Monday, November 10, 2014

Try a New Recipe Tuesday- 11/11

It is that time of the week again-- sharing your delicious recipes!  :-)


The most viewed post from last week's hop was:






Don't miss a thing! Subscribe to Home to 4 Kiddos by Email and get our posts sent right to your inbox!

Thursday, November 6, 2014

My Week in Review #12

It is time to share all about your week!



The most viewed post from last week's hop was:







Don't miss a thing! Subscribe to Home to 4 Kiddos by Email and get our posts sent right to your inbox!

Wednesday, November 5, 2014

25 Amazon Gift Ideas for Kids- ALL for UNDER $25 as of right now!

They are having a lot of deals right now and I thought I would share some of them with you.(affiliate links included- if you purchase through these links, there is NO cost to you, but my family would receive a small percentage.  Thank you!) :-)

For your Frozen fans:

This is their #1 seller in dolls and they don't have a whole lot left:







Bounce Off (only $13.59)


K'nex 70 Model Building Set, 705 piece (only $22.50)



Crayola Sketch Wizard (only $17.49)


Spot it! (only $11.35)




Lincoln Logs Classic Edition (#1 Best Seller in Preschool Building Sets) (only $22.50)




Learning Resources Super Sorting Pie (#1 Best Seller in Leisure Sports and Games Equipment) (only $19.99)









Sewing School: 21 Sewing Projects Kids Will Love to Make (#1 Best Seller in Sewing) (only $11.82)


\


Battleship (only $11.95)






American Girl Crafts Memory Book Friends (#1 Best Seller in Kids' Scrapbooking Kits) (only $5.44)











Robot Turtles Game (only $19.99)


Happy Nappers Ladybug (only $9.95)

Hope you find something that strikes your child's fancy!  We will be searching for more gift bargains for you in the days to come.  Keep checking back!  :-)





Don't miss a thing! Subscribe to Home to 4 Kiddos by Email and get our posts sent right to your inbox!

TOS Review: If He Had Not Come

Today I am reviewing If He Had Not Come by David Nicholson.



This retelling of the 1938 classic by Nan F. Weeks is a beautifully illustrated Christmas story that would be a perfect addition to your Advent or Christmas book collection.

Reminding us of A Christmas Carol or It's a Wonderful Life, this sweet and heartwarming tale tells the story of a young boy who is reading the Bible with his dad on Christmas Eve.  He hangs up his stocking, thinking only about what gifts he will receive in the morning and heads up to bed with words from the Scripture he just read "If I had not come" playing over in his mind.

When Bobby awakes, his home is dark, the Christmas decorations gone and life busily going on outside his home.  The neighborhood factory's machinery is going at full steam, the businesses are all bustling and people going about their routine.  When Bobby expresses concern that these places are open on Christmas, he hears the response, "What's that?"  His church is gone, replaced by a sign "If He Had Not Come."  The hospital and homeless shelter also have vanished with similar signs in their place.  He runs home to look in his Bible and the New Testament is not there- just blank pages with a heading "If He Had Not Come."



At that point, Bobby is awoken by church bells ringing "Joy to the World" and he realizes it was a dream, but now knows the true meaning of Christmas and that it isn't all about what is going to be in our stocking, but what precious Gift was given to us over 2000 years ago.

Also in the book is a section in the back entitled "Interactive Topics for Families and Sunday School Teachers" with all kinds of thought-provoking discussion prompts.  Another section is called "Going Deeper" and encourages children to read verses from the Bible and apply Scripture to what they have read in the story.  This is a great addition for your reader to articulate what the story has meant to them and what they have learned about appreciating the true meaning of Christmas.

This delightful book is recommended for ages 6 and up and is available for $18.95 for a hardback and $3.99 for an ebook edition.  I read it to all 4 Kiddos and it got a thumb's up.  As easy as it is to get caught up in the materialism and hectic craziness in preparing for the holiday, a book like this is a refreshing reminder for both parents and children of what we need to be thinking about this Advent and Christmas season.   I can definitely see this as a permanent addition to our Advent book reading collection.  We change the focus of our homeschool in Advent-- reading books about the coming of Christ as well as doing more service projects, baking, Christmas-themed art and other beautiful traditions like a Jesse Tree.  This will fit right in!  :-)

To find David Nicholson and 'If He Had Not Come" on FB, click here.

To see what my colleages on the Crew had to say about this wonderful book, click on the graphic below:

Click to read Crew Reviews




Don't miss a thing! Subscribe to Home to 4 Kiddos by Email and get our posts sent right to your inbox!

Monday, November 3, 2014

Try a New Recipe Tuesday- 11/4

It's time for another week of wonderful recipe sharing!  I always look forward to seeing (and trying) them.  :-)


In the first spot below is my "New Twist on Roasted Pumpkin Seeds."  We made them Italian Style and with Cinnamon sugar.  They were SO good.  Come check out the recipe.  :-)

The most viewed post from last week's hop was:






Don't miss a thing! Subscribe to Home to 4 Kiddos by Email and get our posts sent right to your inbox!

Sunday, November 2, 2014

A New Twist on Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

When Kiddo #1 decided to carve instead of paint his pumpkin, I thought I would try my hand at roasting pumpkin seeds.  I had never attempted it before.

I went searching for recipes and found one on the Food Network.  I modified/adapted their recipe and came up with the following two recipes.  One was for Italian Style and one was for Sweet.

For both recipes, you need to rinse the seeds in cold water first and shake dry. (1)  Lay them in a single layer on an oiled pan (I used olive oil) and place them in a 300 degree oven for 30 minutes. (2)



After the 30 minutes, that is when you decide which type to make.  We did both.  :-)

For the Italian Style, coat the seeds in olive oil and then with cheese (I used grated picorino romano), garlic salt and oregano. (3)

For the Sweet, coat the seeds in melted butter and then in cinnamon sugar. (4)

Place them back on the pan and into the oven for another 15-20 minutes (5) (until lightly browned). (6).  The roasted sweet are shown in (7) and Italian in (8).



Enjoy!  :-)

Linking up with the Gathering SpotKids in the Kitchen, Domestically Divine Tuesday, Raising Mighty Arrows,Addicted to RecipesHomemaking Wednesdays, Living Well Wednesday,NOBH, Claire JustineWisdom Wednesday , Favorite ThingsModest MomFull Plate Thursday and Melt in your Mouth Monday and Show Off Friday and Tuesday's Table and Look What We Did and Titus 2sday Mom's Monday MingleMonday MingleCrafty SpicesBetter Mom,Create with JoyThursday's TreasuresTasty Thursdays and Wonderful Food Wednesday and  Tuesday How to Party and the Tried and True Recipe Party and Kids and Mom in the Kitchen and Family Fun Friday and Clever Chicks Blog Hop andAll My Bloggy Friends and Hearts for Home Blog Hop and Foodie Friends Friday and Family Fun Friday and TGIF Linky Party and Food on Friday andHip Homeschool MomsA Wise Woman Builds Her Home andGood Tastes Tuesday and Thriving Thursday and Friday Flash Blog Hop and Munching Mondays and Mom2Mom Monday Link-UpA Little Bird Told Me Wednesday

Don't miss a thing! Subscribe to Home to 4 Kiddos by Email and get our posts sent right to your inbox!

My Week in Review/ Weekly Wrap-Up/ THMJ

Last weekend, our family attended retreat with our church.  The kiddos look forward to family retreat every year.  It is a wonderful time for faith, friends and fellowship.



On Friday, the kiddos painted (and Kiddo #1 carved) their pumpkins.  It is always a fun activity to do together.  :-)





After pumpkins, Kiddo #4 made all of us pumpkin shaped cookies.  I roasted some pumpkin seeds (recipe coming up soon!) and the kids got dressed to go out.



On Saturday, we had a 4-H meeting that was quite busy.  The kids did a first-aid project as well as the beginning of an apple project that included taste-testing apples and enjoying caramel apple dip.  The kids also made Christmas cards for soldiers stationed in Afghanistan and collected food and goodies for a care package.  It is wonderful to see the kids enthusiastically participating in service projects like that!  :-)




On my blog this past week:

My Week in Review (still plenty of time to link up about your week!)
TOS Review- Clued in Kids (fun scavenger hunts for kids)
TOS Review- Anthem for a Nation (great patriotic and informative film)

Hope you have had a great weekend!  God bless!  :-)



Don't miss a thing! Subscribe to Home to 4 Kiddos by Email and get our posts sent right to your inbox!