Cheerios Underfoot

Review & Giveaway: Valentine's Pattern Bundle by YCMT

2012-02-07T20:05:00.002-06:00

Valentine's day is quickly approaching, but there's still time to get a little crafting in. If you're still looking for some last minute inspiration, You Can Make This has got you covered.

You'll find tons of great patterns and tutorials there, no matter what your preferred crafting medium is. The best part is that they're all downloadable for instant gratification.

Apron Knot Dress, from YCMT pattern.

I was sent the Apron Knot Dress Pattern, by Little Lizard King to review. I thought it would be fun to dust off the sewing machine, and try to crank out a little dress for V. The pattern retails for $7.25, and includes instructions for making a dress in sizes 6 months-12 years. The completed project can be worn as a tunic over leggings and a tee in cool weather, or as a sun dress in warm weather. (A neat little aside, this pattern states that you may make items for sale from this pattern. I'm not sure I have time do that much sewing at this point, but I love the idea that I could.)

I managed to get all but the button holes done in one longish afternoon. I'd rate the pattern as fairly easy. It included many pictures, and generally clear instructions. (There was some assumption of sewing experience, though. If you've never fired up the sewing machine, it might be an ambitious project.) The sizing seemed to be right on. I made a 4T for V, and it was perfect. I'd use it again.

She loves the full, twirly skirt.

V adored the dress. She had to put it on right away and start dancing.

You Can Make This has put together a fun package of Valentine's Day themed patterns (as pictured at the beginning of the post,) for me to give away!

One randomly selected commenter will win a package containing the following patterns:

Rosetta Bag by SisBoom (value $7.95)
DIY Dish Love Quilt by DIY Dish (value $7.95)
Crochet Hat Pattern Vintage Inspired by Kris Moore (value $5.99)
Love Elephant by DIY Fluffies (value $9.00)
Apron Knot Dress by Little Lizard King (value $7.25)

For your first, mandatory entry, leave a comment telling me which pattern you'd love to try from You Can Make This.

For additional, optional entries, you may do any or all of the following:
Follow me on Twitter.
Follow You Can Make This on Twitter.
Blog/Tweet/FB about the giveaway, up to once per day.

Please leave a comment for each entry, and don't forget to leave a way to be contacted if you are the winner.

This giveaway will end on 2/12/12, at 10 pm Central Time.

Disclosure: I was provided with the above described pattern to review, as well as the opportunity to give away a pattern bundle. No other compensation was provided.

Review & Giveaway: Pillsbury Ready to Bake Shape Cookies

2012-02-07T12:14:00.000-06:00

My kids sort of mark the passage of time by the appearance of holiday themed Pillsbury cookies at the store. Whether it's bunnies at Easter, hearts for Valentine's Day, or Christmas trees at Christmas, our holidays aren't complete without them.

They're fast and easy to make, and they're tasty. They're perfect for when you need a festive treat, but don't have the time to bake from scratch. My kids also love to help bake them with me.

Now they're even cuter than ever, with pictures of your favorite Disney characters.

Pillsbury Ready to Bake Disney Shape Cookies prize pack.

My Blog Spark sent me a fun prize pack to try out the new Disney Shape cookies, that included a coupon for a free package of cookies, a Pillsbury cookie jar, a neat magnetic oven mitt that sticks to the fridge, and a spatula.

Pillsbury Shape cookies

I did find some Pillsbury Valentine's cookies with hearts, but unfortunately I wasn't able to find any of the new Disney designs in my local stores yet.

My Blog Spark is sponsoring a giveaway here. One randomly selected commenter will receive the same prize pack I received. For your first, mandatory, tell me which Holiday Shape cookie design is your favorite.

For additional, optional entries, you may do any or all of the following:
Tweet/Blog/FB about the giveaway.
Follow Pillsbury on Twitter.
Follow me on Twitter.
Follow my blog.

Be sure to leave a comment for each entry, and a way to contact with you if you are the winner. This giveaway will end on 2/11/12, at 10 pm, Central Time.

Be sure to check out Pillsbury on FB, and click here to print a coupon for $1.10 off the purchase of one package oh Pillsbury Disney Shape cookies.

Disclosure: The VIP coupon, prize pack, information, and giveaway have been provided by Pillsbury through MyBlogSpark. No other compensation was provided.

First Grade Nature Walks

2012-02-06T18:54:00.000-06:00

Can you spot the bee?

I don't spend as much time outside with the kids as I'd like to. I could list all of my (pretty typical) excuses, but I won't. Like a lot of families, we've sort of just gotten out of the habit of goofing around outside.

I've been trying to do better, spending a few minutes here and there. One of the things I've discovered is that L really likes the idea of going on a nature walk, and sketching out the plants and animals we see along the way. (Psst, he's also labeling the drawings, so bonus points for getting him to spell and write without grumbling.) While we're out, we're also looking for interesting things to take home and examine, like pine cones, feathers, and rocks.

Although he'd been drawing in whatever notebook we had handy, he was pretty excited to get a special Nature Journal as a little Christmas gift. (It was a freebie from Vistaprint, an unlined spiral notebook. If you think outside the box, many of their free promo items make pretty great little gifts for kids. No affiliation, by the way.)

Personalized nature journal.

He's sort of a reluctant outdoorsman, preferring to stay inside and read, but we're working on it...

Giveaway: Purex Freebie Coupons

2012-02-06T18:12:00.000-06:00

As a Purex Insider, I was recently sent some full value coupons for free Purex products to use and share. I thought I'd host a little giveaway here, so one of you can sample the new products I've gotten to try.

One randomly selected commenter will receive a coupon for a free bottle of Purex Triple Action detergent, (up to $5.00,) and a coupon for a free package of Purex UltraPacks, (up to $5.00.)

We'll make this one easy. Just leave a comment to be entered. If you'd like to tweet/blog/FB about the giveaway, you may leave an additional comment for each action.

This giveaway will end on 2/13/12, at 10 pm, Central Time.

Disclosure: I was provided with free coupons from Purex to use, and to share. No other compensation was provided.

Review & Giveaway: Dulce de Leche Cheerios

2012-02-03T12:47:00.000-06:00

By now it's no secret that Cheerios are sort of a staple item at our house. When My Blog Spark asked if we wanted to try their newest offering, Dulce de Leche Cheerios, I said yes, of course.

The light caramel flavor is perfect for when you want, (or need,) something just a little sweet. In addition to eating them for breakfast, I've been eating a handful here and there, instead of my usual handful of M&Ms. L tried them, and liked them, (although Honey Nut Cheerios are still his all time favorite.) We give them a thumbs up.

My Blog Spark also sent me several links to recipes that include Dulce de Leche Cheerios. I really like the sound of Dulce de Leche Cheerios Snack Mix, and Dulce de Leche Cheerios Parfait. I also like the fact that the kiddos could help "cook" them. (There's actually no cooking involved, but as far as my kids are concerned, anything done in the kitchen is cooking.)

If you'd like to try Dulce de Leche Cheerios, you can click here for a coupon good for $1.00 off one box.

Dulce de Leche Cheerios Prize Pack

If you'd like a chance to win a Dulce de Leche Cheerios Prize pack just like the one I received, (which contains a box of cereal, a polka dot cereal bowl, a cereal spoon, and a Dulce de leche scented candle,) please leave a relevant comment on this post. (What's your favorite variety of Cheerios? Do you eat them for the taste or the health benefits? Who in your household would like to try this new variety?)

For additional, optional entries, you may do all or any of the following:

Follow my blog.

Follow me on Twitter.

Tweet/FB/Blog about the giveaway, up to once per day.

Don't forget to leave a way to contact you if you are the winner.

This giveaway will end on 2/10/12, at 10 pm, Central time.

Disclosure: The new Dulce de Leche Cheerios information, product, and prize pack have been provided free of charge by Cheerios and General Mills, through MyBlogSpark.

Review: Kinderbach

2012-02-01T20:10:00.001-06:00

Our family loves music. My husband is actually somewhat musically inclined, he can play guitar and the drums. Other than the occasional game of Rockband on the Wii, I'm purely a musical spectator. I've always wanted to give my kids some kind of musical education, but I lack the know how to teach them myself, and the money to pay for piano lessons for two kiddos.

We were recently given the opportunity to review the Kinderbach program as part of the TOS Review Crew. Kinderbach aims to introduce 3-7 year old children to music in general, with an emphasis on piano/keyboard. (The program covers things like finger placement on the keyboard, reading music, singing, and rhythm.) Kinderbach is available as an online subscription program, for $19.99 a month, or at a great savings of $95.88 for a prepaid 12 month subscription. (You may sign up for a free trial here. You'll also find several free samples of sheet music and student lessons here.) $100 a year isn't couch cushion change, but one subscription will cover however many children are in your family.

Kinderbach has a number of other products available, including DVD bundles, several themed songbooks, downloadable crafts and games, and coloring books.

We were given access to the digital subscription service. In order fully participate in the program, you'll also need a printer and some sort of keyboard. (You can buy a cheap keyboard nearly anywhere that will suffice. I actually picked one up from Goodwill for four bucks.)

The program currently consists of 6 levels, (with a seventh in the works.) Each 10 week level includes a video component and pdf activity book. There are 4 lessons each week. The lessons are fairly short, and they're fun and age appropriate.

I knew V (nearly 4,) would be interested in the program, she loves to sing and dance. I didn't expect much enthusiasm from L, (6,) who usually declines to participate in anything musical.

I was blown away when after watching the first lesson, both kids begged to do another one. And another one. I was even more amazed when (from the other room where I was doing laundry,) I heard them starting to actually play along with the songs several weeks into the program. (You know, real songs, instead of just banging on the keyboard.) The kids enjoyed clapping, dancing, and singing along with the lessons. They're also really soaking up the material. I can't wait to see what they learn next.

I was honestly surprised how much we loved this program. I tried, but couldn't really think of anything that I'd change or improve on. For our family, it's a great fit.

Update: I received the following message from Karri at Kinderbach today:
This coupon code gives 30% off any order - homeschool, classroom, online
or DVDs. AND it is good for one year!
Coupon Code: TOScrew2012

Disclosure: I was provided with a digital subscription to this program in order to facilitate this review. No other compensation was provided. All opinions are my own.

Laura's Corn Cob Doll:Yikes!

2012-01-31T09:30:00.001-06:00

V with her corn cob doll.

In Little House in the Big Woods, Mary has a rag doll, but until her fifth birthday, Laura has only a corn cob doll. I did a little browsing around the web, and apparently a corn cob doll was as primitive as it sounds, a dried corn cob with a face drawn on. (I did find pictures of some that were a little "fancier," having a little calico dress, but Laura states that hers was just wrapped in a hankie.)

I made this one for V. (Made is probably an overstatement in this case.)

Corn cob doll.

We discussed what it would have been like to trade in all the toys in the playroom for one of these. The kids were, understandably, sort of appalled. On the other hand, we discussed all the things the girls would have had that we don't, like farm animals to play with, lots of open space outside to explore, and frankly, a lot more chores to keep them busy.

It's humbling to think of all the things we take for granted. My kids can't imagine a life without toys, radios, and televisions. I've "roughed it" before, living in a house without a dishwasher, washer/dryer, and central heat and a/c. It was brutal, but I can't fathom what it must have been like, (and still is like in some parts of the world,) to live without running water, a refrigerator, and access to random things like Tylenol and toilet paper.

Little House Peg Dolls

2012-01-30T09:38:00.002-06:00

Laura Ingalls and family, at the Little House in the Big Woods.

V has been enjoying the Little House play set we've been putting together. Now that we're really into the book though, she's been complaining that our plastic settlers aren't quite right for the Ingalls family. (We didn't have any plastic children, for one thing. That would never do.)

I did some browsing on Pinterest and elsewhere, and found several sets of Little House peg dolls, which inspired me to make my own. (Go check out the peg dolls at Along the Way, and Craft Phesine, and be inspired by their steady hand and artistic ability.)

Laura Ingalls and family.

So here's my (super simple) version, which only took me oh, 700 hours, give or take. (I have shaky hands, and had to make several corrections.) The peg doll blanks came from Hobby Lobby, and were painted with acrylic paint.

If you need a set, and don't want to DIY, I found a very nicely done set on Etsy.

V is very happy to have the whole Ingalls family at her disposal now. The plastic pioneers have been relegated to occasional visitors.

The Big Bedroom Switcharoo

2012-01-26T15:25:00.000-06:00

When we purchased our little house several years ago, we were excited that each kiddo would have their own bedroom. (We were moving from a little one bedroom cottage.) We closed on the house when I was 7 months pregnant, and I spent those last couple of months getting Vs bedroom just right.

And then she was born.

I nursed her on demand for 15 months, and not surprisingly, she ended up sleeping with us the whole time. No big deal, I thought. She'll move to her own room when she's a bit bigger.

She'll be 4 in two months, and guess what? She's still been sleeping in our (unbelievably crowded,) full size bed with us, along with the dog, and sometimes the cat. We're like human Tetris pieces.

She says she doesn't want to sleep in her room alone. Her brother does sleep in his own room, but he grumbles about having to be alone too.

After some deliberation, we decided to make a playroom and a bedroom. We traded in the kids' beds for bunk beds, and I've spent the week rearranging everything.

It's early yet, but so far, I'm loving this arrangement. The toys are all centrally located, which means only one enormously messy room. V isn't loving the transition, but she is trying.

A few less preschooler kicks in the kidneys at night is icing on the cake.

Giveaway Winner!

2012-01-26T15:23:00.000-06:00

Thanks to those of you who entered the Jockey/Purex Giveaway. Random.org selected comment number 17 as the winner.

MandaJan 23, 2012 09:14 AM
I follow Purex on Twitter as @MandaPanda428
Thanks!

Manda

Be sure to check back for several other neat giveaways in the next week or two.

Review & Giveaway: Purex Crystals & Jockey

2012-01-21T11:11:00.000-06:00

Life's complicated, and um, we have a lot of laundry. When I was younger, with no children, and a good bit more leisure time, I was very meticulous about doing the laundry just so, even hand washing things, when necessary. (Shudder.)

These days, clothing with complicated laundering instructions either don't get purchased, or at any rate, don't get worn much. Workout clothing is tough. Most of the modern moisture wicking fabrics aren't recommend for use with fabric softeners, since the oil content inhibits the absorbency. I prefer to just throw the workout clothes in with the regular laundry, (instead of making even more loads.) If you're in the same boat, read on.

I was recently sent a Jockey Tech Terry Performance Sports Bra, and a bottle of Purex Crystals fabric softener to review. What do they have in common? Well, namely this: You can use them together. Since the Purex Crystals do not contain oil, they won't inhibit the wicking ability of the bra.

The sports bra has several neat features, including a little key pocket, breathable mesh panels and moisture wicking fabric, and it's machine washable and dryable. (Is dryable a word? Whatever.) I liked the style and fit, with one caveat. It seemed to run a bit small. They're sized S-M-L-XL. I ordered the size I'd normally wear, (S,) and although I am able to wear it, it's pretty snug. One size larger would have probably been better. The fit is sleek and supportive. I'm a long time Jockey fan.

I was sent the Tropical Splash scented crystals, and I have to say, they're my favorite fragrance yet. Better still, my local Target has finally started carrying them, so I can buy some more.

Would you like to win a Jockey Tech Terry Performance Sports Bra and a bottle of Purex Crystals? One randomly selected commenter will.

For your first, mandatory entry, leave a comment on this post.

For additional, optional entries, you may do any or all of the following, (please leave a comment for each.)
Follow my blog.
Tweet/FB/Blog about the giveaway, up to once per day.
Follow me on Twitter.
Follow Purex on Twitter.

(Don't forget to leave a way to reach you, if you are the winner.)

This giveaway will end on 1/25/12, at 10 pm central time. Winner will have 24 hours to respond. (Sorry, guys. I need to do a quick turnaround on this one.)

In the meantime, for a good deal on a sports bra, or any other Jockey goodies that strike your fancy, go to www.purex.com/jockey for a 20% off coupon on your next Jockey order.

Disclosure: I received the previously mentioned 2 items free, in order to facilitate this review. No other compensation was provided, and all opinions are my own.

Fimo Food for the Pioneer Family

2012-01-20T07:00:00.000-06:00

Apparently the settlers are getting hungry. V and I sat down to make them some Fimo clay food today. (She helped with the pumpkins, and made suggestions. L made sushi for his Pokemon. Not exactly Little House related, but whatever, right?)

Fimo pumpkins, eggs, cheese, carrots, lettuce, squash, a watermelon, and blueberries.

I already had some bits of clay, so this was a free project, but at any rate, even if I'd had to purchase the clay, you could make a ton of food for the cost of a couple of pieces of dollhouse food. This would be a fun project just to make for fun, for Barbie Dolls, or Littlest Pet Shop, or whatever.

Rationing out food to the settlers.

Revisiting an Old Favorite: Homemade Butter

2012-01-19T18:26:00.000-06:00

Butter, before rinsing and salting.

We've made homemade butter before, but we revisited it this week, after reading about how Laura's mama churned their butter. We talked about what a lot of work it would have been to make your own butter, (and virtually everything else,) instead of just jumping in the car, and driving to the grocery store.

As expected, each kiddo shook the jar approximately 5 seconds, leaving me to shake it for the other 20 minutes or so.

V, in her new favorite outfit, (read: dance costume,) shaking the jar.

I persuaded L to try the buttermilk, which Laura and Mary apparently regarded as such a treat. He declared it "yuck." He was more impressed by the butter, on wheat toast.

The final product.

My mother, born in 1949, says she can remember her grandmother making butter, sometimes with a churn, sometimes with a jar when she was a kid.

A New Adventure: The Prairie Primer

2012-01-17T17:09:00.000-06:00

Back to school has been a little bumpy for us here. After much consideration, I've decided that maybe we're ready to try something new.

We're starting a modified version of The Prairie Primer this week. It's modified somewhat because my kiddos are younger than the intended audience. L is reading several years ahead of his grade level, thought so I think we'll be able to make it work. (The Prairie Primer is an in depth unit study based on the Little House on the Prairie series.)

I'm not sure whether we'll spend a few months, a year, or longer on this curriculum, it depends on how the kids take to it. I do love these books though, and this period of history. I think the kids are going to enjoy all the opportunities for hands on projects and experiences.

(I picked up my copy of the curriculum for about half price on Ebay, by the way.)

I've been collecting Little House related ideas for a while on my Pinterest board, and loved the little log cabin from Delightful Learning. Here's our version, along with a fluffy pipe cleaner forest, some barrels for food storage, and some "Wild Wild West" characters purchased on sale at Hobby Lobby. (I made the roof removable to make the inside of the house and the attic more accessible.)

Our "Little House."

The kids have already suggested several missing components, like Jack the dog, and the grizzly bear. I think this will be a work in progress for us, but the kids are having a blast with it today.

Giveaway Winner!

2012-01-17T16:38:00.000-06:00

Random.org selected comment #4 as the winner of the YoCrunch giveaway, who said:

JulieJan 14, 2012 06:18 AM

love strawberry the best
thanks

Thanks to those that entered.

Review & Giveaway: YoCrunch Greek Parfait Yogurt

2012-01-13T09:30:00.000-06:00

I've written before about how much we love YoCrunch yogurt. It's yummy, and all the varieties that I've personally ever run across use pectin as an ingredient, instead of gelatin. (Only an issue if you're a vegetarian, but I am one.)

They recently sent me some samples of several of their new flavors, including the new Pie Parfaits, and two new varieties of Greek Parfait.

The Pie Parfaits are a perfect little mini desert. They come in apple, cherry, and blueberry, and even include a sweet, crumbly topping. My favorite was the cherry flavor, but they were all really good.

The Pomegranate Greek Parfait is my hands down new favorite yogurt. It includes slivers of toasted almonds instead of the usual granola, and it's fantastic. I'm literally stalking my local stores, waiting for them to carry it, so I can stock up. (The mixed berry variety was also very good.)

YoCrunch sent me some coupons to share, so I thought I'd give a few away here.

One randomly selected commenter will receive 2 coupons for free YoCrunch multipacks, 2 coupons for free individual cups, and 2 $1 coupons.

Just leave a comment with your favorite variety of YoCrunch, and a way to get in touch if you're the winner.

Giveaway ends 1/16/12, at 10 pm central time.

In the meantime, check out the YoCrunch website for several downloadable coupons.

Disclosure: I was provided with yogurt and coupons from YoCrunch. No other compensation was provided. All opinions are my own.

Super Easy Fabric Gift Bags

2012-01-13T07:00:00.001-06:00

Fabric gift bags.

After we opened all the Christmas presents this year, I was struck,as I always am, by just how much trash we were left with. It was a lot.

The cat, surrounded by Christmas trash.

In an attempt to have a slightly less ginormous pile of post Christmas trash next year, I decided to sew up some super simple, reusable little cloth bags.

Another of my famously lame photos. You get the idea though, right?

I made a 20-25 in this size, which would fit cds, movies, small articles of clothing, etc. They'll be tied with a ribbon.

I could have gotten fancy, and added gussets and trim to the bags, but since half of our presents are missing the tags, and have torn paper by the time Christmas arrives, I figured this was fancy enough for us.

(FYI, one bandanna yields two of these small bags, with an already finished edge. You can't get any easier than that.)

I'll be making some bigger ones later.

We'll still be using some wrapping paper, especially for gifts outside our immediate family. (Most of our friends and relatives would probably just dismiss this as another one of our hippie ideas, and not reuse the bags.)

At any rate, every little bit counts, right?

Review: Purex UltraPacks

2012-01-12T15:33:00.003-06:00

Purex recently sent me a package of their new Purex Ultrapacks to review, and they're pretty neat, guys. I already use the little premeasured cakes of dishwashing detergent, and these operate along the same premise. Premeasured, self contained little packets of detergent mean less mess, and no measuring. (I'm forever spilling laundry soap in the floor, on my hands, all over the washer.)

I was sent the Mountain Breeze Scent, and although I was sort of overwhelmed by the smell in the package, my clothes came out of the washer smelling fresh and clean, but not overpowering. They also offer a Free and Clear variety. There are 18 packs per package, with instructions to use one per regular load, and up to two per heavily soiled or large load. (They are HE compatible.)

The packs didn't leave any residue in the washing machine, or on my clothes.

Purex UltraPacks will be available in stores starting in February, and I wasn't able to find a retail price at this point. Obviously price is a consideration, so I'll be anxious to see how these stack up, cost wise, to liquid detergent.

They're certainly very convenient.

Disclosure: I was provided with a package of this product in order to facilitate this review. No compensation was provided, and all opinions are my own.

Puzzle Rehab

2012-01-12T14:11:00.000-06:00

We made our weekly trip to Goodwill yesterday to look for books and stuff, and L was beyond excited to find a giant Pokemon puzzle. I usually insist on counting the pieces before we buy, to avoid the disappointment that comes with finishing a puzzle, only to realize it's missing a piece or two.
This one had 200 pieces, though, and the kids were being too rowdy to let me count at the time, so we picked it up, and hoped for the best.
We put the puzzle together as a family yesterday evening, and guess what? It was missing a piece, right in the middle.

I placed a piece of paper, (though cardstock or cardboard would have been better,) under the missing piece, traced the space, and tried my (feeble) best to sketch in the missing details. The resulting replacement piece was then cut out, and laminated with contact paper. It's not perfect, but it's complete now, and the kiddo is happy with it.

(And yes, I realize this is a good bit of trouble to go to for a $1 puzzle. The boy LOVES Pokemon, though and we aren't likely to find another one of these.)

Bountiful Baskets

2012-01-07T13:40:00.003-06:00

I recently heard people raving about Bountiful Baskets on a forum I frequent. It came at just the right time for us.

Hubs and I have never been the poster children for healthy eating, but lately our eating habits have been at an all time low. We're always in a hurry, someone's always sick. We've been eating whatever's fast and convenient.

Bountiful Baskets: Organic basket $25.

We placed our first order this week, which included the organic regular basket, an add on order of Italian vegetables, and 5 loaves of bread for $48.00.

Bountiful Baskets: Organic Basket + Italian add on + 5 loaves organic bread: $48.

We're really happy with the purchase.There was lots of variety, but no oddball stuff that nobody likes. The bread is also really good.

I'll be pulling out the cookbooks this week.

DIY Chef Kit for the Kids

2012-01-05T11:24:00.000-06:00

I know it's way after the fact, but I thought I'd share what has ended up being one of the kids' favorite Christmas gifts: a "Chef Kit."

"Chef Kit" shown in my (sigh,) still partially deconstructed kitchen.

It included several large mixing bowls, measuring cups, aprons, cupcake mix, sprinkles, etc. I picked up many of the components from the Dollar Tree.

My kiddos love to cook, and really enjoyed this. If you're looking for a unique, relatively inexpensive gift for the kids in your life, keep this one in mind.

Review: Homeschool Spanish

2012-01-05T11:02:00.000-06:00

As Part of the TOS Review Crew, I was recently given the opportunity to review Homeschool Spanish, A R.E.A.L. Curriculum for the Whole Family. The curriculum is available as part of several different bundles, digitally (starting at $49.95,) and as a hard copy, (starting at $89.95.) The recommended age range for this product is 5-13, and it focuses on conversational Spanish, as spoken in Central and South America.

We received the digital version of the curriculum, which includes the following components:

Daily Activity Guide

Text Book (printable in color, or black in white.)

Activity Book

Answer Book

Audio Files

(A sample of this curriculum can be accessed here.)

The curriculum is basically all inclusive, with one sort of caveat. If you purchase the digital version, you're looking at printing literally hundreds of pages. On my particular printer, that's a pretty expensive proposition. A more cost effective solution might be to have it printed through an office supply chain, or to just buy the hard copy to start with. (From my perspective, there is really no way to use the curriculum without printing most if not all of it.)

We found that this product wasn't a great fit for us. It requires a considerable amount of teacher prep time, and although my son is 6, it seemed like frankly "too much" for him. (I should reiterate that we're fairly relaxed homeschoolers. Also, as I've stated elsewhere, my son also has some special needs.)

For families with slightly older children, (and thus, theoretically longer attention spans,) this program might be a better fit. It's non consumable, a plus, if you're teaching several students. It also includes materials for teaching different types of learners. (If you have an auditory learner, there's a component for them. Have a kiddo that likes worksheets? There's something for them too. Does your family like putting on puppet shows?There are scripts for those as well.)

To find out more about this product, and what other homeschool families thought of it, check out the TOS Review Crew Blog.

Disclosure: I was provided with a free digital version of this curriculum, in order to facilitate this review. No other compensation was provided, and all opinions are my own.

If You Love Books, Check out Book Crawler

2012-01-03T09:30:00.000-06:00

I may be in the minority here, but sometimes I buy the same book twice. Or maybe three times. We have books and bookshelves all over the house, and it's hard to keep up with what I already have, especially children's books. (I'm not generally a hoarder of things, but I do sort of hoard books...)

I've found a neat iPhone app that's helping me get organized, and thought I'd share it with you, as most of us are looking for a little organizational help this time of year. It's called Book Crawler, and it sells for a whopping $1.99. (I should mention that I'm pretty cheap, and rarely pay for apps. This one is really worth it.)

There are several ways to import your book collection, but the quickest way is by scanning the ISBN number. (Even then, it's taking me a while to scan hundreds of books, but it will get done eventually.) After importing your books, you can categorize them several different ways, by topic, author, etc. When the kiddos and I are looking for books about a given topic, like space, I can easily look and see what we have.

When I'm making my weekly book buying Goodwill trip, I can scan the books' barcodes to see if I already own them, which is pretty awesome.

What apps are making your life easier?

(I have no affiliation with the makers of this app, I just wanted to share something that's working for me.)

T'was the Week Before Christmas...

2011-12-28T08:49:00.000-06:00

And all through the house, there was coughing, and sneezing, and vomiting, and well, you get the idea.

We're going on our second, (or maybe third, I've lost count,) week of passing around a cold and a stomach bug. It's been brutal.

We had a wonderful Christmas though, surrounded by our favorite people, lots of good food, and all the usual festivities.

I'm going to lay low for another week or so, while we (hopefully) recover. I'll see you next week, when we officially start back to school.

Review: Vintage Remedies for Kids

2011-12-19T10:18:00.000-06:00

One of the reasons I decided I wanted to homeschool, way back when, was the fact that I wanted to teach more than just the 3 Rs. Classes like art, music, P.E., and health are getting pushed aside for many children in school today. With the major exception of P.E. (ahem,) those were always some of my favorite classes. What a shame, right?

Now that I'm actually teaching two kiddos, even I can admit it's easy for those subjects to get lost in the shuffle. I'm always looking for easy ways to integrate the subject areas into our studies. Along those lines, I have a new resource to share with you today.

I was recently given the opportunity to review Vintage Remedies for Kids, by Jessie Hawkins.

This 201 page, softcover, spiral bound book is essentially a curriculum on healthy, natural living, for children ages 2-6. (It retails for $25, and can be purchased from the Vintage Remedies website.) The book is broken into 3 sections, Food and Drink, Health and Wellness, and Healthy Lifestyles.

Each of the 3 sections is further broken down into a number of chapters. The format of each chapter goes something like this:

Parents Section: Background info for the parent about the subject matter.

Read to Me: You can read this section verbatim to the kids. The language and explanations in this section are appropriate for young children to to understand.

Additional Comments: Possible extensions for slightly older children

Thinking it Over: Discussion questions.

Leading By Example: Ways to help integrate the desired concept or behavior into everyday family life.

Featured and/or Additional Projects: Things to make and do, recipes to cook, field trips to take, etc.

This book is nonconsumable, (a major plus in my book.) It will require some additional purchases, ingredients for recipes, etc, but nothing that should break the bank. I really like the book, and appreciate the fact that it's actually written on a level the kids can understand. Preparation time is minimal, consisting mainly of gathering materials. The projects are fun, and actually do-able for regular families. (They include things like recycling crayons, making homemade glass cleaner, and making homemade snacks like smoothies and gumdrops.)

If I have any caveats about the curriculum, it's that the food section focuses very heavily on vegetarian, organic, frequently raw food, with little wiggle room for the "extras" that most of us indulge in, at least sometimes. While I can agree that those are are healthy eating habits, they are perhaps a little out of the mainstream for many American families.

Vintage Remedies sells a variety of curriculum and materials to promote healthy, natural living. I'm very pleased to have been introduced to this company and their products, and would recommend this book to anyone wanting to introduce their little ones to the principles of healthy living.

Disclosure: I was provided with a free copy of this book in order to facilitate this review. All opinions are my own.

Giveaway Winners!

2011-12-14T08:44:00.000-06:00

Thanks to those of you who have recently entered my giveaways. Stay tuned for more in the new year!

The winner of the Burger King giveaway (as selected by Random.org,) was comment #8:
Anonymous said...
daily tweet!

http://twitter.com/#!/JenniferCNP/status/142451894118387712

Jennifer Marie

Random.org selected comment #2 as the winner of the Green Giant giveaway:
Ashley said...
I'm a gfc follower.

Even More Last Minute Gifts (With Pattern Links)

2011-12-14T07:37:00.002-06:00

I'm still cranking out last minute gifts here, and thought I'd share the links to a couple of projects I've been working on.

Ridged crocheted scarf.

I saw the tutorial for this sort of faux knitted scarf on via Pinterest, and had to try it out. It's really neat and different looking. I love it, even if it did work up pretty slowly...

I made this little hat for a niece. It took a couple of hours start to finish, and it's super cute. I think I may make a couple of more for gifts, and then make myself one after the Christmas rush. (Slouchy Hat pattern here.)

Gingerbread Garland

2011-12-13T16:54:00.000-06:00

I finally tried my hand at the cinnamon applesauce ornaments I kept seeing on Pinterest, (recipe via Martha Stewart,) and made a little garland for my kitchen. Cute, easy, and it smells great!

Gingerbread garland.

These would make really cute package decorations too...

Pillsbury Potluck Party

2011-12-13T16:32:00.000-06:00

Christmas Tree Sandwich Cookies, cute and festive.

I mentioned several weeks ago that we were going to be have a Pillsbury potluck party to try out some of the quick, easy recipes on the Pillsbury website.

Our party was this past Saturday, and and I have to say, it was the easiest party ever. I made several recipes, and it was awesome to put together a couple of fun, yummy dishes, without spending hours and wrecking the kitchen. We exchanged recipes at the party, and everyone left with some new ideas for the upcoming office parties and get togethers.

Cherry Pie Cups, made with just 2 ingredients.

The official taste testing.

My meat eating pals chose the Bacon-Cheddar Pinwheels as their favorite recipe. (I'm a vegetarian, but it seems you can't go wrong with bacon.)

Bacon-Cheddar Pinwheels, everyone's favorite.

My kiddos thought the Reindeer Cookies were super cute.

Peanut butter Reindeer Cookies.

These Garlic-Parmesan Pull-Apart Loaves will be making their way into our regular dinnertime rotation here.

Garlic-Parmesan Pull-Apart Loaves

If you're looking to spend less time in the kitchen, and more time with your family and friends this Christmas season, do check out the Ideas Made Easy section of the Pillsbury website. You can also "like" Pillsbury on Facebook, or follow them on Twitter for more easy, family friendly ideas. (Psst, be sure to click the widget on my sidebar for a coupon toward your favorite Pillsbury products.)

My sis and brother in law, good sports about having their pics taken while eating.

I think a Potluck Christmas dinner is the way to go this year...

Disclosure: The Pillsbury product, information, food ideas, online coupon link, and prize pack have been provided by Pillsbury through MyBlogSpark.

Cake Balls, Take 1

2011-12-07T08:12:00.001-06:00

Cake ball.

It seems I'm about a year behind on the cooking trends. This year everyone is making whoopie pies, but I'm finally getting around to trying cake balls, (last year's big thing.)

I thought I'd make some for Christmas, but in an uncharacteristic moment of forethought, I decided to do a trial run.

Cake balls.

I used white cake mix, green frosting, and white almond bark coating. They were a little rustic looking, (read: not perfectly round,) but sprinkles cover a multitude of sins.

They were festive looking, and well received by my husband, sister, and of course, the kids. I think I'll be making some of these gingerbread cake balls closer to Christmas, along with our usual fare.

Are you making anything new this year, or sticking to the old favorites?

Review & Giveaway: Green Giant Valley Fresh Steamers Pasta

2011-12-03T11:17:00.001-06:00

My kids' favorite vegetables are potatoes, preferably in the form of french fries. (Groan.) Both kiddos have some sensory issues, and as time goes on, their list of approved foods seems to get smaller and smaller. (If I'm honest, I'm not getting enough fruits and vegetables in every day either.)

I've recently decided enough is enough. We're going to start introducing some new foods around here. (I'm sort of an everything in moderation sort of person. I don't believe there's anything inherently wrong with fries, or other treats, you just can't live off of them exclusively.)

She didn't love eating "baby trees," but she tried it. A for effort.

When My Blog Spark contacted me about trying Green Giant Valley Fresh Steamers with pasta and vegetables, I said yes. They meet several of our important criteria: they're quick, they include pasta and cheese, (everyone's favorite combo,) and yes, they include some veggies.

We tried the Pasta and Vegetables with Alfredo sauce. Hubs and I liked it. It was ready in just a couple of minutes, and tasty. V enjoyed the pasta, but declined to eat the "baby trees," and picked them out. We'll be buying them again.

My Blog Spark has offered to sponsor a giveaway here. One randomly selected commenter will receive a prize pack containing the following items:

2 Green Giant placemats

Broccoli stress reliever32 oz. serving bowl

Surprise face serving spoon

A VIP coupon for the new Valley Fresh Steamers with Pasta

For your first, mandatory entry, leave a comment telling me whether you ever have to get creative to get your kids, (or spouse, or self, LOL) to eat vegetables.

For additional, optional entries, you may do any or all of the following:

Go check out the Green Giant website, and leave a relevant comment about it.

Follow my blog.

Tweet/Blog/FB about the giveaway, up to once per day.

Please leave a separate comment for each entry, and don't forget to leave a way to be contacted if you are the winner.

This giveaway will end on 12/9/11, at 10 pm central time.

Be sure to check out the Green Giant FB page for more info about the company.

Disclosure: Green Giant Valley Fresh Steamers with Pasta, information, and giveaway have been provided by General Mills through MyBlogSpark.

Lots of Last Minute Gifts. Yikes.

2011-12-03T11:15:00.001-06:00

I added about 15 homemade gifts to my "to do" list at the last minute. You know how it is, you keep thinking of people you sort of want to acknowledge, but for whom there's no room in the budget.

I dug through my yarn stash, determined to use up some odds and ends, and turned to one of my favorite crochet books for quick, easy, cool looking patterns.

Hats and scarves are fairly generic, I guess, but they're practical, and I'm using nice, soft, wool yarn.

Here are some hats made with the Boy Beanie pattern. (Psst...this pattern works fine for girls and women too.)

And here are a couple of scarves made using the One-Skein Scarf pattern. (These can be made start to finish in one diligent evening. They're pretty too.)

Five down, lots more to go...

What are your go-to assembly line gifts?

Review: Artistic Pursuits

2011-12-03T10:17:00.001-06:00

L has really overcome his fine motor delays, and has turned out to be a pretty good little sketcher. We've picked up a few how to draw books, the ones that focus on particular cartoon or comic book characters, but that's been the extent of his artistic instruction up until now.

I feel pretty unqualified to teach art. I'm undoubtedly crafty, but not too artsy. (The one year I took art class as an elective in middle school, I nearly failed. Groan.) Art lessons sound good in theory, but they're expensive.

I was really excited to be chosen to review one of the Artistic Pursuits books, as part of the TOS Review Crew.

I chose Book One, An Introduction to the visual Arts, which is suitable for grades K-3. The softcover, spiral bound book is available through the Artistic Pursuits website, and retails for $42.95. It includes many colored photos, and is a concise 88 pages long. It's essentially a non-consumable book, which means it could be used for several of your children. (There is one certificate to fill out in the back, upon completion of the course. Otherwise, there's no need to write in it.)

There are, as you would expect, some additional supplies that need to be purchased in order to use this curriculum. (If you're an artsy craftsy family, you may have some of these items already in the house. We had a few of them.) If you need or want to purchase a full set of supplies, there are several different avenues you can take. You can buy a pre-assembled supply kit for this book directly from the Artistic Pursuits site for $85+shipping. The Artistic Pursuits site also links to another site where you pick up a supply package for $55.94+shipping. If you want, (or need,) to take a thriftier approach, you can always buy the supplies as needed, instead of in a bundle, and take advantage of the weekly 40-50% off coupons from your favorite craft stores.

I was really impressed with the customer service this company provides. Since they knew we'd want to dive right into the books as soon as we got them, they sent a letter about a week before the book shipped that included a supply list, and had the items we'd need immediately highlighted. How cool is that?

The book includes 32 lessons, one per week, broken into to three subject areas: What Artists Do, What Artists See, and Where We Find Art.

Each lesson is essentially broken down into three components.

A discussion of what you'll be learning about and working on, a theme for the week, if you will.
A photo of, some background information about, and discussion prompts for a piece of art that exemplifies the theme.
Third, the actual assignment.

(You can check out sample pages from lesson one here.)

The actual assignments are just what you'd hope for. They include open ended prompts, which allow for actual creativity, while also providing practical instruction on technique.

The book requires no advance preparation for the the teacher, other than gathering appropriate materials, and it doesn't assume any previous knowledge on the part of the student or teacher. In short, it was perfect for us.

The kids are super excited to be making "real" art. (Three and a half year old V is working along with us, to the best of her abilities.) L is developing new skills, like how to properly use a paint brush, (as opposed to grinding it roughly across the page,) and learning to appreciate things like perspective.

Three and a half year old V's kitty cat, drawn for week one's assignment.

I'm really excited to finally have a workable, systematic way to teach art to the kids, even though I'm not particularly gifted in that area. I like that the course covers art appreciation, art history, and actual technique. I'd recommend it to anyone looking to incorporate art into their homeschool.

Artistic Pursuits offers art curriculum for students of all ages, from preschool to high school. All of the books cost $42.95. (Obviously the supply kits will vary from year to year.) To find out more about what other homeschoolers thought about this, and other Artistic Pursuits products, check out the TOS Homeschool Crew Blog.

Disclosure: I was provided with a copy of Artistic Pursuits in order to facilitate this review. No other compensation was provided, and all opinions are my own.

Pillsury Ideas Made Easy Potluck Party

2011-12-01T21:45:00.001-06:00

For most of us, the Christmas season means spending lots of time with loved ones, lots of cooking, and well, lots of eating.

Sometimes its hard to come up with something to take to all those get togethers that's both easy and tasty. Pillsbury has loads of recipes on their website that can be prepared in under 30 minutes, and with 5 ingredients or less. (Just my kind of cooking!)

I'm excited to be hosting a Pillsbury Potluck Party in a couple of weeks with my best pals, where we'll be trying out some of the recipes from the website.

Here are some the of recipes I'm thinking of trying out:

Bacon-Cheddar Pinwheels (For my non vegetarian friends, not myself.)
Reindeer Cookies
Soft Mini Pretzels
Christmas Tree Cookie Sandwiches

Which one sounds best to you? Help me decide, and I'll put it on the "must make" list.

Be sure to check out the Pillsbury website for lots of easy ideas to take some of the stress out of cooking this Christmas. (Lots of the recipes would be fun to make with your kiddos too...) You can also keep up with Pillsbury on FB and Twitter.

Disclosure: The Pillsbury product, information, food ideas, online coupon link, and prize pack have been provided by Pillsbury through MyBlogSpark.

Review & Giveaway: The BK Crown Program

2011-12-01T12:30:00.002-06:00

Burger King is rolling out a new kids meal program , called the BK Crown Program.

Here's some information they sent me about it:

The BK CROWN^TM/MC Program comes in a fully interactive Kids Meal box. Sitting atop each box is a newly redesigned BURGER KING^® crown, because every kid deserves to be treated like royalty at BURGER KING^®! With crowns on their heads, kids can dive into the box, taking it apart, playing fun games and activities that challenge their minds, inspire their imagination and engage with the whole family.
With the BK CROWN^TM/MC Program, Burger King Corporation invites kids to tell BURGER KING^® what matters to them most. BKC has established a fund to help support the Wildlife Conservation Society, National Parks Conservation Association, DonorsChoose.org and Have It Your Way™ Foundation. By visiting BKCrown.com, kids learn how BKC’s charitable partners make a difference. Upon entering BK CROWN^TM/MC Codes and clicking on their favorite cause, each kid’s vote helps BK^® choose which charity to give back to.
The fun doesn’t end at the restaurant; the BK CROWN^TM/MC Program experience lives on at www.BKCrown.com where kids can place their vote for how BKC should give back, as well as find more games, win prizes and enjoy interactive play.
Also at BURGER KING^®, for just $9.99 your family can enjoy the “BK™ Family Bundle” which includes a WHOPPER^® sandwich, WHOPPER JR.^® sandwich., two small fries, two small soft drinks and a Kids Meal. Now that’s a deal worth getting together for! Limited time only. Price and participation vary. Prices higher in HI.

I was sent one of the cool boxes, and V got a kick out of the crown and the punch out finger puppets. (I took some pictures, but evidently my phone ate them. They've disappeared.) I used the included code to cast my vote in favor of supporting the Wildlife Conservation Society. I thought the charitable aspect was really neat.

We also received a gift card to purchase a couple of kids meals. My kids were impressed with the meals, (chicken tenders,) but I was a little disappointed that our local Burger King was serving the meals in a brown paper sack, instead of the neat boxes with the fun extras.

For more information about Burger King, check out their FB page.

My Blog Spark is sponsoring a giveaway here. One randomly selected commenter. will win a $25 gift card to Burger King to try out a kids meal for yourself.

For your first, mandatory entry, go to the BK Crown website, and leave a comment telling me which of the charities listed your children would choose to support.

For additional, optional entries, you may

Tweet/Blog/FB about the giveaway, up to once per day

and/or follow Burger King on Twitter.

Please leave a separate comment for each entry, with a way to contact you if you are the winner.

This giveaway will end on 12/9/11, at 10 pm Central time.

Disclosure: The BK CROWN^TM/MC Program prize pack, information and gift card have been provided by Burger King Corporation through MyBlogSpark.

Homeschool in December

2011-12-01T09:16:00.000-06:00

Nativity themed sensory bin, with a little wooden Nativity set from Oriental Trading Company, and hay. Messy but fun.

Last year we took the whole month of December off from school. It was wonderful, actually. We read Christmas books, made Christmas crafts, and watched Christmas movies, without my feeling guilty that we "weren't getting anything done."

Christmas themed sensory bin, with mini trees and wreaths to decorate, reindeer, gingerbread men, pine cones, jungle bells, and dyed rice.

This year we aren't quite as far along as I wanted to be with some of the curriculum we're using, so we'll be doing just a bit of formal work, (reading and math,) as well as working with some of the fun curriculum I'm reviewing for TOS. Other than that, we'll be taking it easy, like we did last year.

Christmas I Spy bottle, with dyed pasta, bells, bows, pom poms, letter beads, Christmas themed erasers, and tiny pine cones.

I like to do lots of baking and crafting in December, and I'm looking forward to including the kids.

If you homeschool, will you be taking time off this month, or working straight through?

Happy December!

2011-12-01T07:00:00.000-06:00

I have a confession to make.

Coloring sheets from What's in the Bible.

We put up our Christmas tree about a week before Thanksgiving.

Merry Christmas, Charlie Brown!

We decided to buy a small, live tree this year. If we manage to not kill it here in the house, we'll plant it in the back yard later.

The kids have been saying that it's "the best tree ever," but the effect is pretty Charlie Brownish. Hubby and I have been snickering every time we walk past it.

General Mills & DC Comic Winner

2011-11-30T10:55:00.000-06:00

Thanks to those of you who entered the General Mills giveaway.

I should have posted a winner several days ago, but I've been steamrolled by a stomach bug. (Stay tuned for lots of projects, a few homeschool reviews, and a couple of giveaways, as soon as I feel sort of like like a human again.)

Random.org selected comment #15 as the winner:

peace love and rainbows said...

tweeted 11/21

November 21, 2011 3:57 PM

You Might Be An Autism Parent If

2011-11-28T09:49:00.000-06:00

I don't post too much about my son's special needs for several reasons.

The first, and most obvious, is my desire to respect his privacy. Although he couldn't care less at this point, the time may come when he isn't comfortable with my sharing too many specific details about his life online.

The second reason is a little more complicated. We're sort of in diagnostic no man's land. The developmental pediatrician keeps throwing around phrases like " possible PDD," or "maybe high functioning Asperger's," but no one actually wants to put the pen to paper and make the call.

In one sense, it doesn't matter exactly what we call it. We're not trying to negotiate for services through the public school system, so here at home, we can call it anything or nothing at all, and just deal with issues as they arise.

In another sense, we're feeling sort of isolated. Among (neorotypical,) same age peers, it's almost immediately apparent that L is different. He's smart, and lovable and funny, but fundamentally different. He's the proverbial square peg.

Oddly enough, we find that on the surface at least, we don't exactly fit in with the autism community either. L is verbal, (really verbal.) His social issues, while very real, pale in comparison with what many autistic children face. I've had people say that he isn't "severe enough" to be autistic, an opinion which I think can be explained by the fact that many people have sort of narrow ideas about what an autistic person looks like, sounds like, acts like. (Rain Man, anyone?)

It's been hard to find other people who "get" us, and what our life is like.

I recently stumbled onto the #youmightbeanautismpartif hash tag on Twitter, and although I know it sounds silly to say so, I feel like I've found "our people." They "get" it. They understand the oddball, quirky parts of our life that "regular" families are totally unfamiliar with, like a child that picks paint off the walls, and can't eat food that touches, or is "sticky," or is shaped "wrong." The get the bigger issues like sleeping with one eye open for years, because your child rarely sleeps, and may wander off if they wake up alone, or feeling that you'd do nearly anything to have a day "off," but you can't, because there just isn't anyone who understands your child well enough.

It's nice to be understood, and to realize that you're not the "only" one.

If you have a child somewhere on the spectrum, I highly recommend you follow the #youmightbeanautismparentif conversation on Twitter.

Where do you get your parenting support?

Wreath Wall

2011-11-28T08:40:00.000-06:00

I saw a picture on BHG of a wall of minimalist grapevine wreaths, and sort of fell in love with it. I just so happened to have several plain wreaths, and no particular talent for arranging flowers and do dads on them, so this was my sort of project. (My mother, on the other hand, makes gorgeous wreaths covered in artistically displayed do dads.I miss doing the Christmas craft shows with her.)

Here's our version.

Lousy picture without flash, courtesy of my iPhone.

I think I'm going to pick up a couple of more large wreaths the next time I hit up Hobby Lobby, but I really like the way this turned out.

Easiest Burlap Wreath Ever

2011-11-22T21:40:00.000-06:00

I promised some more burlap crafts a while back. Here's an easy one.

I started with a foam wreath base from the Dollar Tree, and covered it with strips of burlap cut from an old sugar bag. (I used hot glue to secure it.)

I used some ribbon I already had lying around to make a bow, and well, that's it. I told ya' it was easy.

The result is pretty minimalist, but I'm sort of liking that look right now.

(We're still working on the kitchen/dining room renovations, and there is stuff everywhere. Minimalism is looking better and better...)

Total cost for this project: $1.

Review & Giveaway: General Mills and DC Comics

2011-11-19T07:00:00.014-06:00

Cereal and comic books are really big at my house right now.

(Actually, cereal always is. Six year L has just recently started reading comic books though. It's opened up a whole new world for him.)

Some of our favorite Big G, (General Mills) cereals have partnered with DC Comics to bring us the best of both worlds. Right now, in specially marked boxes, you'll find one of four DC Super Hero comic books, featuring members of the Justice League. (You'll also find a fun cut out super hero mask on the back of the box.)

Remember how fun it was to find the surprise in the cereal box when you were a kid?

I love the idea of including a book in the cereal box to promote literacy. It blows me away to read statistics about how many children are growing up in homes with few or no books. Additionally, comic books appeal to a wide variety of ages and reading levels, so I think this is a really neat partnership. To find out more about participating cereals and the comics, check out the Big G Cereal Heroes website.

We were sent some cereal, a set of comic books, and an action figure. My son was excited about the comic books, and decided that Lucky Charms were his new favorite cereal. (We're usually a Honey Nut Cheerios or Cinnamon Toast Crunch family. He hadn't tried Lucky Charms before.)

My Blog Spark has offered to host a giveaway here. One random commenter will win a prize pack which includes the following items:

1 box of a participating Big G cereal

1 set of the collectible DC Super Hero comic books

1 Green Lantern action figure

For your first, mandatory entry, leave a comment telling me what your super power would be, if you got to pick one. I think I'd choose to be super energetic, even on days when I barely get any sleep. One can wish, right?

For separate, optional entries, you may tweet/blog/or FB about the giveaway, up to once per day. (Please leave a comment for each.)

Don't forget to leave a way to reach you if you are the winner. This giveaway will end on 11/26/11, at 10 pm Central time.

Disclosure: Product, information, and giveaway have been provided by General Mills and DC ENTERTAINMENT through MyBlogSpark.

Rice Packs for Gifts

2011-11-18T22:29:00.000-06:00

I dusted off my poor neglected sewing machine today while the kiddos were watching a Pokemon video, and whipped up a couple of little gifts.

I'd been meaning to make some rice filled heat packs for a while. They're such a simple, inexpensive gift, but really nice and practical. These are a fairly self explanatory project, but there's a nice tutorial at Elm Street Life.

Rice pack handwarmers.

I'd never thought of making rice pack hand warmers, (to go in your coat pockets,) but after seeing several variations on Pinterest, (like this one, at Jane Avion,) I decided they'd make clever little stocking stuffers. I think I'll tie them up with ribbon, and add a little tag with instructions, (since at first glance, they just look like bean bags...)

These are great assembly line projects.

Review: Time Timer

2011-11-18T20:28:00.000-06:00

Most of the books I've ever read about ADHD, SPD, and Autism suggest that timers can help kiddos make smoother transitions. We started using one about a year ago, and for us, at least, that seems to be true.We use timers all day here, during school, to monitor screen time, and for things like minutes until bath time.

We were recently sent a 3" Time Timer to review, which retails for $30 from the Time Timer website. The timers are also available in 8" and 12" size for classroom and group use, ($35 and $40 respectively,) and the company additionally sells Time Timer computer software for $24, and has an app available via iTunes for $1.99.

The timer we received requires one AA battery.

Time Timer.

The Time Timer essentially works like any other, with the addition of a red film that acts as a visual cue, getting smaller as time passes. This means that even children who can't yet tell time, (like 3 year old V,) can monitor it using relative terms. ("I have a little time left." or "I have lots of time left.")

We've been using this timer daily since receiving it. It's easy to use, and lightweight enough to throw in a purse or backpack for use outside the home. (Minutes at the park, the swimming pool, etc.) Although L can read the numbers on a regular timer, he seems to benefit from being able to see time visibly passing. It feels less arbitrary to him, I think.

I do wish the "ding" was a little louder. We have a pretty noisy crew around here, (kids and dogs,) and at times I found myself straining to hear the timer go off when there was lots of background noise.

Based on my own observations, I'd particularly recommend this product to families with special needs, or young children who can't yet tell time. I'm really glad we got to check it out.

Head over to the Homeschool Crew blog to find out what other homeschooling families thought of this product.

Disclosure: I received a Time Timer in order to facilitate this review. No other compensation was provided, and the opinions expressed here are my own.

Awana is Awesome

2011-11-16T19:44:00.000-06:00

Several months ago we got a postcard on the front door saying that a nearby church was starting Awana program. We decided to try it out, and now that the kids have been in the program for several months, it's safe to say it's been a huge success.

The kids love it, and eagerly look forward to Wednesday evenings. L was super stoked to get his "uniform," (an Awana t shirt.) They're working hard to learn their verses so they can earn patches and stickers.

The volunteers are super sweet, and we are really impressed with the program. The kids are having fun in a safe environment, and are diving into the Bible. (I'd be remiss if I didn't point out that the program also affords my husband and I an occasional child free hour to grab a cup of coffee together, an extreme rarity up to this point.)

The fees were really reasonable, a total of $70 for both kids, for the whole year. (Like most single income, homeschool families, costs are a consideration for us.)

If you're looking for something fun for the kiddos to do outside the home, I can't recommend the program enough.

Disclosure: I'm in no way connected with this organization, and am not being compensated.

Review: Founder's Academy Curriculum

2011-11-16T19:12:00.002-06:00

I first became acquainted with Lynn, from Founder's Academy, via Twitter. She's a seasoned homeschool mom of adult children, always ready to encourage those of us who are still, uh, crunching Cheerios underfoot.

Lynn has a wide variety of upper grade Government and Economics courses available through Currclick, but has also recently introduced several "Elective on Demand" unit studies suitable for a wide variety of ages, including little guys, (aged 5-7,) like mine. The unit studies are short, generally consisting of 1, or perhaps 2 class sessions along with accompanying e-books. At the time of this writing, all of the Elective on Demand classes are less than $10, making them really affordable.

We had the opportunity to review the prerecorded My First Constitution Class/My First Economics class. (Most of Lynn's classes are live, but there are also a few recordings of previous live sessions available. This was one of those.)

L was fascinated with the format. He loves the computer. We got to see Lynn teaching in one section of the screen, see her Power Point presentation in another, and see the students interacting with her via the chat box in another. It was pretty cool. I love Currclick, and have purchased a number of their products, but this was my first experience with the "live" format, (or in this case, prerecorded live format.)

Lynn's teaching style is warm, and somewhat informal, what you'd expect and hope for from a homeschool mom. The material itself was a good introduction for L. The curriculum we're using this year hasn't, (at least at this point,) touched on anything to do with American government, so this was all new material for him. Some of the vocabulary went a bit over his head, but we were able to pause the recording and discuss things as they came up. He got a kick out of having been assigned a little "homework" between sessions, as we don't usually have "homework" around here.

I took notes as we went along about some of the topics that were touched on. Here's a (non exhaustive) list.

*What is the Constitution?
*Who were the authors of the Constitution?
*An explanation of the 3 branches of government, and their functions
*An explanation of checks and balances
*How to bills become laws?
*Brief explanations of the first 10 amendments
*What is the study of economics?
*A discussion of wants vs needs
*Practical discussion of making choices (This item or that item. My money for that item. Time for money.)

Obviously that's a lot of ground to cover, several years worth at least. This course would serve as a good introduction for a student who is unfamiliar with the material, or a good review for someone who's already been studying it.

I enjoyed the break in our routine, and the opportunity to be the student, (along with L,) instead of the teacher. L enjoyed the class, and said he's like to take some more like it. That pretty much speaks for itself.

Do check out the Founder's Academy FB page, or follow her on Twitter to keep up with the latest offerings, discounts, and even the occasional freebie! (She's currently offering a free, live event called "Let's Give Thanks," on 11/18/11. Go check it out.)

Disclosure: I was provided with a free course, as described above, in order to facilitate this review. No other compensation was provided, and the opinions expressed are my own.

Quick & Easy Crocheted Hat & Scarf

2011-11-12T14:57:00.000-06:00

My nieces, (now in their early 20's,) like to tease me about giving homemade gifts for Christmas every year. They accuse me of having a "Little House on the Prairie Christmas."

The truth is, they love it. Some years they put in specific requests, some years I surprise them. They always know they'll be getting something you can't just pick up at your nearest box store. (I think the year I tie dyed socks and underwear for everyone was probably the most unique. Yes, I know that wouldn't fly in every family, but it did in ours. LOL.)

This year one of my nieces put in a request for a loud, rainbow-y hat. Her new mohawk is leaving her with a chilly head. (No criticism here. I currently have blue streaks.) I decided to whip her up a matching scarf to go with it.

The yarn is I Love This Cotton from Hobby Lobby. I really do love it. It's super soft. The rainbow turned out a little more pastel than I had intended, but it's still a fun set.

The hat pattern was a tweaked version of the beanie from The Happy Hooker. The scarf was made with the One Warm Coat pattern from Red Heart.

Review & Giveaway: Ameba TV

2011-11-12T09:02:00.000-06:00

I don't believe that there is inherently anything wrong with watching tv.

(I realize that's a controversial statement in some circles. I'll give you a minute for someone to go fetch you some smelling salts, if you're feeling faint.)

The truth is, there are a lot of lousy, unfortunate things on tv. We work hard to shield the kids carefully from those things. We also try to prevent the kids from watching too many commercials, which often lead to a case of the "gimmees," usually for junky toys we wouldn't want them to have.

On the other hand, there are a lot of good things to watch, if you know where to look. My son is a really visual learner, and he has picked up an immeasurable amount of knowledge from watching (appropriate) programming.

We've been relying heavily on DVDs, old VHS tapes, PBS, and carefully screened Netflix cartoons and documentaries to find appropriate, educational programming for the kids.

I've recently been introduced to a new source of quality programming for kids: Ameba . Ameba is a subscription service, which you can either watch directly from your computer, or via one of several compatible devices. (Here's a press release with a little more info.)

The subscription service costs $3.99 per month, and you can cancel at any time. (Psst...You can also sign up for a free, 1 week trial.)

The programming is commercial free, and you can watch an unlimited amount of videos.You can also set up individual profiles for your children, to ensure an even better experience.

So, what kinds of videos does Ameba have available? Probably some of your kids' favorites. My kiddos are big fans of Animal Atlas, Sid the Science Kid, and The Cat in the Hat Knows a Lot About That. They've discovered some new shows like Rainbow Fish that they also really like. There's also a search function to help you find shows to go along with whatever you're covering in homeschool, or even just to go along with your child's interests.

My impression:

The website is a little clunky. I did a good bit of clicking around, and got a few error messages. I would also suggest a FAQ section for new users.

I think it's a really neat service though, and well worth the cost of the subscription. The programming is really solid.

Ameba has offered to host a giveaway here. One randomly selected commenter will receive a free, 3 month subscription to the service.

For your first, mandatory entry, go to the Ameba website, and check out some of their programming choices. Leave a comment here, telling me a show you think your kiddos would like to watch.

For additional, optional entries, you may tweet/FB/or blog about the giveaway. (Please leave a separate comment for each.)

This giveaway will end at 10:00 pm, central time, on 11/17/11.

Disclosure: I was provided with a free subscription in order to facilitate the review, as well as the opportunity to host a giveaway. No other compensation was provided. All opinions are my own.

Barbie Doll Makeover

2011-11-07T17:55:00.000-06:00

V has accumulated a rather large collection of mostly nude, thrift store Barbie dolls with frizzy, tangled hair.

Yikes! Looks like Barbie got stuck in a wind tunnel...

I've been working on making them look a little more presentable. I gave this one a bob haircut, and crocheted her a dress, based loosely on this pattern. It worked up quickly and easily. If you crochet, you must check out this site for a ginormous selection of free Barbie doll patterns.

Barbie, post makeover.

Barbie's looking a little classier these days...

I Pinned It, I Did It, & I Loved It

2011-11-06T15:55:00.000-06:00

I hope I'm not killing ya'll with all the Pinterest references. It really is a never ending source of good ideas.

The hard part is finding time to actually implement them all. I thought I'd do a little round up of ideas that I recently found on Pinterest, actually tried, and loved.

This Cinnamon Sugar Bread is quick to make, and tastes fantastic. I've made it multiple times, for multiple people, and everyone loves it.

Nutella Crescent Rolls really need no explanation, right? They're terrific.

I made one of these Tiered Glass Bowls for some of our Halloween treats, and I love it. I may make a few more for Christmas.

I treated the kids to a glow stick bath, complete with lots of bubbles, and they loved it.

What have you pinned and tried lately?

Crochet Slipper Tutorial

2011-11-05T10:47:00.000-05:00

It's finally getting chilly here, and I pulled out V's old crocheted slippers, and used them as a pattern to make a new, slightly larger pair.

After I finished hers, I decided to make myself some, loosely based on hers. I love them. They're warm and soft, and fit nicely. (A side note here. I made mine out of wool yarn, which means I'll have to hand wash them. Acrylic yarn might not be as cozy , but it's machine washable. Life's full of trade offs, right? You could make them out of either.)

Crocheted slippers.

(Yes, I am as pale as that picture suggests. No, my feet are not as big as the picture suggests. In case you were wondering...)

Crochet slippers, side view.

I'm not much of a pattern writer, but I thought I'd share my notes, in case anyone else wanted to make some. I wear a size 8 or 8 1/2. It would be easy to add or subtract rows to make them a little larger or smaller though.

I used an H hook, and a double strand of WW yarn.

Chain 4, and slip stitch to make a ring.
Row 1: Make 12 double crochets in the ring. Slip stitch to join. Chain 3.
Row 2: Make 2 double crochets in each stitch. Slip stitch to join. Chain 3.
Row 3-10: Make 1 double crochet in each stitch around. Slip Stitch to join. Chain 3.
Row 11: Make 1 double crochet in each stitch, for a total of 21 stitches. Chain 3, and turn.
Row 12-15: Repeat row 11.
At the and of row 15, you'll be done with the body of the slipper. Sew or slip stitch the heel seam together, and do one row of single crochet around the ankle opening to finish.
Weave in ends.

Our LeapFrog Learn, Create, Share Party

2011-11-01T19:15:00.000-05:00

Several weeks ago, I got an exciting package in the mail, full of fun new Leap Frog toys.

Mail!

We'd been selected to check out the products, and invite our friends over to check them out too, at a "Learn, Create, Share" party.

Our kids have grown up with Leap Frog products, from movies, to the old Leap Pads, to Scout and Violet. We're longtime fans. They're educational, but moreover, they're fun. Kids love 'em.

We were super excited to check out the new LeapPad Explorer Learning Tablet, as well as the Tag Reading System, and the books and maps that go along with it.

Our party display.

Before I go on about the party, let me tell you a little about the products.

If you're familiar with the old style Leap Pads, with the books and cartridges, the Tag Reading System is somewhat similar, but more compact. Instead of having the book and cartridge, you have a pen with the stories loaded onto them, and a book. By moving the pen around the page, you can read the story, play games, and interact with the pictures. There are lots of books to chose from, including favorite tv, movie, and storybook characters. There are also several sets of books aimed at beginning readers. Also available for the Tag system are several interactive maps, which allow you to learn geography, learn about other cultures, and more. (The Tag System is available on the LeapFrog website for $39.99, presently. Individual books are around $14, and individual maps are $19.99. There are lots of bundles available, in a variety of price ranges.)

The LeapPad Tablet is what it sounds like, a little learning tablet for the kids. It's capable of playing movies and games, taking digital pictures and video, and allows kids to write stories, among other things. (The tablet retails for around $99. Game cartridges are about $25. App cards are available in $20 increments, to download games and movies online. There are also several bundles currently available.)

We invited some friends, baked some cupcakes, and got ready to party.

All the kids (in a wide range of ages,) liked the interactive Tag World Map. It's double sided, and there are lots of activities to get the kids learning about other places and cultures.

Leap Frog Tag World Map.

You can use the map to brush up on Geography, learn about what foods people eat all over the world, practice saying "Hello" in other languages, and more.

Leap Frog Tag World Map

As I expected the LeapPad tablet stole the show. Even kids who have traditional handheld gaming systems were clamoring at the chance to play it. The games are educational, but also fun and silly.

LeapPad Explorer Learning Tablet.

The kids had a blast playing with the toys, and the parents were asking a lot of questions about prospective Christmas gifts.

My impressions: My kiddos went crazy for the LeapPad Tablet. They're constantly begging to play with my iPhone, and they loved the similar touch screen format. There are games suitable for 3 1/2 year old V, and 6 year old L. We actually had to set the timer to make them take turns with it. If your kiddos are itching to play with your phone or tablet computer, and you're looking for a safe, age appropriate, educational way to let them have some fun with technology, I can't recommend this system enough. It's awesome.

The Tag Reading System is also great for new, or reluctant readers, and the maps are great fun for all ages. (The homeschooler in me gives them a huge thumbs up.)

Disclosure: I received free LeapFrog products in order to host a Learn, Create, and Share Party. LeapFrog did not influence my opinions expressed here as a result.

Pokemon Badge Stamps

2011-11-01T07:00:00.001-05:00

I just thought I'd share a fun little stocking stuffer I made for L, who's still into all things Pokemon.

Hand carved Pokemon badge stamps.

I actually omitted a few of the more complicated designs, and I'm sure I'll hear about it later. LOL. What can I say, my arm got tired.

I think he'll like them anyhow.

Pokemon stamps.

Custom Stamps of the Kids' Drawings

2011-10-30T12:56:00.000-05:00

V loves to draw. Her specialty right now is "monsters with belly buttons." They're adorable. Some are tall, some have hair, a few have freckles, (like mommy, she says,) but they all have belly buttons.

I coaxed her into drawing me one the other day to use as a template, so I could make a stamp out of it. She was a little miffed with the constraints I put on her, (it needed to be small, and drawn in pencil,) so it's not her best work, but it worked. (Who knew three year olds were such fussy little artists? )

Monster with a belly button stamp.

Cute, right?

I'm thinking it might be cute to have her stamp Christmas cards and stuff with her monster this year. :)

Trick or Treat Bag

2011-10-30T12:45:00.007-05:00

I had a couple of odd balls of yarn lying around on the nightstand the other night, and made V a little trick or treat bag.

She's been carrying it around the house pretending to trick or treat for a couple of days. She's going to be a little pumpkin this year, and is so excited.

What are your kiddos dressing up as? (If they are...)

Giveaway Winners!

2011-10-29T11:30:00.000-05:00

Thanks to those of you who've entered the giveaways over the last week or so.

(I've been a little sparse here lately due to illness. The entire family has had a cold, hubs and the little one have had an ear infection, and V evidently picked up a stomach bug at the doctor's office. It's been brutal. I think we're all on the mend, though.)

As always, I used random.org to select the winners.

The winner of the My Memories digital scrapbooking suite was comment #1, who said:
Stephanie said...

number one? :) I liked Happy Fall Y'all Extra Monograms, but there were more than I could look through.

October 19, 2011 2:25 PM

Comment #2 was the winner of the Freschetta giveaway.
Bobbie Mackey said...

i did know that mamograms should be done every year after turning 40. however i didn't know that at my current age they should be done every three years. i should have had 2, and i have never had one. i will definitely be setting up an appointment.

October 27, 2011 7:44 AM

Freschetta Proud to Support Pink Review & Giveaway

2011-10-26T23:02:00.002-05:00

It's October. You can't walk in a store, turn on the tv, or listen to the radio without seeing and hearing about pink things. This year, I'm especially aware of the pink ribbons all around.

Awareness is important. If we're really going make progress in the treatment and cure for breast cancer though, there's another piece of the puzzle. Funding.

The folks at Freschetta have been putting their money where there pink ribbons are. During the month of October, specially marked packages of Freschetta pizzas and pizza crusts contain a code, which you can redeem online for a $1 donation to the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, (for a total of up to $50,000.) Check out the Freschetta Proud To Support Pink site for more info on this program. (You can also follow Freschetta on Twitter, or like them on FB to keep up with the company's latest news.)

There are still a few days left this month. Go pick up a yummy Freschetta pizza, take a night off from cooking, and don't forget to enter your code!

We tried the Naturally Rising 4-Cheese Medley Pizza, and it was seriously good, as good as delivery, and way more convenient.

Freschetta has offered to host a giveaway here.

One winner will receive a coupon to try a free Freschetta pizza, (12 oz or larger,) and 2 pairs of Freschetta Proud To Support Pink earphones. (A pair to keep, and a pair to share with a friend. They're super cute.)

We'll make this one easy. Just leave a single, relevant comment on this post, either something you learned at the Proud To Support Pink site, or your favorite variety of Freschetta pizza, or how you've been touched by cancer. Be sure to leave a way to contact you if you are the winner. This giveaway will end at 10/28/2011, at 10 pm, central time. (Winner will have 24 hrs to contact me with their name & address.)

Disclosure: I received a coupon for a free pizza, and 2 pairs of the above mentioned earphones, as a part of the Freschetta Fresh Connection program. No other compensation was provided. All opinions are my own.

Teeny Granny Square Purse

2011-10-22T07:00:00.000-05:00

Crocheted purse.

I don't typically post much on Saturdays, but I thought I'd share a teeny little purse I made for V the other night while watching tv. It's just two small granny squares, and one triangle for the flap, single crocheted together. I didn't bother lining it, since I figured she'd just end up carrying a Pokemon figurine or something along those lines in it, but it would have been easy enough to line.

These would make a cute little gift for a little girl.

Ideas for a Frog Party, & Parties in General

2011-10-21T09:18:00.000-05:00

The kids and I are getting ready to have a frog themed party, a LeapFrog party, in fact. (We're getting the opportunity to introduce our friends to some of our new favorite toys, namely the Tag reading system and the new, super duper cool, LeapPad learning tablet.)

Crocheted lily pads.

We'll be having essentially a frog themed play date, and I'm having fun finding frog themed decor and activity ideas. I found this pattern for crocheted lily pads a while back, and took the opportunity to whip some up for the party.

I'm not sure how we'll be using them yet, because I can actually think of several fun ideas.
The kids could take turns hopping like frogs, flying like dragon flies, swimming like ducks, etc, from one to another.
You could play "musical lily pads," (like musical chairs.)
You could make a game out of tossing Beanie Baby frogs onto the lily pads for points.

Really you could make something similar for lots of party themes, and if you don't crochet, you could make no sew, felt versions. Using a few of our favorite themes, you could make Mario mushrooms, Pokeballs, bubbles from "Gabbaland," etc. You could then tweak the games to pretend you were Mario running, Yoshi jumping, etc, from one mushroom to another, or try throwing stuffed pokemon toys onto the Pokeballs for points...

I love themed parties...

Disclosure: We were provided with LeapFrog toys for the purpose of hosting an in home party. No other compensation was provided. We were under no obligation to review them positively. (We are however, smitten with them, and have been shouting it from the rooftops.)

Look for our party post soon.

Teeny Beanie Baby Sleeping Bag

2011-10-19T09:44:00.000-05:00

I finished up a quick little project for V, a crocheted sleeping bag for a teeny Beanie Baby. (She adores Beanie Babies. We have a whole zoo.)

Teeny Beanie Baby sleeping bag.

L let it be known that he'd like a sleeping bag for his Pokemon too...

Check out the pattern at Suzies Stuff. (She has lots of other great, free patterns.)

My Memories Review & Giveaway

2011-10-19T08:36:00.001-05:00

I sort of got into scrapbooking, many years ago, when it reached the peak of its popularity. The idea of doing something with all those treasured pictures, instead of throwing them in a box in the closet really resonated with me.

Things have changed though. Many of our pictures are stored digitally now, for one thing. For another, I no longer have hours and hours to drag out all the supplies, work on a couple of pages, and put all the stuff away. I have kids now. I craft in 15 minute bursts, here and there, when I have a chance.

I've let the kids have most of my old supplies for arts and crafts, and sort of given up on the process.

I was recently contacted by My Memories, a digital scrapbooking company, about reviewing their software, and decided to try it out, in spite of my technophobia.

The My Memories suite retails for $39.99, and is instantly downloadable from the site. The software comes with many preset photo layouts, background patterns, and embellishments. It also allows you to add sound, videos, and gives you the option of either printing your projects, or putting them on a disc to share.

The My Memories store also gives you the opportunity to purchase additional themed packs for a reasonable price. (Sign up for their emails to receive notice about new products, sales, and freebies.You can also check out their blog, follow them on Twitter, or "like" their FB page.)

In the relatively short amount of time that I've had to play around with the software, I've been able to create several neat projects.

Halloween 2010.

Here's a page full of Christmas gift tags, with the kids' pictures on them. Adorable, and perfect for the little gifts that the kids make for their favorite people every year.

Personalized gift tags.

It took me a bit of time to figure the program out. I'm notoriously slow at figuring out anything tech-y, though, so your mileage will probably vary. In the end, I'm very happy with the product. Aside from the obvious use, (making scrapbook pages,) the software can be used to create calendars, greeting cards, gift tags, party invitations, and more. Just think of all the neat applications for the upcoming holiday season...

If you'd like to purchase a copy of the software, you can use code STMMMS29437 to receive $10 off the purchase price. (The software will also come with a $10 coupon towards the My Memories store.)

My Memories has also offered to host a giveaway here. For your entry, go check out the My Memories store, and leave me a comment telling me your favorite digital scrapbooking kit. Easy, right? Don't forget to leave a way to contact you, if you are the winner.

This giveaway will end at 10:100 pm, Central, on 10/25/11.

Disclosure: I was provided with a free copy of the software in order to facilitate this review, as well as the opportunity to host a giveaway. All opinions are my own, and I was under no obligation to provide a favorable review. Additionally, the coupon code referenced above is an affiliate link, for which I would receive a commission.

Relaxed Workboxes for Relaxed Homeschoolers

2011-10-17T08:54:00.000-05:00

I've always liked the idea of workboxes. We're pretty laid back here though, and it seemed maybe a little too structured for us, so I've never really pursued it.

Recently though, I've realized we needed something a little different around here. L is constantly asking me how many more things we have to do for school, which sort of drives me nuts. I've also realized that although we get through our official lesson plans on a daily basis, we haven't been getting around to doing some of the fun "extras," (things like games and puzzles.)

I recently picked up this toy organizer at a neighbor's garage sale for eight bucks. (It's a slightly smaller version of the ones Target sells for around $30.) We've started using it for our "workboxes," and it's been really helpful for us in several ways.

I load the next days "work" in the box at night. On an given day, our lesson plans might include 5 or 6 different activities. (Remember, we're using Heart of Dakota curriculum, but I am tweaking it slightly.) In the empty, leftover boxes, I include "fun" stuff, which may or may not be related to the loose theme we're working on.

For instance, right now, we've been learning about "Halloween stuff," which is a pretty broad topic. Some days the empty boxes might include Magic School Bus movies about bats or spiders, Halloween bingo, or candy corn math activities.

Some days the extra boxes are full of activities that don't necessarily fit our topic, but are educational in some way, like board or card games, art assignments, etc.

L can now see what is expected of him, and I think he enjoys being able to see that we'll be doing a mix of "hard stuff," and "fun stuff."

I'm also doing a better job of including "extras" on a day to day basis. All the fun stuff I've been collecting isn't just sitting around collecting dust in the cabinet anymore.

We're using this system pretty informally, but it's working wonders for us.

Halloween Sensory Bin

2011-10-14T08:49:00.000-05:00

I put together a Halloween themed sensory bin for the kids this year, and thought I'd share it. There are lots of things to sort, tweeze, and pretend with. V's been playing with it daily, with the addition of a few toy Pokemon, or other little figures, to "rescue" from the "spooky spiders."

Halloween sensory bin.

Here are some of the contents and sources:

Black beans, as the basic filler.

Alphabet pasta, dyed orange.

Halloween erasers, from Target and Dollar Tree.

Halloween pom poms, from Michael's.

Spider rings and plastic spiders, from Dollar Tree.

Plastic eyeballs, from Dollar Tree.

Plastic mini pumpkins, and wooden Halloween themed buttons, from our stash.

Make an Awesome Gift for the Kids, for Just a Few Cents

2011-10-12T07:00:00.001-05:00

I wanted to share something I've been working on for the kids, for Christmas.

For about the last year, both kids, but L especially, has been really into audio books. We've rented tons of them from the library, and we actually even have some ancient books on cassette tapes still lying around here. :) L listens to them as he goes to bed at night, and as he's playing throughout the day.

I had the idea that I wanted to record myself reading some books to the kids, and burn them to discs to give them as gifts. I asked around on Twitter, and someone suggested that I could do reasonably good recordings using the voice memos function on my iPhone. (Whew, I was hoping for an easy process.)

The hardest part is finding time when the kids are both asleep, and the house is totally quiet.

The recordings turned out great, even I was sort of shocked to hear that my Texas drawl was so pronounced. I simply emailed them to myself, and saved them. (A word of caution here: I was at home using the wifi. I suppose if I hadn't have been, I might have had a data overage on our phone plan, as it's not unlimited, and the files were fairly large. Just something to think about.)

I could have recorded books I liked, but instead, I recorded their favorites, the ones for which there are no available audio books. (Pokemon, and Dr Seuss, so far, in case you're wondering.)

I'm really looking forward to giving the recordings to the kids, and am going to try to recruit some family members to add their voices as well.

Be the Fun Mom Occasionally

2011-10-11T07:00:00.001-05:00

When we decided to homeschool, way back before L was even born, I had lots of ideas about what I thought homeschooling would look like. I had visions of us working on fun projects, spending long hours snuggling and reading books, and having time, always enough time.

Real life looks quite a bit different, most days. L's limited attention span, and very small set of intense interests means that we read for short bursts here and there, and it's sometimes hard to draw him into projects that aren't related to Pokemon. Time is always at a premium. With a busy preschooler literally hanging on me all day, a husband that works lots of hours, on an irregular schedule, there never seems to be enough time.

We've found homeschool curriculum that we like. It covers all the bases, and it's generally enjoyable, but it doesn't look much like those days I imagined.

Several weeks ago, we started off a typical school day on the wrong foot. L couldn't settle down, couldn't stop talking about Pokemon. Typically, I would have had two choices, press on anyway, and end up with everyone cross, and a sub par effort from L, or blow it off, and call a holiday.

I suddenly had a little mental breakthrough, though. We pulled out dozens of cans of play doh, and built Pokemon habitats.

Play Doh Pokemon habitats.

(For those of you who don't eat, sleep, and breathe Pokemon, I should explain that each Pokemon has a "type," which dictates the kind of attacks they're capable of, and oftentimes where they live. A fire type Pokemon will have fiery attacks, and might live near a volcano, etc.)

Charmander, in his natural habitat.

After talking about what would happen if Pokemon no longer had access to their appropriate habitats, we were able to branch out, and discuss real animal habitats, and the effects of pollution, deforestation, melting icebergs, and so on.

It was a stretch, and it certainly wasn't on the lesson plan, but it was learning. He had a blast, and he thoughtfully participated in the discussion. He's retained the information, too.

It's not possible or practical to try to relate every lesson to Pokemon, but I was reminded that part of the reason we homeschool is so that we can be flexible and have fun.

Whether we homeschool or not, it's awfully easy to get hung up on the "have tos," and miss out on the fun stuff. Don't forget to be the fun mom occasionally, whether it's on the schedule or not. (I may have to tattoo that on my forehead...)

Bulletin Board Makeover

2011-10-10T09:12:00.000-05:00

Several years ago, we hung a large bulletin board in our entryway, (for lack of a better place). It's a nice spot for the kids to display pictures and worksheets that they're proud of, but it's kind of ugly, and it's pretty much the first thing you see when you walk in the door.

Bulletin board, before.

Now that we are swimming in old burlap bags, (a recent garage sale find,) I decided to cover it with burlap. I cut open a bag, ironed it, and fastened it to the back of the bulletin board with thumbtacks. (It doesn't matter how neat the back side looks, as long as the front is smooth.) I could have glued it, but I liked the idea of being able to switch it out with something else later, if I get bored.

Bulletin board, back side.

The project only took a few minutes, but I love it now.

Bulletin board covered in burlap.
Weird shadows, courtesy of our Halloween decor in the background.

A Really Cute Craft Fail

2011-10-07T09:59:00.000-05:00

I was browsing for gift ideas recently on Ravelry, and found a super cute Pokeball hat pattern for my Pokemon obsessed little boy.

Pokeball hat.

After he went to bed last night, I cranked out the hat in one sitting, only to realize that it was small. Very small. It barely fit V's teeny little 3 year old noggin. (The pattern was supposed to be for a teen/adult sized head. I must crochet way tighter than I thought.)

She called dibs on it, and is a happy little Pokemon trainer. I think I'm going to just to find a regular old men's hat pattern and alter it with the appropriate colors to fit L's man sized head...

Yo Crunch Giveaway Winner

2011-10-06T17:59:00.000-05:00

Thanks to those that entered the Yo Crunch giveaway. Random.org selected comment two as the winner, who said:

Leigh said...

Never tried it, but Yogurt with Oreos has got to be heaven on earth!
leigh4thewin at gmail dot com

SEPTEMBER 26, 2011 8:30 PM

Ice Cream Cone Cupcakes

2011-10-06T08:30:00.000-05:00

Ice cream cone cupcakes.

This weekend our church is having their annual Lord's Acre festival. All of the families in the church are asked to contribute several desserts, among other things. I didn't really feel like cooking anything really elaborate from scratch, so I poked around on Pinterest until I found something neat, but easy.

(Click here to see one of the images that inspired mine, as well as a cute packaging option.)

I did a little googling to see if the unfrosted cupcakes could be frozen for a couple of days, and then thawed, but there wasn't much of a consensus. Some people worried the cone might get soggy upon thawing.

I decided to test it out myself with a trial run. I baked a small batch, froze a couple of them, and then thawed them. (I took mine out of the bag, and thawed them on a plate. Sometimes there's a little condensation inside the bag as the cupcakes thaw, and I wasn't taking any chances.) They were fine. I suppose your mileage may vary, possibly depending on the cake in question, but for this boxed chocolate cake mix, thawing wasn't an issue.

I decorated our trial batch by piping on a huge pile of chocolate frosting and sprinkles. They were really cute, and I have a feeling they'll be a hit with the kiddos at church.

Dollar Store Decorating & Playing Catch Up

2011-10-02T19:29:00.001-05:00

Mini pumpkins and dollar store leaves.

I could write a long post about all the behind the scenes stuff going on around here, but I won't bore you with it.

Here's the short list:

I've got a house full of unfinished projects, (more than usual.) Hopefully I'll finish some stuff soon, and have some new things to show you.

Our kitchen is partially disassembled, (while we repair the flood damage.)

My mom had surgery to remove lymph nodes last week. They came back negative, (thank God!) She'll be starting radiation soon. She's doing well, considering.

And this: My oldest sister was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis last week. My mother has MS, but even so, the odds of my sister having it are very small. We're all pretty shocked and horrified. (And heartbroken.) I don't even know what to say about it.

In spite of the above list, I've been doing a little fall and Halloween decorating here for the kiddos. It's still nearly 90 degrees here most days, not very fall-y, but whatever, right? The calendar says it's fall.

The first pictures shows some mini pumpkins and faux leaves from the Dollar Tree. I've sprinkled the leaves all over the house, and made a little garland of them over the dining room doorway. They're fun, and easy, and nonbreakable, which is always a good feature in holiday decor at our house.

I also picked up this creepy looking skull from Dollar Tree, to glitterize. (Is that a word? It should be.)

Dollar store skull.

Here he is, post glitterization. If you wanted to save the trouble, Target has glittered skulls for sale for a few bucks, although where's the fun in that?

Glittered dollar store skull.

I've got some fun giveaways in the works, from Freschetta, and My Memories, and some reviews you may be interested in, including LeapFrog Products, and homeschool curriculum from Founder's Academy.

I also just purchased a ginormous amount of burlap feed sacks, so um, you can be expecting some burlap projects in the near future.

2011-09-27T07:00:00.001-05:00

One of the fun things about Pinterest is when people pin random things from your childhood that you had totally forgotten about.

Suddenly everyone on Pinterest is pinning friendship bracelets. I hadn't even thought about them in ages, but suddenly I remember how fun they were to make and wear.

Lousy iPhone picture, taken at night...

I decided to see if I could still make them, for the kids, and the nieces and nephews, who, having not grown up in the 80's may not have ever had a handmade bracelet, and the status that went along with that. ;)

There are boatloads of tutorials on the net, but my standby resource is an old copy of Knot Now. (I don't have a laptop, so sometimes I'd rather just have a book to take along for projects than print 15 pages worth of tutorials.)

I cranked out a couple in an evening, and explained their meaning to V, who was quite proud of being my "best friend,", and had to go explain the whole thing to her daddy.

Yo Crunch Review & Giveaway

2011-09-26T11:00:00.001-05:00

I've mentioned before that V nearly lives on Yogurt.

YoCrunch yogurt is some of her favorite. She's especially partial to the M&M variety.

Actually, so am I. YoCrunch yogurt is doesn't contain gelatin, which I try to avoid as a vegetarian. (Many brands do.) Also, it has M&Ms. Enough said.

If M&Ms aren't your thing, (is that possible?) they also have varieties that include Reese's Pieces, crumbled up Oreo cookies, and the old standby, granola.

Yes, these do include a little candy, but they also include a decent amount of calcium and protein. They're a fun snack, for kids and adults.

YoCrunch also has a new line of Greek Yogurt. I tried out the Honey with Granola flavor, and thought it was tasty, (and not quite as tart as the typical Greek yogurt, a plus for me, and most other people I know.) It also contains 11 grams of protein per cup, which makes it a great choice for a quick breakfast.

The YoCrunch website has nutritional information, a store locator, and currently has several $1.00 off coupons to print. If you want to keep up with all the latest YoCrunch info, you can also fan them on FB, or follow them on Twitter.

YoCrunch sent me some coupons to share, so leave a comment with your favorite YoCrunch product, (or if you haven't tried any yet, which one you think you'd love.) One winner will receive full value coupons for the following free products:

1 Free 6 oz cup of YoCrunch
1 Free YoCrunch Multipack
3 Free YoCrunch Greek Yogurt cups

US entries only, and please leave a way to contact you if you are the winner. This giveaway will end at 10:00 central time, on 10/1/11.

(When you're finished eating your yummy yogurt, don't forget to save the cups to make neat little mini greenhouses.They're a fun way to recycle with the kids, and they work.)

Easy Glittered Pumpkins

2011-09-26T07:00:00.001-05:00

Is there anything that can't be improved upon with a coating of Martha Stewart glitter?

Inspired by these pumpkins of Martha's, I picked up a few packages of sad looking little gourds from Dollar Tree to transform.

Dollar Tree gourds.

A couple of quick coats of glitter, and I had a fun little centerpiece. (I also had another ginormous glittery mess in the kitchen, but it was worth it.)

Gllittered Dollar Tree gourds.

Giveaway Winners!

2011-09-25T19:14:00.000-05:00

Thanks to those of you who entered my recent giveaways.

Random.Org selected entry 33 as the winner of the Betty Crocker Giveaway.

A Dusty Frame said...

I'd bake them for my son for a treat after homeschool:)
Lizzie from the crew:)

September 17, 2011 12:20 AM

The Hearts for Hearts doll giveaway was my most popular giveaway to date. Random.Org select entry number 47 as the winner.

welcome to our wonderland said...

tweeted 9/18

September 18, 2011 7:48 AM

That 70's Throw

2011-09-25T17:29:00.000-05:00

I love thrift stores. And yarn. And kitschy stuff from the 60's and 70's. When I see a lonely skein of harvest gold yarn at Goodwill, I'm helpless to resist.

But um, what do you make out of a big pile of orange, and green, and brown acrylic yarn?

Granny squares, of course

I've been working on this little throw off and on for awhile. It's finally finished, and unlike most of my projects I'm going to keep it for myself. (Honestly, I'm not sure anyone else in the whole world would want it.)

It's quirky. Like me.

T Shirt Week-Day 4: Who's That Pokemon? It's Charmander!

2011-09-22T07:00:00.001-05:00

Not to be left out of all the t shirt making, L put in a request for a Charmander shirt. I traced the pattern through the shirt on this one, and then painted it, and touched up the outline with a sharpie after the fact.

DIY Charmander shirt.

(I promise I'll go back to making other stuff soon. Seriously...)

T Shirt Week-Day 3: Plex the Magic Robot Superhero?

2011-09-21T07:00:00.002-05:00

Yep, another Yo Gabba Gabba shirt.

DIY Plex shirt.

The pattern for this one was obtained from a an enlarged version of a coloring sheet from Nickjr. This one was the easiest one yet. Since the shirt was light colored, I placed the pattern inside, and traced over it with fabric markers. I'm tempted to make one of these for myself...

You'll note that she's also wearing a superhero cape. It's actually a recycled t shirt project, which is based on a tutorial from The Southern Institute. (Psst, it's a no sew project that takes about 5 minutes. Go check it out.) Since V loves anything pink, and I love anything tie dyed, I tie dyed a pink t shirt to use as the cape.

Super V to the rescue.

To say she loves it would be an understatement.

T Shirt Week-Day 2: Pumpkin Shirts

2011-09-20T07:00:00.000-05:00

DIY pumpkin shirt.

Today's shirt was made essentially using the same technique as yesterday's. I tinkered around with the sizing of this template, and used it as my pattern. My cost on these was a buck a piece. Cute, easy, and quick.

L modeling his shirt, complete with messy morning hair.

I made one for each of the kids. I'm determined to get some cute Halloween pics of the both of them together, at some point. (Am I the only one who cannot take a good picture of both kids at the same time? They're never looking in the same direction, or else their eyes are closed, or their mouth is open...)

Review: Aims Getting into Geometry

2011-09-19T23:57:00.000-05:00

I've heard a lot of homeschool moms say they're kind of scared of teaching math. As someone who has always been more of a words person than a numbers person, I can relate.

Don't get me wrong, even I, who barely squeaked through high school algebra, (ahem, even with a tutor,) am able to tackle the first grade math that I'm teaching my son. The problem is really one of confidence. I want to make sure he's learning the right things, in the right order, so that he never gets lost like I did.

I've lost more sleep over choosing the correct math curriculum than any other subject.

I was recently sent a copy of Getting into Geometry, by Aims Education Foundation, to review with L, as part of the TOS Review Crew program.

The book is recommended for grades k-1, and retails for $24.95. It's a softcover, 255 page long book, broken down into the following sections:

2-D Shapes
Composing and Decomposing Shapes
Symmetry
3-D Solids
Spatial Relationships: Location/Position
Playful Practice

One of the great things about the book is that it includes a CD ROM which contains any necessary printables. That means you won't have to tear pages out of the book to copy them for the kids to use, (which is tedious,) and it means it's convenient and cost effective to use with several children.

I had hoped that maybe V (aged 3 1/2,) would be able to do some of the activities along with us, and indeed, she has been able to, so far. (We haven't worked through the entire book yet, but it appears that we will eventually lose her, as she's still technically a little young for the curriculum.)

I love that the book includes lots of hands on activities, as opposed to just worksheets. L is in some ways, your typically wiggly little 6 year old boy, but as I've written elsewhere, he also has ADHD, and some days he's extremely active. He learns better when there is something to be doing with his body, some way to channel all that energy. I think the abundance of fun, hands on activities is one of the major strengths of this curriculum.

Another strong point is that the book pretty much lays out what to say and ask throughout the lesson, which is great for parents that aren't terribly confident in their ability to explain the principles properly. If you read along as you go, it's pretty much foolproof.

A number of household supplies are called for in the various lessons, things like Play Doh, and straws, and chalk, which you probably already have lying around. Tangrams and foam geometric shapes (Geo-Solids,) are also called for throughout the book. These are available from Aims, at a reasonable price, ($3.95, and $14.95, respectively.) You could, in a pinch, use paper tangrams, but the foam shapes appear to be pretty much mandatory, in order to effectively teach the sections dealing with 3-D shapes.

There is a fairly minimum amount of prep time required, which mainly consists of gathering materials, and printing things off the disk.

There was nothing I didn't like about the curriculum. It seems to be chiefly intended for traditional classroom use, and included information about standards and benchmarks for each activity, which wasn't particularly relevant to me, but also wasn't a problem. A few of the activities may have to be tweaked slightly if you are only teaching 1 child, instead of a classroom full, but it hasn't been a big deal for us.

We're going to continue using this curriculum. L is enjoying it, and I think it's a really solid, user friendly resource.

The AIMS website and catalog are full of neat looking science and math resources, from books, to math manipulatives, to complete lab kits.

To find out what other TOS Crew members are saying about this, (and several other,) AIMS products, check out the linky on the TOS Homeschool Crew review blog.

Disclosure: I was provided with a free copy of this book, and the accompanying CD, in order to facilitate this review. No other compensation was provided, and all opinions are my own.

T Shirt Week-Day 1: $1 Foofa Shirt

2011-09-19T10:03:00.001-05:00

Dollar Store Foofa shirt.

V's love for all things Yo Gabba Gabba related is stronger than ever. Several years ago, it was fairly easy to find Yo Gabba Gabba shirts, pjs, and socks, at places like Target and Walmart. Now the only place to buy them is online or occasionally at little shops in the mall. And they're pretty expensive.

Now if you've been reading for any length of time, you know I'm kind of cheap. I like to think I'm also practical. Instead of buying expensive clothes for the kids, and then harping on them all day to not get dirt/paint/chocolate/any other joyful substance on their clothes, for the most part, I just buy 'em cheap clothes, and let 'em have fun.

I recently noticed that Dollar Tree was carrying 100% cotton t shirts. I originally had planned to buy some to cut up for other projects, but on closer inspection, most of them didn't have any visible flaws, and they were actually nicer than the shirts from the craft store, which are usually a 50/50 poly cotton blend.

I picked up a pink shirt in V's size, and came home and got to work.

Here was my technique, if you want to call it that: I printed out the Foofa mask pattern from the Nickjr site, scanned it into my computer, imported into Print Shop, and enlarged it quite a bit. After printing that out, I cut out the facial features, traced them onto the shirt with a washable Crayola marker, and then painted the features using regular old t shirt paint, and a brush. Finally, I ended up doing the black part of her eyes with a Sharpie.

It sounds like a fairly long process, but it really wasn't. If I were blessed with any sort of drawing abilities, I could have cut out several steps, but using this process, even I, a stick figure drawing person, was able to turn out a pretty good result.

It goes without saying that one shouldn't sell projects like this, since they're A) based on a trademarked character, and b) based on a fun freebie from Nickjr, but if your kiddo is a Yo Gabba Gabba fan, this is a pretty cool way to make a shirt for a buck.

If your little one isn't a fan of Yo Gabba Gabba, (do such children exist?) you could use the same process to make them whatever kind of character shirt they'd love.

Stay tuned for more t shirts for the kids all week long.

Cute Thrifty Halloween Favor bags

2011-09-16T07:00:00.000-05:00

Even though it's still not feeling very fall-ish here, Halloween is approaching.

When I stopped in Dollar Tree last week, and saw these orange totes, I thought they'd make cute little party favor bags. (L does not like trick or treating, so we have a little party here, with our immediate family every year.)

I'm too shaky to freehand anything with paint, so what I ended up doing was drawing the shapes onto the bags with a pencil, and then painting over it. (Don't forget to put some wax paper or something inside the bag while you paint, so it doesn't soak through to the other side.) Alternatively, you could probably just draw the features on with a Sharpie.

I think they turned out cute, they're reusable, and considering I already had the paint on hand, these were uber cheap to make.

TOS Review: Before Five in a Row

2011-09-15T10:48:00.002-05:00

I'm really excited to be a part of the TOS Review Crew this year. I'll be sharing our experiences with you throughout the year, as we try out various products and curriculum aimed at homeschoolers.

If you homeschool, you've almost certainly heard of Five in a Row, (FIAR.) What you may not know, is that the same company also has a preschool curriculum, called Before Five in a Row. I got to try it out with V, who's three and a half.

Before Five in a Row, (called BFIAR here on out,) is a preschool curriculum, aimed at children aged 2-4. It retails for $35.00 through the Rainbow Resource Center, which is the official retailer for this company.

The curriculum is based around 24 classic children's books, (which you'll need to buy separately, although you'll likely have a few of them around your house already. I did. At any rate, your library will almost certainly have these titles on hand.)

The first section of the book is broken down into 24 units (one for each book,) each lasting 5 days. The backbone of the curriculum consists of reading the same book for five consecutive days. Along with the book, you'll be doing a variety of other activities, including age appropriate discussion of art, science activities, and reading related verses from the Bible.

The second half of the book is filled with enriching (and fun,) activities to do with your preschooler. Some of these are pretty standard suggestions, others are things you may not have considered. I thought this this section was a great resource. Sometimes, when you're cooking for, cleaning up after, and trying to keep your preschooler from giving the dog a hair cut, it's hard to remember to just have fun with them. This book includes lots of ideas for just that.

Here are some of my favorite aspects of the program:

It requires very little prep work. This is a big deal if you have older children who are using a more planning intensive curriculum. It would also be a huge plus if you had any younger children in the house who keep you hopping. There are only so many hours in the day, right?

The BFIAR curriculum is infinitely reusable. There aren't any consumable components to it. Even if you decide to buy all the accompanying books, it's a one time investment for however many children you have.

It's gentle, perfect for little ones. This curriculum would be great for little ones who are anxious to get started having school like their older siblings, or parents who are looking to gradually ease their preschoolers into doing "school." It's not a rigorous, worksheets and flashcards program. There's no emphasis on phonics, etc. The emphasis is on enjoying good books, appreciating different kinds of art, appreciating, and making connections in the world around you, and practical application of scriptures.

It's based around really good books. These are books that you'll actually enjoy reading over and over.

V has enjoyed working on this program with me. She likes having what she calls "baby school," and enjoys the one on one time with mommy. At three and a half, the's on the older end of the recommended age range. Perhaps it's because she's spent such a lot of time eavesdropping on L's school, but some of the activities and discussions seem a little simple for her. I think it would have been a perfect fit for her about a year ago.

I'd recommend this product for "relaxed" homeschooling families, or those that are interested in the "living books," sort of learning. You can view a sample of the included activities here, to get a feel for how the curriculum might fit into your family.

I really liked it.

FIAR sells several other products, for a whole range of ages. Here are some quick links to their other products, if you'd like to know more:

Five in a Row (Ages 4-8)
Beyond Five in a Row (Ages 8-12)
Above and Beyond Five in a Row (Ages 12+)

Disclosure: I received a free copy of this book from the publisher, in order to facilitate a review. No other compensation was provided, and all opinions are my own.

Review & Giveaway: Hearts for Hearts Girls

2011-09-15T07:00:00.000-05:00

My little girl is 3 1/2. She likes everything pink, and "fancy", and princess-y. I think that's pretty normal. She may always be a girly girl. That's fine with me.

I'm trying to be careful about making sure she knows that she's more than just cute though, that she can be things, and do things.

In my opinion, many of the toys aimed at little girls are pretty superficial, and many of the dolls look too "grown up." Where are the dolls that look like little girls, and center around something other than shopping, makeup, or pop culture?

When I was contacted by My Blog Spark about reviewing a doll from the Hearts for Hearts Girls doll line, I jumped at the chance.

These dolls look like real little girls, each of a different nationality. Each doll comes with a story booklet detailing her background, where she came from, and what altruistic thing she's been doing to help her community.

Here are the bios of the dolls, as per the information I received:

Meet the six Hearts For Hearts Girls:

Meet Consuelo from Mexico City. Colorful and warm, Consuelo provides aid to hungry children who are homeless and live on the streets near her parents´ bakery.
Meet Lilian of Belarus. Determined Lilian provides aid to girls whose parents must find work in the big city and are forced to leave their children with orphanages.
Meet Dell from the heart of Kentucky´s Appalachian Mountains. Dell creates music and knitwear to share with others in need of warm clothing.
Meet Rahel of Ethiopia. Rahel, who dreams of becoming a doctor so that she can make a real difference for people in her region, journeys with her family into the wilderness of Ethiopia to help bring back aid to her community.
Meet Tipi from Laos. Based on a real girl who shares her art and storytelling with others through dancing, drawing, and puppetry, Tipi leads her school in a mural contest in hopes of winning much-needed books for her class.
Meet Nahji who hails from Assam, India. Brave Nahji breaks tradition to bring courage and education to the girls who work in the tea fields of India.

There's an online component as well. Girls can unlock games and activities on the website, read their doll's diary to find out more about her, and more.

Finally, each time a doll is purchased, a donation is made to World Vision.

There are additional outfits to buy, and they are inspired by actual events, and traditional dress in the girl's country.

My thoughts:

This is the kind of toy I can get behind. Aesthetically, they're setting a realistic message, and I like that there is a possibility of finding a doll that looks similar to your daughter. I think the back stories are a neat idea, and as a homeschooling family, I can't help but suggest that they might open up an interest in other cultures.

I like the focus on what the girls are doing in their community. I think it sends a positive message to girls, that they can make a difference, in their families, their communities, and the world.

The dolls are reasonably priced at around $30, which is always a plus, and I think they'd make a great gift for the upcoming holiday season.

We received Consuelo, the Mexican doll. My daughter fell in love with her immediately, kept saying how pretty she was. V and I have nothing but positive things to say about her.

My Blog Spark has offered to host a giveaway here at Cheerios Underfoot. One lucky commenter will receive a prize package containing:

One Hearts For Hearts Girl, accompanied by a friendship bracelet, story booklet, donation for girls in need through partner World Vision and a special product code your daughter can use to unlock a free membership to the Hearts For Hearts Girls website, which provides access to the "myHeart" page and an array of games and activities.
An outfit that is authentic to one of the Hearts for Hearts Girls´ culture, in which your daughter can also dress her doll

For your first, mandatory entry, go check out the Hearts for Hearts Girls dolls, and leave a comment telling me which doll you think your daughter, (or niece, or little sister, or granddaughter,) would love to have, and why.

For additional, optional entries, you may do any or all of the following. (Please leave a comment for each.)
"Like" the Hearts for Hearts Girls FB page.
Follow my blog.
Follow me on Twitter.
Tweet/Facebook/or Blog about the giveaway. (Once per day.)

This giveaway will end at 10 pm central time on 9/22/11. Don't forget to leave a way to be contacted if you are the lucky winner!

Disclosure: The Hearts For Hearts Girls doll, and information have been provided by Playmates Toys through MyBlogSpark."

Polymer Clay Barbie Food

2011-09-14T09:12:00.000-05:00

Polymer clay ice cream cone, for Barbie.

We recently picked up a few teeny little food shaped erasers at the party supply store, which the kids wanted to use for Pokemon and Barbie food.

When I was a little girl, one of my favorite Barbie accessories was a fully stocked refrigerator, but I haven't run across anything like that lately, so I got to thinking...

I've tinkered around with polymer clay a few times, and had some leftovers. Why not make polymer clay toy food? I'm no sculptor, but I was able to turn out a decent ice cream cone, cupcake, and donut, fairly easily. (What can I say? I have a sweet tooth.)

By the time I got around to writing this, the donut and cupcake have disappeared into the abyss that is my daughter's room, but you get the idea...

(Sorry about the worse than usual picture. I think my trusty old camera has finally given up the ghost. Until we get another one, I'm relying on the camera on my iPhone.)

Punch Card Reward System

2011-09-13T20:57:00.000-05:00

We've tried a lot of things around here to encourage good behavior from the kids. A lot. I'd like to tell you that we have found the secret to cooperative, well behaved kiddos, but we haven't. (Yet. Wink. Wink.)

I thought I'd share my latest incarnation of the incentive program.

Punch card reward system

I put together a punch card and had it printed at Vista Print. Cute, right?

The deal is that L can fill up the punch card by randomly being caught doing something good. Random is the key word. He's not getting a punch for every single thing he does, because that ends up sort of a counterproductive hassle.

When he fills a card up, he'll get to pick a reward from a list I've made up. This time around, I'm trying to stick mostly with fun experiences, instead of tangible things that require mommy to jump in the car, and go buy an expensive toy.

The choices will be for things like help mommy make a fun snack, stay up a little later and watch a movie, or choose any book for mommy to read. (Yes, that means even the Pokedex. Again.)

We're just getting started with this, so I can't vouch for it long term, but if you're looking for a new way to reward good behavior, it's worth a shot.

Review: Betty Crocker Milk Chocolate Traditional Brownie Mix

2011-09-13T09:54:00.000-05:00

Nearly every Saturday, I bake something yummy to take to my Sunday School class. Most of my classmates are parents with young kiddos, and since the kids keep us hopping in the morning, it's rare that we grownups have time to eat anything before church.

Some Saturdays, when I'm feeling particularly ambitious, I bake something from scratch. When time, (or energy,) is at a premium, I look for a quick, easy, (tasty,) mix.

My Blog Spark Sent me a box of Betty Crocker Milk Chocolate Brownie Mix to try, so I made mini brownies to take to church this past Sunday.

Betty Crocker Milk Chocolate Brownie.

They were fantastic! Moist, and soft, even on the second day. My classmates enjoyed them, and so did my little mini chocoholic, V. They were easy to make, and I thought they were as good as "homemade." I've had Betty Crocker Brownies before, of course, (who hasn't?) but I'd never tried this variety. I'll definitely be buying them again.

My Blog Spark has offered to sponsor a giveaway here. One winner will receive a prize pack, which contains the following items:

One Betty Crocker^® Milk Chocolate Traditional Brownie mix prize pack which includes a Betty Crocker apron, cookie sheet, and mixing spoon.

For your first, mandatory entry, leave a comment telling me who you'd bake Betty Crocker Milk Chocolate Brownies for? Yourself? The family? Coworkers?

For additional, optional entries, you may do any or all of the following. (Please leave a comment for each.)
Follow Betty Crocker on Twitter.
Like the Betty Crocker Facebook Page.
FB/Blog/Tweet about the giveaway, up to once per day.
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This giveaway will end at 10:00 pm, central time on 9/20/2011. Don't forget to leave a way to contact you, if you are the winner.

Disclosure: The product, information and prize pack have been provided by Betty Crocker through MyBlogSpark.

Hipster Dog Blanket

2011-09-10T08:43:00.002-05:00

I'm in the process of upcycling a huge pile of old t shirts we had lying around. For some reason, I have a hard time tossing my beloved band t shirts, or the tie dyed shirts that I've made.

I'm working on a big project, a t shirt quilt for my nephew, but I had some scraps lying around, and decided to make a blanket for our always shivering chihuahua.

Dog blanket made of recycled t shirts, as modeled by my cat.

Now maybe he'll quit trying to sleep on my head at night. Probably not, but maybe.

Not to be outdone, the cat has a new blankie to go inside her tent.

Spoiled cat on a granny square blanket.

I'd like to make a blanket for our big dog, but I'd have to make it out of Kevlar or stainless steel. She eats everything...

The dogs, mauling the cat's tent.

Easy $6 Halloween Tablecloth

2011-09-09T19:51:00.000-05:00

Bandanna tablecloth.

I dusted off my sewing machine, (literally, I haven't sewed in months,) and whipped up a bandanna tablecloth for Halloween. It's an instant gratification project, the edges are already hemmed. (The bandannas didn't line up perfectly, because they aren't exactly square, but who cares, right?)

Bandanna tablecloth, as shown in my partially demolished kitchen.

I sort of like this idea for other holidays too...

Tie Dyed Kitchen Towels

2011-09-06T18:37:00.001-05:00

Tie dyed flour sack kitchen towel.

We got a break in the weather yesterday, and the kiddos spent all afternoon playing in the sandbox on the back porch. As a result, I found myself with a few hours in which I could do something fun.

Here are a few of the pieces I made.

Another tie dyed flour sack kitchen towel.

Yep, another tie dyed flour sack kitchen towel.

Tie dyed flour sack kitchen towel, numero quatro.

These were made using the white flour sack kitchen towels from Dollar Tree, and a cheap fiber reactive dye kit I picked up at Big Lots, of all places. (I've said it before, but if you want really vibrant colors, you have to buy dye from Dharma Trading Company. There's no substitute. These turned out ok, though.)

I'll be giving these out as Christmas gifts. People love them, and ask for them from year to year. They're a quirky, inexpensive, useful gift.

Cross One Thing Off the List, and Add Three More...

2011-09-01T07:00:00.001-05:00

I've been trying to do some organizing and decluttering around here. As hard as I try, there are certain spots in the house where stuff just tends to accumulate.

My desk is one of them. The picture below is what it normally looks like, on a clean-ish day. (Why yes, I was browsing on Pinterest at the time...) It's awful. It's also centrally located in our living room.

Before.

I thought I was doing really well last week when I scored a super deal on these little drawers, ($5 total,) and spent several hours getting everything organized.

After.

Awesome right? I can access the printer, and the record player without having to move anything.

Unfortunately, as I'm cleaning things up, my sweet husband is making new messes elsewhere in the house. We had a flood last fall, and are just now getting around to ripping up the flooring, so we can replace it, paint, and replace the damaged cabinets.

Ugly, water damaged linoleum.

So, um, no more heaping pile of junk in the living room, but instead, the first thing you'll see when you walk in the door is this, in the dining room...

Work in progress.

Heaven help us.

Crocheted Star Garland for Christmas

2011-08-31T07:00:00.001-05:00

I know, you're rolling your eyes, right? More Christmas stuff? In August?

Crocheted star garland.

What can I say? I love Christmas. And I'm sick of August....

I found this tutorial for crocheted stars at Jellywares, and whipped up this little garland in less than 24 hours. (That's my kind of project...) It's made of sport weight cotton, and destined to go across the doorway to the dining room.

Each star uses only a tiny bit of yarn, so they're a great way to use up leftovers. The resulting Christmas ornaments would be a cute little added gift, when tied onto a package.

When the Going Gets Tough...

2011-08-30T17:19:00.000-05:00

V's creations.

...crafty people make giant messes to distract themselves. ;)

My little crafting pal V and I decided to get a start on our Christmas crafting by making some glittered seashells, which will eventually be turned into Christmas ornaments.

My shells, nearly finished.

V used her favorite crafting medium, little tubes of glitter glue from the dollar store. I used super fine Martha Stewart glitter. It's gorgeous, but oh so messy. Despite a massive cleanup effort, our house is still kind of disco-y, and every member of the family, including the pets are still looking pretty festive.

She had a blast, and was very proud of her "fancy" shells.

My proud little crafter.

On a mostly unrelated note, thanks to those of you who left encouraging comments, or sent tweets about my mom. She had the big Dr appointment on Monday, and I think we're all feeling a little better. She's got lots of tests lined up in the next week or two, and it looks like if nothing else shows up, she'll be having a lumpectomy, and radiation. She's taking it well, and her prospects for a full recovery seem promising. I'm praying nothing else shows up on the scans.

...Insert Witty Title Here... (I don't have one.)

2011-08-26T18:45:00.000-05:00

I should be at the Women of Faith conference this weekend.

I blogged about it. I arranged to have childcare, (no small feat around here.) I even picked up something new to wear.

Then, yesterday morning, I got one of those phone calls, the ones you get a few times in your life that change everything.

In this case, the one where I find out my mom has breast cancer.

Mom's been battling Multiple Sclerosis for the better part of 20 years, most of my life. I'm used to her being sick. I'm used to the slow, downhill battle that is MS. But this...wow.

My mom is being oddly stoic, which is totally not like her. I, the stoic one, am having a hard time keeping it together.

I'm spending the weekend at home with my family, praying, thinking, planning, and yes, occasionally hiding in bed, with my head under the pillow.

We'll have more answers next week, test results, hopefully a treatment plan. I think we'll all feel better then. Sometimes not knowing is the worst part.

My apologies to the Book Sneeze program, which generously provided me with the tickets to the event. I wish I were there, having a great time, as planned.

Ladybug Week

2011-08-24T07:00:00.000-05:00

Ladybug display.

We're starting off a unit on insects by learning about ladybugs, and I thought I'd share some of the resources we're using, and activities we're doing. (L is still doing his HOD curriculum, also, in case you were wondering.)

Ladybug sensory bin.

Our sensory bin this week is pretty simple. It consists of red rice, large and small lady bugs, tweezers, and magnifying glasses. V has been having a blast "catching" the ladybugs, and making up little stories about "mommy ladybug," and her "babies."

Our "science center" display.

On our little science center, we've got pictures of ladybugs, a magnifying glass, and a homemade bug box filled with models of the ladybug life cycle, (as seen below.) Get the how to for the bug box here.

Ladybug math.

We've been doing some ladybug math, using the buggy addition and subtraction boards found here, and some ladybug gummy candy from Dollar Tree.

I've set up a tweezing activity for the kids, using the little bug catching kits from Dollar Tree, and pom poms. The kids are to remove the red and black pom poms from the bug jar with the tweezers, and sort them into small baskets.

I also picked up a red rubber ball from the dollar store, and drew black dots all over it with a sharpie. We're using it to practice catching and throwing. (You may or may not remember that L has SPD, and has some motor delays.Things are actually coming along wonderfully in that department, by the way.)

We've been using components from this I is for Insects packet. The kids are especially enjoying the activity cards. Actually, so am I. Their interpretations of the activities are hysterical.

V is enjoying the preschool pack from here, and L has been working on some of the Grouchy Ladybug lapbooking components from homeschool share.

My bug themed Pinterest board is exploding with more fun ladybug ideas, some of which we'll be exploring as time and interest permits.

Review: Eitech Toys

2011-08-23T19:40:00.000-05:00

My son loves to build things, and take things apart. He likes all kinds of blocks, likes to dismember his Transformer toys and put them back together in unorthodox ways, and longs to help his daddy fix things.

When I received this Eitech Digger and Truck set in the mail to review, I was pretty sure he was going to be impressed.

I think the picture pretty much says it all.

The box said the set was for ages 8+, and so I waited until my husband was home to help us put it together. After I dumped all the pieces out, I was glad I did. Yikes. It looked a little intimidating to me. (I should mention that I'm one of those people who can't program the remote control, or my cell phone, or put together Ikea furniture without assistance...)

The kit includes instructions for two different projects, a digger, and semi truck, (although, in theory, you can build whatever you want out of the pieces included.) . L decided he wanted to make the truck.We sorted out all the pieces, and got to work as a family.

I was glad to have daddy around to help read the instructions. They consist generally of diagrams, not words, which was easy for my visual husband, but would have been a little tougher for my more word oriented self.

My son was extremely excited that the kit included real tools for him to use. He felt very grown up.

My husband and my son had a blast putting it together, in fact, I'd be hard pressed to say who enjoyed it more. Little sister even got to put the wheels on, which in her opinion was the most important part.

The kit was a total hit here. The finished product was a nice, sturdy little metal toy truck, with moving wheels, a steering wheel that turns, and a little truck bed that can be lifted to dump things out.

The kit retails for $21.99 on the Eitech website, where you'll find many other sets, ranging from very simple to extremely complex, and with a price range starting at under $10, and going on up to several hundred dollars.

With the holidays approaching, I'd totally recommend Eitech toys as a non battery operated, sturdy, hands on toy, basically the kind of gift most of us are looking for.

You can find out more about Eitech by following them on Twitter, or connecting with them on Facebook.

Disclosure: I was provided with the above product, for free, in order to facilitate the review. No other compensation was provided, and the opinions expressed are my own.

Prayer Shawl for a Friend

2011-08-23T11:38:00.002-05:00

I sort of dropped everything I was going to do last week in favor a new project.

A sweet lady from church lost her son several months back, and I decided to try to whip her up a prayer shawl, to let her know I was thinking about her and praying for her.

It's still well over 100 degrees here every day, so I can't imagine she'll actually be using it anytime soon, but maybe in a few months...

On my ever growing to do list, I'd love to eventually make up a pile of these to take to the local Children's hospital where I used to work. My heart always went out to the poor new mommies camped out at the NICU...

Our Science Center

2011-08-20T20:53:00.000-05:00

It's a common theme here: we don't have much room. I love the idea of a nature table or a science center, but haven't been able to find a workable solution.

Here's what I came up with, for now at least.

After seeing lots of people prettying up plastic drawers with scrapbook paper, I decided to do the same with a small storage unit we had lying around.

I picked up some little wooden shelves from Dollar Tree, and painted them. They make cute little "specimen" boxes to house seashell, fossil, and and rock collections.

I'm going to have several collections out for the kids to investigate at a time, and rotate them out as interest wanes. In the fall, (when it's cool enough to even leave the house,) I'm hoping the kids will help me add acorns, pine cones, etc to the boxes.

I've put out a large magnifying glass for the kids, and they've been investigating everything from the dog to their breakfast.

Our microscope is in the bottom drawer, in hopes that we might actually get around to using it more if it is accessible.

It's a work in progress, but the kids are already excited about it.

I Think I Overdid It

2011-08-15T16:15:00.000-05:00

This past weekend I hosted my niece's 12th birthday party.

Beach themed cupcakes.

I spent several days baking 6 dozen cupcakes, cereal treats, cookies, and an endless array of chocolate covered pretzels, Oreos, and popcorn. (Birthdays only come once a year, right?)

Everyone seemed to have a good time, and the party lasted well into the evening.

Afterward, I spent the rest of the weekend in a near coma. (From exhaustion, not sugar overload, in case you were wondering.)

I'm still feeling pretty worn out, and am going to take a couple of days off here. I'll be back later in the week with a couple of reviews, a giveaway, and some crafty stuff. :)

Let's Explore Art Kit

2011-08-09T21:48:00.000-05:00

Christmas is getting closer, as evidenced by the massive amount of Christmas decor at my local Hobby Lobby.

I'm trying to think of stuff to give to the kids this year that has real play value. I've come up with several little "kits" that I'm going to put together for the kids that I think they'll have fun with.

The first one is an art kit, for 3 year old V. I'm posting about it now, while school supplies are dirt cheap. The whole thing cost a couple of bucks, at the current prices. V loves artsy craftsy stuff, and she loves to make messes. Although we have most of these supplies here at the house anyway, I figured she'd like having her own supplies to use as she wishes. (Want to use a whole container of glitter on your collage? Sure, why not?)

The contents are pretty self explanatory, but here's a list anyway:

Crayons

Colored pencils

Scissors

Glue and glue sticks

Glitter Glue

Glitter

Beads and laces

Stamps

Feathers

Sequins

Index cards

Food Coloring (For shaving cream painting and color mixing in the bath tub.)

Anyone else dreaming about Christmas during this heatwave?

Yep, Another Blanket

2011-08-05T21:16:00.000-05:00

I finally finished another crochet project. I've probably got a dozen things started, but I'm having trouble finishing anything. I usually only crochet at night, after the kids are asleep, and by then I'm too frazzled to do anything that requires lots of counting or complicated patterns. As a result, I've got lots of half finished gloves and blankets, but I keep going back to granny squares.

This is another simple little baby blanket, made entirely out of odd little balls of leftover baby yarn. It's sort of eclectic looking, but it's soft and warm, and that's what counts, right? I'm packing it away to send on the church mission trip to Mexico this winter.