Top 5 of 2014 -- Food Fun Round-Up!

In 2014, I prepared many bentos, muffin tin meals, and other food fun meals for T.  He enjoyed every single one!  :)

Here are the Top 5...
the five most-viewed food fun snacks and breakfast, lunch, and supper meals I created in 2014:

The top three are all Winnie-the-Pooh muffin tin meals.  I made all three of them the same week...after I read to T the book, Winnie-the-Pooh by A.A. Milne.  I guess there are a lot of silly old bear lovers out there...of which I am one!  ;-)

#1 — Winnie-the-Pooh Breakfast

#2 — Winnie-the-Pooh Lunch

#3 — Winnie-the-Pooh Supper

The top fourth is an Easter bento...full of bunnies!

#4 — Bountiful Bunnies

The top fifth is a springtime butterfly-themed muffin tin meal.

#5 — Butterflies Lunch

Many other meals received tons of views.  (Thank you!!)  I just love to make special meals for T...and it's quite rewarding that he loves them so!

In looking back through my 2014 food fun posts, I was surprised to find that I hadn't made more fun meals than I did.  I think "make more muffin tin meals and bentos" will have to be one of my New Year's resolutions!

Linked to:
   Eats Amazing

Ornament Lab

This afternoon, T attended an ornament lab...where he had the opportunity to make an ornament, dress up as a shepherd, and listen to an author read a Christmas book she wrote.

Eileen M. Berry read her book, Benjamin's Sling.

It is the story of the nativity through the eyes of a shepherd boy.

Afterward, T was given a copy of the book, personalized and signed by the author!

The store was decorated festively.

This year, the attendees were given a choice of three ornaments to make:

a star

the holy family

a lamb

Without hesitation, T chose to make the lamb.  This is the sample ornament.

Here is T, hard at work.

wrapping the yarn

still wrapping the yarn

getting a little carried away
with wrapping the yarn

T did a terrific job making his lamb ornament.

He was happy with his handiwork...although, it is a little difficult to tell by his expression!

He also dressed up as a shepherd boy.

This is the third year T has attended the ornament lab.  It seems to get better every year!  I so appreciate the time and effort that goes into creating what becomes a memorable experience for T.

Linked to:
   Family Fun Friday
   Share It Saturday
   Show-and-Share Saturday
   Thoughtful Spot
   Titus 2 Tuesday
   From House to Home

Baby Owls

Today, we began a unit study about owls.

This was T's lunch today...which went along with a book we read, Owl Babies by Martin Waddell.

     Once there were three baby owls:  Sarah and Percy and Bill....
     The baby owls came out of their house, and they sat on the tree and waited.
          ~from Owl Babies by Martin Waddell

• three baby owls > three owl-shaped sandwiches (white bread with sprinkles for eyes)
• tree > pretzel sticks
• foliage > romaine lettuce
• full moon > ranch dressing
• dark of night > black placemat

Linked to:
   I Heart Lunch
   Family Fun Friday

Xander's Panda Party

The Family Dinner Book Club selection for April is Xander's Panda Party by Linda Sue Park.

Xander's Panda Party
by Linda Sue Park

                             Xander planned a panda party.  Yes, a dandy whoop-de-do!

                             But Xander was the only panda.  Just one panda at the zoo.
                                       ~from Xander's Panda Party

Xander's Panda Party is such a lovely book.  I love the story line and the rhyming text.  (You can watch the book trailer here.)

However, I had to think twice about purchasing the book.  This is one conversation between two of the animals in the book:

          The crocodile asked Xander, "You've invited all the birds.  Birds and reptiles—long ago,
          we were related, don't you know?"

Evolution.  I will choose to omit that sentence when I read the book to T.  Regarding that portion of the book's content, the author noted in the back of the book:

        Most evolutionary biologists believe that some of the reptiles commonly known as
        dinosaurs evolved into birds during the Mesozoic era.  Today's reptiles and birds
        share common ancestors that lived more than one hundred million years ago.  The
        evolution of life on our planet continues to be a complex and wondrous mystery.

This is not what I (or we, as a family) believe.  That's why I had to think twice.

I am planning to do several fun activities with T, including the following:

• panda bear paper plate craft
• panda bear puzzle
• "P is for panda bear" magnet page
• bears 1:1 game

Although I have found a slew of ideas on the Internet for panda bear activities, crafts, and foods, I think I will start with these four!

Earthquake

          "It's snowing still," said Eeyore gloomily.
          "And freezing."
          "However," he said, brightening up a little, "we haven't had an earthquake lately."
                    ~by A.A. Milne

I was upstairs, sitting at my desk...doing something on the computer, when the earthquake hit.  I knew exactly what it was, since I'd experienced an earthquake when I lived in Kentucky.  That felt like a slight tremor; this felt like...well, let's just say that I felt it!

The U.S. Geological Survey reported a 4.1 magnitude earthquake which hit at 10:23 pm on Friday (February 14th), seven miles northwest of Edgefield, South Carolina.  It was felt across South Carolina and as far away as Atlanta, Georgia and Greensboro, North Carolina.

I went downstairs to ask my husband if he had felt it.  He had been asleep in the recliner...and looked at me like I was crazy.  I said, "Check it out!  --Get on Facebook or the Internet...."  I received another "look" from him, like Yeah, right. However, he did switch the television to a news channel.  Sure enough, they were reporting that telephone calls and e-mail messages were flooding in to the newsroom from throughout the upstate....

Although the earthquake hit approximately 90 miles away from us, I was rocked forward and backward, and back and forth in my chair...and the items on the shelves of my desk hutch were rattling...for at least 8 seconds.  (If you think about it, that's a long time when you're being jostled unexpectedly by an earthquake.)

An earthquake of this size is not a common occurrence in South Carolina.  This earthquake was the strongest in South Carolina since a 4.4 magnitude earthquake struck near Charleston in 2002.

sources:
   USA Today
   WYFF 4

Did you feel South Carolina's earthquake on Friday night?  Have you ever been in an earthquake?

The Day the Crayons Quit

The Family Dinner Book Club selection for February is The Day the Crayons Quit by Drew Daywalt.

The Day the Crayons Quit
by Drew Daywalt

     Poor Duncan just wants to color.  But when he opens his box of crayons, he finds only letters, all saying the same thing:  We quit!
     Beige is tired of playing second fiddle to Brown.  Blue needs a break from coloring all that water, while Pink just wants to be used.  Green has no complaints, but Orange and Yellow are no longer speaking to each other.
     What is Duncan to do?
        ~from The Day the Crayons Quit book jacket

We read The Day the Crayons Quit, and T colored this page.

We also read these books...

The Crayon Box that Talked
by Shane DeRolf

     Once upon a time in a toy store, there was a box of crayons.  The crayons in it just couldn't get along.  Yellow did not like Red, and neither, for that matter, did Green.  And no one at all seemed to like Orange.  As Blue pointed out, something was very wrong.
     But something very right begins to happen when a little girl takes these crayons home and starts coloring with them.  They realize that the big picture they make together is ever so much more exciting and varied — yes, even dazzling! — than the small pictures they make alone.
        ~from The Crayon Box that Talked book jacket

My Crayons Talk
by Patricia Hubbard

     Crayons do talk — they also shout, swing, scream, and hoot in this exuberant celebration of color and feeling.
        ~from My Crayons Talk book jacket

Bad Day at Riverbend
by Chris Van Allsburg

     Welcome to Riverbend, a sleepy Western outpost where nothing ever happens and, it seems, nothing ever will.  But one fateful day the stagecoach rolls into town, its team of horses covered with an unidentifiable substance.  As the strange stuff spreads its devastation, the terrified townspeople turn to their leader.
     Whatever this evil is, Sheriff Ned Hardy aims to put an end to it.  He mounts his horse and leads a posse to hunt down the source of the curse, but just as they close in on their suspect, the cowboys are frozen in a mysterious light that suddenly fills the sky.
        ~from Bad Day at Riverbend book jacket

Not in the House, Newton!
by Judith Heide Gilliland

     Newton's mom is pleased that he wants to draw quietly while she is busy cleaning house for company.  On ordinary days, Newton is a very good artist.  Today, though, is no ordinary day, and Newton's pictures cause quite a ruckus, enough for Mom to keep warning, "Not in the house, Newton!"
        ~from Not in the House, Newton! book jacket

Purple, Green and Yellow
by Robert Munsch

     While at the 1990 Toronto Storytelling Festival, Robert Munsch noticed a girl named Brigid who was painting her fingernails with colored markers.  He had just the right story for her.
        ~from Purple, Green and Yellow book back

From Wax to Crayon
by Robin Nelson

     How are crayons made?  Follow each step in the production cycle in this non-fiction book.

and, we also watched this DVD....

Harold and the Purple Crayon —
Let Your Imagination Soar!

     Based on the classic book, these adventures star Harold, an inventive and curious toddler with thoughts, desires, and feelings typical of any child his age.  In his Crayon World, Harold can muse on questions that all young children naturally wonder about, and he can come up with his own answers.  But it is not the crayon that is magic.  The crayon is merely the key to unlock the power of Harold's imagination.
     The DVD features these episodes:  Harold's Birthday Gift, A Blast from the Past, Harold the Artiste, Harold's Walk on the Wild Side, Harold in the Dark, Future Clock, and Cowboy Harold.
        ~from Harold and the Purple Crayon — Let Your Imagination Soar! DVD insert

Winnie-the-Pooh Supper

I made this Winnie-the-Pooh muffin tin meal for T's supper today.

• Baked Hunny Chicken
• green beans (from Rabbit's garden)
• hunny butter biscuit
• tossed salad (from Rabbit's garden)
• baby carrots (from Rabbit's garden) with ranch dressing
• mashed potatoes (from Rabbit's garden)
• Winnie-the-Pooh glass of milk

Wasn't that nice of Rabbit to provide so many wonderful veggies for T's meal?!  ;-)

The Baked Honey Chicken recipe is from Daisy at Home.  It's a food suggestion for the Family Dinner Book Club selection for January, Winnie-the-Pooh.

I made the Piglet, Winnie-the-Pooh, and Eeyore picks from a printable for pencil toppers.

Tomorrow is the big day for our Winnie-the-Pooh family dinner celebration...if I can finish getting it together!  :/

Linked to:
   I Heart Lunch

Winnie-the-Pooh Breakfast

I made this Winnie-the-Pooh muffin tin meal for T's breakfast today...for T to enjoy while he waits for our Family Dinner Book Club celebration tomorrow!  ;-)

• bear pancake with banana slices (ears and nose) and
  chocolate chips (eyes and nose)
• Hunnycomb cereal
• hunny butter biscuit with orange marmalade
• applesauce with bear sprinkles
• hunny Teddy (bear) Grahams with blue balloon pick
• Winnie-the-Pooh glass of milk

     "When you wake up in the morning, Pooh," said Piglet at last, "what's the first thing you say to yourself?"
     "What's for breakfast," said Pooh.  "What do you say, Piglet?"
     "I say, I wonder what's going to happen exciting today?" said Piglet.
     Pooh nodded thoughtfully.
     "It's the same thing," he said.
          ~from Winnie-the-Pooh by A.A. Milne

Inspiration for the bear pancake:
   spunkydiy
   minieco
   kidssoup

Linked to:
   I Heart Lunch
   What's for Lunch Wednesday

Winnie-the-Pooh Lunch

I made this Winnie-the-Pooh muffin tin meal for T's lunch today...for T to enjoy while he waits for our Family Dinner Book Club celebration later this week!  ;-)

• bear-shaped sandwich on hunny wheat bread with mini m&m's for the facial features
• pretzel sticks (to resemble a tree trunk) with a blue balloon pick
• baby carrots (from Rabbit's garden) with ranch dressing
• applesauce with bear sprinkles
• hunny roasted peanuts
• hunny Teddy (bear) Grahams

     "It's like this," [Winnie-the-Pooh] said.  "When you go after honey with a balloon, the great thing is not to let the bees know you're coming.  Now, if you have a green balloon, they might think you were only part of the tree, and not notice you, and if you have a blue balloon, they might think you were only part of the sky, and not notice you, and the question is:  Which is most likely?"
     "Wouldn't they notice you underneath the balloon?" [Christopher Robin] asked.
     "They might or they might not," said Winnie-the-Pooh.  "You never can tell with bees."  He thought for a moment and said:  "I shall try to look like a small black cloud.  That will deceive them."
     "Then you had better have the blue balloon," [Christopher Robin] said; and so it was decided.
          ~from Winnie-the-Pooh by A.A. Milne

Winnie-the-Pooh

We read the book, Winnie-the-Pooh by A.A. Milne last week.

Once upon a time, a very long time ago now,
about last Friday, Winnie-the-Pooh lived in a forest
all by himself under the name of Sanders.

~from Winnie-the-Pooh by A.A. Milne

The book has 10 chapters.  I started on Monday and read a chapter at breakfast and/or a chapter at lunch while T was eating each day.  We finished the book over the weekend.

Now...on to the special dinner celebration!  I'm planning it for one night this week...maybe Thursday or Friday?  (Stay tuned!)

Family Dinner Book Club

Jodie at Growing Book by Book has started a Family Dinner Book Club.  It debuted on January 1, 2014.

Each month this year, these three women:
     Jodie at Growing Book by Book,
     Jill at Enchanted Homeschooling Mom, and
     Sarah at Daisy at Home
will share a book to read, conversation starters, dinner menu ideas, and arts and crafts ideas.

On the 1st of each month, the title of the featured book is revealed.  On the 15th of each month, all of the details for the special dinner celebration is shared.

The selection for January is Winnie-the-Pooh by A. A. Milne.

Winnie-the-Pooh
A. A. Milne

You can view Jodie's conversation starters for the family dinner celebration here.
You can view Jill's arts and crafts ideas for decorating the dinner table here.
You can view Sarah's menu ideas to complement the book here.

I purchased this classic children's book last weekend, and we will be reading about this lovable bear all week.  :)

Christmas Program

In December every year, our chapel has a Sunday School Christmas Program.  The children wear costumes and learn songs and their speaking parts for the performance.

This morning, the children put on their costumes and photos were taken for a slide show which will go along with the performance.

     As the wise men continued on their long journey to find the king, they came to Jerusalem, where they stopped to ask King Herod where they could find the young king.  Herod called together his chief priests and teachers of the law and asked them where Christ was to be born.

     "In Bethlehem of Judea," they told him.  Explaining the ancient prophecy, the priests reminded Herod that long ago it was written:

     But you Bethlehem, in the land of Judea, are by no means least among the rulers of Judea; for out of you will come a ruler who will be the shepherd of my people Israel.

           ~from The Christmas Story by Carol Heyer

The Christmas Program will be held on a Sunday evening later this month.  I'm sure I will have additional photos to share afterward!  :)

Book and Ornament Advent

T and I had such a good time last year with our book advent.  So, we are going to do it again this year!  :)  Here are the books I've selected for this year:

     A Shepherd's Gift
          by Mary Calhoun
     Careful, Santa!
          by Julie Sykes
     Christmas in the Barn
          by Margaret Wise Brown
     Gingerbread Baby
          by Jan Brett
     I Love Christmas!
          by Hans Wilhelm
     My Christmas Stocking, Filled with God's Love
          by Crystal Bowman
     My Merry Christmas and the Real Reason for Christmas Joy
          by Sally Lloyd-Jones
     One Snowy Night
          by M. Christina Butler
     Room for a Little One
          by Martin Waddell
     Saint Francis and the Nativity
          by Myrna A. Strasser
     Santa Mouse
          by Michael Brown
     Sugar & Spice - The Yummy Scents of Christmas
          (author unknown)
     The Christmas Story
          by Carol Heyer
     The Donkey's Christmas Song
          by Nancy Tafuri
     The Little Christmas Tree
          by Karl Rühmann
     The Littlest Christmas Tree
          by Janie Jasin
     The Night Before Christmas
          by Jan Brett
     The Twelve Days of Christmas
          by Jan Brett
     The Very Snowy Christmas
          by Diana Hendry

Actually, this list is all of the books we didn't get to last year...which is most of
them!  :P

I especially want to read the book, The Christmas Story by Carol Heyer.  She (the author!!) was so kind to visit my blog and leave a comment last year!  :D

For the first 18 days of December, T and I will read a Christmas book and make an ornament each day.  Then on December 24th, T and I will read the book, The Night Before Christmas...and hopefully make an ornament!

We will see if we can manage to read more Christmas books and make more ornaments than we did last year!  ;o)

Bunny in a Garden

For lunch today, T is having this bunny-in-a-garden meal.

• Bunny Face Salad (made from a cut up hard-boiled egg with green olive slices for eyes and celery sticks for whiskers, on romaine lettuce)
• Ranch dressing
• baby carrots
• Annie's Bunny Pasta and Cheese
• Ritz Spring (theme) crackers
• Annie's Bunny Grahams

I'm going to read the book, Peter Rabbit, to T while he's eating.  I'm sure he will enjoy hearing about Peter Rabbit's escapades in Mr. McGregor's garden!

I came across the idea for the Bunny Face Salad...

...when I was looking through some of my teacher resource books the other day. This fun food idea was in the book, Party Ideas with Crafts Kids Can Make, published by Highlights for Children in 1981....Yes, I've had the book about that long!

Anyway, I knew the upcoming theme on Bento Blog Network was "eggs"...and therefore, I also knew I just had to make it!!  :)

Linked to:
   Bento Blog Network
   Another Lunch
   Dig Into Gardening
   Love Books
   Bento Blog Network

Update - Friday, May 17, 2013 at 3:02 PM:

T was so cute at lunchtime today.  As I was reading, he kept pointing to the lettuce under his bunny rabbit (salad).  He wanted me to know that he was eating lettuce just like Peter Rabbit!  :)