Children learn different ways. Some children can learn a new song by just reading words. Others need some pictures or perform actions to really learn a song. And, still for others, these ideas may not be very effective. So, we are going to explore the different ways people learn. You may even find out the best way YOU learn.

Here are a couple of other printables that I really liked:

The spring session of General Conference for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints will be held April 6-7 2013. We are already excited and looking forward to hearing from our beloved prophet, Thomas S. Monson, and other leaders of the Church.

In preparation for this year's General Conference I've been putting together some activity bags for my daughters. They are pretty young still but they can do activities and listen while we try to listen too. My inspiration is not original. I saw the idea of activity bags on Sugardoodle and just tweaked some of the activities to meet the needs/ages of my daughters.

Here's what I have gathered and prepared so far:

I have a sweet little 4-year old can behave well at times and get into trouble at times. She's a normal toddler. When she gets into trouble, she gets disciplined and loses privileges and such. However, when she behaves well and helps out, she normally gets a couple of words of praise and that's it. The scale of discipline and praise isn't quite balanced.

As I thought about it, I wanted to reward my daughter with something that let her know that she was appreciated and valued for her help and good behavior. However, I did not want to give her treats, toys, stickers, etc. I wanted the rewards to be special.

I came up with some "Positive Attention Rewards." They are basically rewards that require the parent (me and/or my husband) to give positive attention to the child. That's what all children want. They just want some attention. 

I put the following rewards on craft sticks and put them in a little jar. At the end of the day, my daughter gets to choose a reward for her good behavior and help during the day. These are some of my daughter's favorite activities. Some of these activities we do during the day anyway, but they are extra special at night because 1) my daughter doesn't really look forward to bedtime, and 2) daddy is home to join in on the fun.

Positive Attention Rewards

• schedule a play date with a friend
• love notes from mom & dad
• play a game with mom & dad
• go on a short walk and visit a neighbor
• 10 minutes of art before bedtime
• extra story at bedtime
• extra song at bedtime
• stay up extra 10 minutes
• dance party
• 10 minutes of computer games
• free choice activity (game, craft, paint nails, etc.)
• 10 minutes of cuddles at bedtime
• massage (she likes arm and feet massages)
• pick what's for breakfast, lunch or dinner
• laundry basket ride (child sits in laundry basket and mom or dad pulls child on carpet, like an indoor sled)
• wrestle with mommy and daddy

What I have noticed lately is that my daughter really wants these rewards at night so she is working harder to behave better during the day. I also want her to get these rewards so I'm trying my best to look at the big picture and let the little things go. It has also brought a fun feeling into our home because we are happier at night when we get to play together as a family before bedtime. 

If you have other suggestions for rewards, please leave a comment. I'm always looking for new rewards to add to the jar. 

Every year I have to think of something to give to my neighbors and co-workers for Christmas. I always look for something that is cheap, easy to make, doesn't take a lot of time, makes a large amount, and tastes good.

This year we are making English Toffee. It meets ALL my criteria.

ENGLISH TOFFEE

Ingredients:

4 cubes butter
2 cups white sugar
1- 1 1/2 bag milk chocolate chips
3-4 handfuls of chopped nuts (I used pecans)

Directions:

In a medium-sized saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Once butter is melted, add two cups sugar. Stir constantly for about 12 minutes over medium to medium high heat (about a 7 out of 10 on the heat setting, if you have something like that) or until mixture turns a medium brown (like a nice caramel color). It should be at a low boil most of the time.

Pour hot mixture into a lightly greased jelly roll pan (12 1/2" x 17 1/2"). Spread evenly. Sprinkle chocolate chips on top of hot mixture and let it sit for a minute or two. Lightly spread the melted chocolate, covering the mixture. Sprinkle with chopped nuts and chill in refrigerator until cool.

Once cool, crack into pieces for serving.

So, I know it's WAAAY past Thanksgiving but I thought I'd post this cute little turkey place setting buddy.

I painted a little wooden peg (meant to be a baby or bee shape), sprayed it with some glossy finish, and added some raffia "feathers" on the back. I thought he was a cute little guy so I thought I'd share.