JAN
22
2013

Homeschool Supplies & Organization

By | Homeschool, Mom Stuff, Organization

22 Comments

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Hello fellow teachers! I have a much requested post for you today. I’m going to share some of my “must-have” items that have been favorites in our homeschool! Of course all of these things are totally optional, but they all have been well loved and used in our homeschool and I have absolutely gotten good use out of them, so I thought I would share.   Desktop Carousel: I know you’ve all seen my supply caddy that literally holds our Ikea school desks in place. I honestly do LOVE this thing! It’s called the Making Memories Desktop Carousel. I found ours at Michael’s craft store and bought it using a 40% off coupon. They range $40 or so. Here’s one at Overstock.com. I’ve also seen a new one called Recollections Desktop Carousel if that helps any of you out there! I keep the majority of our supplies in this caddy so everyone can share.   What’s in my desk: I keep all of our supplies in my drawer. The kids know to ask me before taking … [Read more...]

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JAN
21
2013

Homeschool Storage and Record Keeping 2013

By | Homeschool, Mom Stuff, Organization, Record Keeping

26 Comments

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I have received quite a few emails lately on how I keep track of homeschool attendance, hours, school work, records etc. I have one word for you today. Binders. It depends on your state requirements as to what you’re required to keep for homeschooling records. For our state, all I’m required to keep is a record of my hours and what curriculum I used and that’s it. You can find out about your state requirements here: www.hslda.org For my own conscience though I keep the following for each year: A Yearly Records Binder: This is my yearly binder. It has tabs for all of the items listed below, and I keep it on our shelf in the schoolroom for easy access. Legal Docs: I keep my annual “Notice of Intent to Homeschool” form, or enrollment in an umbrella school, etc. in this portion of my binder. Receipts: I keep all receipts together for things I’ve bought for each school year. We aren’t allowed a tax write off right now, but a girl can dream can’t she? … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Homeschool, Mom Stuff, Organization, Record Keeping Tagged With: , ,
JAN
20
2013

eMeals Review and Giveaway!

By | Give Aways, Homeschool, Mom Stuff, Recipes

152 Comments

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Hi everyone! I thought with the new year here a new menu plan was in order! Since I’ve tapped out my own recipe ideas, I was really excited when the folks over at  E-Meals asked if I wanted to check out their menus! I have to say they have some great options over there and I wanted to share them with you today!     What is E-Meals? E-Meals is an online menu planning website that offers weekly menu plans for busy moms and wives! They have over 20 menu plans for families ranging from 2-6 people and in addition to their traditional menus they offer low carb, low fat, and vegetarian options as well! One of the coolest things I think is that you can pick your grocery store! They plan their menus so that you get the best deals for your store! Each weekly menu also comes with a grocery shopping list, which many of you have asked me for! And there are a bunch of new meal plans for 2013 to choose from! Classic Meals Clean Eating Simple … [Read more...]

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JAN
10
2013

Easy Strawberry Shortcake Recipe

By | Mom Stuff, Recipes

4 Comments

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Okay, so this isn’t like a homemade shortcake recipe. But it IS a super fast, easy, and relatively low fat dessert that everyone in our family loves. So I’m gonna share it. Ready? Ingredients: Sliced Strawberries Cool Whip (lowfat) Sponge Cake or Pound Cake (Sliced)   Directions: Place one slice of pound cake on a plate and top with a dollop of whip cream and a few strawberries. You could stop right there, but why? We like to go for one more slice of cake, another dollop of whip cream, and a few more strawberries. And that’s it! Seriously easy, light, and supper yummy! Alternate idea: Add a teaspoon of sugar to your sliced strawberries and allow the to set for a few minutes to create a more juicy strawberry topping. I hope you enjoy our simple family dessert. Have a recipe to share? If you have any quick dessert ideas, leave a comment below! … [Read more...]

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JAN
08
2013

Homeschooling: Teaching Multiple Grade Levels

By | Homeschool, Mom Stuff, Organization, Parenting Tips

48 Comments

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I’ve received countless emails asking me how I organize our day, and how I manage to homeschool while teaching multiple students all at different grade levels. So today, I thought I’d share a little bit of how we do things over here…for what it’s worth anyway!   Being flexible is key, but not too much…or it just gets crazy: First off, I’d like to note that so far each year has been a little different schedule wise due to the ages of our children, and what extra curricular things we are involved in. In previous years, we’ve done school primarily in the afternoons during the Teeny Tot’s naptime, we’ve done it in-between nursing when we’ve had new babies, it’s been done in the kitchen, in the living room, and at the library. I’ve learned to kind of “go with the flow” so to speak which hasn’t exactly been easy for me. I like to be super organized, scheduled, and I don’t like change. Apparently no one ever warned me that maybe … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Homeschool, Mom Stuff, Organization, Parenting Tips Tagged With: ,
JAN
07
2013

Homeschool Room Tour Video!

By | Homeschool, Mom Stuff, Organization, Room Tour, Video

79 Comments

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Hi everyone! I wanted to do something fun and unusual today, so I made a homeschool room tour video to share with you all! I’m so sorry, it turned out kind of long, so I had to break it up into two parts. But for those of you interested in seeing our room “live” so to speak, grab a cup of coffee (you’ll need it to stay awake) and join me on a tour of our homeschool room! Also, keep in mind this is my first real video…um. yeah…just keep that in mind ;o) and it ended up being really long! Sorry I'll try to talk less in future videos LOL! Our Homeschool Room Tour Pt. 1   Our Homeschool Room Tour Pt. 2 (Yes…there’s actually more!) So that’s our current homeschool room for 2012-2013, I hope you enjoyed the video! Here are links to all of the items mentioned above! Cropper Hopper 10 Drawer Rolling Carts or 10 Drawer Workbox Carts Calendar Poster (This is held onto a cork board with small thumb tacks. Click here to see a closeup of … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Homeschool, Mom Stuff, Organization, Room Tour, Video Tagged With: , ,
DEC
27
2012

Monthly Meal Plan: January 2013

By | Mom Stuff, Monthly Meal Plan, Recipes

23 Comments

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Holy Cow everyone, I need some help over here! Can someone please tell me where in the heck 2012 went? I’ve looked all over, and apparently I’ve been so busy with school, blogging, and other random activities that I seemed to have missed it! I’m not sure I’m ready for another year to pass, but I do look forward to new and exciting things…so without further ado, here it is. Slightly teary eyed… The January *uhem* 2013 Monthly Meal Plan! Download the January 2013 Monthly Meal Plan: January 2013 Monthly Meal Plan PDF January 2013 Monthly Meal Plan MS Word (Editable, not edible, but editable!) I need to work on branching out and adding in some new recipes for the new year, so if you all have any yummy, easy weekday dinner recipes I’d love to have you share them below! … [Read more...]

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NOV
29
2012

Monthly Meal Plan Recipes ~ December 2012

By | Mom Stuff, Monthly Meal Plan, Recipes

22 Comments

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Happy Holidays! What’s for dinner you ask? Today I have my December Monthly Meal Plan download to help answer that nagging question. I really hope these meal plans are helping you out, they’re critical for my sanity, especially during school and the holidays. The last thing I want to be worrying about is what’s for dinner. This way I can know all of my meals are planned for and that leaves me some free time to make Christmas cookies, and other goodies this season! I even added in some yummy Christmas snack recipes to this one for you all! Kind of takes care of some of your holiday baking and snacks all in one ;o) Yep…I’m always thinkin’ ahead people.     Download the December 2012 Monthly Meal Plan: December 2012 Monthly Meal Plan PDF December 2012 Monthly Meal Plan MS Word (Editable, not edible, but editable!)   I need to work on branching out and adding in some new recipes for the new year, so if you all have any yummy, … [Read more...]

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NOV
22
2012

Italian Pizzelle Cookies

By | Mom Stuff, Recipes

6 Comments

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Pizzelle cookies originated in Italy, and since my family is Italian…well we eat these all the time! Most often my mom makes them at Christmas time, so whenever I see one, I get excited! Even if it’s in July…it’s like Christmas in July! It’s a family tradition to make them, and when time allows we do it together with my kiddos and mom now to carry on the tradition to future generations! Now that I’m thinking about it, we even left these little wafers out for Santa Claus when we were little too! I suspect my dad ate them, leaving a few crumbs behind for effect and all. My kids love them, my husband loves them, everyone loves them! I haven’t met a non-Pizzelle lover yet come to think of it…hmm… Anyway, this is a secret family recipe from my authentic Italian mama. I’ve kept this recipe secret forever now, so please don’t share it with anyone! It’s just a special treat for you! ;o)   Ingredients/Supplies: 6 eggs, beaten 1 1/2 C … [Read more...]

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NOV
15
2012

5 Ways to Get Your Children Excited About Chores

By | Chores, Mom Stuff, Organization

8 Comments

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Hi everyone! I’m so excited to have a guest post for you today by Crystal Paine from MoneySavingMom.com! Crystal Paine is a wife, homeschooling mom of three, and author of the brand-new ebook, 21 Days to a More Disciplined Life. Today she’s sharing on ways to get your children excited about doing their chores!   1. Let Them Work Alongside You Most children love to spend time with Mom, no matter what it is you’re doing. So take advantage of this and enthusiastically invite them to help you with whatever chore you’re working on. While you’re working together, talk, sing, laugh, and praise them repeatedly for helping you. Let them see you working hard and enjoying it. Modeling a strong work ethic in front of your children can have a profound impact on their view of work -- which could take them far in life! Remember that young children often won’t be able to do their chores anywhere near the level of perfection. But if you’re patient and continue to work … [Read more...]

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