Simple Mermaid Themed Birthday Party

 My little Punkie Brewster wanted a Mermaid themed Birthday day. After last years big birthday extravaganza we decided to just do a family birthday this year. Throwing parties on a budget is hard! But, it is 100% possible. This tablescape cost me $10. For the table cloth I used two Curtain Panels that I had and laid them each on half of the table to create one look. I then ran tulle down the seams. It was a lot of fun! For present time we did a scavenger hunt which turned out really cute and made her present opening experience last a little longer. Of course she chose the menu all day and got to call the shots;-) All in out it turned out cute!

We always do a doughnut on their birthday morning. Centerpiece is burlap, tulle, various shell fish decor feather etc.

xo Sarah

Wizard of Oz Themed Birthday Party

WIZARD OF OZ THEMED BIRTHDAY PARTY

Ding Dong the Witch is dead- Ding Dongs and fontant

Yellow Brick Road Sugar Cookies

DIY Games- Pin the heart on the tin man

DIY Games- Pin the "C" on the Lion

DIY Games- Pin the Light Bulb (for brain) on the Scarecrow

Homemade Tutus and party favors

Present Opening area- used curtains around the house the make a back drop

Hot Air Balloon Photo Opp- card board box, tulle and ballons

DIY Game- Pin the slippers on Dorothy

Another shot of the tutus;-)

Toto Cupcakes

Shot of the Tablescape

Turned out cute!

xo Sarah

Ice Cream Social Themed Birthday

The banner was made with an art paper roll my girls had. I scalloped the bottom and painted red stripes on it. 

The stripes on the wall were also made from the same art roll- pained pink and hung with tape

handmade tutus for the girls- Top hats for the  boys

Ice Cream Parlor ;-)
Inexpensive way to add decorations is to make tissue pom poms

Top hats for the boys

Had to get creative with games- This was my homemade version of pin the cherry on the ice cream cone

Emma's sweet shop

Present opening station: used a curtain from the girls room and hung it to cover up the fireplace

Cupcake Ice Cream Cones

It turned out cute;-) DIY parties are a lot of work, but a big pay off in the end.

xo,
Sarah

Contact me

Contact me ;-)

Experiencing God- Journey with me

I have hesitated posting this, but have decided to do so with hope that maybe someone else can benefit...Over the past couple of years I have had an idea placed on my heart (those of you know know me well..know this is not a rarity lol ). Anyways, the point is that I have become a champ at pushing this idea into the farthest, dustiest corner of my brain hoping it to never return. You see, the idea is completely out of my comfort zone, out of my area of expertise and will provide zero financial benefit to us (something that we really need right now and just to put it plainly it is much bigger than me. As thoughts have come and gone, I keep finding the same question coming to mind-"How could this possibly be where God is leading?"
Since I was a little girl, I have always known that God had extraordinary plans for my life. This is not meant to be an arrogant statement at all. I  believe that He has extraordinary plans for all of us! I didn't know how, but I knew one day it was going to happen.  I will tell you that through the years of struggle, pain and disappointment I have used that belief to fuel the wrong avenues....realizing now that I was trying to fix our circumstance when in reality that was never His plan....He is our solutions, our life boat our Savior.
About two months ago the "idea" resurfaced and after a lot of prayer and reflection it has become very clear that I am being called in a very clear way. However, my human nature could not fathom the task...I felt so inadequate.  A couple of weeks ago...I was sitting on the couch after a long day, tired as ever...Sam was working late and all I wanted to do was sit with a glass of wine in hand and watch my favorite shows and zone out. I felt God calling me to turn everything off and sit with Him. Did I obey? sadly no. This prompting continued for a couple of days.....on the third day I obeyed (not with a very happy heart). I got out my Bible and my laptop and begrudgingly began to read and write. I soon became lost in His voice- One hour later I had written 8 weeks of content. I sat back in complete awe. Something became very clear to me that evening...these are not my words, but His. I am just the vessel to complete this work, but it is much bigger than me..this is His love story. In a recent bible study lesson it was stated that when God calls on you, He is ready for your immediate obedience and that he will shape your character to meet the challenge.  This has become so clear to me.  I have struggled since then with doubt and fear which has kept me from making progress, but I learned from the first time that when He calls...you must answer and obey...which leads me to the other night. Once again I felt a strong prompting to spend some time with Him. I sat with Him again and the most amazing thing happened..... I wrote the outline for 10 months of content.  He is speaking so clearly to me and making it known that I have been called to this place.
The story still continues... this journey is not complete, but I am writing this to let you know that when you feel like you are inadequate, struggling for purpose, unsure as to how you will be used. Take hope, Jesus is perfectly weaving your destiny...His plan for your life will become known in his time. I will continue to write about this journey as God prompts me to. Till then rest in knowing that you are far more valuable and purposeful than anything you could ever imagine.

" God will accomplish more in six months through a people yielded to Him than we could do in 60 years without Him." Experiencing God 

xo,

Sarah

Fun with Science

I am always looking for fun learning tools to bring our curriculum to life.  I came across this game- Science Lab- at a local educational store (The Thematic Attic in Covina- I highly recommend!!)

 

Science Lab brings out the inner scientist in game players.  Featuring categories like Environmental Lab, Mystery Lab, Human Body Lab, and Plant and Animal Lab- the object of the game?! To answer correctly all three categories and the out of the blue bonus buster;-) This was lots of fun and will be used many, many more times. 

xo Sarah

Road Trip USA- Review

I have already mentioned in a previous post about Road Trip USA, Created by Confessions of a Homeschooler , but I have loved the curriculum so much I thought that doing a more details post was necessary...because...it's just plain awesome;-) What is it? It is a US Geography curriculum(with a history option as well) where the kiddos take a journey around the USA!! It is so fun. Here is a picture of the girls binders:

Each Lesson includes: Historical facts behind each state, Fun Facts, Recipe to cook with the kids, postcard crafts, activities and many more fun things too!! Here is a picture of our Delaware Bridge craft:

This is one of those...didn't quite work out the way I had envisioned...kinds of experiences. I utilized what we had around the house so the color of my yarn etc is not exact, but it was still really fun for our first project together. If you are looking for a fun Geography/History Curriculum I highly recommend that you visit Confessions of a Homeschooler. Here is the link to the curriculum It 's so fun! and affordable;-) Happy Homeschooling! xoxo

Snacky Stacks

Snacky Stacks ;-) Graham Crackers Strawberry Cream Cheese Bananas Blueberries Yummy!!

Breakfast of Champions

Homeschool Classroom Ideas

Now that I have entered the world of homeschooling I am blown away at the endless array of ideas out there! Here are some of my favorite homeschool classrooms: Classroom #1:

I love the ABC Boards- What a Great way to display artwork and other little treasures Classroom #2:

The Book Wall is AMAZING and the colors...talk about a joyful color palate! Classroom #3:

Sweet little learning environment Classroom #4:

Love the map on the wall..Such a bright, wonderful setting! Do you have a homeschool classroom to share? Email me at sarah_mcmullen@live.com and I will post!