I Just Can't Take It Anymore! Book Giveaway

This is a sticky post until January 31, 2012.

This is another giveaway post. But this time, the giveaway prize is a book entitled "I Just Can't Take It Anymore!" by Anthony DeStefano. Anthony is the author of one of my favorite children's story books "The Little Star."  He's giving me a review copy of his new book, I Just Can't Take It Anymore! and one free copy to my blog readers.

Do you feel that your life is messed up? Are you stressed out or hurting? If you lost a job or if you're battling with a disease or broken a relationship, then this book is for you. It can make you smile when you feel otherwise, encourage you when you are down and give you something to be hopeful and thankful for.

When I saw the sample pages with all the really beautiful pictures and descriptions (stories) that goes with it, I instantly liked it. Some of the pictures really made me laugh. Others made me identify with the emotions communicated. I'm certain, you will also like it.

If you want to win a free copy of this book shipped to you, then join this giveaway. The mechanics is really simple.

Read the embedded message by Anthony DeStefano below and see the following sample pages of the book. Then leave a comment on this post - a comment related to the book and not spammy (otherwise, I'll delete it). And, sign the inlinkz widget at the end of this post. I'll be using inlinkz to randomly pick the winner again.

I would appreciate it also, if you would follow this blog via RSS feeds or Google Friend Connect and like Stay at Home Blessings fan page on Facebook (please see this blog's sidebar). This giveaway will end January 31, 2012.

Fruit Salad Exercise Song

Here's a simple song my kids learned in school mentioning 3 different fruits. It kinda works as a massage and exercise song, too. See Kristel and Janel on video. We really should have shot the video on a bigger space. Anyway...

The Lyrics:
Watermelon, watermelon,
Papaya, papaya;
Bananananana, bananananana,
Fruit salad, fruit salad.

Now, just these 3 Philippine fruits with cream cheese dressing (cream cheese, calamansi or lemon, honey and a little water blended together) is really healthy and delicious. Of course, you can add other fruits like apple, pineapple, strawberry, etc.

4 Simple Art and Craft Projects for Kids (3)

It's been a while since I posted some art and craft projects that my kids have done. So, I've decided to post some art and craft projects today. These are also simple to do but little kids would need the help of grown-ups.

The thing with the following projects is that my kids always start doing these crafts enthusiastically but it is always I who end up finishing everything. That's okay. I like doing them. Gives me some time to take a break.

The first project is a paper clay painting. We bought this art set in the Philippines. It comes with a design on a card board and different colors of moist paper clay in a plastic container. When these become dry, you can put a little water and mix before using. What we did was use toothpicks to pick up a particular colored paper clay and put it where we want on the card board. When it dries, it remains stuck on the card board and gives a nice textured design.

The second project is sand painting. My children get some of these sand painting kit when they visit the dentist as a treat. It's really easy to do but can be messy. The kit comes with a picture on sticker paper, different colors of sand and picture pattern. To do this, you lift up the top of the sticker paper, portion by portion, and put a particular color of sand on the sticky surface. You repeat this step until all the design is colored with sand. A tip for doing this is to do the portions you would put dark colored sand first then those with lighter ones.  The end product looks pretty.

Paper clay painting and sand painting

The last 2 projects have something to do with bracelets. This is not just a girl thing because even my boys enjoyed doing them.

The third project is called message bracelet. The kit comes with plastic letters of the alphabet which you would use to create a word, phrase or message by slipping it through the bracelet.  My daughter also made one for me and I'm still wearing it until now.

The fourth project is bead bracelet. My daughter, Kristel, received a kit as a birthday present before and she likes making the bracelet for herself and for her sisters. She puts the beads into the thread, create the design and I tie the knot.