup (2 sticks) butter or margarine, softened
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract or grated peel of 1 orange
• 3 cups quick or old-fashioned oats
• 1 2/3 cups (11-oz. pkg.) NESTLÉ® TOLL HOUSE® Butterscotch Flavored Morsels

Directions

PREHEAT oven to 375° F.

COMBINE flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon in small bowl. Beat butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar, eggs and vanilla extract in large mixer bowl. Gradually beat in flour mixture. Stir in oats and morsels. Drop by rounded tablespoon onto ungreased baking sheets.

BAKE for 7 to 8 minutes for chewy cookies or 9 to 10 minutes for crisp cookies. Cool on baking sheets for 2 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely.

If you have a baking/cooking (etc.) activity that you have done with children and would like to share... please link up!!!! We are always looking for fun...and yummy recipes. If you do link up...please try and visit someone else's entry and share some comment love...

For a Reminder of the Guidelines to Link Up...Please visit here