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JDaniel4s Mom

growing & learning with him

Deirdre Smith writes/owns JDaniel4’s Mom. After twenty years as a elementary school and technology resource teacher in Northern Virginia, she became a stay at home mom in upstate South Carolina. Her blog features ways she and her 5 year old are exploring learning, crafting, creating healthy meals and living life to its fullest. Deirdre can also be found on twitter as @jdaniel4smom and on her blog's FB page. You can also check her out on Google+.

Muffin Tin Monday- Christmas Books and Stories

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The Muffin Tin theme this week is a meal based on a book. I selected The Donkey’s Christmas Song by Nancy Tafuri. It is a story about a donkey that fears his song will be too loud for the Baby Jesus. He lets the doves, cows, chickens, goats, sheep, and mice all sing first. It takes a look and a smile from the baby to get him to sing. When he does sing, the baby laughs with joy.

This week’s tin contains:
•Some meat for the dove (chicken not dove meat)
•Some cheese stars for the star and goat (The cheese is not goat’s milk cheese.)
•Some milk for the cow
•An egg for the chicken
•Some Cheerios for the donkey
•Some mashed potatoes for the sheep

I looked at this picture and realized most of the food is one color. So, I gave JDaniel part of the egg and some mandarin oranges. I guess that the oranges could be the smile the baby gave the donkey!

Christmas Breakfast Muffin Tin

There Were Animals at the Drive Thru Nativity

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We took JDaniel to a drive thru living nativity on Friday. He loved the camels at the beginning. He really loved the sheep and donkeys that surrounded Mary and Joseph. JDaniel also like the huge horses the Roman Centurions were riding. Although we read him all the signs that were posted on the route, talked about the people in each setting, and pointed out the large star over the manger all he seemed to notice were the animals. Yesterday we asked him about what he saw and according to him animals were there. Maybe next year he will get the Bible story too.

Ghirardelli Coupon Giveaway

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In my Ghirardelli Chocolates- Milk Chocolate with Peanut Butter Filling Review I mentioned that I received coupons from She Speaks. The coupons were for $1.50 off Ghirardelli Squares Peanut Butter Bag. I have four that I am going to pass on to you. That’s right four of you will win a coupon for $1.50 off Ghirardelli Squares Peanut Butter Bag! It doesn’t make the chocolate free, but it does make it a better deal.

How do you win?
*Enter any of my giveaways (1 entry for each giveaway you enter and each way you enter it.)

For extra entries do any or all of the following leaving a separate comment for each entry.

*Write about this giveaway with a link back to it on Facebook or another social network site. (1 entry)

*Follow my blog. Leave me a comment saying that you now follow or that you already do. (1 entry)

* Twitter about this giveaway with a link back, you must also be following me on Twitter. Copy and paste: GhirardelliCouponGiveaway@JDaniel4smom.(1 entry per day)

*Subscribe to my blog. Leave me a comment saying that you have subscribed or that you already do. (1 entry)

*Add me to your blogroll. Please leave a link to your site.(3 entries)

*Add my button to your blog. Please leave a link to your site.(3 entries)

*Favorite me in Technorati! (4 entries)

That is 8 ways to win. The winners will be chosen by using the random number generator at http://www.random.org/.

This giveaway begins December 12th and ends December 22nd at 11:59 p.m. It is open to United States residents.

The Fairytale Collection CD Review and Giveaway

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I love to listen to radio plays. The old ones like the Lone Ranger and the more recent ones like Guy Noir on A Prairie Home Companion. The sound effects and inflections of people’s voices allow me to paint pictures in my mind of the stories and their characters. I was recently granted the opportunity to listen to The Fairytale Collection CD by The 6 Pence Players. It is a really fun CD filled with five fairytales that have had a modern twist added to them. The wicked stepsisters are offered a job at a traveling shoe store at the end of Cinderella. The Three Billy Goats met a very interesting troll with hearing problems. I shared a copy of the CD with my sister, a school librarian. She was impressed with the diversity and creativity readers had in their voices. She really enjoyed the CD too.

The stories are told by children and are for children age 3-8 or anyone that loves a good story. I have heard a number of music CD’s that contain children’s voices. I haven’t heard any that had children acting on them. This makes the CD’s even more fun for children.

Let me tell you a little about the creator of this innovative CD. Her name is Lynn Llewelyn Penny. She is an actress and mother of four girls. She is founder of 6 Pence Productions in Hendersonville, N.C. which produces audio entertainment for children and 6 Pence Players, a troupe of young actors, ages 5 to 17. Prior to starting 6 Pence, she worked at as a voice talent in national ad campaigns, on T.V. and in movies, and acted in regional theatre. Lynn holds a BFA in Theater from Southern Methodist and studied in a graduate program at Florida State University. She also attended the Burt Reynolds Institute for Theatre Training.

This CD was designed to be used with children during quiet times at home,classrooms, or preschools. This would be great to have during a long car trip. It would also be a great teaching tool for students who will be performing their own reader’s theater productions in class.

If you are interested in purchasing one, please go to 6 Pence Productions website. The CD retails for $14.95.

How do I win one?

-Go to the 6 Pence Productions website and tell me something that you learned. Please include your e-mail address. (1 entry)

For extra entries do any or all of the following leaving a separate comment for each entry.

*Sign-Up for the 6 Pence Productions newsletter. (1 entry)

*Enter any of my giveaways (1 entry for each giveaway you enter and each way you enter it.)

*Write about this giveaway with a link back to it on Facebook or another social network site. (1 entry)

*Follow my blog. Leave me a comment saying that you now follow or that you already do. (1 entry)

*Twitter about this giveaway with a link back, you must also be following me on Twitter. Copy and paste: TheFairyTaleCollection@JDaniel4smom.(1 entry per day)

*Subscribe to my blog. Leave me a comment saying that you have subscribed or that you already do. (1 entry)

*Add me to your blogroll. Please leave a link to your site.(3 entries)

*Add my button to your blog.Please leave a link to your site.(4 entries)

*Favorite me in Technorati! (4 entries)

*Buy a copy of The Fairy Tale Collection and come back and leave a comment saying you did. (10 entries)

That is 11 ways to win. The winner will be chosen by using the random number generator at http://www.random.org/.

This giveaway begins December 12th and ends December 19th at 11:59 p.m. It is open to United States residents only.

Disclaimer- I was provided with a copy of The Fairy Tale Collection to review it. Some of the information in this review came from a fact packet sent by 6 Pence Productions.

Bouncing Place Visit- One Was Too Young and the Other Too Weak

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JDaniel and I went to Monkey Joe’s a local bouncy house place on Wednesday. He had a great time circling the arcade games and getting to dunk a basket ball another child let him use. He had fun bouncing and going down the slides too. It was the games that he really liked to watch light up. I guess he wasn’t really ready for the bouncy activities yet. I may not have been ready yet either. I think it will be more fun for me when I don’t have to carry or shove up ramps a thirty one pound toddler.

I glad it was half price day!

Socks or Polar Bear Claws?

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The day before yesterday JDaniel and I went to Toddler Time at our local Chik Fil-A. They had a Kindermusik program this week. He had the best time dancing around with bells, drums, scarves and socks. JDaniel was great about putting all the items away until the teacher told the children to put their polar bear claws. JDaniel had had a great time marching around like a polar. He just didn’t understand that the socks were supposed to be claws. When I reminded him to put his polar bear claws away, he looked up at me and said, “Socks?” “Yes, put in the socks. The teacher thinks they are polar bear claws,” I told him.

Oaks Ministries- Give a Gift to Others for Others

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Oakseed Ministries was started by a man at my former church in Virginia. For years I have ordered Christmas gifts for my family and friends from the catalog. You can select a part of the world you would like to impact. Click on a ministry Oakseed supports and get a gift for as little as $10.

What can you get for $10?

· School fees for a child in India
· Medicine for a child in Kenya
· School supplies for a child in Russia
· Chickens for a family in Brazil
· Diapers, formula and whole milk for a child in Bolivia
· Vitamins and Medicine for a child in Peru

Click here to check out the gifts in their online catalog.

Chistmas Painting with Bingo Markers

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JDaniel and I stamped circles using bingo markers on these holiday coloring pages. Can you tell he gained more and more control over the bingo markers as we progressed from the Christmas tree to the stocking?

Holiday Foot Wreath

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Holiday Foot Wreath
I made this foot wreath with JDaniel to help decorate his grandfather’s hospital room. It was so easy to make.

1.Trace your child’s shoes about 20 -30 times. JDaniel has little feet so; I needed a larger number of tracings.

2.Cut out foot tracings and set aside.

3.Remove the center of a paper plate and cut two holes in the plate to place ribbon through later on.

4.Glue the tracings onto the plate. JDaniel couldn’t do the cutting or the tracing. He could help with the gluing and pat the tracings down.

5.Place the wreath between to plates to dry. It helps keep the wreath shape while the glue is drying.

6.Place stickers on the wreath to decorate. I found these great flowers with stickers on the back. JDaniel had to be closely watched with the flowers. I didn’t want him to chew them. Paper stickers might have been better.

7.Push through the foot tracing above the holes in the plate to create a place to put the ribbon through.

8.Pull the ribbon through and tie a bow. JDaniel was able to help with the pulling through the part.

Giving Your Child the Gift of Sleep- Five Tips

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We had a little bit of a car ride back from visiting my in-laws yesterday and got home just past JDaniel’s bed time. He was wide awake. Rather than rush him off to bed and have him cry and cry, I decided to stick with his regular sleep routine.

What do I do?
1.We go upstairs and take a bath every other night.

2.I put on his sleeper suit and he selects a pacifier for the night.

3.We go into the bathroom and he brushes his teeth. Then I brush his teeth.

4.My husband, JDaniel and I watch Curious George during the week and Bob the Builder on weekends. (PBS airs different shows on weekends.)

5.We read two or three books as a family.

6.I carry him to bed and give him his blessing. (I say, “Mommy loves you, Daddy loves you, and God loves you. May God bless you with the sleep you need and someday welcome you into His Kingdom.”)

What are some sleep tips?
•Keeping a routine for JDaniel has been key to his getting good sleep.

•Giving him time to wind down after running around really seems to prepare him for rest. (We read books and watch Curious George to do that.)

•I have kept his bed clear of stuff .(toys, books, blankets) He does have extra pacifiers in his crib.

•I reassure him with his blessing as I put him into his crib that sleep is a good thing.

•I don’t rush in if he cries during the night. He sometimes wakes up for a minute or two and then goes back to sleep. If I rush in, he is up for hours.

For a chance to win a St. Eve Kids Cozy enter at twittermoms.com. Warm and cute, the Cozy is a snuggly blanket that has sleeves so your child can relax in comfort. St. Eve Kids also offer a line of plush kids sleepwear, loungewear and underwear that feature the characters of DramaU.net exclusive to their brand.

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