June 24, 2013

Chicken Coop Reveal

I'm off to camp with the 12-18 year old girls in my church for the week.  I don't have a lot of time to write, but I do have a lot of pictures of our chicken coop all finished.  I am so thrilled with it!  My husband deserves all the credit, well my boys did pick out the flowers for the basket, and I did help paint, but that's about it.









Yes, these gals live in style!
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June 21, 2013

Sweet Land of Liberty (Printable)

I'm over at A Typical English Home today.  Do you know Angela?  If not, hurry over and visit her right now.  She's fantastic!  First of all, she's from England (lucky gal), she has amazing tips for making your blog fabulous, has the best collection of festive fonts, and much, much more.  You'll love her as much as I do, I promise! 

Sweet Land of Liberty Printable from Blissful Roots

Anyway, I have a patriotic printable to share today, so head on over to download it. 

Thanks so much for stopping by!  I hope you found a little something worth your time.

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June 20, 2013

Builders & Bulldozers

Here's my post from May's guest post at Or So She Says.  I posted the picture of Builders & Bulldozers in May here at Blissful Roots, but never the instructions.  So, here's the entire post.

My twins have been on spring break this past week, and the weather has been so nice!  We've been outside a lot these past few days.  I love when the weather turns warmer, and you can spend time outside in your backyard playing games (like Builders & Bulldozers).


I was required to take an elementary physical education class in college while I was working on my teaching degree at Utah State University.  I remember thinking it was a fun class, but a tad bit of a waste.  Every school I'd ever attended, or heard of, had a P.E. Specialist.  I was going to be a classroom  teacher.  Why in the world did I need to know how to teach P.E. to my students?

Well, less than a year later I was hired as a first grade teacher, and one of my responsibilities was P.E.  We didn't have a specialist at our school, so once a week I was teaching my first graders P.E.  My elementary physical education class didn't seem like such a waste of time anymore.  In fact, I was desperate to find my file from the class (luckily I'd saved it).

Builders & Bulldozers was my first graders' favorite game to play.  I loved it too because it was so simple, and it got my kids moving.  Here's how it goes.

Supplies
*Hula hoops (I always have these around because they're great for lots of outdoor activities)
*Bean bags

How To
Scatter the hula hoops all over your playing area (yard, gym, wherever you can find the space).  If you have a large group playing, use at least 10-15 hula hoops (more is fine too).  If you have just a few small children playing, five hula hoops would be fine.  

For every hula hoop, you'll need one bean bag.  We didn't have bean bags last time we played at my parent's, so we used the flower-shaped linking toys (in the picture above) and they worked great.  You really could use anything, but I would discourage using balls.  The balls tend to roll all over when you place them outside the hoop.

Place half of the bean bags inside the hula hoops, and half outside the hula hoops.  I made a little diagram below of how the game would look all set up.  The dotted circles are the hula hoops, and the gray squares are the bean bags. 


Divide the players into two teams.  One team will be the builders.  The builders will run around and try to put the bean bags inside the hula hoops.  The other team will be the bulldozers.  They will run around and try to put the bean bags outside the hula hoops.  So simple!

When you're ready to play, blow a whistle or say, "Go!"  The teams run around either building (putting bean bags inside the hoops) or bulldozing (taking bean bags out of hoops).  We always have the rule you can't guard a hoop.  It just makes for fewer disagreements in the game.  

Play for however long you'd like (a few minutes is plenty for one round), and blow your whistle or say, "Stop!"  Have all the players put their hands on their heads.  Count how many bean bags are inside the hoops, and how many are outside the hoops.  If there are more bean bags inside the hoops, the builders win.  If there are more bean bags outside the hoops, the bulldozers win.

You can play as many rounds as you'd like.  It's fun to switch teams every round as well.  The builders can be the bulldozers for round two, and the bulldozers can be builders.

Builders & Bulldozers is the perfect backyard game for family get togethers, or for your own family.  I love it because my three boys can play it on their own, or it's perfect for involving the entire family.  My husband and I love to take on our three boys.  We always end up laughing and laughing, and getting some good exercise in the process.  

Thanks so much for stopping by!  I hope you found a little something worth your time.


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June 19, 2013

Sherbet Macaroon Sandwiches

While my boys and I were visiting my parents last week, I asked my mom if she would make a favorite summer treat of mine.  I remember my mom making a lot of frozen treats (she's one of the biggest ice cream fans you'll meet) when we were growing up.  

Sherbet Macaroon Sandwiches from Blissful Roots

My husband and three boys are all BIG sherbet fans, so I knew these would be a hit.  They're always a hit!  I love how easy, cool, and refreshing they are.

Click to Print

When we made these when I was younger, we always used macaroons.  We looked and looked, but plain old macaroons are hard to find.  I did find one pack at Walmart for $1.  I was a bit worried about how they would taste, so I passed on them. My mom did end up finding these Coconut Cookies from Pepperidge Farm.  They are delicious, and they're small.  Everything is cuter small, right?  I actually like the size better than the large macaroons we used to buy.  I think I will try the Walmart macaroons (they're much more cost effective) out and see what I think, but for a party or entertaining, these cute Pepperidge Farm cookies are the way to go!


Thanks so much for stopping by!  I hope you found a little something worth your time.

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June 18, 2013

Summertime Printable

I know I just did a summertime printable a couple of weeks ago, but I wanted something summertime-ish for one of my memory boards I'm working on.  I have a lot of red, white, and blue things for my July memory board, but I needed something more neutral for June and August. 

Summertime Printable from Blissful Roots
Click to Print

I'm going to print this out at about 50% of its original size and mount it on card stock (like I did with most of my quotes on this memory board), but you could print it as is and frame it, or I'm sure you could come up with some other creative way to use it.

Thanks so much for stopping by!  I hope you found a little something worth your time.

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June 17, 2013

July Pinterest Board

I was out of town last week and didn't get much done in the way of blogging.  It was a nice break, but I'm excited to get back into the swing of things.

I love this time of year!  The fourth of July is one of my favorite holidays.  I just learned how to insert a widget so I can show my Pinterest boards on my blog here.  So, today I thought I'd share my July board with you.




If you follow me on Pinterest, you'll notice I love all things holiday.  I have a board for just about every month.   My mind works in months and holidays.  I love finding ways to enjoy the sights, sounds, and smells of each month.  
You can click here to take a look at all my Pinterest boards.
How do you organize your boards? 

Thanks so much for stopping by! I hope you found a little something worth your time!

Linking up to these parties & Savvy Southern Style.


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June 10, 2013

DIY Bug Jar Caddy {At Or So She Says}

Happy Monday to you!  I'm over at Or So She Says with a DIY bug jar caddy.  I have three young boys, so summertime means bugs!  Click here to see my whole post and get the how to on the caddy. 


Thanks so much for stopping by! Hope you found a little something worth your time.

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June 7, 2013

Patriotic Puzzles

I've mentioned before I'm a bit of a puzzle nerd.  I love doing puzzles, especially ones associated with holidays. 
We do a lot of puzzles in the the winter when we're indoors more, but I've found some great patriotic puzzles that would be perfect for this time of year.

So Proudly We Hail  by Charles Wysocki

Young Patriots by Charles Wysocki

Bang, Boom, Bam, & Pow by Charles Wysocki
Mansfield Air Spectacular by Charles Wysocki

You probably recognize a theme here.  These are all Charles Wysocki puzzles.  I like doing just about any kind of puzzle, but his are my favorite!  I would love to set up a table under a big shade tree, sip lemonade, and spend a peaceful summer evening working on one of these.

What kind of puzzles do you like?
Thanks so much for stopping by!  I hope you found a little something worth your time.

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June 6, 2013

Richard Scarry's Storybook Dictionary

Do you know who Richard Scarry is?  I probably wouldn't if I hadn't been a teacher.  Even if you don't recognize the name, you probably recognize his books/artwork.  I LOVE his work!  It's so timeless and charming.


I always try to keep my eye out for his books at thrift stores.  My mom found this one of his at her local thrift store (hence the blue marker "decorations" on the cover).  More often than not, I end up taking the pictures or pages out of his books to use for projects.


Aren't these pictures so adorable?  There are so many pictures in this dictionary that could be cut out and used for a fun reading/alphabetizing activity.  I think I'm going to laminate these and keep them in a reading bag for the car.


 I have a bit of a word wall obsession.  So the second I saw these darling letters in the storybook dictionary, I knew I needed to cut them out and use them for a word wall.


I cut out each letter, mounted them on thick card stock, then  used my Martha Stewart letter stickers to dress up the clothespins.


I'm going to use the clothespins to hang the letters on a string in alphabetical order.  That will make the top of my word wall.  Then I'm going to put my boys' sight words for first grade under each letter that the word begins with ('after' will go under Aa, 'where' will go under Ww, 'very' will go under Vv, ....).


I love killing two birds with one stone.  Not only will this word wall be cute enough to be decor, but it will help my boys see these sight words often, and the more you see something, the more you remember it.


Next time you're at the thrift store (or on Amazon), see if you can find a Richard Scarry book.  Even if you don't cut it up, you can still read it.  I have plenty of his books intact for reading as well.

What ways do you keep learning fun and rolling at your house during the summer months?
Thanks so much for stopping by!  Hope you found a little something worth your time.

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June 5, 2013

Kool-Aid Slushie

Did you ever have cups with the Kool-Aid guy's face on them when you were  younger?  We did, and I remember loving when my mom made this slushie for us to drink in those cups.  Good memories!

Kool-Aid Slushie from Blissful Roots

I don't have those cups for my boys, but we still love making the slushie.  My husband is actually the biggest Kool-Aid fan at our house.  We don't ever drink it until summer hits.  The good thing about this slush is that it only calls for 3/4 cup sugar instead of a whole cup (that's good, right?  I'll keep telling myself it is).

Click to Print

You can use any flavor of Kool-Aid for this.  We used tropical punch for the red one in the picture, and it's one of my favorites!  There's a new watermelon flavor that Kool-Aid makes, and it's my husband's new favorite.  It's fun to experiment with the flavors.  You could even try mixing a couple. 

Thanks so much for stopping by!  I hope you found a little something worth your time.

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June 4, 2013

Oh, What Do You Do In The Summertime? {Printable}

There's a song the young primary kids sing at our church.  It's called Oh, What Do You Do In The Summertime?  I remember singing it when I was little, and it always makes me think of long, carefree summer days.

Oh, What Do You Do In The Summertime?  {Printable} from Blissful Roots
Click to Print

The song talks about counting the stars in the sky,  fishing in streams, swimming, tree climbing, cloud watching, parades, lemonade, all the classic summertime activities.


Our Summer Bucket List


My boys and I made a summer bucket list (at least half of a bucket list, we have more to add) and I think it would be fun to take pictures of all our activities, print them out, hang them clothesline style on a wall, and then put the Oh, What Do You Do In The Summertime? printable above it (I'll try and post a picture of it when I get it all set up).

What are your favorite things to do in the summertime? 
Thanks so much for stopping by!  I hope you found a little something worth your time.

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June 3, 2013

Unplugged Summer 2013

Well, we are officially beginning our fist week of summer vacation, and we're off to a great start thanks to  Heber Unplugged 2013.  This is a program some of our local city officials (click here to learn more) came up with to help kids be unplugged from video games and TV this summer.

Rules in a Nutshell
1.  Get a lanyard (provided by the city)
2.  Check out the website for tasks and Brag Tags to earn.
3.  Choose a task and complete it.
4.  Go to the designated business to tell about your task and collect your Brag Tag
5.  For every 5 points in Brag Tags (each tag is worth 1, 5, or 20 brags) you receive, you can enter your name in the $100 drawing at the end of the week.  There's also a $500 drawing at the end of the summer.
6.  Collect as many Brag Tags as you can over the course of the summer.

                                                                                            
                                                    

 


These are just a few of the Brag Tags available.  Aren't they cute?  There are over 100 tags to be earned.  You earn tags for doing things like growing a tomato, turning in a violent video game, watching fireworks, cleaning your car, feeding the ducks at the duck pond, participating in the library's summer reading program, camping, fishing, having a hot dog roast, and on, and on, and on (click here to see a complete list).  

My boys were first obsessed with winning the $100, but now they are in love with the Brag Tags and want to collect as many as possible.  We've been at it for two days now and they have 7 tags.  It's been a fun way to do activities we normally wouldn't do, get unplugged, and visit a lot of local businesses in our community (several of which I've never been to before).

I realize not every community has this amazing program offered, but I was thinking you could totally do this in your own home.  You could design (or have your kids do it) your own Brag Tags for chores or activities.  Your kids could earn the tags throughout the summer, and you do little drawings every week. 

 Thanks so much for stopping by!  I hope you found a little something worth your time.

Linking up to these parties & Savvy Southern Style.

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