tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34601691027192989492017-09-05T19:46:15.739-06:00Teaching my kids, and reminding myself, how to be happy.Michelle Hhttps://plus.google.com/106599856830202542670noreply@blogger.comBlogger111125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3460169102719298949.post-51928407782978247362016-11-22T17:16:00.001-07:002016-11-22T17:16:22.985-07:00

Win a One-Year Subscription from Groovy Lab in a Box! Looking for science and STEM gifts for the new year? Our friends at Groovy Lab in a Box are hosting a sweepstakes where you can win a one-year subscription! All you have to do is type in your email address, and you are entered. Click here to enter to win a one-year subscription from Groovy Lab in a Box! Groovy Lab in a Box,

Michelle Hhttps://plus.google.com/106599856830202542670noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3460169102719298949.post-43775878978157307362016-07-14T02:00:00.000-06:002016-07-14T02:00:26.446-06:00

This post contains affiliate links. Thought I would share real quick with you today that Best Deal Magazines has a great promotional rate on Family Fun Magazine today... DEAL OF THE DAY - JULY 14, 2016 User Name FAMILY FUN MAGAZINE On sale today only for just $3.99 for 1 Year For any of us whose life centers around loving and raising our kids, and time

Michelle Hhttps://plus.google.com/106599856830202542670noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3460169102719298949.post-86917326192085756252016-06-06T21:38:00.001-06:002016-06-06T21:38:20.296-06:00

This post contains affiliate links. A huge thank you to everyone who entered our Little Passports World Coin Collection giveaway! Congratulations to our winner, Gale L. Interested in purchasing the World Coin Collection for your kids? Click the image below... In addition, for a limited time Little Passports is offering 15% off all subscriptions. This would be a great time to scoop up

Michelle Hhttps://plus.google.com/106599856830202542670noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3460169102719298949.post-76877680592122908442016-05-26T00:08:00.002-06:002016-05-26T00:08:57.759-06:00

This is a sponsored giveaway.  Post and giveaway widget include affiliate links. There is nothing better when you're trying to get your kids interested in something they are learning, than  being able to let them touch it, turn it over, investigate it, and use it in their everyday imaginary play. I have been familiar with the Little Passports subscription boxes since they launched, but only

Michelle Hhttps://plus.google.com/106599856830202542670noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3460169102719298949.post-64719554681593543412016-05-02T21:27:00.004-06:002016-05-02T21:27:58.233-06:00

This is a sponsored post via US Family Guide. Summer is coming and there are probably dozens of activities you'd love to sign your kids up for. Last summer we let P participate in a week of British soccer camp, and he loved it! Even better, I was impressed as well. They make learning skills and doing drills fun. The kids were laughing every day! We will be participating again this year. If you

Michelle Hhttps://plus.google.com/106599856830202542670noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3460169102719298949.post-24654067036567670362016-04-19T22:56:00.002-06:002016-04-19T22:56:46.220-06:00

**The links in this post are affiliate links and I will receive a small commission if you make a purchase after clicking on my link. It's National Coin Week in the US! Collecting coins can help you learn about science, history, places and events. I have been holding onto foreign currency since I started traveling over 20 years ago and love that my kids now have coins that are no longer in

Michelle Hhttps://plus.google.com/106599856830202542670noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3460169102719298949.post-19011330579964934682015-11-20T15:55:00.002-07:002016-04-28T23:18:41.350-06:00

"Mom, you know the periodic table poster I have on my bedroom wall?  I wish I had a poster like that for times tables." Is there a parent on the planet who wouldn't jump straight onto the Internet and try to fulfill that dream? It's not a toy or a video game!  In case I'm not the only parent with a child interested in math, I thought I'd share some of the option I found online this afternoon

Michelle Hhttps://plus.google.com/106599856830202542670noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3460169102719298949.post-4181560225713480272015-11-12T15:40:00.000-07:002015-11-24T15:50:23.218-07:00

1-yr Subscription valued at $250Giveaway ends November 30, 2015 Click here to enter the giveaway! Have you tried Groovy Lab in a Box in a Box?  Each month they send out a STEM related package full of investigations and activities.  Each month kids complete research that helps them do a science or engineering related challenge.  If they want to apply what they've learned even more,

Michelle Hhttps://plus.google.com/106599856830202542670noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3460169102719298949.post-26363612711686151302015-11-09T15:20:00.003-07:002015-11-09T15:20:58.850-07:00

A few months ago I had the great privilege of being involved with Uplift Families, an internet/video resource initiative from Utah's First Lady, Jeanette Herbert.  The videos from this year's conference are starting to be released and I want to share my favorite one with you today, as well as an excerpt of the write-up I shared on A Local Wander. The program is three-fold in mission:

Michelle Hhttps://plus.google.com/106599856830202542670noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3460169102719298949.post-79569920725267785052013-06-19T19:33:00.000-06:002013-06-19T19:33:01.273-06:00

Michelle Hhttps://plus.google.com/106599856830202542670noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3460169102719298949.post-72810481025233129262013-04-14T17:59:00.000-06:002013-04-14T17:59:12.874-06:00

You would think that teaching about the place you are from would be an easy piece of cake.  I found out last week that that is definitely wrong. In 6 years my kids have been to Iowa more than a dozen times.  They love it winter their when they get to stay in a cabin with all their cousins.  They love summer there because it means fresh sweet corn and swimming.  I wanted to try to stay away

Michelle Hhttps://plus.google.com/106599856830202542670noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3460169102719298949.post-1285606603480496482013-04-01T22:59:00.002-06:002013-04-01T22:59:22.560-06:00

Can I share with you one of the cutest books my kids have found at the library recently? It's a super simple story of two friends playing and watching out for each other, and in this instance, the simplicity makes it very touching.  The illustrations are equally unassuming, but draw you in.  My boys LOVE looking for all the hidden robots and think it's so funny how the road between Boy

Michelle Hhttps://plus.google.com/106599856830202542670noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3460169102719298949.post-67160744991401462102013-03-27T16:12:00.002-06:002013-03-27T16:12:57.889-06:00

Somebody we know who lives far away is about to get a very unexpected Easter Surprise! Thanks to Jo at Jo, My Gosh!  for the great idea of  sending an Easter Egg Hunt through the mail. Ours included all kinds of candy, pencils, small toys, and 12 egg-filled messages about Easter. If any one is interested in the 12 religious-themed messages and symbolic treasures we used,  let me

Michelle Hhttps://plus.google.com/106599856830202542670noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3460169102719298949.post-26105437928530517132013-03-22T14:22:00.000-06:002013-03-22T14:22:21.922-06:00

What do you use to protect your crafting and activity areas?  A few years back I attempted to make my own re-usable shopping bags out of vinyl tablecloths.  That project failed miserably and I was left with more intact cloths than I'd ever need for picnicking. That's the day vinyl tablecloths became my go-to crafting area cover-up. There should be a cute picture, here, huh?   That's the

Michelle Hhttps://plus.google.com/106599856830202542670noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3460169102719298949.post-54823993800974789072013-03-14T16:49:00.001-06:002013-03-14T16:49:19.950-06:00

My husband and I found quite a sight when we woke up this morning... ...I've since then re-hidden all the Sharpies. He promises me he only wants to be a tiger until the day after tomorrow...

Michelle Hhttps://plus.google.com/106599856830202542670noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3460169102719298949.post-89198854897759169842013-03-14T09:00:00.000-06:002013-03-14T09:00:04.964-06:00

I've talked a lot about creating lessons from the random things my kids sometimes happen to be interested in.  (see motorcycle sidecar racing and underwater worlds for examples).  This week we put a little twist on that theme-this time it was something random that I happened to be interested in. It started while I was reading  Into the West: The Story of It's People.  The book's not that great,

Michelle Hhttps://plus.google.com/106599856830202542670noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3460169102719298949.post-3213571747369395312013-03-08T23:30:00.000-07:002013-03-08T23:32:01.564-07:00

Here is a state that our family knows A LOT about.  And we absolutely love it.  Every October we make the 9+ hour drive to the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta.  And while we're there we cram in as many amazing sites and attractions as possible!  Some of our favorites are, of course, the Balloon Fiesta itself... but also White Sands National Monument... and Tent Rocks

Michelle Hhttps://plus.google.com/106599856830202542670noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3460169102719298949.post-44421524804972314382013-02-14T11:42:00.000-07:002013-02-14T11:42:00.602-07:00

My boys LOVE anything on wheels.  Recently they got to go to a monster truck rally and have been pretending to be monster truck drivers night and day since then.  I decided to capitalize on it with... Using an 11x17 piece of photo matting I had leftover from a Christmas project, I first drew three winding roads and then colored in the "grass" all around them.  The top two roads include 

Michelle Hhttps://plus.google.com/106599856830202542670noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3460169102719298949.post-15261569640363175932013-02-06T15:30:00.000-07:002013-02-06T15:30:27.979-07:00

Now this (the eastern blue bird) is a beautiful state bird! New York state is such a diverse place!  We could have studied about the Catskills, or Niagara Falls, or a somewhat famous underground rodent that made an appearance earlier this week.  In desperate need of some hands-on creativity, we decided, instead, to recreate New York City...  Using every block set we own, the boys

Michelle Hhttps://plus.google.com/106599856830202542670noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3460169102719298949.post-82609316885944714872013-02-02T13:33:00.000-07:002013-02-02T13:33:10.048-07:00

I somehow made it through my first unit teaching addition and we've moved on to working with "minus" and "take away".  Thankfully Beck seemed to understand it just as well as "plus"  right from the beginning, because I'm beginning to realize I might not have much more than a kindergarten aptitude for math myself! Here are a few of the ways we're practicing our addition and subtraction... 

Michelle Hhttps://plus.google.com/106599856830202542670noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3460169102719298949.post-69963411585204461042013-01-27T21:49:00.000-07:002015-12-18T22:57:00.633-07:00

This original post was written with no sponsorship. Post has been updated & affiliate links have been added. Shortly before Christmas a few years ago I won a Zoob Building Set in a giveaway.  My boys were already getting Fisher Price Trio blocks from Santa Claus, so I put the set in the closet to bring out on a rainy day. Well, it's not raining here, but it is FREEZING COLD!  We

Michelle Hhttps://plus.google.com/106599856830202542670noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3460169102719298949.post-11902469117390662782013-01-22T17:51:00.001-07:002013-01-22T17:51:26.814-07:00

I wasn't feeling too inspired the day Beck pulled Tennessee out of his postcard pile.  My last experience with the Volunteer state is that of my husband being stuck in the Memphis airport while our twins were being born.  Adding to my lack of enthusiasm, the Tennessee state bird is the mockingbird, which we've already studied. Luckily, the nice child who sent this postcard included a long list

Michelle Hhttps://plus.google.com/106599856830202542670noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3460169102719298949.post-65296142920756303992013-01-21T21:16:00.000-07:002013-01-21T21:16:49.057-07:00

I LOVE when I have an idea for an okay lesson that Beck gets carried away with and pretty soon we've come up with something pretty cool!  That's what's happening right now-I had animal flash cards to divide into groups by number of legs or stripes/no stripes.  He, of course, took it a step farther and is now busily drawing an 11x14 "habitat" where all those animals can live.  He's amazing!

Michelle Hhttps://plus.google.com/106599856830202542670noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3460169102719298949.post-90490665602302219522012-12-17T23:51:00.005-07:002012-12-17T23:51:46.036-07:00

Congratulations to our Holiday Giving winners! Giveaway #1 featuring Forking Queen Winner:  Alicia K Giveaway #2 featuring Aalbers Creations Winner:  Rachel M.  Thanks to all who entered and WELCOME to those of you who are new! I look forward to hearing from you again soon. Winners have been contacted.   In the event they do not respond,  new winners will be chosen Wednesday

Michelle Hhttps://plus.google.com/106599856830202542670noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3460169102719298949.post-4114488820770683692012-12-13T22:44:00.000-07:002012-12-13T22:58:11.918-07:00

Have you entered Holiday Giving (A Giveaway) #1?   Be sure to head over there and get the back story on both this and that giveaway. Holiday Giving (A Giveaway) #2 One Item of Your Choice (up to $40 value)  from Aalbers Creations shop on Etsy. So, this is my sister Kimberly!  Over the past 3 years she has created herself a business doing exactly what she loves.  Using 1000x more

Michelle Hhttps://plus.google.com/106599856830202542670noreply@blogger.com2