This is my first week to do “Macro Monday”, but I’m very excited to participate.  With the flowers in bloom and lots of insects around, I’ve really been working on using my lens and getting a good crisp zoom.  Here is my submission for “Macro Monday”….

This praying mantis was on our garbage can and it was just having a feast of fly for it’s meal!!  I was so intrigued by it that I almost forgot to snap some photos of it.  A couple turned out blurry because I got a tab bit too close, but I was most happy with these 2 shots.  It was quite the sight to see the mantis eating to intently and I didn’t seem to bother it, but it did eventually move down the garbage can and out of site.

I managed to get 2 more calendar sets done today.  I don’t know why, but I really enjoy making these.  I’ve got them uploaded and you can find them on my 4Shared account.  The first one is Old McDonald’s Farm and is full of fun farm animals.  There’s also Mr. and Mrs. McDonald along with farm buildings, tractors and a few extras!!  Next is a set of adorable Spring birds.  The graphics are by Trina Clark at Digi Scrap Kits and the calendar set was a request by one of the members of my group.

I also wanted to share some geography books that were the project of 3 groups that I’m in.  A nice lady by the name of Jan was working on a set of books for each state.  She wanted the complete set, but they take awhile to make and require quite a bit of work.  Once she mentioned this, many people started volunteering to help make the books, including me.  I also offered to store the complete set in my 4Shared since I have plenty of room.  Before we knew it, we didn’t just have books for each state, but it expanded.  All the books are in the format of  “Brown Bear, Brown Bear” and can be used for kids of all ages.  They’re packed with information!!  You can find all the books for States and Possessions/Territories of U.S., with the exception of Nebraska and Alabama.  They still have to be made.  The project spread to all of North America, so you can also find books for Mexico and Territories/Providences of Canada.  The book for Quebec is still being worked on, so that will be available a little bit later in time.

PLEASE NOTE: These books can NOT be shared in any manner.  They are for personal or classroom use ONLY!!  They can’t be uploaded to your 4Shared account, Giga, or any other online method, including sharing in groups and so on.

The information that is posted on this blog is general information. It is not intended to substitute for obtaining advice from your principal, church or DRE. It is for informational and educational purposes only. All activities, games, information, etc. on this blog are free; however they are ONLY to be used for classroom and personal use. They may not be published on any websites or other electronic media, or distributed in newsletters, bulletins, or any other form or sold for profit. If you know someone who would benefit from these materials, please refer them to this blog. Do NOT share your materials with them. Copyright © 2008-2010. All rights reserved, unless otherwise noted.

On occasion, I make a calendar set either for the group or to match a theme.  My calendar sets include days of the week, numbers, months, and years.  Right now, my years are from 2010 – 2015.  This week I had a little spare time, so as members requested something, I’d make them a calendar set to go with their request.  I decided to upload them to 4Shared so that I could share with my readers that can use them.  These calendar sets are best used in pocket charts, but they could be used other ways.  That said, here’s some calendar sets to browse for your usage…..

My first set is pretty mermaids by Angela Wenke.  I love her graphics and you can find her resale graphics (graphics to sell) at Resale Clipart, along with many other stores to buy her graphics from to use in your projects.  Next, you can find a construction calendar set here.  Along with those 2 new sets, I’ll be adding more today and tomorrow, so I’ll update as they’re uploaded.  In the meantime, there’s some other sets that I’ve previously made.  There’s a set for a circus theme.  Then there’s some fun characters like the Sesame Street gang and a Dr. Seuss set.  For the Disney fans, you can find a set for Cinderella and the Disney Princesses all dressed in gold!!

The information that is posted on this blog is general information. It is not intended to substitute for obtaining advice from your principal, church or DRE.   It is for informational and educational purposes only. All activities, games, information, etc. on this blog are free; however they are ONLY to be used for classroom and personal use.   They may not be published on any websites or other electronic media, or distributed in newsletters, bulletins, or any other form or sold for profit.   If you know someone who would benefit from these materials, please refer them to this blog.   Do NOT share your materials with them. Copyright © 2008-2010.   All rights reserved, unless otherwise noted.

Today was movie day, so like most movie days, I made dinner in the crock pot.  The recipe for today left me a little stumped and I knew that we were having this meal one way or the other.  I was going to make beef bourguignon which calls for red wine.  We typically don’t have wine in the house, so I knew that I had to find some sort of substitute.

I decided to do some research online like I usually do when I need information.  I searched for red wine substitutes.  Over and over again, grape juice came up.  The next thing that came up often was stock…..beef, chicken, or vegetable.  To me, none of those was going to work.  I just didn’t feel that they’d give me the taste that I needed.  As for the grape juice, we just don’t have any in the house.  I can’t drink it with my diabetes and the family doesn’t like it much.  They’re more orange juice types!!

Anyway, I decided to make my own substitution.  I put in grape jelly!!  Yes, that’s what I used.  I used just over half a cup and then put in a squirt of lemon juice and a splash of vinegar.  The vinegar would tenderize the meat enough on it’s own, but I wanted something with a tab bit of sour, so I used the lemon juice.  The vinegar was to balance out the sweetness of the grape jelly.  Most wines after all, aren’t sweet and they’re fermented grapes.

I have to tell you, it tasted great!!  I’m thrilled with the way it turned out and the recipe will be posted tomorrow.  So just remember the next time you need some red wine…..try grape jelly!!

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I was shocked to find out that one of the best sources for educational resources is having some serious issues.  Apparently this isn’t the first time either.  The site is Sprarklebox and they have tons of free printables for teachers, homeschoolers, parents, or anyone that works with kids.  I mean, their stuff really is good.

However, it seems that the owner of the site has been brought up on charges as being a pedophile.  Most schools in the U.K. are no longer allowed to use the materials from the site.  He makes a profit off the clicks on his site, despite all the materials being free.  The article from TES Connect was the first that I saw.  It pretty much said everything that I needed to know, but I wanted to make sure that someone wasn’t on a witch hunt.

I decided to search Google, just to see what I could bring up.  I searched terms like “Sparklebox owner”, “educational site pedophile”, “Sparklebox”, and numerous other wordings.  They all pretty much said the same thing.  This man really is a bad person and does bad things….to kids!!

So I told the members of the group and I let them know that I wasn’t going to influence them in any way….and I didn’t.  The choice is theirs.  Each one of us has to do what we think is right for us concerning these materials.  I’m just glad that the information is out there for us to be able to research and check facts.

I know….and now so do you!!

I just have to wish all my American readers a very HAPPY 4th of JULY!!  What a great day this represents for the United States.  Today is all about our freedoms that our forefathers ensured for us.  It’s also a day to NOT forget the men and women who give their lives to protect this country and keep it free.  Without them, we have nothing!!  So, HAPPY BIRTHDAY AMERICA…..Let Freedom Ring!!

I sat there looking at the calendar and I just can’t believe it’s already July.  We’ve already passed up half the year.  Yes, 2010 is MORE than half over with.  I just don’t know where time goes.  The old saying goes “time flies when you’re having fun”, but this is ridiculous!!  I might be having fun with my life, but I at least want some time to enjoy it as well.  SHEESH

The worst part is that every day that goes by this fast, my baby girl is closer to being a teen.  I just don’t know how parents can miss out so much on their kids life and never think twice about it.  I’ve been here every day of her life watching her grow and being amazed at each step of her life.  I still feel like it’s been a blur!!

Oh I understand about 2 income families….I came from one.  We still had weekends together.  We went camping, took vacations, and always somehow managed to have family events.  These new “modern families” are just all about themselves so often.  The kids grow up in daycares.  They don’t take vacations.  They think that family time is not talking to the kids while they take them to soccer practice.  The whole time they’re on a cell phone or something else.  How do you do that??  You can’t possibly call yourself a parent.  It used to be “keeping up with the Jones’”, but now it’s “we have to have the most electronics on the block and the best foreign car”.  It’s not about keeping up any more, it’s about objects.

So how do you feel when you look at the calendar and time is just flying by??  Me, I feel sad that so many people miss out on what’s really important and don’t realize it until it’s too late…..if at all.  I feel happy that sometimes, the the house just doesn’t get cleaned because I was too busy chasing her around the house or spreading a board game out all over the floor.