Five Ways to Get Ready for Next School Year

May 17, 2013
Thumbnail image for Five Ways to Get Ready for Next School Year

Although some homeschoolers do year round school, most homeschoolers are gearing up for a full or partial summer vacation in the next month. This offers homeschool parents a great opportunity to regroup and get ready for next school year. With just a few steps, you can help your family get ready for the next school [...]

[read more...]

How to Have a Chilled Out Summer Routine & Make Working from Home Easy

May 17, 2013
Thumbnail image for How to Have a Chilled Out Summer Routine & Make Working from Home Easy

Ahh.. the summer! We look forward to it and yet we dread it. We want the season to be filled with fun for the kids, but we also know that we need to get work done in the midst of it all. How does one juggle everything and stay sane as well? Here are 5 [...]

[read more...]

The 2013 Dirty Dozen & Clean Fifteen Printable Cheat Sheet

May 16, 2013
Thumbnail image for The 2013 Dirty Dozen & Clean Fifteen Printable Cheat Sheet

The Dirty Dozen is a list published by the Environmental Working Group that prioritizes the fruits and veggies that you should buy organic because of their high levels of pesticide residue. The EWG’s still stresses the importance of eating lots of fruits and veggies — organic or not — but if you can only afford [...]

[read more...]

Make This Year the Best Summer Ever with the 2013 Summer Survival Calendar

May 16, 2013
Thumbnail image for Make This Year the Best Summer Ever with the 2013 Summer Survival Calendar

Can you believe summer is almost here? With June right around the corner, Pinterest and the blogosphere are buzzing with with summer activities and recipes! The problem isn’t finding inspiration but figuring out which activities you want to do with your kids and what materials you’ll need to make it happen. We’ve found that our [...]

[read more...]

Photos & Stories from Disney World

May 15, 2013
Thumbnail image for Photos & Stories from Disney World

Did you know our family was in Disney World last week?! If you read many posts here or follow me on Instagram, Facebook or Twitter, you probably did. Sorry about that — we were pretty excited leading up to the Disney Social Media Moms Conference! Our family loves Disney World, and because we have family [...]

[read more...]

Keep Your Kids Reading with This Book Report Printable

May 15, 2013
Thumbnail image for Keep Your Kids Reading with This Book Report Printable

These days, there’s no shortage of distractions to keep our children occupied — video games, social media, TV, computers, smart phones, sports leagues, and on and on. However, with benefits like increased vocabulary, improved writing skills and creativity, it’s also important to make sure reading stays at the top of our kids’ activity schedule. As the saying [...]

[read more...]

Steak and Egg Pasta

May 15, 2013
Thumbnail image for Steak and Egg Pasta

I often end up with leftover steak. The thing is, we started buying a side of beef a few years ago. We split a whole cow with the neighbors, and we each take home an equal portion of the entire thing. It has saved us money on the price per pound of expensive cuts like [...]

[read more...]

6 Ideas for Getting Mom into the Photo

May 14, 2013
Thumbnail image for 6 Ideas for Getting Mom into the Photo

Moms are often the memory keeper, and therefore, the ones who are usually missing in the photographs.  If by chance those roles are flipped in your family, that’s “ok”.  All these tips still apply to getting Dad into photos.  In either case it’s never “ok” to be missing from your family’s photographs.  You can’t be [...]

[read more...]

How to Make Cleaning Fun for Kids

May 14, 2013
Thumbnail image for How to Make Cleaning Fun for Kids

I used to teach Bible stories in our church’s preschool class. When I walked in, we’d all sing, “It’s clean up time, it’s clean up time, let’s put the toys away…” And what do you know? Those little preschoolers and toddlers would hop right up, put their toys away without a complaint or a pout. [...]

[read more...]

DIY Pedestal Plate or Vase

May 14, 2013
Thumbnail image for DIY Pedestal Plate or Vase

Months ago, I saw Myra’s post for DIY Hurricane Vases, and I fell in love with them. What a great way to take some simple dollar-store or thrift-store items and give them new life. When I needed a decorative item for my mantel with a little more height, I decided to take inspiration from Myra [...]

[read more...]

Weekly Reads + Reading Out Loud to Kids {5/13/13}

May 13, 2013
Thumbnail image for Weekly Reads + Reading Out Loud to Kids {5/13/13}

I’m a little embarrassed to admit that I still didn’t pick up my Kindle last week, but my reading list is growing at an alarming rate, so I’m looking forward to diving back in (hopefully) this week! Head here to see Katie’s post for this week. We also want to know what you’re reading! Add [...]

[read more...]

How to Deal with Distractions that Cost You Money

May 13, 2013
Thumbnail image for How to Deal with Distractions that Cost You Money

Do you suffer from shiny object syndrome?  Do  you start one project only to flit to the next?  Get sidetracked by some great new thing (shiny object)? All of those little distractions can cost you money.  While daydreaming, you get into a fender bender with your car.  You get distracted by your kids in the [...]

[read more...]