Works for Me Wednesday: Watering the Christmas Tree

How do you water your real Christmas tree when you're seven months pregnant? You get your husband to do it. And, if you have a resourceful hubby like I do, he will come up with a way to allow you to help out, too, as well as making it an easier job for himself!

First, scour your garage and locate some pvc pipe (or your local hardware store if the former owner of your home hasn't left some behind!) that has been hanging out "just in case" for the last 5+ years.

Then, insert the pvc pipe into the tree stand and nestle it between the branches so it's well camouflaged.



 You could also paint the pvc pipe so that it blends even better, but we just rotate the tree so the pipe is on the side of the tree, making it hidden from view but still accessible.

Finally, regularly fill the pipe with water (be sure it is securely inside the tree stand!) so the tree can drink and smell lovely for much longer! We use an old 2-liter bottle because it holds enough to fill the tree stand in one trip and pours easily. A watering can with a long, narrow spout would also work well.

You can check out other great ideas at We are THAT Family's Works For Me Wednesday.

Works for Me Wednesday: Bean Counters

What's a frugal, homeschooling mom who needs math manipulatives but is too, um, frugal to purchase those oh-so-cute counting bears for $10 to do? Well, what "Works for Me" is waiting until a Christmas gift of dry bean soup mix falls off the display shelf and spills all over the floor. Pick the many beans off the floor, add a mini muffin tin, and Ta-da! Free math manipulatives! Here is how we use our bean counters:

Sorting by kind or color... great for preschoolers! Tip: Small preschool hands work best with larger beans. I have removed all the split peas and lentils from the bean bag, as shown here.



Dropping beans in the cups to match the number produces a satisifying "plink." Again, larger beans are better, otherwise some of the quantities will have to be recounted numerous times as multitudes of split peas and lentils suddenly appear with the drop of a single kidney bean.



Grace loves to check her work with the beans. I, too, prefer it when she uses the physical manipulatives rather than copying the correct answer for another page! A few numbers and coordinating bean quantities accomodate both addition and subtraction review!



Creating patterns is a fun activity, too! Here Ella reviews the pattern to find which bean she needs next.



Grace's patterns are more intricate and difficult to recreate, but she does a terrific job! Especially when she has been served a delicious breakfast by her loving sister!


We love our bean counters! You can check out other great ideas at We are THAT Family's Works For Me Wednesday.