Things to Do this Summer!!!

Things to do this summer…

More than a Movie@ Monticello Methodist Church
– Tuesday’s 1-3pm beginning June 8th
Each Tuesday afternoon , children ages 5-5th grade are welcome to stop by and enjoy some movies, fellowship & snacks. All movies are rated G and connect to biblical principle. Get out of the heat and grab a seat for some summer fun and More thana Movie!

Contact Person Kathy Brown 762-2579
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Check out sages.us for info on the following basketball/speed camps– click on downloads & forms on the left side of the page:

Boys Basketball Camp –June 8-11th -contact Coach Kevin Roy 762-8511 X1210 w/?’s
Registration is $45 (grades based on 2010/2011 Grade Level)
8am-9:15 3rd & 4th Grades
9:30-10:45 5th & 6th Grade
11-12:15 7th & 8th Grade

Girls Basketball Camp – coach Brad Garrett cell:649-2003 or school 762-8511
Shooting Camp June 7th & 8th – Monticello H.S. Moore Gym Cost is $30
Grades 2nd-8th Time 12-2pm

Skill Camp June 14th & 15th – Monticello H.S. Moore Gym Cost is $30
Fall Grade Level Session Times
2nd-3rd- 4th grades 8:00-9:15
5th-6th grades 9:15-10:30
7th- 8th grades 10:30-12:00

** Cost is $50 if you do both camps

Summer Speed Camp
July 19-30th All ages accepted (school age I imagine), boys and girls $45 for 6 sessions
Jeff Butler 762-9995

Savoy Rec Center – has tons of camps – check out the website or pick up a catalog at the Rec Center for more. http://savoyrecreationcenter.com/ - click on the Green Program Guide on the top right hand corner of the home page.

*Savoy Rec Camp is 4 weeks, June 14-July 9 from 9-12 and only $70.

*Savoy Rec preschool camp is one week, but they have 5 sessions to choose from.
Jun 14-Jul 12 (5 1-week sessions) $52/ea

--Kathy Sowinski is planning on signing cole up for at least one of these & if someone else wanted to sign up too, maybe you could take turns driving the kids over there?



Vacation Bible Schools

St. John's VBS: June 14-18 from 9-11:30 Free
FCC VBS: June 21-25 from 9-11 am Free
Meth/Presb VBS: July 5-July 9 from 9-12 Free
Friendship Lutheran Church of Joy (Curtis & Duncan) July 19-23 from 5:30-8pm Free
Mont. Lutheran church July 25-30 (evening) Free


U of I Art program: June 28-July 8 (M-Th) morning $75


Kairos summer Camp session 1: June 8-24 (3x/week T,W,Th) 9-11:30am
Kairos summer Camp session 2: July 12-29 (3x/week T, W,Th) 9-11:30am
$135 each session per child (includes registration fee)


“The Earth is Lords and everything in it” (Psalm 24:1)
Summer Camp at Rhonda Anderson’s farm (teacher at MCA): 762-3014
2088 Bucks Pond Road, Monticello, IL
July 12-16th – 1pm-4pm - Bible based Illinois Conservation Department Curriculum – lots of Illinois History, Nature Science, Arts & Crafts. Outdoor activities & reading for children of all ages.
$75 each or 2 children for $100 (she can work with you on the $ if you have more than 2 kids).


Fitness Fun Camp
Jodi Fultz will be hosting two camps this year.

*FUN UNDER THE BIG TOP: Pre-K and K (3-5 or 6 if going into 1st grade)
*MINUTE TO WIN IT…FITNESS 2nd-3rd grade (6-9yr olds)

$75 Each camp is 1 2/2 hrs and will be done at the Forest Preserve Park June 21st – 25th
Registration Forms can be picked up at the Monticello Park District (Municiple Building 201 W Hamilton). Registration after May 7th extra $15. For any other questions call Jodi @ (217) 649-0177

Pool/ Swimming Lessons
– Bement – Call 678-5311 (swimming lessons schedule not yet figured out, will know by by mid-June)
Pool open noon-8pm
Non- Resident: $125 season pass non-Bement Resident (no-member limit)
Adult $5 3yrs –High School $4
Bement Resident $100 family pass Adults $4 Ages3 to H.S. $3

Swimming lessons fees $25-$30 (she couldn’t tell me yet – just approx)

- Monticello –after opening in July?


Monticello Marlins Swim Team - $45 registration fee
Sign up at Monticello Municipal Building


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FREE OUTDOOR MOVIES on Friday’s at DUSK– presented by Village Wardrobe
Monticello Square – corner of State & Washington – movie projected on 17x25 screen

2010 Movie Schedule:
June 4th : Cloudy with a chance of Meat Balls
July 2nd – TBA
July 16th TBA
July 17th TBA
August 6th TBA
September 3rd

**All Friday movies will have the next day, Saturday as a RAIN DATE.
1917 Model T Popcorn truck will serve hotdogs, nachos, cotton candy, glass-bottled soda & POPCORN!

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Monticello Soccer Club – British Soccer Camp @Dwight B Wilkey Sports Complex
Teaches key techniques and technical components of Soccer and developing the whole child. Character development based on respect, responsibility, integrity leadership & sportsmanship.

August 9-13th
Ages 3-4 First Kicks 9-10am $65
Young players are introduced to the game basics, fundamental activities, games and fun soccer challenges. Parents are encouraged to join in and help guide their child through this fun experience.

Ages 4-5 Mini Soccer 1.5 hr 10:30-noon $80
Fun Games, competitions & skill building activities are designed to enlighten & develop budding players.

Ages 6-9 Half Day 9am-noon $115
Ages 10-12 Half Day 1-4pm $115
Ages 13-14 Half Day 1-4pm $115
Emphasis is place upon skill development & mastery of core techniques through individual & small group practices & coached games.

Sign up on-line at www.challengersports.com 45 days in advance & receive a cool game jersey (available w/online registration only). Registration includes a free ball & T-shirt. Sign-up less than 10 days prior to camp and $10 late fee. $30 cancellation fee at least 7 days prior to camp.
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Monticello Dance & Gym – Gymnastics Classes - various times & classes available for girls and boys ages 3-adult. Stop by in the afternoons/evenings or Contact Vicki Foran @762-8107.

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Monticello Junior Gold Golf Lessons:
Sign up NOW: at Municipal Building or call Carlos @762-2583
Ages 6-16 (6-10 currently a waiting list , 11-16 years spots still available)
$35-2 sessions available 5 days – 50 minutes a day Beginning in July ?
*don’t have to have golf clubs to participate – they have some available for use.

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Monticello Railway Museum
We offer train rides on weekends and holidays from May through October, regardless of weather conditions, as well as a number of special events throughout the year. Check out http://www.mrym.org/
For dates & times of upcoming events.
Saturday, June 19th & Sunday, June 20th, 2010 Dads ride FREE when accompanied by their children!
Saturday July 3rd – Fireworks Specail – 8pm only – buy your tickets NOW!

Little Theater on the Square – Sullivan, IL 16 E. Harrison St. Sullivan, IL 61951Box Office 217-728-7375
http://www.thelittletheatre.org/

Theater for Young Audiences 2010:

*Sleeping BeautyJune 11, 12, 15, 17, 18 and 19

*The Little MermaidJuly 9, 10, 13, 15, 16 and 17

*Alice In WonderlandAugust 6, 7, 10, 12, 13 and 14





Savoy 16 presents: $1 KIDS SUMMER MOVIES:
June 14 - August 13 9 Weeks, 9 Movies A Different Fun Film Each Week!
$1 per ticket, all ages! Each week, Monday through Friday at 10:00am we offer an entertaining PG movie for only $1. See the lineup http://www.gqti.com/kidsummermovies.aspx
6/14-18-The Lightning Thief
6/21-25: Kung Fu Panda
6/28-7/2: Spongebob The Movie
7/5-7/9: Over the Hedge
7/12-7/16: Barnyard
7/19-7/23: Alvin and The Chipmunks
7/26-7/30: The Tooth Fairy
8/2-8/6: Tale of Despereaux
8/9-8/13: Happy Feet
FREE Kids Movies each Wednesday in Clinton, IL
Clintonia Eagle Theatre
http://www.eagletheater.net/
Each Wednesday at 9AM and 11AM –FREE

June 9th: Alvin and the Chipmunks
June 16th: Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs
June 23rd: Planet 51
June 30th:Where the Wild Things Are
July 7th: Ice Age 3
July 14th: Toothfairy
July 21st: Night at the Museum



Allerton Park
Named one of the 7 Wonders of Illinois by the Illinois Bureau of Tourism, Allerton offers 1,500 acres of beautiful, outdoor surroundings. This picturesque setting includes:
Extensive formal gardens
More than 100 outdoor sculptures and garden ornaments
Natural areas including the Sangamon River, floodplains, lowland and upland forests, a meadow and a 30-acre demonstration prairie
14 miles of interpretive hiking trails
A century-old, Georgian-style mansion with reflecting pond
Hours
Park open daily 8 a.m.–sunset
Visitor Center open daily 9 a.m.–5 p.m. Unstaffed, self-guided resource with maps, displays, restrooms, and beverage vending
Allerton Library
Summer Reading Program & Summer Events – Visit the Library or their website http://monticellolibrary.org for complete listing & more details.
Highlights Include:
Costume Party Mon, June 7, 10am – 11am - Children are encouraged to dress up in a costume and come for Pin the Tail on the Cat and a Ghost Lollipop craft.

Story Time Mon, June 7, 2:00pm – 2:30pm

Goosebumps Party Tue, June 8, 2:30pm – 3:30pm - Children will take turns making Toilet Paper Mummies, make their own Haunted Masks, and make a Shrunken Head Surprise Card.

Summer Reading Program Read A Thon Thu, June 10, 10am – 12pm Earn double minutes!

**Similar crafts, events and story times etc are held each week on corresponding days and additional evnts are added too …check out the Allerton calendar for all of them.





Back to School Carnival – August 21st
Place: Municipal Building Parking Lot Contact Info: (217) 762-9318 or info@monticellomainstreet.org
Big H Amusements from Fairbury will entertain the community late August with their carnival rides, games and wonderful carnival treats! It's Monticello's first annual Back-to-School Carnival all weekend long designed to give us all one more break before school really gets started. The Monticello Lion's Club will be offering its famous fried fish dinners as usual on Friday night and the shops, restaurants and galleries will be open as usual, so make it a great weekend. Join your friends at the carnival!


Indian Acres Swim Club- Champaign
Swim Lessons and Camps:

http://www.indianacresswimclub.org/daycamp.html



University of Illinois Youth Camps

http://engagement.illinois.edu/youth/youth.html



First Friday on the Square- Downtown Monticello

Businesses open late each First Friday

June 4th: Free horse rides from Trailblazers and movie
July 2nd: Music, Mini fireworks, and outdoor movie
August 6th: Charter Street Café with local restaurant specials and outdoor movie

Trailblazer’s Rodeo- Monticello
Thursday, Friday, Saturday June 24th- 26th

Parade in Monticello on 26th at 10AM followed by lunch, clowns and activities at Rick Riding

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Piatt-County-Trail-Blazers/101589322000






Children’s Museums

There are some wonderful museums within an hour of here that are well worth the trip.

Children’s Museum of Illinois- Decatur
http://www.cmofil.com/

Orpheum Children’s Museum-Champaign
http://www.orpheumkids.com/

Children’s Discovery Museum- Normal
http://www.childrensdiscoverymuseum.net/


Zoos

Scovill Zoo- Decatur
http://www.decatur-parks.org/zoo/

Miller Park Zoo- Bloomington
http://www.cityblm.org/parks/Miller-Park-Zoo/about-the-zoo.htm

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Champaign Park District
Events, activities, festivals
http://www.champaignparkdistrict.com/index.html

Saturday, June 5
Touch a Tractor1-4pm Prairie Farm, Centennial Park
Friday, June 11-Sunday, June 13
Taste of Champaign-UrbanaFriday, 5-9pmSaturday, 11am-9pmSunday, 11am-6pm
Event WebsiteSponsorship Applications (PDF)

Saturday, June 19
Kid's Fishing Derby9am, Kaufman LakeRegistration Form
Friday, July 9 - Saturday, July 10
Champaign Music Festival - 150th Celebrate TodayEvent WebsiteFriday, 6-11pmSaturday, Noon-11pm, Downtown Champaign
Sat, August 14-Sun, August 15
Champaign-Urbana DaysDouglass Park
Event websiteVendor ApplicationSponsor Application
Saturday, August 21
Downtown Festival of the Arts10am-7pm, Downtown Champaign
Event websiteArtist ApplicationSponsorship Applications (PDF)

Concerts- Champaign has wonderful concerts at noontime and in the evening. A picnic with a few friends or family makes for the perfect daytime or evening outing

Date
Day
Performer (Genre)
Location
Time
May 8
Sa
Edison Middle School Bands
NOTE: Moved to Edison Middle School
3pm
May 30
Su
Battle of the Bands 2nd/3rd place winners
Hessel Park
6-8pm
June 2
W
The Impalas (Blues/Rock)
Toalson Park
6:30-8pm
June 4
Fr
Ben Bedford (Folk)
West Side Park
12-1pm
June 18
Fr
Kayla Brown with Rebecca Wiliams (Indie)
West Side Park
12-1pm
June 23
W
Run for Cover (Classic Rock)
Morrissey Park
6:30-8pm
June 24
Th
Deja Vu
Garden Hills Park
6:30-8pm
June 27
Su
Decatur Park Singers (Showtunes)
Hessel Park
6:30-8pm
June 30
W
Point of Fire (Classic Rock)
Eisner Park
6:30-8pm
July 2
Fr
Aaron Koppel Duo (Jazz)
West Side Park
12-1pm
July 11
Th
Candy Foster
Douglass Park
6:30-8pm
July 14
W
Singing in the Abbey (Classical Indie)
Powell Park
6:30-8pm
July 16
Fr
Don't Ask (Klezmer)
West Side Park
12-1pm
July 18
Su
Jim Markum Swing Band (swing)
Hessel Park
6:30-8pm
July 25
Su
The Shanties (Irish)
Hessel Park
6:30-8pm
July 29
Th
Mary Clark (Motown/R&B)
Garden Hills Park
6:30-8pm
August 1
Su
Boneyard Jazz Quintet (Jazz)
Hessel Park
6:30-8pm
August 4
W
Exorna (Irish)
Clark Park
6:30-8pm
August 6
Fr
Road Song (Acoustic Folk)
West Side Park
12-1pm
August 8
Su
Lonnie Lester
Hessel Park
6:30-8pm
August 20
Fr
Jeff Arrigo (Folk)
West Side Park
12-1pm

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Decatur Park District
http://www.decatur-parks.org/

Calendar of events

June 9 Parks & Playgrounds Open
June 10 - 13 Commodores Sunnyside Invitational
Tournament, Sunnyside Park
June 19 Family Fun Day with Dad, Scovill Zoo
June 19 Radio Controlled Aircraft Demos
Decatur Airport
July 4 Staley Firecracker Road Run
4th of July Fireworks, Nelson Park
July 10 Rodney T. Miller Youth Triathlon
Fairview Park
July 18 Ice Cream Safari, Scovill Zoo
July 30 - Aug. 1 B.O.S.S. Performances
August 4 Lantern Parade, Fairview Park
Visit www.decatur-parks.org for detailed event listings.
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Urbana Park District
http://www.urbanaparks.org/
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Mahomet
Early American History Museum
http://www.earlyamericanmuseum.org/


Festivals & fairs
Old Glory Days- June 12th Bement
Fat Hill Fest- June 18th-19th- Cerro Gordo
Piatt County Fair-June 22-27th Cerro Gordo
Decatur Celebration- August 6, 7, 8

Bowling

Monticello Bowl
1412 N Market Street
Monticello, IL, 61856
Phone:
217-762-5726
Mon - Sat:
10:00 am - 12:00 am

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Monticello-IL/Monticello-Bowl/228022410970

Old Orchard Lanes- Savoy, IL
http://www.oldorchardinc.com/lanes/home.php


Miniature Golf
Old Orchard Links- Savoy, IL
http://www.oldorchardinc.com/links/home.php

Putt Putt- Champaign, IL
http://www.puttputtcu.com/

Paul’s Puttin’ Place & Dunn’s Dugout
Join us for summer fun at Paul’s Puttin’ Place
and Dunn’s Dugout! Perfect for family or church
outings, date night – any occasion! Great birthday
party packages available, too! Call 429-3472 for
party rates. Nelson Park
Hours
Spring (April 3 - May 28)
Thursday: 4 - 8 p.m.
Friday: 4 - 10 p.m.
Saturday: 11 a.m. - 10 p.m.
Sunday: noon - 9 p.m.
Summer (May 29 - August 15)
Monday - Saturday: 11 a.m. - 10 p.m.
Sunday: noon - 10 p.m.
Paul’s Puttin’ Place - 18 Holes
Adults $4.00
Children (4 - 17) $3.00
Under age 4 FREE *
(*accompanied by adult)
2nd Game $2.00
Dunn’s Dugout Batting Cages
2 minutes $2.00
5 minutes $5.00
10 minutes $8.00
15 minutes $11.00
30 minutes $20.00
60 minutes $33.00
Punch Cards: 10 visits for $25.00
(Great gift idea! Purchase at Paul’s/Dunn’s.)
Specials
Thursdays 2 golfers for the price of 1 adult
Sundays Family Special (4 golfers for $10.00)
Special Events
May 9 Moms golf for free with a paid child
June 20 Dads golf for free with a paid child
July 4 2 golfers for the price of 1 adult
August 7 Pack your school backpack day

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Lincoln exhibits

Presidential Museum
http://www.alplm.org/

Library
http://www.alplm.org/library/library.html

New Salem
http://www.lincolnsnewsalem.com/info.html

Old State Capital
http://www.state.il.us/HPA/hs/old_capitol.htm
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Indoor Playground

First Christian Church- Champaign
http://www.fcc-online.org/?day=5#/playground-track

Market Place Mall- play area and carousel
http://www.marketplacemall.com/
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Petting Zoo

Prairie Farms- Champaign
Location: 2202 W. Kirby Ave. Phone: 217-398-2583Bus Line: Brown & Blue Hours: (Memorial Day Weekend through Labor Day)Monday - Sunday: 1:00 - 7:00 p.m.Petting Area: Monday - Sunday: 3:00 - 5 p.m. (weather permitting)
http://www.champaignparkdistrict.com/facilities/pfarm/
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Nature

Anita Purves Natur Center- Urbana, IL
http://www.urbanaparks.org/facilities/4.html

Laundry Tips to Make Your Life Easier

1. When dealing with multiple children, put a number or a marking on each child's clothing tags. When you are folding laundry, simply match up markings so you don't have the challenge of deciding what belongs to whom.

2. Have a laundry basket for each family member in your laundry room or with you when you are folding all the laundry. Save yourself time by having everything already divided when it comes time to put the clothes away.

3. Bring hangers into your laundry room. Hang the hanging clothes right from the dryer-do not let it add to the pile of other clothes. Wrinkles will be gone and some of the job is already done.

4. Fels-Naptha. An amazing cleaning product. Can find anywhere, even at County Market. It comes in a bar form and can get out almost any stain. Simply create a paste with a bit of water and use a toothbrush to work into the stain. Wash right away. This product can also be used when making your own laundry soap AND is known to be a great treater for poison ivy too!

5. Hairspray gets out INK on just about anything-including furniture. Simply spray generously on the stain and begin wiping away. Depending on the item you are cleaning, you may have a hairspray ring after the cleaning. Clean that with water.

6. Brushes, Brushes, Brushes. Have a variety of different brushes to scrub, scrub, scrub those stains away!

7. Use the same socks for all your kids! Same color, same brand.

8. Laundry is not just your job- teach your kids early. Have them help you along the way. Kids are great at towels. Give them the job around age 2 or 3. Consider NOT folding your clothes but rather laying kids items flat in a pile.

9. ZOUT spray. Next to SHOUT it the stores but much better!

10. Dryer balls. If your dryer turns things too much and causes clothes to twist around each other or items are simply just not getting dry, put a dryer ball in with your clothes. You can purchase bumpy dryer balls at Target or simply put a tennis ball in the dryer. Kristi P made hers out of wool yarn. It simply helps aggitate the load and keep things turning and fluffing nicely.

11. Use clotheslines...outside or in your basement or laundry room. Use tips from the blog of former member, Nicole, at http://www.freewebs.com/farmhousefamily/apps/blog/show/3186728-laundry-on-the-line-

12. Consider using your dishwasher instead of washing machine. Sometimes the dish soap gets the stains out right away. Put formula stained clothes in the top rack and watch the stains dissapear.

13. Put a clear ziplock bag in your kids' sock drawers. Put socks without partners in the clear bag. As you do more laundry, you'll be able to see what socks still need partners easily.

14. Buy a smaller laundry basket. While your kids are eating or working independently in the kitchen, simply dump out a small load on the counters and fold while you watch and hang out. Easy way to multi-task!

15. GONZO! Another product to elliminate stains. Recommended by a local bridal shop- gets makeup stains out instantly without having to wash.. Can be purchased at Bed, bath, and Beyond.

16. Clorox Bleach pens- a lifesaver...and fun to use to decorate plain t-shirts too!

17. Dryer sheets are not good for sensative skin. A dryer ball will take care of some of that static cling and some essential oils on a clean towel will make everything smell yummy!

18. Vinegar does everything! Add to the wash to lift stains and smells

19. Remember, clean doesn't have a smell. it doesn't have to be overly perfumy to be clean and

Birthday Traditions

Some ways our families make birthdays extra special, super fun and unique!

1. Decorate the birthday boy or girl's bedroom or their bedroom door with streamers, signs, balloons, special notes, etc. Surprise them right when they wake up!

2. Add-a-pearl necklace - pearls are given to add onto the necklace for birthdays, special holidays, etc. (a google search will give you various vendors and more info.)

3. Enjoy birthday parties with family, friends or both! Enjoy being surrounded by those you love! Have fun with decorations, games, memories, cake, presents, etc.

4. Birthday cake for breakfast! Many families find that the early morning is the only time of the day that all members of the family are home - so enjoy cake while you're all together!

5. A Birthday Weekend Get-away! Let the birthday boy/girl/parent pick a location and what things they would like to do (within budgets!) Let restaurants, hotels, etc. know that it's someones birthday - they may get some extra "happy birthdays" or some special treatment.

6. Special birthday dinner menu chosen by the birthday boy/girl/parent or they can choose to go to the restaurant of their choice.

7. In addition to birthdays... celebrate 1/2 birthdays! Two times a year to feel "extra special!"

8. Keep your child home from school and enjoy the day with them.

9. Use a special birthday plate for the day.. only used for birthdays!

10. Take a picture of the the birthday celebrant with their cake right before they blow out their candles and enjoy the big cheers!

11. Make brownies instead of cake.

12. Make someone their favorite cake for their birthday (eg. pecan pie, angle food, etc.)

13. Have special chair back covers in various birthday themed designs - it sure helps decorate the room for a birthday celebration!

14. Take a picture of your child in the same place every year on their birthday and compare them every year!

15. Enjoy breakfast in bed! Everyone surprises the birthday boy/girl/parent with breakfast for everyone - jump in bed together & enjoy eating in pjs and snuggling up with each other.

Random Acts of Kindness

Things you can do to brighten someone's day and bring cheer to others! All of these can be done as identified parties but sometimes not telling them who it is makes it extra fun!

1. Put an extra special treat in your child's lunchbox and encourage them to give one to someone special who might need some extra support.

2. In the hot summer, put an ice cold water bottle in your mailbox for your mailcarrier.

3. Find out that someone is having some financial difficulty, pay for something for them without them knowing. A bag of groceries on the front porch, a gift card in the mail, even some cash in an envelope.

4. When it's snowing and you are in a parking lot clearing off your car, clear off the car next to you too.

5. When going through a toll booth or pay station in a parking garage- offer to pay for the car behind you too!

6. Consider the same sort of thing at the drive through at a fast food restaurant, find out what their total is and either pay for it all or offer to chip in.

7. Buy flowers and leave a stem on random windshields in your church or school parking lot ( or anywhere)

8. Let someone with less items than you go before you in line at the store checkout

9. Hold doors open for people

10. Smile! At strangers. Tell them to have a great day!

11. Ever seen a cute couple at a restaurant that looked so in love and made your own heart swell? Buy them a dessert to share.

12. Every neighborhood has a shut in ( usually an elderly person who isn't able to doesn't come outside much). Leave a "thinking of you" note in their mailbox or some homemade treats.

13. When you are baking cookies or cakes or anything, make a little extra. Put just a few in a bag or rubbermaid and deliver to a friend's house or someone who you want to be friends with but haven't had the chance to get to know yet. leave a notes saying it's from someone who thinks they are special.

14. When shoveling the snow from your sidewalks or raking your leaves, goa little further. Do your neighbor's house too!

15. If you ever buy yourself some flowers or receive some yourself, consider breaking up the bouquet into two. Keep one half for yourself and share with a friend.

16. Have your kids brainstorm kindness ideas with you. They always have the best ones.

17. if someone in line is fumbling to get a few extra coins out to make a purchase, beat them to it and pay the change part for them!

18. Bring an extra cup of coffee or hot cocoa when you go to pick up your kids at school in the cold, share with someone who looks cold too!.

19.Everyone loves mail. Buy an 8 pack of notecards and find 8 different people in your lives to send a little note to ( family, friend, secretary at kid's school, pastor, dentist, wannabe friend, someone who has been down, and neighbor).

20. Be aware of your surroundings! There are always ways to do itty bitty things that will make a huge impact. Do something, anything. it will warm your heart and change your life!

Things you can do with your kids whenit's too cold to go outside and you have to stay home!!!

1. Movies! Don't just stick the kids in front of the tube though...get creative! Bring tons of pillows and blankets and spread out in the TV room or blow up an air mattress for a lazy day. Dark out all the windows and pretend you are in the movie theatre. Get creative with your little ones. Have them help you with the set up. Have them help with snack too....popcorn in buckets, snacks from a concession stand, drinks with straws, anything goes!
2. Blow up balloons. Kids of all ages love these things and they are so cheap. Start with just one or two and see what they do. Sometimes thats all you need to keep them entertained for an hour. Add more if you need. Who wouldn't want to run around the house chasing and grabbing 20 brightly colored balloons! If they need it to be a game, make it one. Have them grab balloons and try to stuff them into pillowcases. What about passing balloons between their legs. How about kicking them all to one room in the house as fast at they can? Maybe even have a stomping part to break the balloons and pick up the pieces when you are all done.
3. Crafts! Drawong, painting, playdough, or even paper mache ( look on line for recipe) staying inside is the perfect reason to go outside your comfort zone and do some crafts you never would have done...bird feeders with pinecones and peanut butter or stringing popcorn or fruit loops, finger painting with pudding. Buy one of those heavy duty plastic tableclothes that have fabric on the back and can simply be wiped down. Put it on your table or just on the floor for an instant surface to get creative.
4. Clean! Seriously! You can make anything fun if you find a new way of doing it! Get big paint brushes and let the kids paint the kitchen floor with nothing but water. Only rule- when they are done, they have to stand back ( or even sit on the counters) while you quickly mop! Give the kids a spray bottle with nothing but water and GO TO IT! Toilets, sinks, fronts of cabinets- a kid with a roll of paper towels or perhaps a brightly colored cloth and they are good to go! Time to clean the fridge? Have your littles ones help you take every single thing OUT of the fridge and put them on the floor wiping off jars and bottles while you wipe out the fridge. Then put it all back ( do this project before you mop the floor). Perhaps you can give your kid a scrub brush while they are taking a bath. Do the real scrub down later but quirt alittle body wash on the walls and tell them to go to town!
5. Wrap up random things around the house in blankets and pretend they are presents. Help the kids unwrap
6. Take that idea one step furthur and have a wrapped up day- perhaps in March as we "wrap up" winter and get ready for spring. The night before when they sleep, wrap stuff up! Their toys, shoes, even sippy cups and snacks. Help them unwrap their day and discover all their old toys and everyday stuff again in a new way!
7. Tke the wrapping up idea even furthur and think themes and education at the same time. Wrap up some play food in green or brown paper or blankets or something. Get out a watering can and something to represent the Sun ( a big pillow maybe) and show how when they water the food in the ground and the sun shines, plants will grow and our food with come to life so we can eat it and grow ourselves!
8. Begin your summer garden inside by starting some seeds!
9. Take a bath! They aren't used to taking a bath at 10AM or 3PM! Take out old bath toys and replace them with something new for the day- pool toys from summer, cups and measuring spoons from the kitchen, anything! Make extra bubbles!!!!! Even tell them to put on their swimsuits. If they promise to take a real bath after the super fun one, use food coloring to change the water and bath bubbles a different color. Let them decide when they want out. Sit in their with them with a book or magazine and let them get creative!
10. Playdates!!!! THose playsdates at the parks and pools are precious when the weather is nice but mandatory for the winter! Host one at your house or get others to go with you someplace- anyplace. Adult interaction is key for moms to survive winter too!
11. Swim at Best Western. Get your pool toys and googles and have some fun! Anyone can swim! $5 a person! What a special treat that would be after school one day.
12. Oasis- Indoor playground at First Christian Chruch Champaign- bring a lunch and spend lots of time there. Send out a TMG e-mail before you go asking others to join you!
13. The mall! The play area by JC Penny's is great for toddlers. And the rider toys that cost money are still fun to pretend on even without the money! The food court is a great place to pack a lunch or snack and settle in. A promise of one carousel ride for $1 is all you'll need!
14. Cook/Bake! Make food for dinner and have your kids help with the prep. Let them wash the veggies in the sink. Make cookies or other sweet treats for family and friends. Talk about measurements and bowl sizes and ingredients.
15. Schedule a complete kid-made meal for dinner one night and make a big deal about it to the rest of the family. This could be a week-long project if you involve the planning, shopping, making placemats or nametags or centerpieces. Get creative!
16. Board games! We all grew up with board games and the kids need to know that there are still amazing games to play that do not plug in or take batteries. Don't just play the new games. Show them some of the older ones taht are amazing- Battleship, Mastermind, Chutes and Ladders, and good ol' WAR
17. Kid friendly sing along or dance along exercise tapes! Get the whole family moving together!
18. Play hide and seek.
19. Instead of playing hide and seek with you, have each person take a turn hiding a stuffed animal and looking for it high and low
20. Hide jelly beans all around the house and have the kids go looking for them

Whatever you do, have fun doing it! The winter months can be hard- for you and your kids. All you may want to do is let them play by yourself but giving them your undivided attention for 20-30 minutes will make their day and also give them enough self esteem and confidence to play on their own when you really need them to! Enjoy!

TMG Holiday Party at The Allerton Mansion

Today was the much anticipated party and it was wonderful!

Everyone arrived and greeted each other in the Gallery and then Brian Fulton, Guest Services Coordinator ( and my cute hubby) took a group on a tour of the mansion.
Sandi, Andrea, and Brooke enjoy the Butternut room and the comfy couches!

Angela, Lisa, Kristy, Cara, and Tracy catch up on town news and share their Christmas plans.

Kerry, Lisa, Emily, Jodi, Jen, and Debbie take advantage of the coffee service in the Solarium and the wonderful atmosphere in the Gallery while others toured the home.Andrea shared a devotion with us

Then we were treated to the amazing vocals of Leah Meeks. You could hear a pin drop in the Gallery as she sang to us a Christmas song.

27 members of the 2009-2010 Moms Group! What fun!

The Allerton staff was wonderful! The catering staff took all our secret sis gifts and arranged them around the fire and on nearby tables to make us all feel more cozy and at home.

It was a wonderful brunch...spinach salad, fresh fruit, croissants, egg casserole, pinapple ham, and berry cheesecake- YUM!

Jill Bayless made each one of us the cutest little gift...it looked like a little lollipop with a note that said "you warm my heart". It was a tea light candle with a lollipop stick on the backside wrapped in cellophane and tied with a bow. it was SO STINKIN" CUTE- Thanks Jill!

After brunch, we all slowly made our way back to pick our kids up or back to home leaving Magestic Allerton behind us!

It was a wonderful morning and really special opportunity to reconnect with friends and share our lives.

Christmas/Holiday/Advent Traditions and Tips!

• Wrap up Christmas books you have and have your child open one a day, everyday of December, until Christmas http://fultonfamilynews.blogspot.com ( scroll down some for pics)
• Use an Advent Calendar to countdown the days until Christmas- on December 24th, go on a hunt for baby Jesus ( hide a Nativity set in your home)
• Do one thing special together as a family each day in December ( make cookies, watch a movie, make a snowman, go caroling)
• Don’t just decorate your home with “pretties”, Make an effort to have things your kids like and can actually play with and enjoy
• Do something with your girlfriends, just for you!
• Have a wrapping party. Everyone brings their gifts and wrapping paper. Spread out and start wrapping!
• take a car ride to look at all the pretty lights in your neighborhood
• Pray together
• Make treats for your neighbors and hand deliver
• Make treats for the birds and squirrels
• Don’t forget to say thank you to your postal worker, garbage man, UPS guy, or other service providers
• Carry some extra candy canes in your purse or diaper bag…,hand out to the grocery store person, the Salvation Army ringer, the cart collector, etc
• Buy a coffee or cocoa for the Salvation Army Ringer on a really cold day
• Take pictures of how your decorate each year so you can remember it the next year
• Have your kids take a picture in the same place each year so you can see how they’ve grown ( in front of a tree would be great)
• Talk to each other- use this time to reconnect
• Get a fresh Christmas tree at least once in your lifetime! Make the process super fun- go cut down your own tree, have hot cocoa waiting on the stove when you return
• Carol to your neighbor’s homes
• Give your child new Christmas PJ’s (already washed and soft) on Christmas Eve!
• Give your child a dated ornament each Christmas. When your child has his/her first home, give them all their ornaments to share with their family.
• Display the kids artwork from school in a prominent place- make sure they know you think it’s wonderful
• Make Santa really come to life- tell stories from when you were little, make reindeer snack mix, write him a note, etc.
• Write a holiday card! Even if you don’t send it to people. It should be something that documents the past year.
• Have Christmas music on all the time…on the CD players, in the kids’ rooms, in the car. 92.5 and 91.7 FM play 24/7 Christmas music during December.
• Have Santa show up a bit early and carefully put one small item (gum, one piece of candy, a coin, etc) in the kids’ stockings. He might come everyday or every few days or just once a week. He might come at night or while your kids are at school or even when you go to the library. The kids will be so excited for the anticipation of Christmas!
• Mommies and Daddies go to cocktail parties all the time leaving the kids at home with the babysitters. This year, host an hors d’vours party for the kids. Everything has to be bite size and the only untensil to use would be a toothpick. Serve juice in plastic cocktail glasses and show them how it’s done!
• Serve an almond dessert. Make a dessert with ONE ALMOND baked into it. Whoever gets served the Almond gets a gift!
• Read, THE ADVENT BOOK. It’s a beautiful book that you open one page a day and add on to the story. So on day 10, you read pages 1-10. By the end of Advent, the kids know the whole story by heart and learn the amazing story of the birth of Jesus.
  Have your tree reflect your reverence and respect of Advent. Let is be a month-long tree trimming experience. Each night for the first three weeks, have the children place purple ornaments on the tree. The forth week, pink ones. Insert your other family ornaments amounts the advent ornaments.
• Do Christmas Crafts with your kids! Ornaments, toys, decorations. Use paper and your hands and feet to create beautiful decorations (a foot for the body and two hands for wings on an angel….one upside down hand for a sheep…Green hands for an advent wreath, purple and pink ones for candles.
• Give each child their own special Advent Calendar or countdown
• Give everyone only three gifts to represent the three gifts the Wise men brought to Jesus
• When going through the checkout, ask the cashier what their favorite candy is…buy it for them! They work long, exhausting shifts this time of year! The sugar rush and the gesture will brighten their day!
• Designate at least one day a week for a family activity. Watching a favorite Christmas movie together with popcorn and treats, ice-skating, making a snowman, anything!
• Read ELF ON a SHELF A story about an elf, that actually comes with the book that reports on things to Santa. He “moves” everyday!
• Celebrate St. Nicks’ Day! December 6th. Have the kids put out their shoes and leave them something very small- candy, chocolate coins, etc. Learn together the story of the real St. Nick. Go to the store together and pick out a gift for a child less fortunate.
• Give 3 small gifts on Epiphany ( January 6th) The day the wise men arrived to meet Jesus
• Celebrate the 12 days of Christmas (the 12 days between the birth of Jesus and the Epiphany). Don’t just tear down all your decorations and start cleaning everything up….relish in the holidays! Finally take the time to enjoy what you have, what you received, and who you spent time with. Take it easy. Clean up and start the New Year after Epiphany!
• Have communion and read Luke 2, the story of Jesus’ birth
• Buy a child friendly Nativity set that has a verse and devotional about each piece of the Nativity. For the 12 days before Christmas, add a piece, learn about why it is part of the Nativity and share the devotional. Add the baby Jesus Christmas morn. http://www.nadiaswearingen-friesen.com/DevotionSets.html
• http://www.jillsavage.com
• Make your own little Christmas notebook for the entire Holiday season! Attach a pen to it with a ribbon and carry it with you everywhere. Designate areas for gift ideas, writing down what you buy for whom, To Do lists, ideas for things, etc!
  

Things you can give to/or do for your Secret Sister for $5 or less

These ideas are great for anyone, not just your secret sister! If you have a friend who's having a bad day or someone you know at church who needs some extra support. Perhaps these ideas can be utilized by us all to help brighten someone's day.

The Secret Sister Program was designed to do just that- brighten someone's day. Build support of each other, anonymously, to show that others are thinking of you, care about you, and love you! This program was not designed to show off what you have or spend lots of money. Quite the opposite. We just want you to be aware of your secret sister and what's happening in her life. Show support in small ways and large ways and just love them for who they are- an amazing MOM!!!

• PRAY FOR HER and her family! Do it privately but also occassionally send her a note telling her she's in your daily prayers.
• Postcards, notes, cards, letters in the mail! Everyone loves getting mail. Thinking of you notes, funny cards, etc are a great way to brighten someone's day or even week!
• Baked goods! No one can pass up some homemade baked bread or yummy cookies. If you are already baking at home, bake one more for your secret sister or another friend. Bring it to a meeting or drop it off on her doorstep with a note!
• Get creative with your drop offs. You do not have bring gifts to meetings to participate. Drop off at their door, send them an item through a sealed lip friend. Leave them a note on their windshield or put a gift on their car. If your kids go to the same preschool or school, put a gift in their child's backpack for mom!
• Send your husband to do drop offs too!
• use their survey to find out what they like or don't like. Have a spy or someone they know who's in on the Secret Sis thing ( they MUST be sworn to secrecy). Have them tell you more about your SS and what she likes. Have this person tell you when she needs extra support or is going through a bad time.
• THink consumables- we all love things that we can enjoy but don't take up lots of space in our cluttered lives and minds....a simple bottle of water or soda, gum, a candy bar, one cookie, a bag of chips or a donut!!!
• Candles, frames, and other small house items
• Small giftcards. No need to spend lots. Find out they love sweet tea from McDonalds? Buy a giftcard with $2.12 so they can buy two whenever they need one. A cup of coffee from Steeple Gallery or one specialty chocolate item from Waky Nackies!
• Go to the dollar store and collect a few items to put together in a bowl or bag for them!
• A package of seeds in the spring to spread in thier own garden or to spread in a park!
• A photobook before a vacation they are going on
• A donation to an organization THEY love!
• A full meal delivered to their door so they don't have to cook one night!
• Good at something crafty? Do it for your SS! She'll love it!
• Think like a kid! Madlibs, crosswords, yoyo's- you know we all love them too!
• Magazine and pop culture stuff to feed our brains away from our daily life!
• A coupon for one night of free babysitting next summer as soon as they find out who you are!
• Write her a letter telling her why she's so great!
• Make a Positive Daily Affirmations box with little pieces of paper that she can read that say great things about herself " You are loved and lovable" "You are smart" "you are strong""You make a difference in people's lives just by being you"
• Send her flowers

A few reminders about Secret Sisters

• We try to keep it a secret til the last meeting of the year-it's hard but so much fun! if you do think you know who your SS is, don't say anything- she doesn't want to be found out- just play along!
• You do not need to support your SS each week but please do think of them often and remember how you feel when you get a special treat from yours!
• When you come to meetings, try to put your SS gift, on the sly, in the box right outside of the door. Some moms will even drop them off the day before a meeting to ensure no one sees the drop
• If you have to leave a meeting early, look through the box before you go. You might not have anything this week however it makes it easier for the leadership team to not have to drop it off at your home.

A Thanksgiving Article Worth Reading

Am I thankful?
Sure I am.
As long as it’s convenient. As long as the gift-giver is within ear’s reach of my thank you.

And as long as what I’m thankful for is good, comfortable, pleasant and smells great.

I never thank anyone for rolling over my toe with their cart in the grocery store or thank someone for an unkind word.

And I never thank God for struggles. I mean, how stupid would I sound: Thank you, God, for NO MONEY to pay the mortgage today.

Thank you that my seven-year-old has emotional outbursts every morning before school that reduce her to a pile of unbrushed auburn waves and tears on the bathroom floor.

Thanks for spilled apple juice, dried and sticky on the floor.

Thank you, God, for the rejection of friends and that crazy mean email last week.

Thank you for the tears it cost. Thank you for the argument I had with my husband last night.

Thank you, God, that he doesn’t understand me.

No.

We are usually thankful for blessings. Gifts. Encouragement. Provision.

We send thank-you notes to mothers and cousins for baby gifts and Christmas packages.

We call our pastors and thank them for the sermon.

We are grateful for warm beds and fireplaces that glow in our family rooms.

We are thankful because it’s easy and expected. But the sweet times, the easy-flowing happy times are not what shape me. I am comfortable and will stay the same if everything always goes my way.

Discomfort is the only way I grow.

And I am never grateful for sitting in the valley of hurt and pain.

I’m never thankful when things don’t work out like I planned. I stamp my feet instead and no-fair God. I tell Him He doesn’t know what it's like to be me. I’m not changed in the lots-of-money, kids-are-well, husband-adores-me days.

But I am changed in the I’m-fat, second-argument-this-week-with-my-mom, worried-about-my-kids days. This is when I’m moved to trust.

I have to because nothing else works.

These are the days when God comes in and under-girds my heart with His own, turns my head to refocus my attention and then asks me to trust.

And I should be grateful that He thinks enough of me to carefully craft difficulty to edge me toward beauty, kindness, and grace with pressure.

I don’t want to just be thankful for the easy. I want to be grateful for the hard.

And that involves a choice...one I'm making today.

Ideas from the group on how we can SHOW gratitude to our children!

Thanks for all the responses. I've listed them below.

I do want to add one tremendous idea that KerryK mentioned to me a while back. For Lent one year she served plain rice EVERY DAY for lunch, reminding them that for so many people in the world this was ALL they got to eat, no breakfast, no supper. How's that for effective!

I do need to keep in mind that this is the only lifestyle Kate knows. She has always lived in a house, with a bed, with a closet full of clothes, a room full of toys, and food at every meal. She knows nothing else. I guess it's my job to find ways to expose her to reality for most of the world's children. Please and thank you is nice, but an "attitude of gratitude" is what I'm shooting for.
- giving her old clothes, coats, toys etc. to charity.
-maybe having her go with you to willow tree to make that donation. and talking about the kids who will be able to use these.
-donate food for the food drive so a child can have a full belly at Thanksgiving
- putting together a Christmas box together for a needy child
-have her help to earn the money for a new toy for the giving tree at Christmas for a girl her age
-adding in her prayers how grateful she is for all God has provided for her, and praying that he will bless the other boys and girls in the world that don't have enough food or a warm bed.
- Start with talking about Thanksgiving and work at a food/shelter for part of Thanksgiving Day. There are lots of kids even in town who only have one pair of pants.
- You could take her and volunteer as a family to a woman’s shelter or a food drive or something along those lines to show her that there are many children that do not have clothes, or toys or even a meal some days.
- We went thru and packed up all the toys that the boys never hardly played with and cleaned them up for the Willow Tree toy drive. I told them that there are children that live in their town that wouldn’t get any toys for Christmas from their parents and that helped the boys understand.
- Sometimes volunteering can make a big difference. There is always the internet as well. You could show her 3rd world countries. (Of course I would watch the stuff first). :)

GOO recipe

Every few weeks at the meetings, craft Guru, Cara German, delights us with a quick and easy craft or activity that we can do with our own kids at home. This week, she shared the recipe for the famous GOO that we make at the Monticello Celebration each fall!


GOO Recipe

What You Will Need:

Solution A
1 cup water
1 cup white glue (Elmer's school glue works best)

Solution B
1 1/3 cups warm water (warm enough to dissolve the borax - we premix with hot water and let it cool for the Celebration)
4 tsp. Borax (laundry booster)

How To Make It
1. Mix ingredients in solution A together in a bowl
2. In a separate bowl, mix the ingredients in solution B until Borax is completely dissolved
3. Slowly pour solution A into solution B
4. Roll solution A around in solution B 4-5 times
5. Lift solution A out of solution B and knead for a couple of minutes.
6. Store in an airtight container (we use Monical's sauce containers) or Ziplock bag

Thanksgiving Traditions Your Family is Proud of and Ways to say Thanks

1. Pick 2 or 3 non family members ( school secretaries, neighbors, friends from church, grocery bagger, etc) in the month of November. Adopt them! Make them cards saying thanks or that you are thinking of them. Make them a meal or some yummy treats, write them a note. Do something nice. Make sure the whole family is part of the process.

2. Start a Thankyou journal. Buy a simple journal and bring it to your Thanksgiving celebrations. During your time together, have each person write a few things they are grateful for. Keep this as a running record of the special things that have happened each year.

3. On your way to a Thankgiving celebration, take turns going through the alphabet saying one thing you are thankful for this past year....A is for Alaric, B is for the new babies at church, C is for the cards of love and support we've gotten, etc.

4. On your way to a Thanksgiving celebration ( especially if you have to go to more than one home) take time to say one nice thing about each of the people you are about to see.

5. Make a Thanksgiving craft this month that reflects all you are grateful for. Take time each day or week to highlight the craft and add to it.

• Styrofoam ball wrapped in yarn. Take craft sticks covered in paper and write down something you are grateful for and stick into the foam
• http://familyfun.go.com/thanksgiving/thanksgiving-craft-decorations/thanksgiving-turkey-crafts/a-thanksgiving-turkey-715080/
• http://thefuntimesguide.com/2008/11/thanksgiving_kids_crafts.php
• Turkey body on paper, handprints with thanks as the feathers

6. Make your Thanksgiving celebration extra special by doing something different.

• Collect all your little items/free stuff ( mouthwash, toys, lotions, soaps, jewelry, etc). Have everyone bring them to the Thanksgiving celebration. After the meal, instead of napping- hand out Monopoly money to all the family members and have an auction for all the "stuff" people brought! make it fun!
• Have Thanksgiving Olympics. Break into teams. Compete in areas such as biggest bubblegum bubble, penny toss, clothespin drop, etc.

7. make a family comittment at Thanksgiving to dedicate yourself to a local service agency during the advent season. Make monetary donations, give time, items,etc. Decide as a family at Thanksgiving, research together, DO IT!!!!

Ways to Keep Your Kids' Toys Organized or other Advice about TOYS!!

1. Put a basket in each room. Have all toys you want in the room fit only in the basket so kids know their limits and cleanup is a breeze!

2. Go to IKEA and purchase a large shelving unit with lots of cubbies ( Ikea makes one with 16 cubbies or even more). Put the shelving unit in the playroom or family room and fill cubbies with toys and accessories.

3. On each cubby, take a picture of the toys ( cars, blocks, barbies) to help guide little kids on where they should be putting the toys back.

4. PURGE!!! Less is more. Evaluate which toys your kids really need, want, or play with. Get rid of toys that are unloved and taking up space.

5. Use baby wipe boxes to organize small toys in each area and for storage. These are perfect for little cars, game pieces, rattles, or other small toys.

6. Designate specific areas in your home that are toy friendly and others that are TOY FREE ZONES. Perhaps your den or a living room is toy free and other areas are play zones. Set boundaries and stick to them.

7. At the end of the day, allow your kids 5 minutes to pick up any toys they still want the next day. Anything that is left out goes in a "GiveAway box". ACTUALLY DO IT to show the kids you are serious. Once a week before you take the box to a donation center, allow the kids to earn back or pick one toy.

8. If your home has extra storage, rotate toys. Don't put them all out at once. Use large Rubbermaid bins or storage shelves to store great toys. Once a month rotate out new toys. Your kids will not get sick of their toys and feel like they have new stuff all the time.

9. Once your kids realize they have toys in storage, if they ask for a toy from storage have a "one toy in, one toy out" policy. Have them pick a toy to trade so you don't have too many things out at once.

10. 7 minute clean-up each day. 5 minutes is too short, 10 minutes is too long. Set the timer in the kitchen and EVERYONE, moms, dads, and everyone spends 7 minutes cleaning up different areas of the house before bedtime, perhaps right after dinner. Stay focused, give encouragement, and teach your kids the importance of putting things back in their place.

11. Clean toys before you put them away so they are clean and ready to go.

12. When they receive large quanitities of toys at once ( birthdays and Christmas), consider holding back a few toys right away and getting out at another time of the year OR let them have all their new toys but pyt away some old ones for awhile to control the clutter.

13. Use small, heavy duty zip bags ( robeeze containers, shams or curtain containers, pillow cases, etc) to store toys in toy boxes or storage.

14. Use canvase totebags to haul toys and store in car. Put the bag next to you and distribute toys throughout your short or long trips to kids in the car. use a seperate bag for books.

15. Sort through all your books in your home and seperate holiday, season, birthday, special event books. Put these aside. Get out themed books seperately at different times of the year to highlight them along with what you are doing.

16. To encourage the importance of early literacy and love of books, don't just put books on shelves. Pick some special books you want to highlight that week or month and put in baskets in rooms near the toys. Offer to read special books just as often as you offer to play. Rotate books often.

17. Have your kids help you evaluate your toy situation. Work WITH them! Explain how blessed they are and how other children don't have the same things. Use times before Christmas and Birthdays to purge and make room for new or right after events to see how much space you need to make room for.

Meal Planning

Meal Planning

Prepping and Planning
¨ A deep freezer is a HUGE investment that will end up saving you so much time and money in the short and long run- start pricing them now!
¨ Plan ahead. We are all busy but if you spend even a half hour planning for the whole week, or even two weeks at a time ( as one of our members does), you will feel so much better, be in better control, feed your family healthier, spend less, and have a happy family.
¨ Write down your menu for the week and POST on the fridge so everyone knows what is being served
¨ When planning, look at the advertisements for that week’s grocery store and base your menu on what you already have in your kitchen and what’s on sale.
¨ Cross program your meal planning. Think of each dinner as two meals- either lunch the next day or dinner later in the week. Chicken and veggies one night turns into Chicken Quesadillas. Pork Chop one night turns into Stir-fry. Tacos one night, taco salad the next lunch or make meatballs or a meat sauce with extra ground beef or turkey.
¨ Buy your meat in bulk when the price is right.
¨ Buy 4 pounds of ground beef or turkey. When you get home, separate into four, season (taco, Italian, etc), cook, put into four zip lock bags, label, and freeze. When you need something, simply defrost and use.
¨ Cook up entire bags of frozen chicken (try marinating in Italian dressing). Leave fresh in your fridge for the whole week for lunches or to put on salads or add to things or freeze a few at a time in zip locks. Pull out a bag of cooked chicken, defrost, and use for anything.
¨ Buy a big pork loin and have your butcher cut it into smaller chops or roasts, etc.
¨ www.Menus4moms.com
¨ Make spaghetti sauce in bulk at once, freeze- use all season
¨ Encourage your kids to try one bite of everything-just one bite!
¨ Grocery shopping without the kids is a dream come true but if your kids are with you, use them. Older kids can price check or go on a “hunt” for items (“Find County Market Ketchup in aisle 2, on sale for 79cents”). Tell them why you are buying what you do and make it a learning experience.
¨ Buy a 3 ring binder and protective plastic sheet covers. Each time you find a recipe you like in a magazine or get a recipe from a friend, tear just the one page out or put the paper in the binder, not a recipe box. Also great if you are printing recipes from the internet. The pictures are great, you have everything in one place, it’s cleaner, and easier to look at and refer back to.
¨ Buy a side of beef or a pig from a meat producer and freeze! Saves tons of money. Share a cow or a side of cow with a friend! J
¨ Kraft.com has tons of ideas for meals, snacks, etc. and has a menu generator when you type in a few staples you have in your fridge and they help you make it a meal.
¨ Have your kids help you with washing and prepping earlier in the day so it’s easier to do it later in the afternoon
¨ Use your Crockpot
¨ When making a freezer friendly meal, make two. Eat one now and freeze one for another week.
¨ Find a few friends to do supper swap with. Find a day once a month to make a few of the same meal. Deliver to your best friends. Have them do the same. You might be able to get a few free meals each month with no cooking!!!!
¨ If your dinners usually only last you one meal and you don’t have leftovers, make a casserole or some sort of larger meal on Sunday that can just be in the fridge and available to eat on for lunches all week long.

Menu Ideas and Recipes
¨ Cereal Chicken. Take your defrosted chicken breasts, dip in melted butter, then into cereals you have crushed and mixed with a few tablespoons of flour and salt and pepper. Captain Crunch, Corn Flakes, and Rice Crispy’s are big favorites. Bake at 350 till chicken is cooked through. Be sure to have kids crunch the cereal for you in zip locks.
¨ Leftovers
¨ Have once a week on the menu to avoid wasting food ( planovers as Janet Lamb calls it)
¨ Get creative…if you don’t want to just put out the regular leftovers, make a snack meal with it. Get out all the little portions you have of foods from the week, mix with some fresh fruit and veggies with dip and some cheese and stick toothpicks in everything. Cut the meat up into little pieces and tell everyone to use their toothpicks instead of forks.
¨ Buy a Boboli pizza crust, put down your sauce, add your leftovers from the week, cover with cheese and voila- LEFTOVER PIZZA!
¨ Put all the leftovers in a casserole dish with a can of cream of mush soup, a bag of veggies, and cheese- LEFTOVER Casserole!
¨ Buy a Rotisserie Chicken to feed your family instead of takeout or drive-thru. Use that same rotisserie to feed your family over and over. You can use every last part of the chicken. Piece it out and add to soups, make pulled chicken, chicken salad, etc.
¨ Don’t just think if casseroles as chicken- use fish (you can buy a box of 40 Tilapia at Sams for $13), ground turkey, pork, and more.
¨ Quick Stovetop Macaroni and Cheese

INGREDIENTS
· 1 (7 ounce) package elbow macaroni
· 1/4 cup butter or margarine
· 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
· 1/2 teaspoon salt
· 1 pinch pepper
· 2 cups milk
· 2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese
DIRECTIONS
Cook macaroni according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Stir in flour, salt and pepper; cook until bubbly. Gradually add milk; cook and stir until thickened. Stir in cheese until melted. Drain macaroni; add to cheese sauce and stir to coat.

¨ Here is the recipe for the "Cream of _________ Soup" Substitute to be used in place of cream of mushroom, chicken or celery soups in recipes.
This can be varied by adding sautéed celery, onions, or little bits of leftover chicken. You can also omit the mushrooms altogether if the main purpose of the soup is to thicken it and not really flavor it.

Ingredients:
· 1 tbsp. butter
· 3 tbsp. flour
· 1/2 cup any broth
· 1/2 cup milk
· mushrooms, chopped and sautéed (how ever much you desire)
· salt and pepper to taste
Directions

Melt butter in a saucepan over Med-Low heat.
Stir in flour a little at a time until smooth, and then remove from heat.
Add broth and milk a little at a time, stirring to keep mixture smooth. Then, stir in mushrooms.
Return to heat and bring sauce to a gentle boil; stir constantly until sauce thickens.
Add salt and pepper to taste.

¨ Cheesy Crockpot Chicken

1 can of Cream of Mushroom soup or 1 recipe of Cream of ______ Soup Substitute
A splash of milk
4-6 large boneless skinless chicken breasts
A couple of handfuls of shredded cheddar cheese

Put the soup, milk and chicken in the Crockpot. Cook for a few hours. About an hour before serving add the cheese and continue to cook until the cheese has melted and the sauce has come together. Serve over mashed potatoes, noodles, or rice

¨ Side dish, lentils, bouillon, and veggies mixed together
¨ Belly Button Soup (made with cheese tortellini and could be adapted lots of different ways). Brown garlic, add can of diced tomatoes and juice with fresh or frozen spinach, 2 cans of chicken broth and frozen cheese tortellini.
¨ Tablespoon of Mayo, and Brown mustard on chicken and then dipped in chopped walnuts or pecans.
¨ Breakfast for dinner….old favorites like eggs, bacon, sausage, French toast, pancakes, waffles. Get creative with quiche, muffins, casseroles, parfaits, breakfast sandwiches, etc
¨ If your family has favorites that they could eat week after week, DO IT! Call it Taco Tuesday or Salad Sunday or Mac and Cheese Monday. Don’t do that for everyday of the week but knowing week to week that you will have one less meal to think of is great!
¨ Build your own baked potato. Provide the potato and then let your family add the rest on a lazy Susan or on a buffet line in the kitchen. Don’t just think butter and sour cream. Diced ham, veggies, cheese, beans, tomatoes, olives, etc.
¨ Personal pizzas.
¨ Pulled chicken or pork from frozen ziplocks. Add bbq sauce or make into chicken, pork salad.
Lunch Box Additions
¨ Snack packs- tuna or chicken salad on crackers- make your own
¨ Homemade lunchables…use a cookie cutter and small plastic containers found in the baby aisle to pack crackers, cheese, meat, and anything else into a sandwich without the bread.
¨ Put sandwich meat in a sack without the bread
¨ Make trail mix together…dried fruit, raisins, nuts, small crackers, even chocolate chips or mini m&m’s.
¨ Make a sandwich and use a shaped cookie cutter to make it extra special
¨ Use dinner rolls or sweet Hawaiian bread instead of regular bread for mini sandwiches
¨ Don’t always think sandwich- yogurt, fruit, some trail mix and a drink can be a great lunch.
¨ Keep your kids hydrated! Mini water bottles they can use over and over, low sugar juice boxes such as Apple and Eve or Honest Kids
¨ Use leftover holiday, b-day or theme napkins to put in your kids lunchboxes
¨ Write a note on the napkin
¨ Surprise the kid every once in awhile with a special dessert, piece of candy or note of promise to get DQ after school.
¨ Make your own fortune cookies with special notes just to your child for their lunchbox. Simply Google “homemade fortune cookies”
¨ Fruit, Meat, Veggie or Cheese Kabobs
¨ Pitas with regular sandwich makings in or fruit, yogurt, etc
¨ Leftovers- buy a 5 hour small thermos made just for those things and share with your child the importance of not letting food go bad!
¨
Family Traditions/Meal Time Fun
¨ Theme dinners
¨ Colors (all foods have to be the same color. Use colored napkins or ask family members to dress in the color too). Great when you are trying to get your kids to eat green veggies or orange carrots or yellow squash
¨ Holidays- green food for St. Patrick’s Day, Heart shaped pancakes on V-Day, etc.
¨ Indoor Picnic- just move your meal to the floor for a special treat
¨ On the family member’s b-day, they get to pick whatever they want to have made for them. No matter what it is. The rest of the family can chip in and help make it.
¨ Buy one set of plates that is only used when someone in the family has something to celebrate (you may need to buy one for each child for some occasions as they may apply to more than one member of your family). One TMG member just bought one plate, bowl, and glass in red plastic from the dollar store. Use for events such as birthdays, first day and last day of school, potty training, lost tooth, etc.
¨ Pray together. Not just a standard Grace but let the kids pray for whatever they want before dinner
¨ Top Three’s! Each person at the table share their top three moments of the day
¨ High and Low- share your low moment of the day and your high moment of the day
¨ What made you happy today?
¨ Use seasonal plates and napkins every once in awhile instead of regular plates
¨ Game: Guess what I’m thinking? Ask questions like Is it an animal? Is it God made or man made? Is it living or nonliving? Etc/ Teaching so many wonderful skills!
¨ Add onto a story. Once person starts the story and you go around the table adding onto it.
¨ Dinner Box. Type up lots of different conversation topics to discuss at the tables, things to do or activities to do after dinner and place in a box. Each night or when time allows, draw one slip and read aloud!

Little Things You Can Do to Keep your Marriage Happy and Your Love Alive

Here are just a few ideas you and your partner can do to help keep your love alive!!!



1. US TIME- sit down Sunday night with your calendar and SCHEDULE time that is just for you....a walk together, a date night out with a babysitter, a movie after the kids go to sleep, or just 15 minutes with the TV off your your focus on each other. Mark it on the calendar with a heart, take turns planning it, and make sure you don't fill the time with something else.



2. Snuggle- every once in awhile, every day or sometime each week, sit together when you are watching TV. Hold hands, touch feet. Spoon while you lay in bed, give back rubs or feet rubs, kiss! Let your kids see you snuggle too!



3. Notes- notes in his lunch box or on the seat of his car or in the pocket of his coat. Love notes, miss you notes, or thinking of you!



4. Tell him what you need. During one of your US times, TALK about what you need to feel special. Men do NOT know on their own. Tell him you need a love note every once in awhile or a backrub at the end of a tough day, or a simple thankyou. TELL HIM AND BE HONEST!!!!



5. Quality Times each day- Spouse comes first! Even if it's 5 minutes while the kids are engaged on their own, ask about his day-LISTEN! Don't just unload about yours. Just letting him go first will make him feel great, and allow him just a few minutes to then regroup and focus on you and the family again.



6. Connect FIRST THING EACH DAY- have coffee together, snuggle while you are still in bed in the morning, talk while you brush your teeth or make breakfast on the run. Don't let either of you leave the house without feeling connected and loved each morning.



6. The way to his heart is through his.... it might be his stomach! if so, honor that! Even if it's food that's bad for him- cook it as a special treat every once in awhile. if fitness or bike riding or golf or something else is the way to his heart, honor him by allowing him time to do the things he loves. If he sees the respect you are giving him, he will honor you back as well.



7. Books on love and love challenges...stroll through the LOVE section at your bookstore. They have great interactive books on questions to ask each others, challenges to participate in, even LOVE DARES!~~



8. Kiss for a minute! DOn't just peck as you pass by- KISS- really kiss! For ONE FULL MINUTE! make it deep, make it meaningful and just do it!

9. DO IT!!!! Seriously! Schedule time, either in your own mind or seriously on the calendar to be sure you make intimacy important. Studies show that couples who comitt to their intimate lives have happier marriages than those who do not.

10. Connect throughout the day. A short call just to check in and see how each other is doing is a great way to stay connected.

11. Share interests. If sports is not your favorite thing but it is his, make an effort to watch with him or go to a game or ask questions about his favorite team. If he loves movies, do the same. Tell him what your interests are and ask him to participate as well.

12. Set goals for your realtionship TOGETHER....a date night once a month, him making dinner once a week, sex, whatever.

13. Time together away from the kids. Showing them that you like to be together, without them also shows that you and your spouse are a team, you respect each other, and you enjoy each other's company.

14. Talk about things other than the kids and their lives- share communication and conversation.

15. Pray together

16. At church, hold hands. it's a very intimate experience to simply hold on to those you love.

17. Make chores fun by doing them together...dishes are best when you have someone to talk to and share the work. Rake those leaves with the one you love. Take turns mowing the lawn.

HAVE FUN WITH THE ONE YOU LOVE!!!!

Family Picnic

Today The Mom's Group enjoyed our first family event of the 2009-2010 year! We had a family picnic at Forest Preserve Park. It was drizzling when we arrived, but as soon as everyone got there, the clouds parted & the sun started to shine! The kids had a great time playing on the playground equiptment & the adults enjoyed wonderful fellowship! Thank you to all those families that participated & for those of you that couldn't join us... we hope to see you next time!

Part of The Fulton Family

The O'Linc Family
The Pyatt Family

Part of The German Family

The Evans Family

The Wiltgen Family

Part of The Harper Family

The Vangilder Family

The merry-go-round ride was a huge hit!

Part of The Buehnerkemper Family

What To Do With Your Kids in the Car on Long Road Trips or Just Running Errands Around Town

You all were amazing at the meeting today! Thanks for your ideas! Remember to use this blog for anything- great ideas, annoucements, etc. Make it your favorites. We'll all get a lesson our our forum website too!



All the fun ideas below can be created for SUPER cheap. Even if you won't go to second hand stores or garage sales for your family, they are THE BEST place for small toys, craft supplies, and extras that your kids will love and never know or care where they came from!



1. Kathy Fair's Driving Wheel for Peace. A handmade cirlce that gives her kids a visual que on how much time they have left in the car together. Each hour ( or half hour or whatever), the kids physically remove part of the wheel so they can see how much time they have left.



2. http://www.momsminivan.com/ 101 car travel games including Battleship



3. "I unpacked my grandma's truck and I took out an..." Finish the sentence with something from each letter of the alphabet.



4. Clear Shoebox for each kid to give messy snacks, toys, and other surprises in



5. ABC game...Arthur from the Amazon loves Avacados. Burt from Bigtown likes burgers...



6. Magna Doodles- hours of endless fun! Challenge your kids "Everyone draw a tree and show me! Now a fish, etc"



7. I spy inside the car and outside the car



8. DVD players!!!!! Personal ones so no one has to fight over movies or car ones for everyone



9. Nintendo DS



10. Old School Hand Held Games like Solitair, Connect FOur, etc- the kids still like the super cool stuff from when we were young too.



11. Cookie Sheets with magnets



12. Books



13. Usborne 100 things to do cards http://www.amazon.co.uk/Things-Journey-Usborne-Activity-Cards/dp/1409501000



14. Make up new word to common songs- use kids names



15. Dum Dum Suckers to keep little mouths busy!



16. Before a really long road trip, get a special treat bag with lots of goodies. Have the bag be your car bag. Every hour or certain amount of time, get out new things for everyone- toys, books, CD's, DVDs, coloring books, activity pads, crayons, markers, etc.



17. Wrap up small second hand toys that are new or even their own beloved toys from home in bright wrapping paper. Surprise them by giving them a "gift" throughout the roadtrip. Little ones will find the unwrapping just as much fun as the treat inside.



18. Don't just give the books to your kids to read, read to them. The passenger seat is a great place to hold the book out so all little eyes can see.



19. Dress up in the car. As an activity bring a bag with items such as mismatched socks, hats, scarves, glasses, etc. Hand them out and have everyone do something silly ( scarved wrapped around leg, socks on hands, etc.)



20. Play G rated "Would you Rather" to have some fun open conversations. "Would you rather eat a bottle of ketchup or mustard" "Would you rather skin your knee on the playground or get a really bad papercut"



21. Tell a story together. have everyone add to it...Once there was a girl names Sue and she was 12 feet tall....then have the next person in the car add to it. This game is even fun for toddlers.



22. Negotiate personal times- for the kids and parents " I'm going to read books and tell stories with your for 10 more minutes and then you need to find something to do on your own for awhile" Don't entertain the kids all the time. They too need to learn to sit still, be quiet, and play independently.



23. Stretch out Snacks. DOn't give them all their snack at once, keep giving them parts of it througout a period of time. Crackers now, apple in 10 minutes, then a cookie 10 minutes after that.



24. Don't Rest at the Rest Stops! Move. Actually spend 10 minutes there instead of just bathroom breaks and back in the car. The kids need the physical activity. it might wear them out and then they might nap or it gets their blood flowing,the bad moods gone, and gives them enough energy to get through a few more hours in the car. Get those kids running and jumping and moving. tell them to run around the pavilion three times or race to the garbage can and back. Create printed scavenger hunts ahead of time for the rest stop ( find one piece of trash, three green leaves, a bottle top, a tourist information pamphlet, etc)



25. Turn on music TOGETHER! CD's, radio- it doesn't matter. Whether you sing along or just sit and listen it gets the mind moving and your kids appreciating music!



26. Books on tape or CD. The library has TONS of these. Don't think your kids won't listen. Try. They need to practice their audiological skills just as much as visual skills. Get a great book on tape. Teach them to listen. It takes adults awhile to adjust and concentrate. Talk about it first. You may have to rewind and replay the first chapter again to be sure they actually heard it!



Great ideas everyone! I feel empowered to try some new things! Add to our comments section with anything else you think of!