December Days

There is a lot to do and see around town in December--here is a list to get you started:

*US Bank Wild Lights at the StLouis Zoo
     weekends Nov 27-Dec 13 and nightly Dec 18-23 and 26-30
     from 5:30-8:30
     $4/members    $5/nonmembers     children under 2 are free
     http://www.stlzoo.org/
     *Wander through the zoo and check out all the colorful holiday light displays, sip hot cocoa,
      listen to fireside tales and more.
*Christmas Wonderland in Rock Springs Park in Alton continues through Dec 27
     M-F: 6-9 pm
     Sa-Su: 5-9 pm
     admission fee per vechicle--800-258-6645
     *Drive through Rock Springs Park to see more than 3 million lights adorning trees and lighting
      displays.  Visitors are sure to be captivated by the holiday spirit.
*Anniversary of Basketball on Dec 1st
*Snowflake Festival at Glazebrook Park in Gofrey
     Dec 4th from 6-8 pm
     Free admision--618-466-1483
     *Visit the beautiful Glazebrook Park for an illuminating evening with thousands of twinkling lights
      and snowflakes.  This old-fashioned festival will feature carolers, hot cocoa, carriage rides and
      pictures with Santa!
*Taste of Chocolate at Grafton Winery and Brewhaus
     Dec 5th from noon-3 pm
     admission charge--618-786-7000
     *Love chocolate?  Enjoy dozens of homemade chocolate treats from businesses and residents in
      Grafton.  We'll serve coffee and hot chocolate too!
*Olde Alton Arts and Crafts Fair at Alton High School on Humbert Rd
     Dec 5th from 9 am-5 pm
     Dec 6th from 10 am-4 pm
     admission charge--618-259-5660
     *The 21st annual Olde Alton Arts and Crafts Fair is a crafters dream come true with over 250
      booths of crafters selling their best wares.
*Christmas Parade on State and W. Prarie streets in Jerseyville
     Dec 11th at 5 pm
     Free admission--618-639-5222
     *Be filled with the holiday spirit at the lighted Christmas Parade in Jerseyville, concluding with a
      tree lighting ceremony.
*National Day of the Horse on Dec 12th
*Holiday with Tchaikovsky at Alton High School Auditorium
     Dec 12th at 8 pm
     admission charge--618-467-2326
     http://www.altonsymphony.org/
     *Tchaikovsky's 1st Symphony, "Winter Daydreams" is a natural selection for the ever-popular
      Alton Symphony Orchestra holiday concert.  Enjoy this classical arrangement with an array of
      your favorite holiday melodies.
*Arrival at Camp Dubois at the Lewis and Clark State Historic Site in Hartford
     Dec 12th and 13th from 10 am-4 pm
     Free admission--618-251-5811
     http://www.campdubois.com/
     *Come celebrate the arrival of Lewis and Clark at Camp River Dubois.  The event will include
      members of the detachment portraying military life, re-enactors recreating the civilian population
      and demonstrators.
*Bethalto Spirit Victorian Christmas Walk at Bethalo Village Center near Bethalto Village Hall
     Prarie to West Central to Oak Streets in Bethalto
     Dec 13th from 4-7 pm
     Free admission--618-377-0767
     *Step into an era of horse drawn carriages and gas street lights, sipping wassail and enjoying the
      festive treats as you take in the sights of this little Christmas Village and the sounds of hand bells
      and carolers floating in the evening air.
*Ludwig can Beethoven's Birthday (1770) on Dec 16th
*Middletown Luminary Display on the Streets of Middletown in Alton
     Dec 24th from 5 pm-2 am
     No admission--618-474-2200
     *Christmas Eve is aglow with candlelight as thousands of luminary line the streets of Middletown
      in Alton.  Take a candlelit drive down Henry St and through the Middletown neighborhood.
*Christmas Day on Dec 25th
*National Thank You Note Day on Dec 26th
*New Year's Eve on Dec 31st
*First Night Riverbend at Lewis and Clark College in Godfrey
     Dec 31st from 7 pm-midnight
     Admission charge--618-468-5001
     http://www.fnrblc.com/
     *Ring in 2010 at the First Night Riverbend New Year's Eve celebration of the arts.  This family
      oriented event is alcohol-free and features more than 40 artists displaying their talents.  Music,
      dance, visual arts, hat making, children's interactive activities and more!

Have a safe and happy holiday season!!


    

Cookie Decorating!

Yesterday Addie decided she wanted to make pink frosted heart cookies with pink sprinkles on top!!  The boys thought that decorating cookies sounded like a great idea, so off to the store we went to get all of the necessary supplies.  We even found a

turkey shaped cookie cutter!!  Once we got home we quickly whipped up some

sugar cookie dough and set to work with the rolling and cutting.  Our first batch was a complete

disaster as all of the turkeys morphed into big blobs of cookies and did not retain their shape at all!!

All was well though as it gave us something to munch on while we rethought our dough thickness

and cookie sheet layout strategy!  The next batch turned out much better (the shapes were actually recognizable!)--we had acorns, oak leaves and turkeys.  I think we made 6 batches of cookies,

with some hearts thrown in just for Addie!

Of course, children waiting for cookies to cool is not a pretty sight (or sound) so we stayed occupied

designing our powdered sugar frostings and laying out waxed paper to

save on cleanup. 

I had so much fun watching the approach each child took to decorate their cookies. Addie just

wanted everything to be pink and covered in sprinkles (and very messy!)  Tristan wanted to do

as many as he could with loads of frosting on top.  Kaelan wanted each one to look "real" so he really took

his time and concentrated on each one, designing them to look as realistic as possible.  Even I had

fun decorating cookies with the kiddos.

While we decorated we listened to our "How the Grinch Stole Christmas" cd and sang along and told all of the parts of the story that we knew.  Tristan thought that it was rather humorous that we were

listening to Christmas music while we were decorating Thanksgiving cookies!

I have to admit that we have not made or decorated cookies much lately, mainly due to me

just being too busy or not wanting to deal with the mess afterwards, but our afternoon spent together

was truly enjoyable--I can't wait to do it again soon!  I hope you are all hungry for cookies!!

Tristan's 8th Birthday!!!

Wow!!!  I can't believe that my 1st born is already 8 years old!!  You know when you are a kid and are waiting for things to happen and time just seems to drag?  I remember my parents telling me "Just wait until you are my age--then you will wish for time to slow down."  That is kind of where I am at right now.  I listen to my boys count the days until the next big thing: their birthdays, summer vacation, Christmas, etc. and I just know how quickly that time is going to pass by and it is a little bit bittersweet.

We celebrated Tristan's birthday at my grandparents farm (one of our absolute favorite places) with an

X-Games themed birthday party.  After some chilly and rainy Illinois weather his birthday came as a perfect sunny fall day!  Tristan invited a couple of his homeschool buddies and their families as well as all of our nearby family! Although we had planned games and activities for the boys they were all only interested in being either by the water or the fire!!  I am beginning to realize that this must be a phase that we are entering--an 8-12 year old boy phase--and it is a bit scary for mom and dad!!

I made a skateboard cake for Tristan (his request) and the guests all loved it.  Tristan's favorite presents came from Grandma and Grandpa Rayborn and Aunt Emma--his husky hoodie and stuffed husky dog.  Tristan named his husky Maxwell and carries it everywhere with him! 

We all enjoyed a warm bonfire made by Grandpa Wib and cooked hotdogs and marshmallows over it.  We also enjoyed homemade hot chocolate from Grandma Pat along with cheesy potato casserole, chips and soda.  After the guests left and we had packed up and were in the van headed for home Tristan said: "Mom, this was my best birthday ever!"  I am so glad.......

Fitness and Fun

          Today we had a playdate at Fitness and Fun with our Project Motherhood group.  The kiddos had so much fun getting to run off some energy and play with their friends.  Dustin and I enjoyed sitting down and chatting while enjoying some coffee!! 
     Fitness and Fun is an indoor play area located near the StLouis Regional Airport in Bethalto.  The floor is spring loaded (tons of fun for all ages!) and the room is filled with entertaining activities for all kids.  My boys liked to go up to the second level and run across the sunken trampoline floor and somersault onto the foam cushions at the end.  They also played a rather rowdy version of tag on the spring boards, foam mats and rock climbing wall.  Addie spent most of her time in the tree fort with her girlfriends or making a fort out of all of the foam tumbling mats. 
     We rented the room from 9-11 this morning and had 17 kids there!!  What a great way for moms (and dads) to relax while the kids have fun--and so much cleaner and quieter than a fast food playground!  We are headed back to Fitness and Fun on Wednesday Dec 2nd from 9-11 so come and join us!!! ($3/child)

Rags to Riches

    

     Today the kids and I took a really neat field trip to see the exhibit "Treasure: Rags to Riches" at the Missouri History Museum in Forest Park with the local RCHEC homeschool group.  My boys love anything to do with treasure, gold, jewels or pirates and this exhibit was the best of all of those things are more!
     We began the trip by picking up our clipboards and educational materials given to us by our docent.  Then we were given a quick tour of the Treasure exhibit before being allowed to spend the next hour exploring for ourselves.  Kaelan's favorite part was getting to pan for gemstones in a trough of sand and water.  Actually, I think that is pretty much the only part that Kaelan participated in--once he got started he didn't want to look at anything else!  Tristan loved the time spent getting to know new friends and "shooting" cannonballs at a computer-image pirate ship.  Addie spent most of her time running after her brothers, but did enjoy designing her own pirate flag and making rubbings of pirate coins.
     After we were finished exploring our docent led us into an interactive classroom where the children got to learn more about how precious things (like those in a museum or even at home) should be cared for.  We learned the differences between a base, a neutral and an acid with a fun experiment.  Then the kiddos pulled on rubber gloves in order to handle the "artifact" in the middle of their table.  Each child was given a worksheet to record the date, description of item, temerature, humidity, important details about the artifact and much more.  After we were done studying and classifying the object some of the children gave a brief presentation on their artifact to the rest of us.
    Once we were finished with the classroom we were free to roam around the rest of the Missouri History Museum (Tuesdays are FREE for all exhibits!)  Because we wanted to get home to see Dustin before he left for work (and it was lunch time) we kept the rest of our visit brief--but we can't wait to go back and visit again soon!!!
     The "Treasure: Rags to Riches" exhibit will be at the Missouri History Museum until January 3, 2010.  If you visit on a Tuesday your admission is FREE.  All other days there is a $5/adult, $3/senior and student admission fee but children 12 and under are FREE any day of the week.

Snow Dough

The kids and I have been reading "Mr Poppers Penguins" by Richard and Florence Atwater in our Sonlight homeschooling.  It has been a surprisingly good read and we are already 2 full weeks ahead in our reading--the boys don't want me to stop!!  This week we are going to do a hands on activity in honor of Mr Popper and his performing penguins!  We are going to make snow dough and sculpt it to look like little penguins and then paint on their black coats with acrylic paint.  The recipe for snow dough is as follows.
Snow Dough:
1 C flour
1 C water
1/2 C salt
1 Tbs. vegetable oil
1/2 tsp cream of tartar
2 Tbs white tempera paint
1 Tbs white or iridescent glitter
A few drops of peppermint extract (optional)

*Combine all of the ingredients except the peppermint extract in a medium size pan and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the mix holds together (5 min).  Remove the pan from the heat.  Turn the dough out onto a waxed paper-lined counter to cool (15 min).  If you like, knead in the peppermint extract for a festive scent.  Store the cooled play dough in a ziplock bag in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.  Or, for a permanant design allow to air dry for several days.
(from Family Fun Nov '09)

November Events

Nov 7th: International Tongue Twister Contest Day!!!
Nov 21st: Family Volunteer Day
Nov 26th: Thanksgiving Day
Nov 27th-Dec 27th: Christmas Wonderland at Rock Springs Park
     M-F: 6pm-9pm
     Sa-Su: 5pm-9pm
     small admission fee per car
Nov 27th-Dec 13th: Wild Lights at the Zoo
     weekends Nov 27th-Dec 13 and nightly Dec 18-23/26-30 from 5:30-8:30 pm
     $4/members or $5/nonmembers
     children under 2 are free

Days of the Month

     Did you know that November is "National Pomegranate Month?"  Well, it is!!  Have you and your children ever shared a pomegranate?  Our family loves pomegranates and think they are a ton of fun to eat.     
     The name "pomegranate" come from the Latin pomum (apple) and granatus (seeded)--Seeded Apple!  Pomegranates are native to Southwest Asia, but are now cultivated in California and Arizona--primarily for their juice.  Pomegranates are considered berries and the edible part of the fruit is its seeds--called arils.  Pomegranates have been so valued throughout history that they are even mentioned in the Bible multiple times.  The Israelites were promised pomegranates in Deut 8 : 6-9

"Observe the commands of the Lord your God, walking in His ways

and revering Him.  For the Lord your God is bringing you into a good land--a land
with streams and pools of water, with springs flowing in the valleys and hills;
a land with wheat and barley, vines and fig trees, pomegranates, olive oil
and honey; a land where bread will not be scarce and you will lack nothing;
a land where the rocks are iron and you can dig copper out of the hills."

     Pomegranates are not only delicious, but their seeds and juice also have many health benefits; including the ability to help inhibit viral infections, antibacterial effects against dental plaque and the ability to help reduce heart disease factors!!  All this from one red, round, delicious fruit.  Pick up a pomegrante and enjoy a seasonal and unique treat with your family!

Handwriting by George

     I have an almost 8 year old son who loves to write and a 6 year old son who despises it so I am always looking for a good way to interest them both in our handwriting exercises and I think I have found it.  I received, in the mail the other day, a book titled "Handwriting by George--Rules of Civility and Decent Behavior in Company and Conversation" published by Greenleaf Press. 
     The intro of the book states that: "When George Washington was 16 years old, he began copying 110 maxims for polite behavior into his schoolbooks.  These rules describe the behavior of a gentleman, and many claim that they greatly influenced Washington's attitudes and standards for his own behavior." 
     This book includes rules 1-27 with other volumes to follow.  The kids and I usually get a good laugh out of the "rule of the day" but when we talk about it, we can see how the rules apply to the daily life of a young man. 

Some of my favorites are:
RULE #8: Sleep not when others speak, sit not when others stand, speak not when you should hold your peace, walk not when others stop.
RULE #19: Let your countenance be pleasant, but in serious matters somewhat grave.
RULE #22: Show not yourself glad at the misfortune of another, though he were your enemy.

And a couple of humorous ones:
RULE #2: When in company put not your hands in any part of the body not usually discovered.
RULE #7: Put not off your clothes in the presence of others, nor go out of your chambers half dressed.

     The book has a lined page with the "rule" written out and ample space for your child to copy the "rule." The opposite page has blank space for your child to illustrate the "rule of the day."  It is rather humorous what kind of illustrations my boys have come up with for the day.  So far, this book has kept both of my boys attention and they are learning proper ettiquette while they are at it!

The Story of the Orchestra

At our last homeschool meeting the idea of music appreciation was brought up.  I shared briefly about a book that we use in our homeschooling adventure called "The Story of the Orchestra" by Robert Levine with cd.  I cannot say enough good things about this book and cd.  Just today Dustin and I had a good laugh while listening to Brahms "Hungarian Dance" with the boys--Tristan was humming along with his eyes closed while Kaelan drummed out the beat on the table. 
The book is set up to cover the 4 primary eras of music: Baroque, Classical, Romantic and Modern.  Altogether there are 15 composers covered in this book along with 1 of their most famous or interesting pieces on cd.  Our approach is to spend one entire week on each composer/piece.  The first day of the week we begin by listening to the music selection without knowing anything about it.  Then we talk about who the composer was and the title of the music along with any history or information that the book provides. Each day for the rest of the week we listen to the music, then I ask the boys to name the composer and title of the song along with anything that they found interesting about the piece and then we listen to the piece again.  I am amazed at the things that they pick up on in each piece and how excited they are when it comes to music time each day. 
The second half of the book covers all of the orchestra instruments: string section, woodwind section, brass section, percussion section, and keyboard instruments.  Each of these sections is accompanied by a cd selection showcasing that particular instrument.  The final part of the book covers information about the composer himself.
Dustin and I are overjoyed watching our boys pick up on music and knowledge that they would otherwise not receive in a public school setting.  We love listening to them talk about how Tchaikovsky was crazy and thought his head was going to fall off, or hear them recite "Vivaldi lived in Venice and played the Violin." 
For anyone looking for a good music appreciation book, whether just for fun or for homeschooling, this is truly a great resource.
*To find this book quickly and at a reasonable price I have it stored in my "Riverbend Mommy's Favorites" link on the side of the page.  It is an amazon.com link where you can usually get a better price than in a traditional book store.

Trick or Treat!!

Wow, I can't believe Halloween is already over and we are into November.  This year is truly flying by.  The kids had a great time this Halloween.  Tristan was Commander Fox from StarWars, Kaelan was Buba Fett (also from Star Wars) and Addison was Ariel--complete with red hair and a seashells!!

We had a great Trunk or Treat at Emmanuel the Sunday before Halloween although it was rather soggy due to rain.  The kids did not seem to mind, even though Addie's hair color started to run down her back!

We participated in Alton's trick or treat night on Friday.  We began at my mom and dad on Brown Street and picked up my sister Emma (it was her last year to trick or treat).  We headed down the street to a Trunk or Treat at Brown Street Baptist Church (thank you to the crossing guard guys--Great Job!) Then the kids and I went down Worden, over to Edwards (where we met up with my mom) and back to Brown st to share the loot with grandpa, Aunt Anna and Uncle Keith. 

With 3 kiddos in the family the candy sure does add up--I think we will be eating on this candy until next Halloween!!  Tristan was very generous with his candy--asking each person what their favorite kind was and rummaging around in his bucket until he found the right kind.  The kids also got to help hand out candy to other trick or treaters for the rest of the evening, which they found almost as much fun as going out themselves.  All in all it was a great evening.  The kids enjoyed candy while I enjoyed pumpkin pie and coffee with my mom and sisters.  The only thing that could have made it better would have been if Dustin could have been there to enjoy the night with us.