Jumpin-Beans

   To get ready for the release of Ice Age: Continental Drift, I get to share with you a couple of activities that incorporate the movie!!!!  Also, I will get to offer you a giveaway... (that is to come soon, so stay tuned for that!) We LOVE Ice Age and Broxton and I were laughing... but Marc was cracking up too!  You know it is a funny movie if we are all laughing!!! Enjoy the activity sheets and remember to come back soon for the giveaway!!!!     ** I am posting this as I will be hosting a giveaway for a copy of Ice Age: Continental Drift soon. **

  Let me start by saying that I do not have a problem with technology.. Saying that, I will follow it up with the fact that I do love when kids (and adults alike) can entertain themselves without needing a television or phone or computer or gaming system.  I grew up LOVING art.. I took art history classes... Color theory... Yes, some were required for my major, but some were just for the enjoyment. I can not draw or paint for the life of me, but its fun..   Especially when you are NOT being critiqued!  When I had the chance to participate in a blog tour for the latest book, The Art of Silliness, I was excited...   No matter if it was for me to do, or to do with the boys when they are here... I wanted to see what it was all about! The Art of Silliness is a totally different book. It says it is " A Creativity Book for Everyone" and I agree. What I enjoy about this book is that it starts and tells you to pick whatever you want to use.. You can use a pencil, a mar

I am participating in a Blog Tour for Carla Sonheim's new book, The Art of Silliness.  The following is a guest post to somewhat explain what you can expect if you purchase this book.     Hi there! My name is Carla Sonheim and I am an illustrator and author of three drawing books for adult students designed to bring the "fun" back to drawing! My latest book, "The Art of Silliness," is in a workbook format and is being released by Perigee Books on November 6th!   I am primarily a teacher for adults, but I started out teaching art in my sons' elementary school classroom, so almost all of the drawing exercises in my books and classes have been "kid-tested and approved."   Drawing together can be a wonderful family activity, full of surprises and giggles. Here is a fun exercise to do together tonight:   Keep Your Eyes Closed 1.  Get a pen and a piece of regular computer paper, one for each person. 2. Instruct everyone to close th

We absolutely love the ICE AGE movies and we were laughing with everything we had at a couple scene's in the latest, Ice Age: Continental Drift.  I love living near Atlanta, but at times like this.. I wish we were closer to other places... To kick off the celebration of the latest release, Taubman Shopping Centers have Ice Age displays!!!     Press Release from November 8th: The Ice Age Ice Palace display at Taubman shopping centers opened today and features a 30-foot ice dome with falling snow, a light show and, new this year, the beloved prehistoric herd from  ICE AGE : CONTINENTAL DRIFT .   Interactive globes will showcase Scrat on his endless mission to catch his precious acorn, while the whole  ICE AGE   herd is adrift on an iceberg in pirate waters.  Families can measure their prehistoric heights against Sid and Diego, go paw-to-paw with the herd and track down Scrat’s missing acorns throughout the palace.  The high-seas adventure culminates with a visit to S

Living in Atlanta, you never know what the weather will be like for winter... Two years ago, we were knocked on our butts with the ICE STORM that was completely nuts, shutting down the entire city...   Last year, we basically did not even have a winter.  Yes, we wore pants, but there was never a huge need to have jackets/gloves and what not... With Broxton being in school this year, I wanted to make sure we were prepared for whatever weather would come our way.  I was on a website, Rothschild Kids, looking at the different jackets they had available and I was impressed at the selection and prices!  The thing that caught my eye was that it looked thin enough to not be complete torture for my hot natured son (we all are actually, but I was only looking to get him a jacket for now) but it had a fleece lining to make it warm on the chilly days.... I ordered Broxton the Outdoor Adventurer Jacket in size Medium (Size 5-6) as I did not want to get it and it be too small on him.  H

Fall is such a great time to appreciate what we're grateful for. This year, take time to recognize, document, and share it with friends and family. Enter the coupon code THANKFUL2012 through November 28th, and take 50% off gratitude products. Visit Paper Coterie today! *****  The link in this post is an affiliate link.  All opinions in this post are my own, although I do receive review products from time to time. 

We were lucky to have the chance to continue our tradition with my parents and spend the " Day Out With Thomas " the other weekend. We have gone for the past couple years and each year Broxton has a blast!  This year the theme was "Mystery On the Rails"  although I am not really sure what the "theme" means, besides just something to call it... We drove to Cordele, Georgia and of course, my dad was excited to have the tomato salad... We normally get there and grab a bite to eat to start with .... They normally have hamburgers, hotdogs, chicken, fries and then this salad that is a hit with us!  Tomato Salad to start out the day!  After eating lunch, we were full and ready to start our day with Thomas... This year they had several stations that seemed new to me. We got there a couple hours before our ride started, but we overheard some people that had been there since like 9 in the morning when we were leaving around 3.  Broxton enjoying th

 I love watching movies... and  I do enjoy the ones that make you think. Seeing the previews for Ruby Sparks and the cover art for the movie... I was eager to see if this was going to be one that made me think, or just had me lost... I think it actually did a little of both. Ruby Sparks .... the tag line is " She's out of his mind." Long story short... Calvin is a "genius" writer that has been having hard time with a case of writers block.  Then, he dreams of this girl and decides to write about her... He names her Ruby and then starts to develop her character background as he writes the story... Slowly but surely, Calvin falls in love with the character he is creating... The thing is... the character comes to life!!! He is freaking out trying to see if he has gone completely nuts, or what is going on... Even his brother feels he has lost his mind!  So, he does a "test" to see if she is real... and then completes other "tests" to pro

  How is your holiday list coming along?  I know for our house, I think I am doing pretty good.  I have bought for several already, but the kids are the last ones to buy for.  With the older boys, they change their minds so much, that we will wait a bit longer to make sure what they want... Right now, they don't even KNOW what they want...  As for Broxton, he wants everything!  I want to buy him toys that will stand up to being played with on a daily basis with a very active preschooler!  Lucky for me, Melissa and Doug have released their " Terrific Twenty for 2012 " gift ideas.  What I really like is that Melissa and Doug toys have stood up to the test of times for us so far...   We have a couple toys that we got when he was younger and he still plays with them now.. and they are in good condition!  Not to mention that out of the twenty gifts listed, 19 of them are under $40. I love gifts in those price ranges... Talk about more for your money! 

Remember when I told you what we had been up to? Well...... Here is Broxton at his Pumpkin Patch Day at School... Of course, I had to share with you Marc taking me to the flowers...   Hope you have a great week!!!!!

  If you are looking for a great family movie this year... Look into Love's Christmas Journey.  This is a movie from the Love's Come Softly series.  Now, I have never seen any of the other movies, but I do not think that mattered.  In the latest movie, Ellie goes to visit her brother and his family.  She has recently lost her daughter and husband, so being with family is both something she needs, but also something that hurts too.  Her brother, Aaron, goes off to purchase land and leaves Ellie to care for his two kids... (He is a widow as well)  Ellie loves spending time with the kids... and falls in love with the town.  While Aaron is gone, several events happen that threaten the holidays... Including the fact that he goes missing!  I am not sure when this movie was supposed to have taken place, but it is older.. as in horse and buggy days...   I enjoyed it and plan on "gifting" it to my Mema this year... This is something that I do believe both her and

  I decided that I wanted to get a Bible for Broxton to have, as he had been asking for one.  When I saw that B & B Media Group had one called "My First Handy Bible" I knew that this would be great for him!!!  I had planned on giving it to him for Christmas, but then I thought it would be good to read the stories in there to him at night along with his other books... Not to mention that he had been asking me again for one...                                           This book is cute and 1perfect for his little hands!  It is a thick board book that has a little handle on it on one side and then a little "clasp" on the other side to keep it closed.  I like that the clasp keeps it closed, but you do not have to worry about it hurting little fingers as they open and close the Bible. Another thing I like is that there is the text on one page, with illustration on the other.  Each page tells one of the stories from the Bible..  Yes, text is on one w

I love the "I See The Sun" book series..  We have the Afghanistan book and the Russia book and now we can add Mexico to the list!  Add caption The reason that I enjoy these books is that you are able to get an "inside look" into the country the book is about.  Also, they do not just use pictures or drawings, they do a collage type and incorporate both works of art into the book. In I See The Sun in Mexico , we spend the day with Luis.  He wakes up and wakes his siblings up for the day while his mother returns from church services... Then, he heads out to meet his dad for him to have the time to spend the day with him at work. Luis' father works as a chef on an excursion boat, so he was able to spend the day with him on the boat, helping get the food ready and then enjoying the time in the ocean. I did enjoy the book, as far as learning the day on the boat, but truthfully, I wish it would have had more time to focus on the day in Mexico.. Like may

So much has been going on around here and I just realized I have yet to talk about Broxton starting Preschool.  Forgive me if I repeat myself on a couple things, but for those just joining, it is a quick catch up. I have been fortunate enough to have been able to stay home with Broxton.  He is 3 years old and we recently found a church we really like.  We started going there in April and have loved every minute of it. We actually enrolled Broxton into their K-3 program! I admit, I had mixed emotions... Part of me wanted to keep him home and enjoy the time we had left together until he "had" to go to school.. But then, the other part was so excited for him... To have the chance to play with other kids...  Be in a "learning" environment.  Have teachers and a classroom setting.. Not to mention that it is through the church, so they are able to talk about God! I was lucky enough to meet his teacher before orientation, as she is also a nursery teacher at the churc