News with Naylors

Here's what our week looked like for Letter G:  Read, Read, Read . I love reading to my kids on a daily basis. My three has always loved being read to, but my one is enjoying it more and more. Most days, I'll read to both of them while they're eating breakfast. I checked out our  Letter G Booklist  at the library a week in advance. The picture above were our very favorite books, but you view more great Letter G books by clicking on the booklist link. Read Letter G Book . We also love to read these  Little Letter Books  from The Measured Mom. There are only eight or so pictures in each booklet. I pointed out the uppercase and lowercase G's (since we are focusing on both this year) and we talked about the pictures.  Letter G Songs & Rhymes . This year, I'm putting together an interactive set of songs & rhymes for each letter of the alphabet. I know this series is focused on my almost three...

The Gruffalo by Julia Donaldson: The was my three's very favorite book this week and he pretended to be a gruffalo all week long. It's a book about a little mouse who runs into a snake, fox and owl who all want to eat him for lunch. The mouse outsmarts the animals by telling them, "A gruffalo is meeting me for lunch. What's a Gruffalo? You haven't heart of a Gruffalo? He has yellow eyes, a wart on his nose and sharp teeth." This fib scares all the animals away. Read to find out happens when a gruffalo really does appear and what the mouse does to outsmart him. Goldie and the Three Bears by Diane Stanley: This was another book that was requested to read a lot this week. It's a spin on Goldilock's and the Three Bears, with a really cute ending.  The Three Billy Goats Gruff by Paul Galdone: My three has been obsessed with this story for over a year. It's a story about three billy goats (teaches small, medium and big) that run out of...

1) The Gingerbread Man.  Color a paper gingerbread man with crayons. Hold the gingerbread man while sitting or running around in a circle saying this rhyme. Run! Run! As fast as you can. You can't catch me, I'm the gingerbread man! 2) I Know a Giraffe - Author Unknown. Use actions while singing this song.  I know a giraffe, (point to self) With a neck that's so high. (point to neck) She stretches and stretches Until it reaches the sky. (stretch hands higher and higher) She lives on the plains (point to the ground or another area as the plains) With the elephants, too. (sway arm, pretending to be an elephant trunk) You may also see her when you go to the zoo. (place hand above your eyes, pretending to see a giraffe at the zoo) Tune: Old Smokey 3) The  Garden Song  from DLTK. Shake rattles (with letter G office stickers on the back - see below) while singing this song.  Grapes grow...

One word to describe these.. AMAZING. These bars are so soft and moist and all the flavors really compliment each other - pumpkin, chocolate chips and cream cheese frosting. I got this recipe from a dear friend and incredible singer, Kimberly. Rating: 10/10 Ingredients (bars): 3 eggs 1.5 cups granulated sugar 1 cup grape seed oil (vegetable oil works, too) 15-ounce can pumpkin 1.5 cups flour 2 teaspoons baking powder 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon 1 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon baking soda 1 cup jumbo chocolate chips (I always use less) Ingredients (icing): 8-ounce package cream cheese, softened 1/2 cup butter, softened 2 cups powdered sugar 1 teaspoon vanilla extract Directions (bars): 1) Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. 2) Using an electric mixer at medium speed, combine the eggs, sugar, oil and pumpkin until light and fluffy. Stir together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, salt and baking soda.  3) Add the dry ingredients to ...

Prayer : Intro : Last week, we learned about Ammon and being a good example. Today, we reviewed what a good example means.  "An example is someone who shows others what to do. A leader. Have you noticed how your little brother copies everything you do? You're an example to him. He watches how you act and wants to do the same things you do."  Song :  " Do as I'm Doing " from the Children's Songbook. Talk about being an example or leader while singing this song. Have one person to be the "example" and choose how to sing the song (clap hands, stomp feet, roll arms, etc.) and have everyone follow what the example does. We used egg shakers (plastic eggs filled with rice and sealed close with electrical tape) while singing today. Our Best Example - Jesus Christ : I held up a picture of Jesus and explained that Jesus is our very best example to follow. He lived on earth and always did what Heavenly Father wanted Him to do. He was kind...

Here are all the links to the "Good Example Pictures" we used in our Family Home Evening Lessons. I copied and pasted them onto Word, so I could make them the size I wanted. We used these while learning about Ammon's Good Example and I Can Follow Jesus' Example. Churh Related - Good Examples: Jesus Praying as a Child A Family Taking the Sacrament (Reverent) Family Going to Church Two Children Playing with Blocks (sharing) Family Reading the Scriptures Together Missionaries Family Working Together (obey parents) Other Good Examples: Anna & Elsa Hugging The Grinch Returning Toys (saying sorry) Other Bad Examples: The Grinch Taking Toys Cruella Devile Stealing Puppies

This family home evening lesson is apart of "A Year with the Book of Mormon." Click the link to learn about our other  Book of Mormon Heroes . Prayer : Intro : Before our lesson today, we talked about what an "example" means and more specifically about being a good example. I have two boys (ages: 3 & 1), so this summary was perfect for my three year old. "An example is someone who shows other what to do. A leader. Have you noticed how your little brother copies everything you do? You're an example to him. He watches how you act and when you do good things and wants to do the same."  Song :  " Do as I'm Doing " from the Children's Songbook. Talk about being an example or leader while singing this song. Have one person to be the "example" and choose how to sing the song (clap hands, stomp feet, roll arms, etc.) and have everyone follow what the example does. Hero Poster : Hold up the picture below and tell you...

I have always loved breakfast foods, and have eaten a lot of pancakes in my life. However, these are my (and my husbands!) absolute favorite homemade pancakes. Pair it with this heavenly buttermilk syrup recipe, and you're in for a real treat. Rating: 10/10 Ingredients (pancakes): 3 cups flour 3 tablespoons white sugar 3 teaspoons baking powder 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda 3/4 teaspoon salt 3 cups buttermilk 1/2 cup milk 3 eggs 1/3 cup butter, melted Directions (pancakes): 1) In a large bowl, combine the dry ingredients. 2) In a separate bowl, mix together the wet ingredients. Combine the wet and dry ingredients and mix together with a spoon. Do not over stir. The mixture should remain lumpy. 3) Prepare pancakes on a skillet or griddle. Ingredients (syrup): 1 cube (1/2 cup) of butter 1 cup sugar 1/2 cup buttermilk 2 teaspoons vanilla 1/2 teaspoon baking soda Directions (syrup): 1) Heat butter, buttermilk, and sugar in a saucepan. Heat until boili...

If you're looking for an amazing apple dip, this one is a winner. It's a combination of layered cream cheese, caramel and sprinkled toffee chocolate. Rating: 10/10 Ingredients: 1 (8 oz.) package cream cheese 2 tablespoons brown sugar 1 (12 oz.) caramel topping - I used smuckers 2 heath bars, pounded into small bits 5-6 apples, sliced Directions: 1) In a medium-sized bowl, mix the cream cheese and brown sugar together with an electric hand mixer until smooth. 2) Spread the cream cheese mixture into a round glass 8'' pie baking dish, and if possible, chill the mixture for about an hour. 3) Just prior to serving, spread the caramel topping over the cream cheese mixture in the dish. 4) Chop the heath bars into small pieces and sprinkle the pieces over the caramel topping. (I placed the heath bars in a plastic bag and used a mallet to crush them. Then, I rolled a glass cup over the pieces to make them more fine). 5) Serve with apple slices.

I've been on the hunt for a yummy cauliflower soup recipe for a while now. After making and this Roasted Cauliflower Soup recipe from Creme De La Crumb, my hunt is over. We served it in a bread bowl the first night and with grilled cheese the second night, but it would also be good with french bread or parmesan breadsticks to dip. This soup made great leftovers. YUM. Rating: 10/10 Ingredients: 2 heads of cauliflower, chopped (about 6 cups florets) 3 tablespoons oil salt and pepper to taste 4 tablespoons butter 2 tablespoons minced garlic 1/3 cup flour 6 cups chicken broth 4 cups half and half - I use fat free 1 cup heavy cream 2 teaspoons onion powder 2 teaspoons salt 1/2 teaspoon pepper 2 cups shredded extra sharp cheddar cheese 1 cup shredded parmesan cheese - shredded from the block  Directions: 1) Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Arrange cauliflower on a large baking sheet. Drizzle with oil, toss to coat, then season generously with salt and peppe...

This is my VERY favorite pasta salad recipe! My mom made this growing up, and I can't ever get enough of it. I don't do great with eating leftovers, however, I made this pasta salad a few weeks ago and I ate it five different times throughout the week. And it was just as good the fifth time as it was the first time. I store all the ingredients in separate baggies to use throughout the week (see picture at the bottom of the page). And, I keep the dressing in our blender in the fridge, so when we were ready to eat I could quickly re-blend the dressing (as it's oil based). This is a great meal to store and use throughout the week, although it also works to combine the ingredients all at once to use for an event. Rating: 10/10 Ingredients (dressing): 1 cup vegetable oil 1 cup sugar 1/2 cup red wine vinegar 1/2 tsp. salt 2 Tbs. dried mustard 2 Tbs. poppy seeds Ingredients (pasta):  1 box bowtie pasta 1/2 bag baby spinach 1 lb thick turkey, cube...