Natalie wanted to create her own costume this year, so this is what she came up with. A fairy with a hole in the wing! I'm not sure why in the world her hair looks this color!

And poor Wyatt was too sick for trick-or-treating :( This is what he looked like as Natalie and I were leaving.
But Natalie did carry an extra candy bucket and collected for him! He was thrilled about that!

And this is how I found Wyatt watching tv today!

Rattlesnake Rules

"Animals learn rules by living

They have no books or schools

Please pay attention to this story

For even rattlesnakes have rules"

Yes, my friends - even rattlesnakes have rules! Wyatt and I can tell you all about those rules, thanks to a really cool book by Conrad J. Storad called just that - Rattlesnake Rules!

I personally am not a fan of snakes, especially rattlesnakes. Being a boy, Wyatt thinks snakes of any kind are pretty awesome. As soon as this book came in the mail Wyatt was anxious to read it. The illustrations by Nathaniel P. Jensen are quite appealing to a young boy!

The story starts as a mother snake is teaching her babies all about themselves, then she makes sure that they understand rules of survival. Along with the reader the baby snakes learn all about how and what to eat, surviving the elements, and even how to protect themselves from humans! The next part is rules for humans, and we learn what to do if we encounter a rattle snake.

Once the story has ended we were able to read through pages of rattlesnake facts, facts vs. myths, and more. As a homeschooling mom I was thrilled that included in the book is a curriculum guide - words to learn, craft ideas, and questions for the kids. I plan to do a snake lapbook and lesson unit in the spring and I can't wait to add Rattlesnake Rules to our booklist.

Overall this is a great book that the entire family enjoyed! It is on sale right now at

Five Star Publications for $12.88, which is a great price for this book.

Disclaimer: This book was provided free by Five Star Publications.

What Does Your Nest Need?

If you visit the Nesting Place you'll see that she is doing a really neat series called 31 Days to A Better Dressed Nest. I need this right now! I am having fun looking through her posts and getting some ideas on changes to make in our "nest".

My problem right now is our drapes. When we moved in I just sort of threw up some sheers to have something up, but never changed them. I don't like the sheers.

I'm also trying really hard to declutter (yes, Suzanne and Mama--get rid of clothes). I don't like having a cluttered house and i'm tired of picking up too many toys!

So tell me--what area of your "nest" needs some help?

The Energizer Baby

See this sweet little baby?

He ate one of these

I'm not sure if it's good or bad that I didn't know, but last night it was in his diaper. He had to have eaten in sometime between Friday and I guess Sunday? I took the opportunity to show the kids that Yes, he will eat things that he finds on the floor. And fortunately this one came out!

I feel like we've been so busy with silly stuff, and I haven't been able to blog much! So here's an update!

Wyatt is doing good with school, when he isn't complaning. He has no idea how good he has it here at home! He reads around 4th grade level and he despises handwriting. Math comes pretty easily to him. He is so anxious to learn multiplication and asks almost daily when we can work on that. He has been doing so well in soccer and still loves playing. He spends lots of time playing with Legos and is still really into Star Wars.

Natalie is doing well with Kindergarten and has started reading just a little. I have learned to get creative when i'm teaching her :) She loves all things crafty--she goes through a lot of paper, glue, and tape. She draws a lot! She has really enjoyed playing her first season of soccer (she and Wyatt are on the same team) and is quite the little athlete! And i'm pretty sure she's the only girl on the soccer field with bows in her hair, too! She spends a lot of time mothering Mason, and is so good at watching him for me if I ask her to.

Mason is growing by leaps and bounds! He turned 8 months old on the 10th and I still can't believe it. He crawls everywhere (still on the belly) and pulls up on most everything. He has two bottom teeth and we're waiting for the top ones to get here any day now. He still nurses and eats tablefood--and boy, does he love food! His favorite so far is mashed potatoes! He used to sleep through the night, but for almost a month now he hasn't been sleeping well. I have no idea why, or else i'd fix the problem! He loves his 'kids' and smiles and laughs every time he sees them. Oh, and he loves water. I put him in the tub and he immediately flops onto his belly and swims up and down the tub. It's really funny--maybe one day i'll video him!

*We took these pictures at the Apple Festival a few weeks ago

Bubber!

This past week the kids and I had the privilege of reviewing Bubber, a really fun modeling compound. Timberdoodle sent us a bucket of green Bubber, a Castle Mold set, a spoon/knife tool, and a mirett.

I was so excited to open this package and see my kids' excitement! They love to play with similar modeling 'dough' and I knew they would be thrilled to test out a new product. We really like the bright green color, but Bubber also comes in blue, red, purple, white, or yellow.

The Bubber is so lightweight, soft, and not gritty. I actually enjoyed just squishing it in my own hands, and found myself stopping to play with the kids each time I walked by.

Did I mention that my kids sat for hours and played with this stuff? Natalie (5) said that she likes the soft feel when she rubs it on her hands. She has spent the most time playing with the Bubber, making homes for her toy horses and using the knife to cut and pretend to cook.

Wyatt (7.5) immediately figured out the castle mold set and he was quite proud of his creation! While some pieces of the Castle Mold Set aren't compatible with Bubber, my kids still used each piece and never complained. The tools are all very well made and i'm sure that they will last us for years!

The Bubber definitely crumbles and you will have little pieces all over the floor, but I found it very easy to clean up. A few pieces have made their way onto the carpet, but fortunately this stuff doesn't stick to the fibers!

I am sure that we will be adding more Bubber to our set very soon! Visit Timberdoodle to see all of the details and to order yours.

The prices for everything that i've mentioned are as follows:

Bubber is $10.50; Mirett is $2.25; Spoon/Knife is $.95; Castle Molds are $4.95.

Thank you so much Timberdoodle for allowing us to review this product for you!

Here are a few pictures of my kids enjoying their Bubber:

Disclaimer:

"This is a Mama Buzz review. The product was provided by Timberdoodle for this review."

One of those days

I can't seem to get anything done today. It's 1pm and I still haven't showered, i'm having oatmeal for lunch, and we did something only resembling school work this morning.

Mason and Natalie have yucky, stuffy noses. Natalie feels fine other than the constant sniffling. Mason is okay other than being very clingy and not sleeping more than about 30 minutes at a time. He is sleeping terribly at night, though.

But i'm not complaining! I'm very thankful for all of this. And thankful that I don't have to be at work today (at least outside of the house) and that I didn't have to send my kids out in the cold rain to school. And that Ben will come home tonight and we'll all be happy to see him.

And look at this sweet face...how could I not be happy?

Look What I Won!

I sometimes enter giveaways on blogs, but it's not something I do too often. I just never really win. But, I came across this one and just had to--aren't these sets cute? And we won! I chose the set above for Mason. I can't wait for it to come!! And you should spend some time browsing around Piera's blog. She has lots of great info and some really cool giveaways! And you can visit Olive Kids and check out all of the other designs--these would make great Christmas gifts!

Mason

Sleepy Sun

What family doesn't love a good bedtime story? We certainly do in our house, and we are always on the lookout for a new book to add to our nightly snuggle time. That's why we were thrilled to have the opportunity to review Sleepy Sun, by Mari Priscilla Hanson.

This adorable book is geared toward children ages 4-8, but i'll go ahead and tell you that I enjoyed this book as much as the kids. The illustrations by Kathleen M. Hanson are unlike most that you see in children's books, and the bright colors kept even our 8 month-old baby's attention! We enjoyed going back through the book over and over again, just to look at all of the details in the pictures!

You can follow the sun as it makes a journey around the world, and you'll learn that it's favorite part was warming you in your backyard! As a homeschooling mom, I appreciated being able to point out different landmarks and cultures to the kids. The words in the book are soft and soothing, just what we need in a bedtime story!

When asked what their favorite part of the book was, Wyatt was quick to say the bright colors. Natalie especially enjoyed the Sleepy Sun tucked into a hammock at the end, ready for bed!

I think this book would be a great addition to anyone's bedtime library, and I see it becoming a fast favorite in our house!

Sleepy Sun is published by BookSurge Publishing and retails for $14.99 on Amazon.

Thank you so much to Mari Hanson for sending us Sleepy Sun to review!

*Disclaimer: We were given this book, free of charge. No other compensation was received.