create a vision board

Here is a fun project for the kids on New Year's Eve of New Year's Day.  I have been seeing a lot of "buzz" about this simple activity.  There are lots of websites and apps to help you design one on the internet.  The funny thing is, my sisters and I used to make these with magazine pictures, glue, posterboard and our imaginations.

If you want to try this the way we did it in the "old" days, here are a few pointers.
Each family member can make their own and you can make one as a family.

You want to create a VISION.  Think of the things you want in your life, the things you want to accomplish, the things that are important to you. 

Use words that inspire

People you admire,

And goals to which you aspire!

The rest is easy, look for pictures, photos, magazine pictures that represent these things, cut them out and glue them on the board.  Find words that are important to you, cut them out and glue them on the board.  Personalize it with your name, glitter, stickers, scrapbook stickers, etc.

Put it in a place where it will be visible to you every day.

When working on a family vision board.  Everyone needs to be in agreement or willing to compromise.  Everyone should participate.  Focus on your family values and your dreams.

This can be a powerful tool and is so much more fun than writing a list of resolutions.

Thank you to all my readers in the last year.  I hope to expand and grow this blog in 2012.  Please send me your feedback and suggestions. 

Happy New Year, I wish you the very best in 2012 and lots of wonder and excitement~DV

Fun and Easy Appetizer the Kids can help make.

This is easy and fun.

Appetizer Tree

You can use any appetizers that can be put on a toothpick.

I used 3 different types of olives, gherkins, cheese, pepperoni.

You can use fruit, veggies, shrimp etc.

Buy a styrofoam cone in the Floral section fo Walmart.

Cover it with aluminum foil.

Use decorative toothpicks to skewer the appetizers to the cone.

Easy, Fun and eyecatching.

Enjoy!

Miracles

I believe in miracles. 

First of all, it is a miracle that we are all here, living on and sharing this planet at this point in time.
Whatever our differences, it is up to each one of us to create and live worthy lives.  Our lives should in some way benefit others.  Many people are doing just this.  This is a miracle.

The stars are a miracle.  The fact that they exist, that mankind has always been dazzled by them, and that they create all the elements that make up you and I is a miracle.  We are made of stardust so shine brightly.

The water cycle, the life cycle of a frog and a butterfly, the cycle of the seasons, are all miracles.  If you look at these cycles, you can see the sense in the saying "what goes around, comes around."  Cycles are miracles, so be mindful of what you put out to the universe every day, it may come back to you.

Happiness is a miracle.  Life doesn't guarantee joy.  So find the things that bring you joy.  Moments and memories, friends and family, holidays, hobbies, service to others.  I highly recommend service to others if your life is lacking in the miracle of happiness.  You will find it, if you give it.

Finally, Love is a miracle.  Give this miracle away to everyone you meet.  Lead your life by putting love first and you will spread miracles.

Happy Holidays to all of you.

What I think Christmas is about

I was in my car headed home one day, Christmas music on the radio, not thinking about much.  The song "Do You Hear What I Hear?" was on the radio.  My nephew, Dylan had just had a birthday.  Our family had gotten together to celebrate my niece, Katelyn's birthday a week or so before.  And I was thinking about the upcoming Winter Break and the things I would do.

Christmas is usually celebrated as a combination of the following:

• Jesus' birthday
• St. Nicholas (Santa Claus)
• Winter Solstice
• A time to feast with family and friends
• Gift giving
• Crazy, hectic cooking, cleaning, baking, decorating, traveling, shopping, wrapping, spending
• The stores, parking lots, roads, and post offices are crowded and filled with long lines.
• Everyone talking about "Christmas Spirit". 

That magic that Christmas holds for children is the true delight of the holiday.  So as I was singing along to the Christmas music on the radio, the reason I think Christmas is meant to be celebrated came clear.  Maybe some of you feel the same way as I do, but I have never heard it expressed quite this way.

I believe Christmas should be a celebration of the child.  Every child who is born has the potential to be the next "savior."  Will this child be a peace maker, a teacher, a healer, a miracle worker?  It's possible.  With children, anything is possible.

So the giving of gifts should be thoughtful.  What gifts can you give that will help a child be the best he or she can be?  Your time, your experience, your wisdom, your love seem to be the most importatn gifts.  Find out what they are interested in doing, what talents can be fostered? Wrap up your experiences and give the children in your life the keys to develop into self actualized human beings with endless possibilities.

Every child can be the one who makes the world a better place, imagine if they all grew up that way.
That would be something to celebrate!
Enjoy the holidays with your family.  Be grateful, be centered, be present.

Cake Balls are FUN!

This past weekend I had 9 students come to my house.  We made chocolate cover pretzels and Cake Balls.

It was fun for me to work with the students (who also helped me decorate my Christmas Tree!).  They were helpful to each other.  My nieces, Genevieve and Lily came as well as my nephew, Dylan.  I loved how Genevieve treated her younger brother and offered to help him when he became frustrated.  All the students shared and worked together.  It was a lovely afternoon and everyone went home with tasty treats.

In previous blog posts, I have posted my "kitchen rules."  Clean up is part of the activity and when students work together it can be lots of fun.

Here is the Cake Ball recipe.

1 cake ( made according to package directions)

1 can of Frosting

Chocolate Almond Bark or Chocolate Coating chips

sprinkles, coconut or other items for decoration

I use a large piece of wax paper for the students to define their workspace.  I also use 2 plastic table cloths for easy clean up.

Bake the cake and let cool completely.  Use a food processor to turn it into crumbs.

Add the can of frosting.  Mix well.

Refrigerate for at least 2 hours.  It is easier to form the balls when the mixture is cold.

Using a melon ball scoop, form balls of the mixture.  Put on wax paper and freeze for a few hours.

When ready to dip, melt the chocolate bark in the microwave. 

Dip each ball in using a toothpick or plastic fork to hold the ball.

Keep some frozen while working on others.  Decorate with sprinkles, coconut or other fun things.

Refrigerate until coating hardens and enjoy!

We made 3 different kinds

Chocolate cake with chocolate mint icing

Red velvet cake with cream cheese icing

Spice cake with cream cheese icing.

Use your imagination,  Go wild in the kitchen.

But remember to clean up!

So grateful for my Family

Friday, November 25, 2011

What I am Grateful for.

When I look at the way I was brought up, I am grateful for the things I learned from being in this family.

Everyone loves my mom. She is kind, gracious, beautiful, funny and wise. My mom had me at the age of 20, so I feel we grew up together. She is a great organizer and planner, I feel I have inherited those skills from her. I love being around my mom. I admire how she handles the triumphs and the tragedies of life. My mom gave me the skills I needed to seek my own truth and the pathway of my life. I am proud to be her daughter.

I know my dad gave me my love of theater and music. I grew up listening to Frank Sinatra, Doris Day, Robert Goulet and Broadway Musicals. My dad always suggested movies he thought I would love and he was always right. From my dad I inherited a bit of a competitive streak when it comes to playing games. I loved when he played Scrabble with mys sister and me. I secretly love it when I play chess at school and the students beat me! I remember arguing with my dad as a teenager, he taught me strategy and how to think before I present my case. My dad has inspired many teachers and students to become the best they can be. He inspired me to work with children and choose to teach. I am proud to be his daughter.

I am the oldest sibling. I have learned so much from being a part of this family, much of it from my sisters and brothers. From my sister Karen, I have learned that dreams do come true. She is successful and has 2 beautiful daughters who are the loves of her life. She works hard, is a terrific mom, and doesn't give up on what her goals are. I am proud of her and proud to be her sister.

From my sister Vicki, I have learned to count my blessings and enjoy every moment of life. Vicki has always been the life of the party and is so good about keeping in touch with family and friends. People trust her and tell her everything. She is a peacemaker. Vicki's eyes light up whenever she looks at our nieces and nephews who adore her. She is compassionate, funny, and lights up the world. I am proud of her and proud to be her sister.

My brother Ron has always been the sweetest and most caring person. He works hard and spends his "free" time with his family. He adores his children and is introducing them to the world with wonder and a positive outlook. Ron has taught me to appreciate those you love and to treat them well. He tirelessly pitches in whenever someone needs help. He has an altruistic side and can be selfless when called upon. I am so proud to be his sister and I am so proud of him.





From my brother Kevin, I have learned to be courageous. When we were younger, Kevin would call to order the pizza because his big sister was too shy. Kevin has had to make choices in his life that require true courage and the ability to be honest with yourself. He is, like our brother Ron, a great dad. He is patient, soft spoken, calm, and loving. He is devoted to his children and they are happy and thriving because of it. I am so proud of my brother Kevin and I am proud to be his sister.

I am a product of this family. What I know, I've learned from them. I am grateful for every moment of joy, every learning experience, and every struggle we went through. I know they are always in my corner and I will always be in theirs. It hasn't always been easy but I am who I am because of our shared experience.

ThanksGIVING

Thanksgiving is an important holiday to talk about and study in class.  In our class we research the history of the holiday, make paper turkeys, write sentences and paragraphs about why we are grateful for the bounty we have in our lives.  This year, our 6-9 class focused on the “giving” of Thanksgiving.

Each month our school has a “Casual Day”.  Elementary and Secondary students do not have to wear the usual uniform.  This year we have implemented a program where each class gets to choose a cause or a charity and those who wish to dress “casually” donate to that cause.  When our class was asked to choose a cause for November, it was easy to make a choice.  We decided to collect food for All Faith’s Food Bank in our town. 

Our third year students formed committees and divided the types of food they expected to collect into different categories.  They decided on “Pasta, Soups, Meat and Fish, Fruits and Veggies, and Miscellaneous.”   The five third year students put together a flyer which went home to the families in our school.

We decided that we would collect food for one week.  Each morning students stood outside our classroom with their handmade signs during “Drop off” time.  The first day did not yield any items and the students were disappointed.  We pointed out that it was a good day for reminding everyone about our Food Drive and tomorrow things would surely pick up.

The next day the food started to come in.  The committees collected the cans, bags, and boxes of items that fit their categories.  They organized the items, made lists of what types and quantities of food they collected, they boxed the food up and by the end of the week we had collected 343 items!

There were discussions about which category some items would fall into.  Would barley go with the pasta group or miscellaneous?  Do we count a six pack of tuna as one item or as six?   Are tomatoes a fruit or a vegetable? Is juice a fruit or is it in the miscellaneous category?  Can we keep the box of chocolate chip cookies?

Students worked together cooperatively to answer these questions and box up the food.  On the Monday before Thanksgiving we loaded it onto the school bus and then traveled to the All Faith’s Food Bank to deliver our bounty.  We were greeted by the volunteers who worked at the food bank.  Jill, a registered dietician gave us a tour of the warehouse.

We found out that we collected 372 pounds of food.  One pound of food feeds a person for a day.  The students were able to get on the scale and we found out that they weighed 949 pounds!  We were able to help sort the food we brought to the food bank.  We checked the dates on the can and then put a line through the bar code.  We sorted the cans into the appropriate boxes.

Students walked up and down the aisles and learned what types of food were needed.  We walked into the “cold rooms.”  In the first room it was 44 degrees, that is where they keep fresh fruit and veggies.  Next we went into the dairy room which was about 32 degrees.  Finally we entered the meat room which was 11 degrees.  That was where they keep the turkeys and other types of meat they have collected.

The students had a great learning experience and walked away feeling proud that they were able to help other families and children in our community. 

Remember, Thanksgiving is a time for being grateful for your blessings and a time to give to help your community!