Small Things Are Big Things

August 12, 2016 by: Kara Noel Lawson

Healthy Snack Ideas for Back-to-School

Oh hey, school starts next week.
What the what!?!?
If you are like me, the lunch packing game starts on point, and by the end of the year your child’s lunch pail solely consists of one unopened sleeve of crackers. (That has really happened at our house.)

I need healthy snack ideas.

My issue is putting something in their lunch that is filling AND will last all day long. i.e. chips get smushed and apples loose their crisp.
Or if my precious little one forgets to empty his/her lunch pail on Friday it won’t go bad by Monday morning repacking. (Cy left a banana in his bag before summer break… let me just tell you… it wasn’t pretty.)

Brad and I popped into Sam’s Club during a date night, because what says romance more than stocking up on toilet paper and impulse buying ice chests? Not much in my book! We picked up Lärabar Bites in the chocolate macaroon flavor and their Fruits, Nuts, and Spices box.

Visit the Lärabar website to learn more about their dairy free, kosher, vegan products. And share your simple foods to Instagram using #Lärabar for a chance to be featured. I hope they feature one of my photos! I mean how could they not repost this boomerang?

The Lärabar bites are a guilt free snack to indulge in while your kids are at Pirate Day for VBS. Not that I would know or anything.

AND Lärabar Chocolate Macaroon Bites pair perfectly with iced coffee (also from Sam’s Club), and binge watching Once Upon a Time while your kids are at said VBS…

I’m hoping you got some healthy snack ideas for back-to-school. For both the kiddo’s lunches, AND for mommy’s kid-free time! I made this little printable for when you need a little reminder to keep life simple. Hang it on your fridge, or in your office, or gift your child’s new teacher or, you get the idea…

Print this simple quote as a reminder to make things less complicated like a Lärabar –
“Food made from food.”
Simple.

August 11, 2016 by: Kara Noel Lawson

Magic in Reading – A Dollar in your Book

I’ve always felt there was magic in reading a book.

When I read, the story becomes so vivid in my mind that I feel like I’m watching a movie. I have even been interrupted from reading a good book and then gone back to the TV and turned it on only to discover I wasn’t watching a story… I was reading a story!

Yes, there is magic in reading. When you read a book it’s like be admitted into a secret club.
And it’s delightful.
When I finish an excellent book, I like to imagine all the people who have read the same words and felt the same feelings before me. I like to wonder if we loved the same characters, hated the same characters, cried in the same chapters. And I love to think about the people who have yet to read the same words. Some aren’t even born yet.

I would love for everyone to have that same feeling of wonder when they read a book.

My grandpa always said he would never pay over a dollar for a bookmark… because then you can just use the dollar. Wise words, don’t you think?

I use a dollar to mark my library book pages, because I can’t dog ear them. (Yes, I dog ear my pages.) One time, I accidentally left the dollar inside when I returned the book. At first I was like, crap. Then I was like… how fun for the next reader! And I’ve been doing it ever since.

Tuck a dollar into the books you return at your local library to create a little magic in reading in your neighborhood. Doing Small Things in my community gives me all the warm fuzzies.

magic in reading

Side Thought: Sometimes I wonder if the librarians take the dollars. Ha! Someone should check out this book and let me know if they find the dollar!

August 8, 2016 by: Kara Noel Lawson

Last-Minute Pasta Recipes – Only Two Ingredients

Pasta Recipes for president!

Yesterday I came home from a wonderful weekend away.
(More on that soon, but here’s a quick look.)
As soon as I got home, I was showered with hugs and kisses from the kids. And immediately after the kisses the kids asked what was for dinner.
Really!?!?
Is that all you missed about me?
Blarg.
Anyhoo… then I had to make dinner.
So I did… and I think you’ll like this last-minute dinner too!
(Hopefully I’ll be adding more easy pasta recipes soon!)
And it only has two ingredients! (Not including the pasta.)

We were roaming the isles of Costco and my husband was sucked into one of the tasting stations and we ended up buying Cattle Drive Chicken Breast Chili. Random.
(When Brad comes with me to Costco we end up with the most random stuff in our cart. I know I’m not alone ladies!) The chili had been in our pantry for weeks then I “discovered” this easy pasta recipe when I was in a pinch. i.e. need dinner but don’t want to go out… again.

Make the pasta according to the bag/box instructions. Drain then put back in the pot. Pop a can of the chili and add to the pasta. Then chop up any kind greens and add to the pot. I’ve used, kale, spinach, arugula, and iceberg. Mix well until the greens wilt just a bit. Put in bowls and serve! It’s nice to have a bit of a side like bread or fruit, but the dish can stand on it’s own! And my meat loving husband is even satisfied.
Don’t have this exact chili? I bet you can substitute any kind of chicken/bean type chili-ish canned item.

This pasta recipe is always a hit!
I mean, just look at that face…

July 26, 2016 by: Kara Noel Lawson

Opening your home with Wente Wine #LoveOfTheJourney

MSG for 21+… well the wine part is… the rest is for anyone… ha!

Opening our home has been quite a journey and Wente Wine helps make it happen!
Every Monday we invite people over for dinner.
Yep, every Monday!
We have kept this tradition going for over two years.
(The way the whole thing started is a story in itself, and deserves it’s own blog post.)
Anyhoo, because of our Monday dinners, acquaintance become friends.
And friends become people you start doing life with.
It’s quite nice, really.

Opening you home can look like hosting neighborhood dinner or having a birthday party or… well… anytime you have people who don’t sleep in your house, in your house!
What opening your home SHOULDN’T look like, is the pressure to have the perfect entree or best home decor or tidy linen closet or… you get the idea.

I think that’s what I love most about our Monday dinners… the “yep, my kids spilled Cheez-Its in the hall and I haven’t had a chance to sweep yet,” type of atmosphere. And I think that’s why our guests have so much fun at our house, AND why we can cultivate genuine friendships. What you see is what you get… Cheez-It crumbs and all.

It’s refreshing for guests. And it’s freedom for us… to be us.
Then when you go to your new friends’ house (bottle of Wente wine in hand) you don’t feel bad putting the kids in front of another episode of Ninjago while you enjoy a game of uno, and laughing for two hours straight.

We tried the Southern Hills Cabernet Sauvignon and it was AMAZING.
And I’m in love with the Wente Family story: C.H. Wente came to America in 1883 to create a better life. Five generations later Wente Vineyards is the oldest family-run winery in the country. Their wine is 100% estate grown, and sustainably farmed in the Livermore Valley… doesn’t that give you all the warm fuzzies!?! (Almost as many smiles as the picture below.) You can read the whole history here… warning if you love supporting family owned, you’ll be even more hooked!

Wente Vineyards is encouraging everyone to share their journey with the hashtag: #LoveOfTheJourney
Because isn’t life about more than just the destination?
Life is about the small moments in our journey.
At least that’s what I think!

Connect with Wente Wine all over the inter webs:
Find Wente on Facebook, Twitter, and read about their journey on their history page.
Visit a tasting room if you are in the bay area. We hope to on our next road trip!

July 2, 2016 by: Kara Noel Lawson

Oh Hey, It’s Inventors Week at the Cube

We spent our morning being engineers during Inventors Week at the Cube! This event runs from today (7/2/16) through July 10th. The focus of Inventors Week is to tinker, build, and explore while learning about electronic and robotic principles, every inventor needs to know!

Inventors Week at the Cube

Scattered throughout The Cube are tables, manned by one of their amazing associates. Each station has a hands-on experiment or activity for the kids to try. And the associates do mini science presentations. I am always SUPER impressed with the way the associates patiently answer questions from my kids. The Cube really knows how to pick friendly folks!

We had three favorite stations: conductors, snap circuits and exploding legos!

Tess can’t stop talking about how she “played a potato!” (You can do a similar experiment at home with this kit!)

We really loved the Brain Builders area upstairs. Little Inventors can build LEGO creations then use a cannon to blow them up.
Kids loved it.
I wonder why? (sarcastic tone)

I was shocked at how much my kids liked doing this Snap Circuits Discovery Kit. They loved it! And I loved how easy it was to use.

We are going to try to go back on July 7th (1pm) for a live video conference with NASA.
NASA!! What?!?!!?
The kids will learn about the Orion and Space Launch System missions and how NASA plans to explore areas of space that more than 40,000 miles beyond the moon! An engineer from the Ground Systems Development and Operations team at Kennedy Space Center will be available by video conference to answer questions about upcoming deep space operations.
How awesome is that!?!?!?

I hope you guys can check out Inventors Week! See the whole Inventors Week schedule for the week here.

I’ll be taking over the social media for The Cube on Friday the 8th (Squeeeee…) and I’ll share our slow motion video from our LEGO explosions. And I wouldn’t want to get ahead of myself or anything… but we really can’t wait for this…

June 24, 2016 by: Kara Noel Lawson

Hit the Highway with the Hands-On Harley-Davidson Exhibit

Summer has come to Southern California and it’s hot.
So hot.
Instead of setting up the kids in front of the TV and running your air conditioning at home, head on over to the Hands-On Harley-Davidson Exhibit at the Discovery Cube. The kids will have loads of fun, they should learn something, and (most importantly) you get to be in free air conditioning.
Yeah, I said it!
Save money on your bills by going to the Discovery Cube!

Find details on the Discovery Cube site here.

Hands-on harley davidson

Below is my Facebook Live video walking through Hands-on Harley Davidson so you can get an idea of the lay of the land.

Hands-On Harley-Davidson Exhibit

As you walk into the exhibit you’ll pick up a golf ball. Keep that golf ball close to your heart because you’ll need it for all the hands on stuff. You might want to stick close to younger kids (obvi) so they don’t steal other kids balls or get their ball stolen.

Kids will set the ball on the top of track and watch what happens when they let the ball fly. It’s so neat because the exhibit has these light up screens that actually track your ball’s trail. So kids can modify how they launch their ball to try to get to their desired results.

Hands-on harley activities

My kids loved picking motorcycle parts out at the mini Harley-Davidson shop and “checking out” at the mini cashier stand.
We found the cutest cashier ever… maybe you’ll find her next time you go too!

cute harley davidson cashier

The Hands-On Harley-Davidson exhibit was a lot of fun and you can easily experience the whole thing in an afternoon.
You know, after lunch, in the heat of the day.
After all the young moms have gone home to put their kids down for naps.
In the air conditioning.

June 22, 2016 by: Kara Noel Lawson

Hands-on BFG Activities for Chapters 3-6 – Have some FUN!

If you are just discovering our hands-on BFG activities, you might want to go back and read why I started this book study (along with the activities for Chapters 1 & 2), or just pick up on the fun with this post. There really is no wrong way to do our book study.
The most important thing is to have fun and let the world of Roald Dahl captivate your kids, just like he has captivated the whole generation before them.

Hands-on BFG Activities for chapters 3-6:

Chapter 3: The Snatch
(Materials – kids & the great outdoors.)

The BFG can run FAST! Have a race to see if you can run as fast as the BFG.
(I love getting my kids outside AND helping them make connections between our books and the real world. I’ve heard my kids playing independently and having BFG races. They will never forget that the BFG runs fast now!)

running fast like the BFG

Chapter 4: The Cave Sculpture (kids can sculpt while you read aloud)
(Materials – play-dough & toothpick.)

Create the BFG’s mountain home with play-dough. Carve a cave with the toothpick and roll a stone out of a smaller piece of dough for the BFG’s front door.

I let them sculpt while we read and they each came up with something different… making the BFG's home out of dough

Eli grabbed a small glass jar to mold his mountain. Sometimes I think my older kids won’t be into the activities… but they just find ways to be more clever in the execution.
And I like it!

making a BFG cave mold

Long after reading The BFG, Cyrus can be found creating the BFG’s Mountain and cave with his kinetic sand! Hands-on BFG activities help my kids retain their knowledge of the book.

BFG's cave out of kinetic sand

Chapter 5-6: The BFG and The Giants Activity
(Materials – geography copy work printable with compass rose, globe or map.)

Show children places on the globe or map. (You might want to stop here with smaller children.)
Print the geography copy work activity. (This is great to turn into charter schools for geography. Learning about the compass rose, and directions are all part of common core! )
Have children trace the places.
Color and fill in the compass rose. (Older children can draw their own compass rose with this printable.)
Draw a picture in the blank space of a globe or map.

Who knew Wellington was in New Zealand or Labrador was part of Canada?
Not me.
Till we did this activity.
(Side Note: I was so confused by the earth Cora Jane drew. I asked her about it and she said it was Africa. What!?!? We’ve been studying Africa all year long… this looks nothing like Africa! I’m an ashamed homeschool mom!! Then she said she accidentally had the paper upside-down and drew it that way! Hahahahaha! If you turn it upside-down it’s pretty spot on… Madagascar and all! Whew, I didn’t fail at homeschool!)

The BFG Geography activity

June 20, 2016 by: Kara Noel Lawson

Extreme Dinosaurs at the Discovery Cube is a Summer Must!

Last weekend we got to see Extreme Dinosaurs at the Discovery Cube! It did not disappoint.
The Cube never does.

Walking into the Extreme Dinosaurs exhibit is like stepping back into time. There are 17 HUGE animatronic dinos… dinos that won’t eat you up. The whole exhibit feels like you are in a rain forest with plants and trees around the realistic dinos.

Here is my Facebook live walk-though the exhibit…

The kids felt like they were in Jurassic Park. I wish I could convey in this post how big the dinosaurs actually are in person. I felt like all our prehistoric lessons were coming to life for the kids. I actually saw the spark of understanding as we read each sign and looked at the huge animatronic beasts.

One of the dinosaurs is so big they had to “bury” the feet so he would fit in the room. It was the T-Rex and it was glorious.

There are interactive features as well!

You can control your own dinosaur from a console (check out Cy controlling one in this video) or become a paleontologist and discover dinosaur fossils just like Cora Jane below…

I hope you get a chance to visit Extreme Dinosaurs at the Discovery Cube!
(Did I mention it’s air conditioned?)

June 15, 2016 by: Kara Noel Lawson

The BFG Read Aloud Activities – Chapters 1 & 2

Last Christmas we Santa purchased this Roald Dahl book set at Costco for the children. (ahem)
I like books.
I like sets.
I love book sets.
I’m doing my best to brainwash my kids to love books (and sets) too.
It’s going pretty well so far.
We dove into the new Roald Dahl collection in January and this week we started our 10th book. I can’t believe it! The children are becoming more and more familiar with Dahl’s style of writing and our fun/calming morning read aloud time has morphed into an in-debth author study.
It’s pretty fantastic!

But how could I keep all the fun to myself?
I’ll be sharing a series of blog posts with fun activities you can do with your kids while reading The BFG aloud.

Fun activities for The BFG

Our family loves to read aloud together! As tempting as it is to read the day away, I usually read about two chapters a morning (sometimes more…hehehe). Without rushing, we have finished each Roald Dahl book in about 2 weeks, or less.

I’ll be sharing 2-3 BFG read aloud activities in each post. You can pick and chose activities you want to do with your kids, and go at your own pace. You might want to read 5 chapters with your child and only pick one of the activities. You might want to do one chapter at a time and follow-up with our activities. I’ll give suggestions, but you do what works for your family. There is no wrong way to do this series!

Buuuuut I want you to keep these important “don’ts” in mind:
Don’t let these activities take away from the joy of reading the actual book.
Don’t become bogged down with these activities that you don’t read.
Don’t discount the power of books. Your kids will learn without activities… but they sure are fun!

In my opinion, the most important thing is that your children are looking forward to your read aloud time!
I designed some activities to do while you are reading aloud, some are printable sheets you can turn into a charter school (if that applies to you), some are for making family memories, some are simple conversations or writing prompts.

The BFG Read Aloud Activities:

(I suggest reading Chapters 1 & 2, back-to-back then doing these activities together.)
Chapter 1: The Witching Hour Activity
BFG activity supplies (Materials – black construction paper, yellow paper, scissors, glue stick, brown construction paper, 2 – 5.5 x 8” pieces of fabric, 2- 9” pieces of yarn and string, hot glue gun for a parent to use with the fabric.)

Cut 2- 8.5” x 1” strips and 2- 7”x 1” from the brown construction paper.
Glue strips onto the black construction paper to make a windowsill (rectangle in the landscape direction).
Cut a small crescent from the yellow paper about 2” high. (white paper is pictured)
Glue stick the moon in the top left of the sky.
Hot glue the fabric to the top of the windowsill creating pleats as you glue. Leaving a it of space in between each curtain for the next lesson!
Tie back curtains with the yarn.

Chapter 2: Who? Activity
(Materials – activity from last lesson, BFG printable on white paper, crayons, scissors, glue stick.)

Color the BFG from the printable and then cut out.
Glue the BFG to the windowsill so it looks like he is peering in from the outside and about to snack Sophie inside the orphanage.

The BFG about to snatch Sophie

finished BFG about to snatch

Check back soon for more activities!