Merry Christmas!

I hope each of you have a wonderful Christmas!

Family Friday

It's Friday! Yeah for Family Friday!

My baby boy turned 1 on the 6th! I can't believe a year went by so fast. He decided to start the morning at 2:30ish just like he did when he was born. My water broke at 2:30 am on the day of his birth. Crazy little booger. I did get him back to sleep though.

So my little man has now been walking for a few weeks. He was my earliest walker. All the other kids walked after they turned a year old. I actually thought he would be later because he was so scared when he fell. That didn't last long. He now tries to run and falls all the time. He thinks it is funny! Oh and he is now 25 lbs 11 ozs and 31 1/4 inches long.

So we decided to get a few pictures of him on his birthday. Well we were hoping we could get him to smash a cake. No way! He was not having it. He would poke it and lick his finger. I pushed his hand in the cake and he freaked out! Poor thing. Here are the pictures we did get.

We believe...do you?

We believe...do you? Do you do Santa? We went to go visit Santa today at the mall. My youngest was not thrilled with Santa. He didn't want to be near him. We did get pictures of all 4 of them. Although the youngest two are not smiling at all. 2 out 4 isn't bad right?


This year we also decided to start a new family tradition. Have you heard of The Elf on the Shelf? I just found out about it this year. I started looking into it and found out it was kind of pricey. So I searched on Amazon to see if I could find something else. I found Christopher Pop-In-Kin. It is the same thing as The Elf on the Shelf but I think he is much cuter. We just got Christopher in the mail today. We worked it out so we visited Santa and had him tell the kids that he already left a special gift on the porch. It was so awesome that he did this for us. So we came home and found the gift bag with a note on it. The bag was open and only a book was inside. The kids were so confused until we read the book. They looked around and found Christopher on the mantel of our fire place. All night they talked to him and tried to get him to move. It was so cute.

Family Friday fun for your family!

If you do the Santa thing with your kids then you really should check out Portable North Pole.

Your kids can get a message from Santa to see if they are on the naughty or nice list. I have to say this was so fun to do for my kids. I am going to show them later tonight :)

Will return to my regular schedule soon

With Christmas around the corner I am so busy with getting things prepared. I am putting most things on hold for now. Such as my guest posts, Tasty Tuesdays, and Wandering Wednesdays. I will keep posting reviews and such on random days. Please bare with me as I slack on my blog. This is the time of year for family so right now that is my main focus. I should be back on schedule after the New Year :)

Something About Silver Winner!

The winner is Wendi B. Please contact me so I can get the code to you :)

Happy Thanksgiving!

I hope you and your loved ones have a wonderful Thanksgiving! I am thankful for all of you who follow my blog!

Guest Post: The Hand That Rocks the Cradle

Today my guest post come from Francesca of The Hand That Rocks the Cradle. She has shared a wonderful post about Thanksgiving Traditions. Please stop by her blog and check it out!


Five Family Traditions for Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving brings to mind succulent, savory dishes and warm, homemade desserts. We usually don't think beyond delicious food. But this year, start some family traditions that will help you focus on giving thanks.

1. Make paper turkeys by tracing your hands. Have everyone write something they are thankful for on each feather (finger). Let everyone read their list before eating Thanksgiving dinner.

2. Bake Thanksgiving-shaped cookies or a pumpkin treat. Give the goodies to someone you are thankful for and include a thank-you note.

3. Cut out a bare paper tree and tape it to the wall or a door. Cut out fall-colored leaves and put them in an envelope or bag by the tree. For the next few days, have everyone write something they are grateful for that day on a leaf and tape it to the tree. The tree should be full by Thanksgiving. Read all the leaves after dinner.

4. As a family, shop for groceries to donate to your local homeless shelter or other center. Go here for ideas on good foods to donate.

5. Make handmade thank-you cards to use throughout the year as a way to remind your family to be grateful and show it.

Share your Thanksgiving family traditions!

Twisted Fish and You've Been Sentenced

Are you looking for a few fun games for your family get togethers this year? Or looking for a great gift for the holiday season? If so you should check out Twisted Fish and You've Been Sentenced. These are two of my family's favorite games. We also like to take them when we have game nights with our friends. When I was asked to put up my review again for these games I couldn't refuse. So check out my review from last year on Twisted Fish and You've Been Sentenced.

I recently received a full set of games from McNeill Designs for Brighter Minds for free. Included in the set was the game "Twisted Fish," You've Been Sentenced," and five add on decks for "You've Been Sentenced."

We started our fun with "Twisted Fish" because that was the most age appropriate game for our kids. They are almost 4 and almost 7. The age recommended for this game on the box is ages 6 and up. Also it is for 3 to 6 players and it plays for about 30 to 40 mins.

This game is a lot like your basic Go Fish game. You match each fish character in the five different colors. Instead of asking for just the name of the fish such as "Do you have a clown fish?" You must instead say "Do you have a red (or other color) clown fish?" Also there are Zinger cards that allow you to "break" the rules.

Other info on Twisted Fish....

• Twisted Fish’s game play takes the traditional game of Go Fish and adds new, essential twists. The familiarity of the rules allow for quick learning.
• Unique Zinger cards ensure that the game is always exciting and fresh.
• Developed by toy and game veteran Martin Uniacke and Hollywood special-effects artist Jody Fedele.
• Humorous, original illustrations created by Jody Fedele keep players laughing at the fishy antics of an aquarium full of comical characters.
• Suitable for ages 8 and up. The whole family will love Twisted Fish for its hilarious game play and outrageous characters.
• Cultivates memory skills as players track cards that “swim” around the table from player to player.
• Both Skill and Luck are needed, making it fun for all ages and skill levels. (taken from the McNeill Website here )
  

So what did we think of it? Both of my kids give it two thumbs up! They laughed and talked about how silly the fish looked on the cards. Of course my almost 4 year old needed a little help figuring out the game but he still loved it. As for me I loved the time I got to spend with my kids and play a new cooler version of Go Fish! Twisted Fish is so fun and I am sure your kids will enjoy it as much as mine.




Tonight we finished up by playing "You've Been Sentenced." You make up sentences using from 2 to 10 of the cards that you draw. The sentences must be grammatically correct and make some sort of sense. This is a very hard game to play with little kids. We thought our almost 7 year old would be able to do it but she got frustrated with trying to read the words. I would definitely stick with the age recommendation on this one for ages 8 and up. You can have from 3 to 10 players in this game.

The quick play of this game is....

1. Everyone draws 10 cards face down.
2. When everyone is ready, turn your cards over and spread them out on the table in front of you. .
3. Using the words on the cards, build the best sentence you can that is both grammatically correct and makes some sort of sense. YOU DO NOT HAVE TO USE ALL 10 CARDS!
4. The first person done starts the timer. Once you start the timer, you can’t touch your cards. Everyone else can until the timer runs out.
5. When time is up, if you started the timer, read your sentence to the other players.
6. If no one objects to the grammar or sensibility, you get the points for the words used in your sentence.
7. If someone Objects, explain and defend your sentence. Everyone other than the objector and defender then votes. Majority thumbs-up, you get the points. Thumbs-down… Zero points. Ties go to you, and you get the points.
8. Next person clockwise takes their turn. When everyone has read and voted on the sentences, everyone discards their hand, draws 10 new cards, and starts a new round.
9. First person with the highest score over 200 at the end of a round, WINS! (taken from the McNeill Website here.)

So what do I think about this game? It is super fun for adults and would probably be fun for kids who were older. I know this is a game we will be playing when we get together for an adult game night. It is so fun to come up with silly sentences. Just check out mine...

You may need to click to read it

I laughed at my sentence and you can imagine how this would go if you had a lot of adults playing together. They would have so much fun! The only complaint came from my husband. It is not what you think he wanted me to tell you that the cards don't go back in the box so good because the cards are so compressed when they are first in the box wrapped up. Also he says don't stick the bottom on the box in the top because it is so well fitted together it doesn't leave any room to get your fingers in there to pull the bottom from the top lid. LOL you gotta love that advice right?


So what do these games cost and where can you find them? "Twisted Fish" and "You've Been Sentenced" can be bought directly on the McNeill Webiste here. "Twisted Fish" for $10.00 and "You've Been Sentenced" for $24.95. Oh and don't forget the add ons for "You Been Sentenced" for $7.95 here. You can also search the website here for local stores that sell these games.

*Now you can also find these games at Barnes and Noble, Toys R Us and Kohl's. So what are you waiting for! Go check out these fun games! You won't be disappointed!


*I did receive these products for free for review purposes and I did not get paid for my review. This is my honest opinion of the products above.

Thankful Thursday

It's Thankful Thursday! What are you thankful for?

• I am thankful for my parents and for my in-laws.
• I am thankful that my hubby and I share a birthday month. It is so much fun.
• I am thankful for being able to stay at home and homeschool my kids.
• I am thankful for my little nieces and nephew.
• I am thankful for my friends who are always there for me.

So what are you thankful for?

Something About Silver Review and Giveaway!

It's my birthday but I have a gift just for you!

First let me tell you a little about Something About Silver. Something About Silver is located in Clearwater Florida. Their jewelry is hand stamped and they offer a wide selection of jewelry that can be customized to fit whatever you are looking for.

I had the chance to review their Circle of Love necklace. This necklace can be personalized with your loved ones names or a sentimental phrase. The necklace also has the option of to add pearls in the middle or birthstone crystals. The Circle of Love necklace is $42 plus the extra cost of added birthstone crystals.

The necklace that I received has my children’s names on it and also their birth stones. Being a mom I have always wanted jewelry that lets people know how many kids I have. It is personalized with my children’s names and birthstones. It is perfect for me!

I am so happy with the necklace I am planning on buying personalized rings for my husband and I for our 10 year anniversary coming up in January.

So if you are looking for a gift for an upcoming birthday, anniversary, or just a gift to show your love for someone then this site has some really beautiful pieces. Oh and don’t forget Christmas is right around the corner!

Now for the fun! I have a gift just for you! You have a chance to win a $40 gift card to spend at Something About Silver. Also for those who don't want to wait you can place an order and get 10% off using the code... momspointofview

Here is what you have to do...

Leave me a comment with your email (I will not accept any comment without an email.) or do one of the following things below for more chances to win....

Follow me on Twitter 1 entry (if you are a new follower)

Follow my blog 1 entry (if you are a new follower)

Like Mom's Point of View on Facebook 1 entry (if you are a new follower)

Follow Something About Silver on Twitter 1 entry

Like Something About Silver on Facebook 1 entry

Tweet about this giveaway 1 entry per daily tweet.


*If you do any of these please leave it in a comment below. The contest will end Wednesday November 23rd at Midnight.


*Note I did not get paid for this review. It is my honest opinion of the above product.

Tasty Tuesday: Brownie Mush

I am so sorry I haven't done Tasty Tuesday in weeks! I haven't had much time to make anything from scratch. I did make my husband a dessert other than a cake for his birthday. One reason is because my oven is broken. So here is what I call Brownie Mush because even though it is layered we mush it all together before we eat it :)

Brownie Mush

What you need:

Brownie cooked and crumbled (I had to cook mine in the toaster oven)
Pudding (I used Jello Temptations with mousse.)
Cool whip

Directions:

Take half of the brownie and crumble it into a bottom of a large bowl. Next add some pudding or if you do the Temptations with mousse use all the pudding. Then add a layer of cool whip and another layer of brownie. If you are just doing pudding add pudding again. For this layer I added the mousse. Finally one more layer of cool whip.

My husband tried writing Happy Birthday with caramel syrup but it messed up. So we ended up with caramel also.

Happy Birthday to my wonderful Husband!

Today is my husband's birthday. He is 31. In two more days I will be 31 also! Yes we are only two days apart. Crazy right? Yes it is but wait...it gets crazier. We were both born in the same hospital! Yep it is true. We are 2 days apart and born in the same hospital. We could've been laying beside each other in the nursery!

Here are some pictures of us when we were babies....

My hubby with his dad

My hospital picture

Us :)

Reading Kingdom Review

Are you looking for a program to help your children learn to read and use the computer at the same time? Then you should check out Reading Kingdom.

• Most kids can do the reading program on their own after just a few lessons
• It's fun and children enjoy doing it
• It's created by Dr. Marion Blank, one of the world's top experts in literacy
• It works with any other curriculum a child may be using
• It's the only program to offer customized online reading instruction for each child
• And, it's the only system that teaches all 6 skills needed for reading & writing success!

I decided to focus this program on my 5 year old son because he is just learning how to read. I homeschool my children and I am always on the lookout for new ways to teach my kids. The Reading Kingdom is a good program to help with it.

Now there are some Pros and Cons to this program. Let’s start with the Cons…

My 5 year old son enjoys the program but he does get a little irritated because he forgets which button to click on the mouse. The program has a time limit for how long you can try to figure it out. Which is a good and bad thing because you want your child to be able to figure it out quickly, but at the same time you want them to take their time and figure it out right. I know there is also a learning the mouse and keyboard section but after a while your child can get bored with that or at least my son did. I showed him which button on the mouse he should click and after a few times he finally got the right button.

He also has a hard time with holding the shift key and making a capital letter. He sometimes forgets to hold the shift key first so the program thinks he doesn’t type the right letter. He also tries to hold the keys at the same time but it can be a split second in between him pressing so he gets it wrong. That can be really frustrating to kids learning. He wants to give up when this happens but I encourage him to keep going. To me it seems like it is just a little too sensitive. Again I know that the program is helping your child learn so there isn’t much to be done about that.

Those are just a few things that cause frustration for my son. There are also many Pros as well…

The positives of the program is my son is learning to read more words because of Reading Kingdom. When the words come across the screen he says what the word is before he types them. He also is learning slowly how to type some letters. The program shows you how to type the letters by bringing up a keyboard and lighting up the letters that need to be pushed. When you get an answer right the program will cheer for you. Of course that is a great way to make any kid learn when they have positive reinforcement. I think if we were able to work with this program more it would be more helpful to him and he would pick up on the program a little quicker.

Here are a few screen shots of the program...

You can see in this picture below that the letters "s d" are the ones you are going to click with the mouse. Once you hover over the letter it turns yellow. You can see the "s" is yellow so you know that is the right letter to click.

In this picture it shows the letters that have already been chosen. The letters in green match the letters in black.

I thought this was a cute feature in the program. After some words were done correctly an image went across or came on the screen. This one the word is "toy" and a robot goes across the screen.

The last picture shows letters that you type using the keyboard.

So if you are looking for a good reading program you should check out Reading Kingdom.

You can go to the Reading Kingdom Website and sign up for a 30 day risk free trail here.

You can also check out the prices of Reading Kingdom in their store.

Thankful Thursday

It is Thankful Thursday! What are you Thankful for?

• I am thankful for my daughter she has become a "little mama" since right before she turned 3. Since having her first brother she has always been so helpful. She loves her little brothers more than words can say. I don't know what I would do without her.
• I am thankful for my 5 year old son. He is the sweetest little guy you will meet. He has so much love for people and shows how much he loves people every day.
• I am thankful for my little man who is 2. He is crazy, silly and a sweet heart. He loves his sister and brothers so much.
• I am thankful for my now 11 month old! He has completed our family and is such a joy in our lives. He is always smiling and happy.
• I am thankful for my brother and sister. For my BIL and my SIL's.

This list can go on and on...but I will keep it short for now. Please feel free to share yours with me.

Wandering Wednesday

Wandering Wednesdays: Do you like to wander the web? You do? So do I. Here are some things you should check out.






Contests/Giveaways
Shibley Smiles has a VTech Gift Basket Giveaway
little love has a giveaway for a Scentsy Buddy

Free Stuff:
At Home Mama has a link for 10 free issues of Fitness Magazine

Crafts and such:
Family fun has a lot of Thanksgiving craft ideas.

Miscellaneous:
Dat's so Cute has a recipe for Pilgram's soup

Guest Post: 4Eighteen

Today my guest is Stephanie from 4Eighteen. Please be sure to check out her blog :) Thanks Stephanie for the wonderful post. I will have to do these with my kids!

Hello I'm Stephanie, 1/2 of the sister team over at 4Eighteen. I'm so excited to be a guest here today! Let me tell you a little about 4Eighteen and what we're about. Kristi and I are two sisters who love to love. When we love something, we put everything into it, that is why we started our blog. We LOVE projects, decorating, cooking fun new meals, being Mommy's (to humans and doggies = ), and using our imaginations. While most of the time we seem to have the same sense of style, we also each have a little something that sets us apart from one another.

Today I would like to share with you some hand and foot print art that you can do with your child.

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Hand and Foot Print Art

I just love hand and foot print art so I wanted to share a few ideas of my own, as well as a group of ideas that I found on Pinterest. These are quick, fun projects that you can keep your toddler engaged long enough for and they are so much fun to display!

My Girl's Art:

This is supposed to be a snowflake, next time we will do something

similar but make it a sun because that's really what it looks like. Oh well, still cute.

Ideas Found on Pinterest:

Do you have some cute ideas on your blog for hand and foot print art? If so, please leave a comment with a link so we can all check them out and get more ideas!

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We would love for you to come visit us over at 4Eighteen. Not sure where to start? You could start by checking out Toddler Tuesday where we have a new post every week about things to do with your toddler. Maybe you would prefer to see how Kristi has used an extra room as her closet, or how I have transformed our master closet into my new craft room. We also have some great crafts and DIY projects for you to check out like crayon art, a bookshelf makeover, shutter made key holder, or Kristi's buffet makeover. We have so much more, I'm sure there's something for just about everyone to enjoy.

Thank you so much for having me here at Mom's Point of View today Terri!