A Most Generous Gift!

We just received a very generous gift from a neighbor. He has condo's that he rents out and is replacing some of the furniture in them. Yesterday he pulled up in my driveway with a TV he was going to put in storage but decided to give it to us instead!

I was so surprised, I didn't know what to say.

The TV is a Sanyo with a 26 inch screen (we never had a screen that big) and it's only 5 years old!

We have been watching a small 19 inch one, and I had to pull the TV table close to the sofa so we could see it. Now I can put my living furniture where it's supposed to be and see the TV from anywhere. My son thinks Christmas came early and I tend to agree.

I'm waiting for the inevitable question of "What are we going to do with the old one, mom?"

The answer is "No, it's not going in your room". I'm not about to pay for another cable box right now. I suppose he could watch videos (funny how I still call them videos when they are dvd's) on it, but I would need another DVD player also. So, back to "No, it's not going in your room". Maybe when he's a little older. Who knows, in a year or two I may be glad he's spending too much time in his room.

Fun Ways to Inspire Your Child to Write

I don't know about your children but getting my almost five year old son to write anything is like pulling teeth. It takes him forever to finish one sentence and then if it looks scribbled to him, he will have a fit and start over. Yet when he wants to write something on his own, no problem.



After days of nagging him to finish one page of copy work, I essentially gave up. The next morning (just to show me he could do it), he got a pencil a paper and wrote me this note. I almost fell over!
I know he can write if he wants too, so I'm going to try some sneaky ways to encourage him.

• Have him help make the shopping list.
• Write notes to Grandma, Santa, etc.
• Make an ingredient list before cooking.
• Make a list of clues to investigate.
• Write measurements before starting a project.
• Filling out checks in an old checkbook.
• Write down speaking lines to learn for a play.
• Help me label anything (files, drawers, storage boxes)
• Make an address list of who to send Christmas cards to.
• Fill out a blank calendar with important family dates.
• Write a song.

This way it won't feel like handwriting practice and he will learn about planning for things as well. If you can think of any more creative ways to inspire the pencil muse, please share!

Where do Old Jack O' Lanterns go to Die?

Why out under the trees for Mother Nature
to give back to the earth of course!

Do you believe this jack-o-lantern hasn't rotted away yet? I mean, this is Florida, it's still 80 degrees out. I put him out under the tree for the wild creatures to nibble on, the day after Halloween.

I guess the animals in my neighborhood aren't interested in pumpkin.
Although I did see this guy eyeing it today. Maybe I should fill it with peanuts and make it a serving dish!

Nothing Went Bump in the Night.

Well he did it! My son went trick-or-treating for the first time. He had no hesitation this year. In fact he considers himself an expert on the matter now. He put on his magician costume (without the long pants, too hot here) and went out into the driveway to wait for Grandma. She was nice enough to come over and hand out our candy while we went around the neighborhood.

He got so involved in looking at everyone's decorations, he almost forgot to go up to the doors.

I was frequently reminded of the rules, "No houses with the lights out" and "No eating until we get home mom!"

When his bag was full (I purposely gave him a very small one), we headed home. Grandma brought cupcakes with her so he opted for one of those rather than candy. He already knows we are not keeping most of the candy.

I had as much fun as he did! Some of the costumes we passed were very elaborate and of course I forgot my camera. When I was tucking him into bed he told me that next year he wanted to be something really scary. He said that everyone told him he was cute this year and he didn't want to be cute because he's a big boy now! Does that mean "cute" is now a bad word? I hope not, because he will always be adorable to me.

Happy Halloween!

We have a busy day tomorrow, but I wanted to wish everyone a very

Happy and safe Halloween!

The Pumpkin Hawk!

My son wanted me to carve a hawk's face, so I did my best.

I'm very pleased with the result. It's a Nodin's Nest original!

Pumpkin Picking in South Florida

This week we went to the pumpkin patch. The South Florida version that is. This amounts to a vacant lot next to the highway, between a gas station and a fast food restaurant. As far as my son is concerned though, it's a little piece of country heaven. He had a blast running between the rows of trucked in pumpkins and touching the prickly hay bales.

They had Indian corn and mini pumpkins for sale as well. I loved the antique items they used to display old Halloween decorations and of course the scarecrows they made. We picked up a couple of pumpkins and one bunch of Indian corn for our front porch. I realized while trying to take pictures that he really needed a haircut and that was our next stop.

Abracadabra!

Look what we got in the mail today!

My son decided to be a Magicianthis year for Halloween.

The costume arrived today and he is thrilled!

He likes this one because there is nothing on his face, he is afraid of masks. The hat is a little smashed, but I think if I place it on a form of some kind, it will regain it's shape before Halloween. I was glad he chose something that could be used year round for dress up play as well.

I thought about making him a costume this year but after spending a huge amount of time on previous years costumes, only to have him refuse to go, my heart wasn't in it this year.

He seems very excited to go this time and hopefully won't chicken out. If not, we will have fun handing out candy together anyway.

Once he actually goes and enjoys dressing up, I'm sure I'll go back to making a costume for him.

I'm keeping my fingers crossed that this will finally be his first year trick-or-treating!

Our School Corner

Happy Wordless Wednesday!
This used to be our dining room, now it's our school corner. There is also a bookcase on another wall and a dresser full of supplies.

We were very lucky to have a microscope to use this year,

thanks to my veterinary friend!
For more photo fun visit 5 Minutes For Mom.

Photo Contest

5 Minutes For Mom is having another terrific photo contest!

This time the prize is $1000 for your best silly kid photo.

This is my entry. Go check it out and enter your own photo.

The holidays are coming and who couldn't use $1000?