I saw this advertised on Facebook and had to check it out. A bit kooky but if you are tough enough I guess it could be good. I do hate shaving my legs……
All posts by NerdMom
One2Believe Nativity Set
When NerdDad and I got married, broke and straight out of college, I started thinking of getting a nativity set. Originally I wanted one of those real nice porcelain sets but then I realized that isn’t any fun. I wanted something that my kids (whenever they would arrive) wouldn’t break. Now I have kids (boy howdy do I have kids;) and still needed a nativity. Well you can imagine then how happy I was to receive Tales of Glory Nativity Play Set to review.
At 17 pieces I was amazed what a large set this is for only $18 at Christian Book Distributors. My older 3 kids (7, 5, and 3) immediatelyy started playing with it. And when I say immediately, they took each piece as unwrapped and started playing with them. There are enough groups of characters that each one of them could be responsible for a group in the role play. This set also looks great up on my piano.
I know you may be asking about down sides. Some people may have issues with the fact that it is made of pvc and in China but these aren’t issues at all for us (but I wanted to put it out there for the rest of you). My only issue it that there are some pointy party that are hard so I can’t let the 1 1/2 year old play will them. But that isn’t a big deal beacause it is almost impossible to find a good set for under 3.
One2Believe also makes a variety of other toys that kids love. It is nice to see action figures that are Biblical and the P31 dolls are adorable. 1 thing to watch. The nativity set is $24.99 at the One2Believe site and only $17.99 at Christian Book Distributors. I personally go for the deal so don’t shop on their site unless you can’t find any of the other toys anywhere else.
I highly recommend this Nativity Set and I urge you to pop over pick this up for Christmas, the sooner the more play time you have!
Meal Plan Monday
Since I still feel like crud NerdDad is doing most of the cooking. Well here is the plan for this holiday week!
Monday: Chicken Kiev, Pasta Roni, Broccoli
Tuesday: Marinated Pork Loin Chops, Instant Mashed Potatoes, Broccoli
Wednesday: Spaghetti, Broccoli, Rolls
Thursday: Turkey, Stuffing, Mashed Potatoes, Broccoli, Yeast rolls of some sort
Friday: Turkey leftovers
And Then Mama Said….
You know that title has to be the start of something good! I just read the most delightful book to my preschooler and my kindergartner by Gena Suarez.
Little Splish is dealing with the same issue that my kindergarten NerdPie has. He can’t read, others around him can and this makes Splish very self conscious. This wonderfully illustrated book kept both of my young kids enthraled and encouraged them. It was also great to see a book that focuses on a homeschooling family and one that is sweet and caring. You know that it is really special when the mom reading it walks away encouraged and inspired.
When you order this book from The Old Schoolhouse Store you also get a free pdf activity guide. It is 36 pages of different activities that you can use for different grade levels. There is simple copy work(single sentences about the books), more complex copy work (about about frogs and their life cycle), coloring pages, alphabet maze and ant body diagrams.
If all this isn’t enough there is more. Right now when you order you can have the book autographed by the author. You just tell her who to sign it to.
This is a great gift (especially for under $10) to that child you want to encourage and with Christmas coming up……
Friday Fun: Color Surprise
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YELLOW |
You are very perceptive and smart. You are clear and to the point and have a great sense of humor. You are always learning and searching for understanding.
I was a little surprised for yellow given that blue is my favorite color. Oh well. I do like the written description;).
(HT: Purple Lemon Designs)
What if Starbucks Marketed Like Church?
I find this very thought provoking. What do you all think?
Top Chef 11/19
So everybody strap in. Based on the commercial I can’t wait. I got my tivo and a little chocolate so lets go!
Quickfire Challenge:
Guest judge is Donatella from the Iron Chef judging panel!!! Their challenge is to make signature hot dogs and they were competing against Angelina Deangelo, who has a world famous hot dog stand. They had 45 minutes and there was panic! It looks like some people made actual dogs and some manipulated existing dogs.
Jill-summer roll with existing dogs
Radhika-kabob dog with lamb, pork and chuck
Daniel-pork hotdog with horseradish mustard
Eugene- Maki roll with pita and boursin cheese
Hosea- Pork dog with roasted pepper and bacon
Stefan- Italian sausage in French bread with cheddar and tartar sauce
Carla- lamb and pork sausage with sauerkraut
Ariane- chicken sausage with bacon
Fabio- Andoille with goat cheese, roasted bell pepper
Jamie- pork and beef sausage with bacon and onions (had bone in the meat)
Jill and Stefan were on the bottom. Radhika, Fabio and Hosea were on the top. Radhika won and therefor got immunity in the Elimination.
Elimination Challenge:
They had to create a 3 course “New American” lunch menu for 50 New Yorkers. Each person will be responsible for one dish.
The fun twist in this (that I saw in the commercial) is that it is at Tom Colicchio’s restaurant and the 50 customers were the New York chefs who didn’t make the show.
So I can’t believe Jill got Ostrich eggs if she doesn’t even know how to open it. Fabio has a very interesting thing that is going to keep the outside of the olive solid and liquefy the inside. I am curious t see more about this. I think Ariane knows that her dessert isn’t good enough and is to sweet but has given up.
Appetizer Group:
Fabio- Beef Carpaccio with Arugula Salad, Parmesan and Spherical Olives
Hosea- Chilled Crab with Citrus Vanilla Dressing, Mango and Avocado
Jamie- Chilled Sweet Corn Soup with Chili Oil and Mint
Melissa- Grilled Avocado, White Peaches, Nectarines with a light Balsamic Vinaigrette
Leah- Yukon Potato, Seared Scallops with Chives and Green Peppercorns
Entree Group:
Stefan- Pan Seared Halibut with Micro Greens, Ravioli, Champagne Sauce and Dill
Alex- Grilled Pork Tenderloin over Potato with Mushroom, Tomato and Red Beet Demi-glace
Eugene- Open Meatloaf Sandwich with Ciabatta, Gouda Fondue and Portabella Ragout
Jill- Ostrich Egg Quiche with Rice-Pecan crust, Asparagus, Aged Cheese
Jeff- Southern Chicken, Honey Mustard and Chorizo Spoon Bread
Dessert Group:
Carla- Rustic Apple Tart with Ginger Peach Tea, Apple Cider Reduction and Cheddar Cheese
Ariane- Lemon Meringue Martini with Vanilla Cookie Crunch and Cherry Surprise
Daniel- Ricotta Pound Cake with Toasted Pistachios and Strawberry Lemon Coulis
Richard- Sandwich of Banana Nut Bread, Peanut Butter and Banana Brulee with Grape Gelato
Radhika- Citrus Avocado Mousse with Chocolate Wontons and Kahlua shot
Tom and his chef were expediting all the orders. The judges seemed to really like Jamie’s but not Hosea’s at all. One of the guests nailed that the crab was out of a can. A diner said that Leah’s scallops were sandy. Apparently Fabio’s olives were like egg yolks and seemed to be a hit with the judges. A diner said the Jill’s quiche was dog food and Donatella said it was gluey. I am going to say that is bad, very bad. Padma spit out Ariane’s dessert because it was so sweet. They thought Radhika’s was a sweet guacamole. They thought that Carla’s was good but the Cheese looked bad on the plate.
Judges Table:
Tom starts off with the group that everyone set up their stations well but the food over all was unimpressive. First up to the judges table were Ariane, Fabio, Jamie, Hosea, Carla, and Jill. They liked Carla’s patry but wished she could have worked the cheddar right into the dish. They liked Fabio’s dish. They really liked the olives. Also they liked Jamie’s corn puree. The winner was Fabio.
Now on the other side of the coin. Hosea got slammed for his dish not being well seasoned. They said Ariane’s was boring and Padma spit it out. Tom said Jill made the Ostrich egg boring and Gail said it didn’t taste good. Jill said the pressure got to her and just really defended it poorly when Gail asked what she would do differently.
In the end Jill was out. I am predicting that Ariane is the next one out. But come back next week and see if I am right.
Science and Exploding Fun!
I always wanted to play with dry ice when I was in high school and I never got my hands on it. If I ever had I think this is what it might have looked like. I am just proud to say these are homeschoolers (well, one has graduated).
Cooking with Alcohol
We all know that we have been told that when you cook with wine all the alcohol cooks out. So here is the magic, alcohol evaporates at 172 degrees (Fahrenheit). The thing to keep in mind is that is the temp of the alcohol not the center of your meat.
A Better Way to Get NerdThings
For those who haven’t gotten the hint. I like books. No…I love books. NerdDad loves books. A great date for us is dinner and going to the book store (dorks we know). So when I was sent information on Homeschool Library Builder I was quite interested.
This site rocks! They have all kinds of books including many that are homeschool necessities. They also have some out of print books and ex-library copies. The site has a revolving inventory so they may not have every book you want and you need to check the condition (they carry both new and used books) of the books but the deals and customer service make up for it. For example they have a 99 cent copy of The Christmas Stories by Charles Dickens and a 75 cent copy of Caddie Woodlawn in the clearance bin. Also, if they don’t have a book you need just ask and they will go looking for it.
They also have a free membership program where you can get a frequent buyer program and referral program (so if you sign up please use NerdMom as your referrer). They are also very charitable. They have a holiday section where all the proceeds go to the Samaritan’s Purse Operation Christmas Child.
So go check out this great site and maybe get a little bit of your Christmas shopping out of the way for the child you always want to encourage to learn.