Wordless Wednesday

14 inches of snow on Monday, 60 degrees by Friday. They say if you don't like the weather in Hampton Roads, stick around for a day or two.

For more Wednesday fun, be sure to visit these fabulous blogs:
5 Minutes for Mom
Wordless Wednesday HQ
Thanks for stopping by :)

Free Printable Calendars

This is so cool! I was looking at my calendar to make a doctor's appointment and realized that I am in dire need of a new 2011 wall calendar. Fortunately for me, I subscribe to Skip to My Lou and just found a great post on free printable calendars. Check it out!

I'm an owl lover, so I couldn't resist this one.


It's customizable and the artwork is beautiful. Very cool.

Got Snow? Here are some learning links for frosty fun.

We've had a record snowfall here. The third largest in our area in the last 100 years. And snow on Christmas day? That's never happened before here, at least not in the 37+ years that I've been here. It's been so beautiful to see and loads of fun playing and watching the kids sled. How about you? Were you effected by the recent storm?

Just for fun, here are some links to learn more about snow:

Why are snowflakes shaped like that?
http://chemistry.about.com/od/moleculescompounds/a/snowflake.htm

http://www.its.caltech.edu/~atomic/snowcrystals/

http://www.lessonplanspage.com/ScienceArtCategorizingSnowflakes2.htm

http://library.thinkquest.org/3876/scienceofsnow.html

Why is snow white?
http://weather.about.com/od/winterweather/a/snow_white.htm

Other questions and answers about snow:
http://nsidc.org/snow/faq.html

Why do we put salt on the roads?
http://www.gryphonhouse.com/activities/activityDetail.asp?bookid=18325&page=557

http://www.gryphonhouse.com/activities/activityDetail.asp?bookid=10015&page=111

Snowflake cutouts
http://www.its.caltech.edu/~atomic/snowcrystals/kids/kids.htm

Enjoy, and stay warm!

Merry Christmas!

Wishing you and yours a very Merry Christmas and a safe and joyful 2011!

Wordless Wednesday

For more Wednesday fun, be sure to visit these fabulous blogs:
5 Minutes for Mom
Wordless Wednesday HQ
Thanks for stopping by :)

Happy Holidays! Recipes and More

I know I said I'd be getting back in the swing of blogging, then have been silent here for a few days. I am trying to get it together, really.

I have been searching for and planning some projects for gift making with the kids. We are on a fixed budget, which is small this year and I think it is a great lesson for the kids to create handmade gifts for the family. Here are a few ideas I have come across that I thought would be fun and worth while.
Love these cookie recipes from Good Housekeeping...the basic dough is a great base for making several kinds to share with friends. Incidentally, if you have the Joy of Cooking, their basic recipe for 13 cookies (variations on a basic dough) is one I have used in the past with much success.
I also like these ideas for decorating with pine cones. We have a stash to paint along with acorns and walnuts. We'll be painting them silver, adding a little glitter and filling a lined basket for an easy centerpiece (it's on my list anyway.) Find more simple decorating ideas here (more cookie recipes as well...one can never have too many cookies, I say.)

For Christmas crafts and printables for kids, try Kaboose. And the Countdown to Christmas Advent calendar from about.com is an easy fix for filling a lull in your day. Find lots of fun ideas at your fingertips each day. For more easy fun, check out holidaycrafts4kids where you'll find crafts, word puzzles, hidden pictures, color by numbers and more for Christmas, Hanukkah and Kwanzaa.

Wishing you all many blessings and happy moments.
~Melissa

Sign Language As A First Language - A Guest Post by Emily Patterson and Kathleen Thomas

Imagine being able to communicate with your baby as early as you would like,
knowing why they are crying or what they need, may sound ridiculous, or way out
of the realm of possibility, but it is actually much more common than you may think.
After learning how beneficial it can be for the relationship between you and your
child, and the advantages Sign Language will give them when starting school, it
would be ridiculous not to not give it a try.

Creating A Bond

The benefits of early childhood education through signing are endless. In addition
to giving kids a way to communicate, it also provides them with an opportunity to
form a bond with their parent(s). The hope is that eventually it will become know
as one of the "firsts" that no parent wants to miss, such as the first time they walked
or their first tooth. Signing is likely to allow communication much earlier than
verbally. It creates a closeness that will allow parents to be more in sync with their
child's thoughts and needs.

"Ma-ma", "Da-da", or Silence

The toddler years and beyond – ages 2 to five –are an ample time to educate
children in different modes of communication and language because of their brain
development course. This goes beyond the spoken word (though it is an optimal
time for children to learn a second language); many young children have an aptitude
for signing as well.

American Indian nations have used sign language for centuries to facilitate
communication with other tribes with whom they do not share a language. Some
paleontologists and anthropologists theorize that Neanderthals – who apparently
lacked the vocal mechanism to produce many spoken words – depended a great deal
upon hand gestures to communicate. Therefore it is not as strange as one would
think.

In fact, recent research suggests that sign language is innate. An article published in
the Boulder Daily Camera in 2003 presented strong evidence that babies as young as
six months old communicate with their hands:

"...by 6 to 7 months, babies can remember a sign. At eight months, children
can begin to imitate gestures and sign single words. By 24 months, children
can sign compound words and full sentences. They say sign language reduces
frustration in young children by giving them a means to express themselves
before they know how to talk." (Glarion, 2003)

The National Institute of Child Health and Human Development are also referred
to by the author, demonstrating that young children who are taught sign language
at an early age whether at day care or at home, actually develop better verbal skills
as they get older. The ability to sign has also helped parents in communicating
with autistic children; one parent reports that "using sign language allowed her to
communicate with her [autistic] son and minimized his frustration...[he now] has an
advanced vocabulary and excels in math, spelling and music" (Glarion, 2003).

The ability to communicate articulately in a variety of ways and languages to the widest
possible audience is a great way to stay ahead and ensure a decent standard of living in
our suffering economic state. This is not limited to speaking different languages but also
non-verbal communication: signing.

However, the shortage of qualified interpreters fluent in American Sign Language
that has led to more career opportunities is dwindling– and if current trends continue,
it's likely that skilled ASL interpreters will have little problem securing lucrative
employment in a society where such a commodity is destined to be in short supply.

Co-written by Emily Patterson and Kathleen Thomas

Emily and Kathleen are Communications Coordinators for the network of Austin day care facilities
belonging to the AdvancED® accredited family of Primrose day care schools. Primrose Schools are
located in 16 states throughout the U.S. and are dedicated to delivering progressive, early childhood, Balanced Learning® curriculum throughout their preschools.

Christmas Quotes

Christmas waves a magic wand over this world, and behold, everything is softer and more beautiful. ~Norman Vincent Peale

Christmas is a time when you get homesick - even when you're home. ~Carol Nelson

He who has not Christmas in his heart will never find it under a tree. ~Roy L. Smith

I have always thought of Christmas time, when it has come round, as a good time; a kind, forgiving, charitable time; the only time I know of, in the long calendar of the year, when men and women seem by one consent to open their shut-up hearts freely, and to think of people below them as if they really were fellow passengers to the grave, and not another race of creatures bound on other journeys. ~Charles Dickens

Christmas is the gentlest, loveliest festival of the revolving year - and yet, for all that, when it speaks, its voice has strong authority. ~W.J. Cameron

The best of all gifts around any Christmas tree: the presence of a happy family all wrapped up in each other. ~Burton Hillis

One of the most glorious messes in the world is the mess created in the living room on Christmas day. Don't clean it up too quickly. ~Andy Rooney

Happy, happy Christmas, that can win us back to the delusions of our childish days; that can recall to the old man the pleasures of his youth; that can transport the sailor and the traveller, thousands of miles away, back to his own fire-side and his quiet home! ~Charles Dickens, The Pickwick Papers, 1836

Our hearts grow tender with childhood memories and love of kindred, and we are better throughout the year for having, in spirit, become a child again at Christmas-time. ~Laura Ingalls Wilder

Wordless Wednesday

For more Wednesday fun, be sure to visit these fabulous blogs:
5 Minutes for Mom
Wordless Wednesday HQ
Thanks for stopping by :)

Picaboo Photo Book Winner

The winner of the Picaboo Classic Photo Book is Ashley, commenter #14. Congrats Ashley! I hope you enjoy your book:)

Ashley said...

I would get the classic leather book.

hewella1 at gmail dot com
December 7, 2010 12:22 PM

Thanks to all who entered! Check out my other giveaways here and here. And stayed tuned for more coming up this week!

Aloha Friday

Aloha! Thanks for coming by today. I'll be up to my elbows in flour this weekend doing my holiday baking. I love cookies and Christmas is the perfect excuse to make a ton of them ;) Unfortunately, they seem to disappear as quickly as I bake them. I like to have several kinds to share with neighbors and friends. How about you? Do you do much holiday baking?

My question this week: Do you give gifts to those in the community that you see regularly? ie the mailman, neighbors, church friends, activities leaders(coaches/instructors) etc?

Be sure to stop by An Island Life for more Aloha Friday fun. Check out my current giveaways too! Links are at the top left of this page :)

Here Comes Santa Claus

Here comes Santa Claus

Here comes Santa Claus

Right O'er the Chesapeake Bay

Vixen and Blitzen and all his reindeer

Pulling on the reigns...wait just a minute here...

That's not a sleigh!

Apparently Santa has decided to go all bad-ass on us this year.

 

I wonder if that means he can carry more presents?

 Merry Christmas!

Ho Ho Ho

icaughtsanta.com Giveaway - 10 Winners!

Christmas morning is so exciting! Especially if you are a kid. Remember the giddiness of waking up and realizing the big day was finally here? Then racing to the tree to see what Santa had left behind? As parents we get such a thrill out of watching our children's faces light up with delight on Christmas morning as they find their special gifts and check to see if Santa has indeed eaten all of the cookies so carefully left for him the night before. Imagine their faces if Santa left behind not only cookie crumbs and a note, but a real photo of himself in their own living room?!

Now you can "catch Santa" in the act with just a few simple steps. All you have to do is take a digital photo of your living room (or wherever you want to catch Santa) then upload it to icaughtsanta.com and add Santa to your pic. It's so much fun, and way easier than pie (have you ever made a pie crust from scratch? Just sayin'). You can then print and/or share your photo online. And it'll only cost you $9.99. Come on you know their astonished faces will be priceless ;)

But wait! I have 10 gift codes to giveaway to my fabulous readers! Enter today to win one and you could create your one of a kind Christmas keepsake for free!

Here's how to enter: 
MANDATORY 1st ENTRY: 
Subscribe to Serendipity is Sweet and leave your email address (must confirm subscription). Current subscribers I love you! Just leave a comment with your email addy and let me know you already subscribe.

For extra entries:
Add my button to your blog or add me to your blog roll 
Follow me publicly in google
Become a Fan of Serendipity is Sweet on Facebook

Share this post on any social network (Facebook, twitter, stumble, etc.) and leave the link.

Follow me on twitter (leave your twitter handle)

Fave me on technorati

Comment on any of my other blog posts

Be sure to leave a separate comment for each entry and a valid email address. Open to U.S. and Canada only. Winners will be chosen by random integer selection. The winner will have 48 hours to claim the prize or a new winner will be chosen. Contest will close on December 14, 2010 at 12:00 AM EST. Good Luck!!!

Disclaimer: I received no compensation for this post. I was simply offered the chance to hold a giveaway for my readers and I took it.

Wordless Wednesday

Add your WW link here:

For more Wednesday fun, be sure to visit these fabulous blogs:
5 Minutes for Mom
Wordless Wednesday HQ
Thanks for stopping by :)

Wordless Wednesday

The Dog Who Saved Christmas Vacation DVD Giveaway

The holidays just aren't the holidays without our favorite movies, from timeless classics to new and exciting additions, they help us ring in the season with cheer. I love to cozy up on the couch with the kids and a big bowl of popcorn to enjoy a great Christmas story. They've been asking to see The Dog Who Saved Christmas Vacation and I just got word from our sponsor that I can give away a copy on this here blog!

Here's more about the movie:
"It’s ‘Puppy Love’ as Paris Hilton makes voice talent debut alongside Mario Lopez as two playful pooches!

A hilarious and heartwarming family romp and the “paw-fect” sequel to the hit ABC Family original movie, The Dog Who Saved Christmas, the festive new release features Paris Hilton, in her first-ever voiceover role as the prim and proper poodle “Bella” alongside Mario Lopez, who returns as the voice of mischievous yellow Labrador “Zeus.” The Dog Who Saved Christmas Vacation takes a bow(wow) at retail stores nationwide, December 7, 2010, just in time to help kids and families celebrate the holiday season together.

The Dog Who Saved Christmas Vacation (SRP $19.98) follows the Bannister family to a beautiful Rocky Mountain ski lodge for their long-awaited holiday vacation. Upon their arrival, however, it soon becomes clear that this trip will be no dog walk in the park!

Obnoxious relatives and their prissy poodle Bella (voiced by Paris Hilton) are staying at the house too, and they want little to do with the Bannisters or Zeus (voiced by Mario Lopez), despite his growing “puppy love” for the cutest new pooch in town.

Meanwhile, the hooligans who attempted to ruin the Bannister’s Christmas last year are up to their old tricks. They’ve made their way to the ski resort too – with plans to snatch a diamond necklace from a resort guest. When the necklace is mistaken for Bella’s dog collar the cantankerous crooks kidnap the pampered poodle and it’s up to Zeus to once again save the day.

Showcasing a pack of terrific talent, The Dog Who Saved Christmas Vacation stars Gary Valentine (“King of Queens”), Dean Cain (“Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman,” Abandoned), Elisa Donovan (Clueless, “Sabrina, the Teenage Witch”), Casper Van Dien (“Watch Over Me,” The Curse of King Tut's Tomb), and Mindy Sterling (“iCarly,” the Austin Powers trilogy), Adrienne Barbeau (Fly Me to the Moon). Kayley Stallings (“Monk”), Brennan Bailey (My Sister’s Keeper) bring two fresh young faces to the cast as the Bannister children."

This flick would make a great stocking stuffer. Look for it in stores today!

The giveaway-
One lucky Serendipity is Sweet reader will win a copy of this brand new DVD!

Here's how to enter:
MANDATORY ENTRY: Let me know who you'd give this movie to (or watch it with). That's it!

Extra entries:
Subscribe to Serendipity is Sweet and leave your email address (must confirm subscription).
Add my button to your blog or add me to your blog roll (3 entries)
Follow me publicly in google
Become a Fan of Serendipity is Sweet on Facebook

Share this post on any social network (Facebook, twitter, stumble, etc.) and leave the link.

Follow me on twitter (leave your twitter handle)

Fave me on technorati

Comment on any of my other blog posts

Be sure to leave a separate comment for each entry and a valid email address. Open to U.S. and Canada only. Winner will be chosen by random integer selection. The winner will have 48 hours to claim the prize or a new winner will be chosen. Contest will close on December 12, 2010 at 12:00 AM EST. Good Luck!!!

Disclaimer: I received no compensation for this post. I was simply offered the chance to hold a giveaway for my readers and I took it.

Picaboo Classic Photo Book Giveaway!

Yea! It's time for another giveaway :) Just in time for the holidays, those fabulous folks over at Picaboo offered to sponsor a giveaway for my readers. I'm so excited for you ;) I love the gorgeous photo books they offer. They make such wonderful gifts for family and friends.

So here's the deal:
One lucky Serendipity is Sweet subscriber will receive a coupon for a free 20 page Classic photo book, valued at up to $39.99. Awesome! Read on for details...


This coupon covers one of three different book styles:


Classic Custom hardcover books add a "wow" factor and a professional touch to your book with a completely customized cover that really makes an impact. Create a one-of-a-kind cover featuring the layout, background, images, and text of your choice on the front cover, back cover and spine.

Picaboo's Classic Leather books have a rich, smooth finish and formal, timeless design that speaks to their lasting quality. These covers are easier to care for than the Classic Linen, which can show fingerprints and other markings more easily.

Croc-embossed leather books feature our classic design and durable bonded leather with a stylish embossed finish. Less formal and more "fun", croc-embossed leather can jazz up any photo book. (No – it’s not real crocodile skin! The croc design is embossed on the standard Classic bonded leather).

Classic Linen books feature a traditional photo book design with a die cut window on the front cover, allowing your image and caption from the first page to show through the cover when the book is closed.

Creating photo books with is easy and fun. Photo books can be fully customized by dragging-and-dropping photos and captions anywhere on your pages, and Picaboo's software allows you creative control so you can make each special page look just the way you want it to.

The fine print:
This coupon is good for one 20 page Classic photo book in any style. It does not
cover additional pages over 20 or applicable shipping costs.The coupon will expire
on 12/30/10. FYI next Tuesday, December 14th is the Ground shipping deadline to guarantee Christmas delivery(for the continental US). 

Here's how to enter:
MANDATORY ENTRY: Let me know how you would use the photo book coupon. That's it!

Extra entries:
Subscribe to Serendipity is Sweet and leave your email address (must confirm subscription).
Add my button to your blog or add me to your blog roll (3 entries)
Follow me publicly in google
Become a Fan of Serendipity is Sweet on Facebook

Share this post on any social network (Facebook, twitter, stumble, etc.) and leave the link.

Follow me on twitter (leave your twitter handle)

Fave me on technorati

Comment on any of my other blog posts

Be sure to leave a separate comment for each entry and a valid email address. Open to U.S. and Canada only. Winner will be chosen by random integer selection. The winner will have 24 hours to claim the prize or a new winner will be chosen (sorry this one is on a tight deadline). Contest will close on December 9, 2010 at 12:00 AM EST. Good Luck!!!

Disclaimer: I received no compensation for this post. I was simply offered the chance to hold a giveaway for my readers and I took it.

Aloha Friday

Aloha friends! W Like most, we've been busy gearing up for the winter holidays. Decorating, crafting, shopping. I haven't started baking yet, but that's on my agenda. Tonight we're headed to "Winter Wunter Wand" as my kids call it (Winter Wonderland). It's a local holiday display of lights and antique animated figurines. I've been visiting since I was a kid and we go every year as a family. It's a tradition that just makes the holiday memories more special.

My question this week: Is there a favorite holiday show or place you like to visit each year?

Be sure to stop by An Island Life for more Aloha Friday fun.

Wordless Wednesday

For more Wednesday fun, be sure to visit these fabulous blogs:
5 Minutes for Mom
Wordless Wednesday HQ