Makin' Those Family Memories

I know I told you about visiting Mammoth Cave a couple of weeks ago, but did I mention that we camped there that night? In a tent, no less.

The vote is still out as to whether or not I'm a good camper~both times I've camped it has rained. And I mean all. night. long. Even with a good tent you get a little damp and that's just not my idea of fun.

But we actually did have a good time while we were there. Except when Mr. B decided he needed to know what a lantern felt like and we had to nurse a slightly burned finger.

The kiddos slept great in the tent, even in the dampness. I, on the other hand, woke up at midnight when the rain started, then again at 1 and 2 and 4:30, then finally at 6:10. Sleeping in the rain in a tent is not the same as sleeping in the rain in, say, a camper. Completely different.

When we woke up at daybreak and the downpour was still steady, we decided that it was time to pack it up and hit the road home. That process went remarkably smoothly and we headed to our next stop: a warm and dry Bob Evans restaurant for breakfast:)

Even if I'm dreaming of one day owning that beautiful vintage Airstream, I'm pretty sure we'll be tent camping again soon. It's just a great experience, especially for the kiddos. The locals at campsites are always interesting, too.

Oh~and I have to tell you, one of my favorite things about visiting the National Parks and Historic Sites is the Junior Ranger program. Its an educational program for children of all ages. The booklets are available for download or you can get one at the visitor center when you go.

As you spend time at the park there are corresponding activities in the booklet to help your kiddos learn. There are different age level activities so that no one is left out, although you may have to help your younger kiddos do a little writing. Each age group has a certain number of activities they need to complete before earning their Junior Ranger badge and getting their certificate. So far my kiddos have earned badges and certificates for three different parks. I'm looking forward to them having a big collection. They love doing the workbooks! Its a great way to add some educational fun into the traditional park visit and I'm all about that.

The Making of an Egyptian Death Mask

We are learning all about the ancient world this year with Story of the World I and loving it! We've been learning a lot about Egypt, of course, which is completely fascinating. Most recently we have studied the New Kingdom of Egypt, which includes the story of King Tut. So we decided making an Egyptian death mask in the style of King Tut's would be a fun project. First since it was too cold at the time to paper mache in the garage (it probably would have frozen instead of dried-ha) and it was too messy to do it in the house, we decided to pick up a couple of cheap craft masks at Hobby Lobby. Next we cut out cardboard shapes to complete the shape of the death mask, attaching them with hot glue. Vince even put a little detail on the *beard* with the hot glue per The Princess' request. Then the kiddos started to paint them with this metallic gold tempera paint. It worked okay for the cardboard, but would not coat the plastic of the mask. We thought maybe a second coat ...

Door Hanger Chore Charts

My kids have had a chore chart for a while. It's one of those magnetic boards and they share it. However, it's not by their rooms and often they (and I) forget to update it. Plus it's a little bulky. When I saw the concept of a door hanger chore chart on Pinterest, I loved it! It was compact, right there were the kiddos could see it coming out and going into their rooms, and it costs almost nothing to make. I headed over to one of my favorite stores: Hobby Lobby, of course. They have these little wooden door hangers for .79. I also grabbed a couple of packets of decorative buttons for $1.99 each. I already had the clothes pins and the paint so those cost me nothing. I began by painting the door hangers (I used tempera paints because that's what I had). Then I grabbed a fine point Sharpie and the clothes pins and started writing chores on them, making sure to write them correctly so they will ...

Fun With 4th of July Crafts: Part 3

I love my new patriotic front door wreath!! I had fun putting this together, although I must admit this is more of an adult craft than one for kiddos. I was inspired by this article in Family Fun magazine. I didn't have quite everything I needed for this one, but all I had to purchase was a few sheets of scrapbook paper and some double-sided tape. Then all I had to gather up were some scissors, regular Scotch tape, a ruler and some cardboard. First I cut four (5"x 6") pieces of each paper. Then by placing a piece of double-sided tape on one of the short ends of the papers, I rolled them into cones, pressing the seams together well. Then I cut a 10" circle out of cardboard and began to stick the cones on it. I used another piece of double-sided tape to stick the cones on, arranging them in a circular pattern. Next I used regular Scotch tape to attach them on the back to the back of the cardboard. After getting all the cones on, I was ready for my centerpiece. He...

my blessed life

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