Amy's Wandering

Old Skooling It

February 24, 2011 By: amyswanderingcomment

I have been thinking about my word for the year as it relates to blogging, and have decided that keeping up with two blogs does not fit into the {rhythm} of my life.

Which is kind of obvious since I haven’t updated the other one since May.

!!!!!

BUT …

I have tons of great links to share, and little time.

SOOOO …

I am going back to the good ol’ days of posting everything on this blog.

All of the educational links that I post here, from now on, will be archived on Link & Think in those cute little green folders.

p.s. I will try to work my way through all of the folders and weed out the broken links, but don’t hold your breath : )

My Monday Multitude

February 21, 2011 By: amyswanderingcomment

I am grateful for …

-21- Wii Fit … for making exercise fun

-22- stuffy hayfever heads … not a serious illness

-23- Hubby’s snoring … his spot could be empty & quiet

-24- sour cream chocolate chip muffins (our fave!)

-25- printable coupons

-26- a full freezer & pantry

-27- kids playing silly games outside

-28- warm sunshine & cool breeze

-29- the excitement of a little boy wanting to know what grub worms eat (ick!) -roots, by the way

-30- carpet burn … the only injury sustained after Sweetpea tumbled down the stairs a few minutes ago

Great Backyard Bird Count

February 17, 2011 By: amyswanderingcomment

This is our first year to count birds for the Great Backyard Bird Count!

It takes place February 18 – 21.

It is very simple to participate – just count birds in your area & report online.

We will be using the regional bird list to identify & tally the birds that we see.

Sounds like fun!

Are you participating?

Choosing Gratitude

February 16, 2011 By: amyswanderingcomment

Little did I know when I recently started two different book studies that they would go hand in hand! Why am I always amazed that God works that way?

I’ve always considered myself a cup-half-full, bright side of life gal. I had no idea that I have SO much to learn about gratitude.

“Is the gratitude that flows out of your life as abounding as the grace that has flowed into your life? Undeniable guilt, plus undeserved grace, should equal unbridled gratitude“

{Choosing Gratitude by Nancy Leigh DeMoss}

OUCH!!!

It is easy to be generically thankful for all that God has given us, but does that translate over into our everyday lives? Are our words and actions a blessing or a hindrance?

These two books have made me realize that I have GOT TO slow down and take the time to recognize all of the blessings in my life.

And take the time to acknowledge those blessings and say Thank You.

I need to take my eyes off myself and start looking outward. My life is full of Joy and I need to let that overflow into the lives of others.

I would LOVE your help in brainstorming some ways to show Gratitude and Joy!

Here are a few to get us started:

~ Participate in Ann’s 1000 Gifts List every Monday by posting on your blog, or use her printable Gratitude Calendar.

~ Nancy shares some great resources on her site:

~ Email a blogger who encourages you regularly and let her know what an impact her words have had.

~ Drop a Thinking of You note in the mail every few days. Allow God to show you just the right person to send it to that day.

~ Deliver a little treat to the neighbors. Attach a note with an encouraging scripture on it.

~ Pay careful attention to the words coming out of your mouth. Try to not complain – even about the weather.

~ Be generous with your praise. It’s not like you are going to run out!

Please leave a comment with your ideas and let’s get busy showing Gratitude!

Just Teach . . . Nature

February 11, 2011 By: amyswanderingcomment

I used to overload my children with Teachable Moments, especially when it came to nature study.

Their eyes would glaze over at Mommy’s dream of lovely watercolor-filled field journals.

We moved to our current home about a year & a half ago and there is a beautiful little park with a pond at the end of our street.

We started taking a nature walk every Friday when the weather was nice and I discovered something interesting during our little walks.

My children learned much more about our local wildlife simply by exploring on their own. They would come home and eagerly look up information on their newest specimen.

And then they would enthusiastically do a page to add to their Nature Notebook!

Sometimes I just print out a page of useful info for them to file away.

We also enjoy the occasional scavenger hunt, especially when the seasons change.

Here is a list of some of the resources we use for our notebooks. I printed them all out and organized them in a binder so that I can just grab whatever we are interested in that day.

~*~ I will be glad to share how I organize this binder if anyone is interested ~*~

{Journal Pages}

Donna Young

Bird Identification Notes Page 1 Page 2

HS Unlimited some of my favorite generic pages

Ranger Rick’s Nature Notebook

Science Notebooking

Soil Concepts Imagination Book

Field Journals

Trees

Winter & Spring

{Coloring Pages}