Fix It Friday: Week 22

Before

After


What a pretty girl! I used the free stuff on Picnik to edit this picture. I can't remember what I did, because I was interrupted a few times. However, I like the vintage feel.

This picture makes me think of Silver Dollar City. They have an old time photo place where the kids get to dress up. They loved it and we will be doing it again this year. Here's a picture of Abby from last year:

For more Fix It Friday edits, head to www.iheartfaces.com.

Hooked On Friday: Soap

Yes, I'm hooked on soap. Not just any soap, Bath & Body Works soap. I only buy this soap when it goes on sale and I missed the last big sale after Christmas.

So I have been using cheap store soap for several months and it's not that good.

Right now, Bath & Body Works has their soaps on sale 7 for $20! This is the best deal I've ever seen for them.

To make the deal even better, print this coupon to get a True Blue Spa item up to $15 for FREE! I bought 14 soaps and checked out twice with 2 coupons, so I got to True Blue Spa items free!

I got the Glow & Steady gradual self tanner and the Footloose and Fancy Fizz Bubbly Foot Bath.
I love this soap and now I'm good until the big after Christmas sale!

For more Hooked On posts, head to Hooked On Houses.

Picnic Table Talk: Jump, Skip & Hop!

This week's Picnic Table Talk theme at ABC & 123 is Jump, Skip & Hop!

Plan a post that shares physical activities and outdoor games you enjoy playing with your family.

Well, I'm not a outdoor person and I don't personally enjoy physical activities, but Abby is always on the go. It seems like every other minute she is saying, "Look at me Mom! Do you like my new dance?" or "See how far I can jump?".


Abby loves to do "cartwheels" and forward rolls. Her and her cousin Matthew will be taking a Gymnastics class together in just a few weeks. They are both so excited.

She also likes to play hopscotch and I often catch her drawing one in the living room carpet! Do marks in the carpet annoy anyone else or is it just me?

Luckily, my husband Dave loves the outdoors and enjoys chasing Abby around the house. I'm not sure where he gets the energy, but I don't have it. I do go to the gym 3 times a week and cut the grass once a week, but that's about all I can do. I think I get exhausted just from taking Abby to the store during the day!

I am looking forward to the cooler Fall weather, when we can go to the park more. We also have a few vacations and outings coming up that will keep us all plenty busy!

Head to ABC & 123 for more Picnic Table Talk posts. I'm sure they'll be tons of great outdoor play ideas from people who actually go outdoors! LOL!

Wordless Wednesday

Abby and her cousin Lauryn playing dress up. Note to self: Set up a studio in my Aunt's sun room! It has the BEST lighting!

For more Wordless Wednesday posts, head to:

Go Graham Go
Jolly Mom
5 Minutes For Mom

More Workbox Information

I'm really excited to be starting the workbox system this school year with Abby.

This weekend at Walmart, I found the plastic shoe box totes. They are Sterlite brand and come in a set of 5 for only $3.50. Target has the shoe box shelves for $14.99. I didn't pick one up yet, because I'm hoping they'll eventually go on sale before I need one. I did write down the dimensions, so I could decide where to put it. For anyone wondering, they measure 27 5/8"H x 24 1/4" W x
11 3/8" D.

I also found that Homeschool Share has a whole page of workbox printables!

Sunflower Schoolhouse has listed several resources about workboxes and what to put in them. Check out her What Are Workboxes? post.

To see more workbox set ups, check out:

Sweet Simplicity's Workbox System, I love her green totes and pretty number cards!

My Two Happy Homeschoolers, she is using the system with her 3 and 4 year olds.

New Workbox System! from KGB That's Me

Workbox system at Homeschoolingadventure's Blog

If you come across any more workbox links, let me know. It is so interesting to see how everyone is setting them up!

I ♥ Faces Week 29: On The Beach

This picture was taken in Fort Myers, Florida. Abby was almost 2 years old and we went to visit Dave's parents, while Abby could still fly free! Oh and sorry about Dave's hairy leg. LOL! I need some type of cool edit program to get rid of that with!

Head to www.iheartfaces.com for more On The Beach photos.

Hooked On Fridays: Homeschool Deal & Giveaways

This week I'm really excited to share a great deal from the Old Schoolhouse magazine. Use the code JUSGL5OFF to purchase a 2 year subscription or a renewal subscription for a $5 discount and receive 19 FREE gifts! Just click the banner below:



Also, I came across a very cool Curriculum Clean Out at Homeschool Creations!


From August 2nd to August 15th, Homeschool Creations will have a link up party for homeschool curriculum giveaways! These are items that are new or used, but still in usable shape.

I can't wait to be a part of this! I have a few things that I want to include in the giveaway. However, even if you don't have anything to give away, you can still enter!

What are you hooked on this week? Head to Hooked On Houses for more Hooked On Friday posts!

Picnic Table Talk: Organization

This week's Picnic Table Talk topic at ABC & 123 is organization. I'm going to start with book organization.

As you can see above Abby takes great pride in keeping our home organized.

Luckily, she doesn't do that everyday! LOL! Normally, the bookshelf is fairly organized. The top shelf has some toys and a few children's bibles. The second shelf houses the large paperback books and character books. The last shelf is for hardback books, holiday related books and non-fiction books.

Abby also has a bookshelf in her room that my parents made her. This is where she keeps what she calls her "special books". These change almost daily. In her bed, is a plastic shoe box size tote to hold the books she wants to read in bed. This keeps her IN her bed at night and not roaming around looking for books.

Next up is toys. We have way too many of them! However, Abby seems to play with all of them. Every now and then I'll go through and pick up things I haven't seen her use for awhile and take them downstairs. Somehow within minutes she's asking where such and such is! How does she keep track of all of these toys?!

Right now, we have this storage bin in our family room:

However, it is way more full than the Target picture and there is no way I would have paid $70 for it. Ours is a few years old and I remember it being under $40.

This storage unit holds blocks, baby doll stuff, stuffed animals, pretend make-up and hair stuff, cars & trains and card games & flashcards.

We also have a round pop up storage bin in Abby's closet for stuffed animal overflow.

For dress up clothes, we have a large plastic tub that sits next to the toy bin. Abby can easily dig through it to find what she needs.
Her biggest collection right now is Littlest Pet Shop. These things are LITTLE! Luckily, I found the Littlest Pet Shop Carry Case last year on clearance at Walmart for $15. This has been a huge sanity saver! Now all of those tiny pieces are in one place at the end of the day! I'm not sure why they went on clearance only to come back at regular price?

We keep most of Abby's games in the basement, but I am going to be cleaning out a cabinet in the family room for them.

For our homeschool supplies, I am still looking for the right organizational pieces. Abby's arts & crafts items are in the kitchen pantry along with coloring books and workbooks.


I also have several items on top of that pantry out of her reach. The office closet is my storing place for everything else. I'd love to be able to put it all together, but I don't have the space for it.

When Abby outgrows her pretend play kitchen, I will move it out of the kitchen and replace it with a nice cabinet that will hold everything. I'd also like to hang a bulletin board over it to display her artwork. Maybe by then, I'll have a lovely sun room that I can make into our homeschool area. Ok, that's not going to happen, but a girl can dream, right? :)

What do you do to keep your home organized? Check out ABC & 123's Picnic Table Talk to share and get some ideas!

Wordless Wednesday

We call him Gumby.

For more Wordless Wednesday posts, head to:

Go Graham Go
Jolly Mom
5 Minutes For Mom

2009 to 2010 Homeschool Planning Part 2

Updated to add to the Homeschool Lounge Open House!


In Part 1, I discussed how my sister and I met up to plan our homeschool calendar and field trip ideas for this coming school year.

After we had that tentative plan, we started working on what curriculum and materials we would like to use.

Abby and Matthew have different styles of learning, so we will not be doing all of our homeschooling together, however we both want to try out the workbox system.


My nephew Matthew is 6 years old and will be starting First Grade. He has been reading for quite some time and has good comprehension as well. Abby (5) will be in Kindergarten and is currently working on sight words and phonics.

After reviewing several plans, such as this homeschool schedule sample, I have decided to start Abby with 6 workboxes a day. Here is a general list of items and ideas that will be incorporated into the boxes.

Math
I purchased this at Sam's for under $8.
Math-U-See blocks
Pattern recognition
Basic charts & graphs
Pizza Fractions game
Counting by 5's and 10's
Writing numbers
Sequencing
Calendar
Measurements
Sorting/classifying
Use objects to solve basic math problems.

Science/Health
Experiments
Observations
Seasons
Weather
Nature
Senses
Liquids/Solids
Temperature
Light
Earth, moon, stars & planets
Measurements
Body parts
Safety

Language ArtsHandwriting
Alphabet Bingo
Reading
Books on CD

History & Geography
Maps, Globes, Graphs: Level A
Meanings of holidays
Introduce American history
Missouri history

We will also use the computer, games, puzzles, paint, play dough, cooking and more!

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For Matthew, my sister will also be using the workbox system. She is going to have 12 boxes for him that will also include the main subjects listed above.

Matthew will continue with Horizons Math this year, as he did well with it last year.

Matthew also has the Math-U-See blocks

Heather has chosen some books from the Calvert School program for the other core subjects. Click here to see their online catalog.

Heather and Matthew also enjoy the activities in Teacher's Helper Magazine.



For more workbox system resources, check out my Homeschool Workbox post.

These are also great places to find out more about using workboxes:
FIAR's forums
Homeschool Spot
Homeschool Share forums

Have you bought any curriculum for next year? I'm always curious to see what works for other homeschoolers!

Don't forget to check out the awesome links and giveaways at the Homeschool Open House! My favorite prizes are:

#2- $50 to Rainbow Resource Center
#6- Home Educating Family Magazine
#13- Old Schoolhouse Planner

got milk? Event and Giveaway

Update: Random.org picked #2 as the winner! Congrats Anonymous! I will be emailing you shortly for your address!

This Summer the Milk Mustache Mobile Tour is traveling coast-to-coast to spread the word about the many health benefits of milk.

From July 30th to August 1st, the got milk? Milk Mustache Tour will be visiting Springfield, Missouri. Head out to the event and enjoy:

• free samples of fat free and low fat milk products from local dairies
• homemade smoothies
  
• posing for your own souvenir milk mustache picture
• health assessments from a registered dietitian

Also enter to win a healthy meal from a personal chef and a year's supply of milk!

I won't be able to make it to the event, but I was sent these great got milk? items for a giveaway!

I don't know about you, but I love getting stuff in the mail. Abby does too and in fact, she made a house out of the box it came in :)


1 winner (U.S. only) will receive a got milk? reusable tote bag that includes a size Large shirt, badge necklace, retractable measuring tape, Frisbee and a copy of the New Face of Wellness Report.

To enter, just leave a comment and make sure there is a way to contact you.

This giveaway will end Saturday, July 25th at 9 p.m. The winner will be chosen via random.org and the winner will be announced Sunday, July 26th.

I think this would be a great homeschool field trip. The week before, read the book The Milk Makers (Reading Rainbow Book). Also, check out It Looked Like Spilt Milk Big Book and do some related projects.

You could also introduce the food pyramid with the book, My Food Pyramid
and do some activities on the MyPyramid.gov site.

I ♥ Faces Week 28: Feet

Abby's toddler feet. This was taken back in 2006 and Abby was just over 2 years old.

Check out www.iheartfaces.com for more feet!

Fix It Friday #20

Before
After
I used Picnik to crop, add a vignette and add a sepia tone. For more Fix It Friday pictures, head to www.iheartfaces.com.

Hooked On Friday: Clock Transformation

Updated to add to Metamorphosis Monday at Between Naps on the Porch!


I have been looking for a clock for my daughter's room for quite some time. I really wanted this Button Clock from Pottery Barn Kids, but it would have been over $50.

I should have just bought it, because now it is not available anymore. However, I didn't. I was at Kmart the other day and walked past the clearance section. Some clearance items were an extra 50% off. I grabbed this clock only to find it had a hideous face:

I really don't get the whole Bratz thing, but anyway the clock was only $6. The white and hot pink were perfect, so I thought I'd try disassembling it.

I was actually successful with the disassembling part and decided to trace the face on a piece of hot pink gingham scrapbook paper I already had. It matched the clock perfectly and it was FREE!

I then took the hands off and spray painted them white. Next, I headed up to Michael's for the numbers. These were about $1.50.

The result:


Not bad. I'm not in love with it and would still like to find the perfect clock for her room, but I was pretty proud of myself for trying it out! Plus, I was going insane not knowing what time it was when I was in her room. So problem solved for about $8!

Head to Hooked On Houses for more Hooked On Friday posts.

Picnic Table Talk: Imagination

This week's Picnic Table Talk topic at ABC & 123 is Imagination.

Abby loves pretend play. In fact, right now Abby and her cousin Matthew are playing some sort of game that involves making (in Matthew's words) "super battle droids" from Abby's Tinkertoys. Of course, Abby has made an umbrella for the battle, but at least they are playing together :)

Here's a picture I took a few weeks ago of Abby's neighborhood she had set up that pretty much covered the whole family room.


What you can't see in the picture is the school and restaurant. Her imagination is so funny sometimes. Each piece of the neighborhood had a LONG story behind it.
My favorite part was:

Mary driving the school bus! LOL!

Abby loves to play dress up and be a princess, a mommy or a cat. She has a play kitchen with food, plates, utensils and a cash register that she enjoys tea parties and playing restaurant with.

Playing doctor on the cat

At 5 years old, almost everything Abby does involves her using her imagination. She is really good at making up stories and songs quickly and they are always good for a laugh!

To check out more imagination posts, head to ABC & 123 today!

Works For Me Wednesday: Magic Eraser on Glass

I think everyone has heard about Magic Erasers, but what I didn't realize is how well they work on glass!

I had the safety and emissions testing done on my car last week and they put a new sticker on the glass. However, they didn't remove the sticky residue from the old sticker. It looked terrible and it was driving me nuts.

Since it is on the bottom left hand side of the windshield, it's kind of in my eyesight plus I knew it would be get hard to get to for cleaning off.


I went to grab the Goo Gone, but saw the Magic Eraser next to it and decided to try it. I got ALL of the residue off in only a few minutes! It didn't leave any greasy streaks behind either, as Goo Gone does.

I was also able to get in a really tight spot with it, without removing the new sticker.

So, Magic Erasers work for me!

For more Works For Me Wednesday tips, check out We Are THAT Family.

2009 to 2010 Homeschool Planning Part 1

This past weekend, my sister and I took our laptops, calendars and the book:

and headed up to the St. Louis Bread Company to work on our homeschool plans for next year. We felt silly at first, but it was the only place that we could go with our laptops and be able to think and talk without being interrupted. Plus, I enjoyed a yummy blondie brownie and Heather had a mocha something or other :)

First, we decided on our homeschool school year dates. Our local school district starts August 18th, so we decided to coincide with that. Our first day, will be the 17th and that day we will have the kids do a craft project. My sister came up with the idea of them decorating notebooks that they could later use as journals on our field trips.

We also decided that the kids will take a gymnastics class together. Abby has been wanting to take one for 2 years and Matthew took one awhile back and enjoyed it. Their class will be 60 minutes, once a week for 19 weeks. That takes us into January!

Next, we worked on planning out some field trip ideas.

July

Kohl's Safety Street, this is an interactive cityscape that will teach the kids about stranger danger, animal safety, passenger safety, bicycle safety and pedestrian safety.

Tour of the local police department that includes an interactive 911 simulator.

August

Tour of a local ice cream factory! YUM!
Gymnastics Class Starts

September

Grant's Farm
Our annual trip to Branson!

October

The World Bird Sanctuary
Tour a local Fire Department for National Fire Prevention Month
Pumpkin Patch


Our trip to Florida

November

Science Center
A visit to a local food pantry, we'll bring items to donate.

December

Annual Christmas lights display ride.

Since this post is so long already, please come back next Tuesday, July 21st for Part 2. I will include our curriculum and materials choices. As well as our ideas of the daily flow our homeschools will have.

For the homeschoolers out there, have you worked on your plans for next year?

Last year, Abby and I didn't really have a plan and kind of just did whatever, but I'm excited about having some things planned out!

Updated to add: I just found a post at the Homeschool Classroom about homeschool planning. Check out the links for more planning ideas.