Armor of God

Tonight’s lesson was all about bringing the Armor of God to my students.  I wanted to show them in a fun way that there are things that they possess to protect them from evil.

I created a couple printable to use with my class, then I made a couple extra things in hopes that others would be able to us them.  First, there’s a set of memory match cards.  The armor is matched to its virtue.  There are also two worksheets.  One of them is “Label the Armor of God” and the other is “Armor of God Cut & Paste” where the armor is cut and glued next to the virtue.

Finally, it’s the big one!!  I called it “Roll the Armor of God”, but it has so many other uses.  It can be used to roll a die and place the Armor of God on the soldier.  This can also be used for a felt story set, which is basically how I used it with my kiddos.  I read the Bible verse to them and they dressed their doll in the armor as I read the verse.  It could also be used as a simple paper craft to do with the kids.  There’s 2 versions of this all in one download!!  There is a boy and girl soldier doll, as well as a black & white version or color version.  Then for the “Roll the Armor of God”, there’s just the virtue listed or the piece of armor with the virtue to use depending on the age of your kids.

On a side note, these activities are based on the Catholic version (NAS) of the Bible.  The only part that I didn’t use was the wording for “having girded your loins in truth”.  I chose to use “belt” instead as it’s easier for my little ones to understand.  I did choose to use “shod your feet”, as they grasped that it was shoes/boots and I didn’t want to use “sandals” as many do and hubby drew me great armor boots.

Here’s a sample of some of the items for the Armor of God (click to enlarge)….

To get any or all of these Armor of God printables, just click here to…..

If you use any of my printables or just enjoy reading my blog, please leave a comment or use the “contact me” button in the right hand column.  I appreciate your feedback and continue by the input that I receive.

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5 Years!!

Today marks my Blogoversary. I can’t believe that it’s been 5 years already. WOW!! Where did time go!?!?

As I do pretty much each year, I’m going to give you a few quick stats about Commotion.  I always find them interesting and hope that you do as well.  So here we go….

The top 10 posts/pages are….

Home page / Archives		151
Prayer		45
Sequence & Pray – Hail Mary		44
Fruits of the Holy Spirit		31
Books of the Bible – A Craft Project		28
Sequence&Pray-HailMary byElaine SAMPLE		22
Happy Birthday Garfield!!		18
GloryBe Trace&Color byElaine SAMPLE		18
Homeschool and Educational		18
ChristianHandprint Poem&Frames byElaine SAMPLE		18

Best ever day….

November 24, 2012 with 7,549 views

All time….

320, 403 views with 3,077 comments from 764 posts with 27 categories and 1,635 tags

There is…..

53 blog followers, 21 comment followers, 148 Twitter followers, and 41 Facebook followers

The top 10 countries that have visited (since 25 February 2012) are….

United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Australia, India, Philippines, Germany, Netherlands, Italy, and Singapore

I have to thank each and every one of you that reads my posts whenever I get around to doing them.  I know it’s not like it used to be, but life just seems to dictate that I do other things.  I’m happy though and I can’t complain about the blog.  I get to post the things that I want and when I want.  Some of you are so very loyal and that means everything to me.  I hope that we’ll be around for another 5 years…..and many more….together!!

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It’s April….Already

April first already?!?! Really!?!?

I can’t believe how fast time is going.  I can’t believe that it’s already April.

This is going to be a busy month for us, but it’s all going to be good!!  I just wish that time would slow down a bit.  I miss some of the time I used to have to just kick back and enjoy.  April also means that we’re close to the end of the homeschool year.  WOW!!  The first year of high school will be down and out.  So many other things coming this month, but again, it’s all good.

To all the “fools” that take the time to read my blog and follow along, a very Happy April Fools’ Day to you and I hope that you don’t get too many pranks pulled on you!!

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Advent Wreath – A Paper Craft

This week, I did an Advent Wreath paper craft with my class.  We had so much fun doing this.  It was quite a bit of work for them to do, but they loved being busy and seeing their final product.  They just love to take their projects home!!

This is a 4 candle wreath.  I know some households and churches place a white candle in the middle, but we don’t teach it that way.  You could print out an extra candle if it’s your choice to teach it that way in your class or home.

Here’s a sample of how this craft could be completed (click to enlarge)….

COMING SOON!!

There are several ways to decorate this craft.  Some suggestions are to use buttons or fake holly berries or add red glitter to the paper holly berries.  Use fake holly leaves on the wreath instead of the paper ones or add glitter to the veins in the paper holly leaves.  Candles could be colored with crayon, markers, or wrapped in tissue paper.  The flames could be covered in glitter and placed on the candle the week that the candle is lit.  There are also 4 labels to place on the candles for what each one stands for.  There are several possibilities for this paper craft!!

If you’re interested in this craft, just click to…..

The templates, clipart and craft © The Schoolhouse and may not be used in any other manner without permission.

I hope that you and your kids or class enjoy this craft project.  If you do this project at home or in class, please just leave me a comment or use the “contact” button in the right hand column.  I’d love to hear from you and see how your project turns out!!

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All activities, games, information, etc. on this blog are provided for free. However they are ONLY to be used for classroom and personal use. They may NOT be published on any websites/blogs or other electronic media, distributed in any manner, uploaded to any file sharing service/storage, or sold for profit. If you know someone who would benefit from these materials, please refer them to this blog. Do NOT share the materials that you download with them. Copyright © 2008-Present. All rights reserved, unless otherwise noted. This means that unless it is specified otherwise, all content within this blog and downloads are the private property of Elaine, The Schoolhouse, and Commotion from the Ocean of Life. All materials on this blog and downloads are copyright (© Elaine and © The Schoolhouse and © Commotion ) and misuse or abuse is subject to legal action.

A Lesson of Thanksgiving

This week, our lesson is on Thanksgiving.  Before I get to that, I just wanted to let you know that I do have a blog post about last week’s lesson.  It was on the Bible and I created a craft for it using images that I’d found, but I’ve been waiting for hubby to draw me some so that I could share it.  He’s now completed those drawings for me, so hopefully by this weekend I’ll be able to get it posted….and it will still be dated for last week since that’s when I did it and saved my draft post.

Now, onto this week’s lesson!!  I simply love doing the Thanksgiving lesson.  I teach very little, except to tell them that they should be thankful and why.  I then open the class up to telling me things that they’re thankful for and why.  Sometimes, it turns into a “competition”, but in a good way.  They start to realize all that they have at such a young age and when someone says something, they almost have to match it.  The reason why I like that part of it because they are so young and sometimes don’t realize what they do have for what they’ve been blessed with.  It turns out to be very enlightening!!

Here’s a thumbnail view of 2 of the activities that we’ll do in class….

The first activity is a coloring page with the pilgrims praying.  It has the Bible verse for Colossians 3:17 on it as well.  If you’d like to download this activity, just click to…..

The coloring book image comes from Calvary Baptist Church Online and is © Calvary Kids Pages.

The next activity is a coloring/drawing one.  The page says “I’m thankful for….” and the kids will draw something that they’re thankful for.  Then, I’ll have them write what it is on the line.  There is also one without the line for those that don’t want to have their kids write (or the kids can’t write quite yet).  If you’re interested in this thankful activity, just click to….

Clipart © Laura Strickland at My Cute Graphics and used with permission.

I hope that you enjoy these printables.  I’m sure hoping that my class does, but not too worried as they love busy work!!  I love comments and knowing that you’ve used my free printables at home or in the classroom, so please leave a comment or use the “contact” form in the right-hand column.

Please click here to vote for my blog….thanks!!

All activities, games, information, etc. on this blog are provided for free. However they are ONLY to be used for classroom and personal use. They may NOT be published on any websites/blogs or other electronic media, distributed in any manner, uploaded to any file sharing service/storage, or sold for profit. If you know someone who would benefit from these materials, please refer them to this blog. Do NOT share the materials that you download with them. Copyright © 2008-Present. All rights reserved, unless otherwise noted. This means that unless it is specified otherwise, all content within this blog and downloads are the private property of Elaine, The Schoolhouse, and Commotion from the Ocean of Life. All materials on this blog and downloads are copyright (© Elaine and © The Schoolhouse and © Commotion ) and misuse or abuse is subject to legal action.

Down Again

Miss K and I have debated for a long time about changing the day that we weigh in.  It seems like Tuesday is here before we know it and it seems so soon after a weekend.  Today we finally made the change!!

One of the reasons that we want to weigh in on Wednesday is because the only days we don’t work-out are the weekends.  on Tuesday, we’re back on schedule, but sometimes still have weekend weight.  I’ve always weighed less on Wednesday then on Tuesday.  It’s been that way since the surgery.  I always weighed on Tuesday, then my appointments were always on Wednesday.  Each time, I weighed less at the appointment.  

I haven’t been keeping accurate tracking for a little while.  We’re having issues with the scale recording the changes from weigh-in to weigh-in.  My record sheet has disappeared and I just haven’t taken the time to find it.  I finally found it and am back on track today!!

With that, I’ve lost another pound.  Yippy!!  That puts me closer to that 50 lbs. mark.  I’m so tired of telling people “almost 5o pounds”.  HAHA  Only 2 more lbs. before I hit a huge mark on the scale too.  I’ve set this goal and thought I’d reach it sooner, but it’s close now.  I feel like once I hit this mark, it’s all downhill!!

On another weight loss note, Miss K lost this week too.  I’m so proud of her!!  She’s working at it hard and I see her putting effort into it.  I know she struggles with this and has done a great job maintaining.  She’s a great kid and I love seeing this sort of spirit in her!!




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Happy 4th of July!!

America….home of the free, because of the brave.  Never forget that without our founding forefathers who sought religious freedoms, we wouldn’t be the country that we are today.  It’s also a time to remember our men and women who’ve fought to keep this country free and still give their lives for us.

Happy Birthday America….Happy Independence Day!!

 

 

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Ups and Downs

It’s been a couple of very crazy weeks around here. Most of it’s been all good, but some of it’s just been plain busy. Now, where to I start??

Miss K has had several ortho appointments over the past month.  In the last couple weeks, they got more frequent with the preparation for her braces.  On Thursday of last week, she finally got her braces on.  She looks so darn adorable with them and I swear, she’s smiling even more than she ever has!!  Call her “brace face” or “railroad tracks” and she’ll just laugh at you.

The weekend prior to that (Saturday the 15th), was Texas Motor Speedway.  We look forward to that every single year and countdown until we get to go racing!!  This year was no exception.  My parents came over as usual for the weekend, then we all traveled to TMS together.  The weather was great, although a little windy.  It kept the temperatures down though and made it quite nice.  The race seemed to be over in a blink as there was only 2 cautions and those were for debris.  It was a totally awesome race, but very disappointing to have Greg Biffle win.  None of us are fans!!  Jimmie was so close to having the win and all the Hendrick cars did well.  Jr finished 10th in another strong race!!  Him and Jeff Gordon were together much of the race and racing each other hard.  Loved it!!

The next day, we celebrated my birthday….a day early.  Lean Green got me a delicious marble cake with pretty blue frosting and darker blue flowers.  Everyone sang to me and all I could so was sit there and laugh!!  I can’t believe I had to put another candle on the cake already.  Time is flying!!  Is there a way to stop getting older??  SHEESH  It was a great day and I love my family so much!!

My weight loss is moving along.  I’m staying pretty consistent.  I gained 1.6 lbs. last week.  That sent me into a funk.  I wasn’t expecting it at all.  I knew that I was due for a fill, but I’d also had an upset stomach and my hiatal hernia has been irritated, so I wasn’t keeping all my food down.  I thought for sure I should have lost something.  Then on Wednesday, I had my fill and the surgeon was “aggressive” because he’s leaving.  That irritated my hiatal hernia more and I’ve puked just about everything up that I try to eat.  Basically I’m on liquids and purees to get it all calmed down again.  The positive….I lost 4.8 lbs. this week!!  I’m so happy and it sure makes up for last week.  I have to say that I don’t know anyone would intentionally want to puke to lose weight though.  I know it’s an eating disorder and I’m doing it for a reason, but I’m so over it!!

I have 2 more appointments yet this week.  One is for the lovely female check and the other is my diabetic exam.  I’m a bit nervous as I do love my sweet tea even more since surgery.  I haven’t taken my meds since surgery either.  My numbers are good at home, but goodness only knows what my actual blood tests will show.  The rest….bp and cholesterol….I’m not worried about.  But oh the sugar!! 

So now you’re all caught up!!  I do hope that things calm down so that I can get back to my photography and blogging.  I know I don’t do either a lot, but I miss what I was doing.  We’re almost done with homeschool too!!  We’ll be spending the summer on Algebra I, but that’s no biggie.  I’m ready for a break!!

Now that you’re caught up here, what are you all up to??


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Versatile Blogger Award

Thanks to misstatejones for liking my blog enough to present it with The Versatile Blogger award!!  The requirements for this blog reward are to recognize the blog who gave you the award in a post, write 7 things about myself that others may not know, and then nominate another 15-20 blogs for the award.  I don’t know if I can nominate that many blogs since I’m not out there reading blogs as much as I used to, but I’m going to give it my best shot.  So here it goes….

7 Things About Me

1.  Cell phones are a pet peeve of mine.  I dislike being in a restaurant and hearing a phone ring and then the person answer it and talk very loudly.  Excuse me, I went out to get away from home with distractions, so let me enjoy my meal in peace.  Even worse is anyone who drives while on the cell phone!!  Don’t tell me you can’t pull off the road and NOT hit me or wait until you get where you’re going to make that call.

2.  I wear reading glasses ONLY!!

3.  I’m the sports fan in the house, although I’ve turned Miss K onto certain sports.  I’m a Dale Jr. fan and I don’t care how long it takes him to win his next race.  I’m also a born and bred Green Bay Packers fan.  So much so, that my blood flows green and gold!!  I also enjoy college football and follow several different teams.  I’m not into many other pro sports, but I do keep up with the Milwaukee Bucks and the OKC Thunder in basketball and the Texas Rangers and Milwaukee Brewers in baseball.

4.  Everyone that reads my blog knows that I teach a religion class.  Most don’t know how I got my position though!!  The DRE put an ad for a volunteer religion teacher in the church bulletin and I spent 2 weeks reading it over and over.  I knew her pretty well because Miss K was enrolled in classes.  However, I didn’t think she’d even be interested in me being a catechist.  I was finally encouraged to ask her, although I was sure after that amount of time that the position was filled.  Low and behold, when I asked her she yelled and said “YES, I’d love to have you” and I asked if the position wasn’t already filled and she said “it is NOW” (or something to that effect)!!  I’ve been doing it ever since and haven’t looked back….it was meant to be.

5.  I was a good student in school and even took some AP (advanced placement) classes.

6.  I dislike cats very much!!  It doesn’t matter where we’ve lived, but especially here, cat owners are horrible and so are their cats.  My dogs potty in our own yard, but cats around us always find our yard and dig up my plants or potty all over our yard.  They also deposit flees that we fight every year.

7.  I very much want a 1977 black Pontiac Trans Am.  Yes, I’m referring to the Smokey and the Bandit TA!!

Blogs Nominated for The Versatile Blogger

1.  Bethanne Strasser – She’s a frequent commenter of my blog and I see her “chat” mostly on Twitter

2.  Training Happy Hearts – Martianne is a member of my Christian group and shares amazing stuff on her blog

3.  My Life:  Part II – J. Fabulous is a commenter on my blog and shares the trials of weight loss surgery and life on their blog

4.  Cat Patches – Barbara has a blog about quilting, life and hosts a great photo meme called Foto Finish

5.  My Shae Noel – Shauna is an ex-member of my educational group and a great online friends that shares printables and more on her blog

6.  Under the Loupe – Annette is a Aussie blogger and jewelry designer and I’ve kept up with her forever

7.  Montesorri Tidbits – Leann has a great Montessori-based homeschool blog

8.  Our Little Man – Stephanie is a mom that has a special little man and I just love seeing what they’re up to

9.  Creative Learning Fun – Elizabeth is homeschooling mom of a special little girl and she shares tons of free materials

10.  Seeds of Knowledge – The blog of a wonderful kindergarten teacher, Jenea, that shares tons of ideas, printables, and more

I think that about covers it!!  If I come up with more blogs, I’ll just add them to this list.  I’m so honored that misstatejones nominated me for this blog award.  It means so much to me and I’m thrilled that my materials are getting out there and being used!!


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Blogiversary #4

I can’t believe that my blog is 4 years old today!!  I composed my first post on 14 April 2008.  It sure has been a learning process.  A changing one too!!

Commotion started off as my everything blog.  I had my printables and just about everything else here.  Now it’s pretty much my family life blog and a place for me to share my photos.  I started another blog just for my printables so that those that weren’t interested in them wouldn’t have to sift through my posts.  I still find myself sharing quite a few of my Christian ones here.  That’s probably because my religion class is such a big part of my life and I love talking about my kids and what we do in class.

I’ve had features like “Army Life” and “Homeschool 101″.  Neither of which I post about any longer.  They just didn’t seem to capture that much attention and I didn’t feel like I was benefiting anyone just rambling on about those parts of our life.  I also used to participate in a lot more memes and have quizzes or participate in them and post my results.  Those are gone too!!  I still do try to hold onto a few photography memes.  The days of blog awards are gone too.  There’s several that go around teacher blogs, but none on the few blogs that I actually have the time to read. 

Maybe that’s it.  Maybe time is the issue.  I just don’t go around reading blogs any more.  I can barely keep up with my own.  I know that I have some great readers and followers, because I’ve seen their blogs.  I just can’t find the time to write on regular basis, much less read.  When time is short, blogging is one of the things that I sacrifice!!

Well, I ramble and really all a blogiversary means for me is a couple days from being another year older!!  HAHA  Can’t have that now, can we!?!?  Before I give you a bunch of useless facts and statistics about Commotion, let me just say THANK YOU to all those that do take the time to read and follow this little blog.  I know it’s not much, but some of your are so loyal and I truly appreciate it.  And for those that give that little extra to comment, you make my day!!  You’ll never know what just a little comment does for me.

Now, for some worthless facts about Commotion….

Akismet has protected your site from 81,642 spam comments already.

244,698 total views.  3,865 views on the busiest day of 23 March 2011.

692 posts.  2,964 comments.  26 categories and 1,386 tags. 

37 blog followers, 18 comments followers, 80 Twitter followers, and 25 Facebook fans.

Comments:

Comments per month:	12
Total comments:	2,964
Most active recent day:	August 9, 2010
Most active time of day:	03:00
Most commented recent post:	Wordless Wednesday: Puppy Love

Top Posts and Pages:

Home page / Archives		55,332
Thursday Thirteen: The 13 Most Beautiful Classic Movie Stars		41,435
Thursday Thirteen: The 13 Most Handsome Classic Movie Stars		25,648
Homeschool Printables & Educational File Folder Games		8,381
Christian Printables & File Folder Games		7,367
NOthing to Say		6,044

Search Engine Terms:

elizabeth taylor eyes	11,991
elizabeth taylor	10,174
frank sinatra	6,764
bette davis	5,554
kirk douglas	5,090
funny church signs	3,324

Top Views by Country (since 25 February 2012 when they started this statistic):

United States	8,126
Canada	561
United Kingdom	431
Australia	415
India	330
Germany	285
Philippines	266

Referers:

Search Engines		26,551
en.wordpress.com		2,048
oneprettything.com		1,737
mail.yahoo.com		1,447
scrapbook.creativebusyhands.com		910
theokschoolhouse.wordpress.com		740

And there you have it.  That’s what this little blog is all about!!  I know it’s not much, especially compared to many blogs out there, but I’m not out here to be the best or the biggest.  I’m only there to just be ME and share a little bit of my life, my photography, my faith, and maybe help a few people along the way!!

 

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