Happy Birthday, EduCents!

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Let's Celebrate! It's the Educents 1-Year Anniversary!

Have you heard of Educents.com? It's the first group deal website for Educators where you can save up to 90% on curriculum, educational toys, and other learning products. They are turning 1 year old on April 2, 2014 and to celebrate, they are giving an additional 20% off, site wide until April 7, 2014! Just use code "Anniversary20." In addition, they are SO EXCITED to kick off an AMAZING month of fun activities to celebrate. They will have 30 giveaways (one per day) in the month of April! And, their grand prize winner will receive a family vacation in Florida (thanks to Wyndham Vacation Rentals) & with a runner-up prize of a $1,000 Educents Gift Card!

Just a few of the companies that will be giving products away in April: Math Mammoth, SayPlease, Systematic Mathematics, DNA Educational Games, Red Apple Reading, Critical Thinking Co., Times Tales, Seat Sack, The Latin Road, Intelli-Tunes, Simply Fun, Institute for Excellence in Writing, Luv Chicken, Center for Hands-On Learning, Classical Academic Press, Your Story Hour, Wordsmiths, American High School, Middlebury Interactive Languages, My Year Look, The Latin Road, Intelli-Tunes, The learning Journey International & MORE!

The mission of Educents is to provide affordable education to all. In just 1 year, Educents has saved educators over $5 million dollars and over 150,000 products have made it into homes and classrooms all around the world.

So, what are you waiting for? Go save an additional 20% and enter to win tons of giveaways

. For every giveaway you enter, you get an entry for the two grand prizes!

www.Educents.com -- The Best Place for Educational Products at a discount!

Menu Plan Monday - March 31, 2014

For the past two weeks, we've had very few scheduled events away from home - but all of that's about to change.  For the next few weeks, we're back in the saddle schedule-wise and keeping ourselves very, very busy with some great events.  Our menu this week will be reflecting that.

Breakfast: 

- Chocolate Peanut Butter Granola Bars, fruit






- Perfectly Pumpkin Pancakes & oranges

- scrambled eggs, juice, bananas

- 

- Cinnamon Almond Granola and fruit

Dinner:

- Tacos, salad, chips 'n' salsa

- Smoked Sausage Foil Babies, applesauce

- Cheese & broccoli quiche, fruit

- Beef & Bean Burritos, chips & salsa

 

- Dinner at church

 

- Parmesan Potato Veggie Soup, breadsticks

- Leftovers

 

A friend might be coming over to visit on Wednesday, so I think we'll bake some brownies then.  :-)  We'll be ready for some fun chocolate mid-week, anyway.

What are you cooking this week?

For more Menu Plan Mondays, visit OrgJunkie.

Hearts for Home Bog Hop - March 20, 2014

Introducing ... the Hearts for Home Blog Hop!  A Nest in the Rocks is now one of the co-hosts for this weekly link-up, which means that every Thursday you'll find lots of great tips, recipes, and other family-friendly ideas listed throughout this post.  If you're a blogger, we'd love to have you link up your posts and join us.  You can find information about the other co-hosts of this hop here.

The most clicked-on post from last week was St. Patrick from Our 4 Kiddos.
Some of my favorite posts from last week were:

-  Veggies in Space VeggieTales Giveaway ends 3-26

- Free Spring Fun Pack for Kids

-  The Arrowood Zoo: Robert Frost Art Project

If your post is listed above, please grab one of our 'Featured Blogger' buttons!  Congratulations, and thanks for writing such inspiring posts.

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Link up your family-friendly blog posts below. Please add our button to your post to link back to this one. Happy hopping!

<div align="center"><a href="http://www.upsidedownhomeschooling.com/hearts-for-home/" title="Hearts for Home Blog Hop" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1169.photobucket.com/albums/r505/upsidedownhomeschool/HFH150_zpsf22ef64f.jpg" alt="Hearts for Home Blog Hop" style="border:none;" /></a></div>

 

Please share your family friendly posts here:

An InLinkz Link-up

GratiTuesday - A DIY 'Landscape' Cake

They say that time flies when you're having fun.

In that case, I must be having a blast, because the past - dare I say it? - NINE years have just flown by.

Nine years ago today, our Big Helper was born - and it doesn't seem possible that it has been that long.

Since then, she's grown into a creative, talkative, artsy, entrepreneurial kid - with big ideas.

Every year I make a birthday cake for her of her choosing.  It's a tradition we started before she could even choose her cake.  Those early ones were of her goldfish tank and a princess castle.

This year, she chose something that shocked me.  What did she want?

"I want a landscape cake, Mommy," she calmly told me a few weeks ago.

How in the world do you make a landscape cake?  What is that, anyway??

To help me understand, I asked her to draw out her ideas.  She handed me this a few minutes later:

I had to look at it a while to get it.  Do you see the top and side views?  The key indicating icing color changes and topographical diversities?

Oh, boy.

So, the night before the party, my mom and I - I sure was glad she was there! - started baking and brainstorming.  We wanted to give her the cake she dreamed of, but we figured a few surprises wouldn't hurt, either.

So this is what we came up with.  It's a two-tiered chocolate cake with a blue-Jello river, complete with the fish that she asked for.  We 'planted' pumpkins in the garden and tucked a Gummy bear into a fruit-leather sleeping bag.  Icing covered waffle cones became pine trees and a combination of pretzel sticks and more fruit leather became a campfire.  We added a hammock and kayak, too, but might have been a bit loopy by that point.  (We tried to add a bear zipline, but the Gummy bear was too heavy and always ended up in the river.  Oops.) 

We made the boulders out of ganache-covered marshmallows and put Swedish fish and Goldfish in the river.  Graham cracker crumbs made the riverbank, and Oreo crumbs became the garden soil.

I think she liked it -at least, I hope so.

Before the candles even made it on the cake, she and her daddy put their heads together and started dreaming.  Before I knew it, another bear had been added - a fishing bear.

I'm rather scared to see what she'll dream up next year - but then, next year we'll be talking double digits, and I can't imagine that, either, so let's not go there.  In the meantime, I'm very happy to be taking the day off with my super-creative, artsy, imaginative daughter.

What are you thankful for today?

Menu Plan Monday - March 17, 2014

 We're scheduled to have a record week around here - with nothing on the schedule!  I'm excited to say that other than a child's birthday and youth group, we have nothing on the calendar.  Whoo-hoo!  I'm expecting to see lots of games, shorter school lists with fun interactive projects, and perhaps spontaneous dinner plans involving short people.  :-)

Here's a tentative plan, though, to prevent myriads of trips to the grocery store.

Breakfast: 

- Perfectly Pumpkin Waffles, fruit - birthday breakfast

- Cinnamon & Sugar Baked Doughnuts, fruit

- scrambled eggs, juice, bananas

- 

- Cinnamon Almond Granola and fruit

Dinner:

- Fish & chips in newspaper with a side salad

- birthday request:  pizza, salad

- Chicken enchilada soup, tortilla chips & salsa, fruit

 

- Angel hair pasta with Easy Bolognese Sauce

 

-  Loaded cauliflower & chicken casserole with cous cous @ applesauce

 

- Taco bar - beans, beef, grilled onions & peppers, cheese, lettuce, tomato, salsa, Spanish rice

- Leftovers

 

We've got about half of a birthday cake left from this weekend's party and some ice cream, too.  We'll be feasting on that this weekend - and I'll share more about this crazy cake tomorrow.

What are you cooking this week?

For more Menu Plan Mondays, visit OrgJunkie.

Hearts for Home Blog Hop - March 12, 2014

Introducing ... the Hearts for Home Blog Hop!  A Nest in the Rocks is now one of the co-hosts for this weekly link-up, which means that every Thursday you'll find lots of great tips, recipes, and other family-friendly ideas listed throughout this post.  If you're a blogger, we'd love to have you link up your posts and join us.  You can find information about the other co-hosts of this hop here.

The most clicked-on post from last week was Free Family Friendly Devotions for Lent from A Nest in the Rocks.

Some of my favorite posts from last week were:

-  25 Books That Have Inspired our Creativity - Crystal's Tiny Treasures

- new look for an old canvas

-  9 books about St. Patrick's Day for kids

If your post is listed above, please grab one of our 'Featured Blogger' buttons!  Congratulations, and thanks for writing such inspiring posts.

<div align="center"><a href="http://www.upsidedownhomeschooling.com/hearts-for-home/" title="Hearts for Home Blog Hop" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1169.photobucket.com/albums/r505/upsidedownhomeschool/HFHFeature_zpse5060e68.jpg" alt="Hearts for Home Blog Hop" style="border:none;" /></a></div>

 
Link up your family-friendly blog posts below. Please add our button to your post to link back to this one. Happy hopping!

<div align="center"><a href="http://www.upsidedownhomeschooling.com/hearts-for-home/" title="Hearts for Home Blog Hop" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1169.photobucket.com/albums/r505/upsidedownhomeschool/HFH150_zpsf22ef64f.jpg" alt="Hearts for Home Blog Hop" style="border:none;" /></a></div>

 

Please share your family friendly posts here:

An InLinkz Link-up

Menu Plan Monday - March 10, 2014

Breakfast: 

- Perfectly Pumpkin Waffles, fruit

- cinnamon bagels & oranges

- scrambled eggs, juice, bananas

- 

- Cinnamon Almond Granola and fruit

Dinner:

- Grilled turkey sausages with baked potatoes and steamed broccoli

- dinner out at a banquet with friends

- Cheese & broccoli quiche, fruit

- Beef & Bean Burritos, chips & salsa

- Lasagna, salad, garlic bread

 

- Nacho bar - beans, chili, grilled onions & peppers, cheese, lettuce, tomato, salsa

- Leftovers

 

With birthday stuff galore happening this weekend, we'll probably have some kind of cookie happening for portable, quick desserts and then a 'landscape' cake for the big event.  For our happiness this week, we'll be dessert-ing on pumpkin cake.

What are you cooking this week?

For more Menu Plan Mondays, visit OrgJunkie.

Hearts for Home Blog Hop - March 6, 2014

Introducing ... the Hearts for Home Blog Hop!  A Nest in the Rocks is now one of the co-hosts for this weekly link-up, which means that every Thursday you'll find lots of great tips, recipes, and other family-friendly ideas listed throughout this post.  If you're a blogger, we'd love to have you link up your posts and join us.  You can find information about the other co-hosts of this hop here.

Some of my favorite posts from last week were:

-  8 amazing art ideas your kids will love

- Adventure Bible Website {Link Party}

-  WinterPromise: “Ready to Learn: On the Farm"

If your post is listed above, please grab one of our 'Featured Blogger' buttons!  Congratulations, and thanks for writing such inspiring posts.

<div align="center"><a href="http://www.upsidedownhomeschooling.com/hearts-for-home/" title="Hearts for Home Blog Hop" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1169.photobucket.com/albums/r505/upsidedownhomeschool/HFHFeature_zpse5060e68.jpg" alt="Hearts for Home Blog Hop" style="border:none;" /></a></div>

 
Link up your family-friendly blog posts below. Please add our button to your post to link back to this one. Happy hopping!

<div align="center"><a href="http://www.upsidedownhomeschooling.com/hearts-for-home/" title="Hearts for Home Blog Hop" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1169.photobucket.com/albums/r505/upsidedownhomeschool/HFH150_zpsf22ef64f.jpg" alt="Hearts for Home Blog Hop" style="border:none;" /></a></div>

 

Please share your family friendly posts here:

An InLinkz Link-up

Job-Inspired Snow Day Art

 
I love the end of the book of Job.  I realize that might sound a bit strange, but I love the way that Job, Elihu, and God talk about just how amazing God really is.  

One of those sections talks about how He controls the weather.  It says in Job 37:6-7 that "He directs the snow to fall on the earth and tells the rain to pour down.   Then everyone stops working so they can watch his power.” 

 
I happened to see a random Pin about how some noodles look like snowflakes, and this project was born.  Our church's elementary-aged youth group made these one night, and we all had fun.  Some kids painted snowmen, others painted buildings or trees or entire scenes, but My Big Helper decided to go for symmetry. 

Here's what you need:
- snowflake-shaped pasta
- white paint, two parts
- rubbing alcohol
- blue paper
- paint brushes
- a printable of the verses above (optional)

Directions:
1.  Mix your pasta, a few tablespoons of white paint, and 2 T. of rubbing alcohol in a zip-top bag.  Shake and squish carefully until the pasta is covered.
2.  Spread out the pasta on old newspapers until dry.
3.  When you're ready to be creative, pass out the painted pasta, paper, brushes, and glue.  Paint a snowy scene on blue paper.  
4.  Embellish with painted pasta. 
5.  Add scripture verses or write on by hand.

How do you connect scripture and art?

PRINCESS EVER AFTER $200 “Princess” Giveaway and Facebook Party with @RachelHauck!

Rachel Hauck is celebrating the release of her latest "swoon"-worthy romance,  Princess Ever After, with a fun $200 "Princess" prize package giveaway and a Facebook "Princess" party on March 6th. Grab your tiaras and RSVP today!

  One winner will receive:

• A $200 Visa cash card (buy your very own "princess ever after" gown or tanks of gas for your "royal" ride)
• Princess Ever After, Once Upon a Prince, and The Wedding Dress by Rachel Hauck

Enter today by clicking one of the icons below. But hurry, the giveaway ends on March 6th. Winner will be announced at Rachel's "Princess" Facebook Party on March 6th. Connect with Rachel for an evening of "royal" book chat, princess-themed trivia, laughter, prizes, and an exclusive look at the next book in the Royal Wedding series!

So grab your copy of Princess Ever After and join Rachel and friends on the evening of March 6th for a chance to connect and make some new friends. (If you haven't read the book, don't let that stop you from coming!)

Don't miss a moment of the fun; RSVP today. Tell your friends via FACEBOOK or TWITTER and increase your chances of winning. Hope to see you on the 6th!

Menu Plan Monday - March 3, 2014

Yesterday we spent the afternoon outside, reveling in the sunshine and temperatures near 70.  Today we're snuggled inside as a winter storm overtakes our area, threatening us with 1/2" of ice and snow on top of that.  I think we're moving back to fires, baking, and comfort foods!

Breakfast: 

- Caramel Pumpkin Doughnut Hole (Muffins), oranges

- Pancakes, grape juice

- omelets, juice, bananas

- 

- Cinnamon Almond Granola and fruit

Dinner:

- Wild rice soup & salad with Italian herb bread - it's happening TODAY!

- dinner out at a banquet with friends

- Smoked Sausage Foil Babies

- Dinner at church

- Breakfast for supper - Blueberry Biscuits, oranges, and scrambled eggs

- Southwestern Chicken Skillet, chips & salsa

- Leftovers

With the weather as cold and yucky as it is, I'm definitely thinking that we need to bake something - I'm just not sure what yet!  Maybe chocolate chip oatmeal cookies ... they're always good.  :-)

What are you cooking this week?

For more Menu Plan Mondays, visit OrgJunkie.