Again…this post is to help update family and friends. It’s just too hard to talk with everyone personally. Gracie hasn’t been feeling so great this past month. First she had an awful flu, and last Thursday she was diagnosed with strep throat. She’s been in and out of school so much. She’s been so lethargic. Her eyes have looked so blood-shot and she just hasn’t been herself. Monday night she was so tired I was helping her get her p.j.’s on. I’ve never been so shocked. She looked like a skeleton.  She had been on an anti-biotic for a few days and didn’t seems to be improving. The next morning at her dr apt, to my complete shock and dis-belief, her Dr. told me she had type 1 diabetes. We were sent to primary children’s and have been in the process of regaining her strength, stabilizing her blood sugar levels, and learning, learning, learning. She looks so much better just 24 hours after her first insulin shot. Yes, she’s insulin dependent. Thankfully, this type of diabetes doesn’t limit what she can/can’t eat. Everything just has to be ‘helped’ with insulin. We’ll be going home tomorrow after a couple more classes. Thanks to everyone for your help and concerns. We’re so blessed to have a wonderful support group. Fabulous Grandparents taking care of the 3 bears, fun neighbor visits and phone calls, visits from family, and prayers from family near and far. Thank You, Thank You, Thank You

This project has been in the making for 3 weeks now. I admit, I underestimated the time it would take to get them done (something my husband is always telling me). “Take the time you THINK it’s going to take, and double it!” He’s always right. I was searching for ways keep my kids interested in their chores and I came upon this site.  It’s a chart using a board, LOTS of laminate countertop samples from the hardware store, small hooks, and all your free time during nap time.  In fact, it took so long, that Gehrig began refusing to do any chores until his chore board was done!

Anyway, I thought the idea was so cute that I went shopping right away! I was so excited about it  that I remembered (or should I say forgot) it was early day while shopping at Roberts Craft. My kids were getting off the bus that very second. Good thing my mom lives close, she was home, and is willing to make up for what I lack as a mom!

For their names, I used full sheets of clear labels so you can still see the paper underneath. So here’s the end product! When they finish a job, they flip their card over! Now that they’re up, I don’t know how I’m going to keep Nolan from loosing his chore cards!

If only I had a ‘locker room’ area where they can hang their backpacks and coats when they get home from school. It would be the perfect place to hang these! For now, the hallway will have to do.

Again, thanks to my mom for all bags of extra ribbons and jars of cute buttons she saves for things like this. (Usually meant for her projects though)

For our first FHE for the month of December, I knew we were going to be making gingerbread cookies for the treat. When I was talking to my mom about this, she had an idea (again) for the lesson to ‘go with the treat.’ Yes, it’s backwards thinking, but it   turned out great! As I was leaving, my mom remembered that she had all the cut-outs to the story. (My kids listened a whole lot better because they had something to hold) I first told the story of ‘The Gingerbread Man,’ then related the story to a ‘secret service’ game we were going to play for the month. My mom lent me a little bean-bag in the shape of a gingerbread man. Starting with Dustin, he’d find something he could do for someone else in the family and would leave the gingerbread man on their pillow. Then that person gets to choose a person to serve and so on and so forth. It’s been working out pretty nicely. The kids are having fun. Hopefully we can make it last throughout the entire month!