Mama Jenn

Mama’s Mission of the Month: May 2013 {and April Accomplishments}

2013-05-01T22:13:00.000-04:00

Welcome to Mama’s Mission of the Month! My hope is that this will help me {and you} follow through on some of the goals that we have set for the month! So, if you are a mama and you want to join in, check out the intro post! (If you have already read the rules, you can easily grab the buttons from the Buttons Tab on the top of the sidebar.)

April Mission Update: Here’s how I did with my goals for the month of April. Not bad if I must say so myself!

Personal:

~~1. Continue with my {adjusted}~~ ~~B90 Bible~~ ~~reading plan.~~ I’m all the way up to Daniel now!

2. Exercise daily…even if it is only some sit-ups and pushups! I was doing so well with this, but then…LOL!

Marriage:

~~3. Have two date nights.~~ Love my hubby!

~~4. Flirt with my hubby daily!~~ Really love my hubby!

Parenting:

~~5. Plan intentional daily fun for me and the kids…even if it only means an impromptu pillow fight or an attack from the tickle monster!~~

6. Make game night a part of our weekly family fun!

Homeschooling:

7. Finish making the remaining Bible printable to coordinate with our curriculum.

Homemaking:

~~8. Get back on track with the~~ ~~SHE Method~~. I’m back on track, but I need to stay on track!

9. Meal planning…meal planning…meal planning!

Ministry/Friendships/Extended Family:

10. Finish updating and add to my family/friend birthday list.

~~11. Plan another movie night with friends.~~ The plan has been in the works and we are watching a movie under the stars this weekend!

Blogging/Online Activity:

~~12. Blog…sounds simple, but after going so long without blogging, I feel compelled to add it to my list!~~

13. Finish sharing the instructions for the MFW Kindergarten Words to Remember printables. Only a few more to share and the printable set and instructions will be complete!

Other:

~~14. Update our budget.~~

My Mission for April 2013:

Personal:

1. Continue with my {adjusted} B90 Bible reading plan.

2. Exercise daily…even if it is only some sit-ups and pushups!

3. Start reading Start and start punching fear in the face, escape average, and do work that matters! I am SO incredibly excited about this book!

Marriage:

4. Flirt with my hubby daily!

5. Go through my stack of “stuff” and separate out the special cards and letters from my kids and hubby.

Parenting:

6. Continue with daily intentional fun for me and the kids.

7. Make game night a part of our weekly family fun!

Homeschooling:

8. Finish making the remaining Bible printables to coordinate with our curriculum.

Homemaking:

9. Meal planning…I have GOT to get a handle on this!

10. I have been busy organizing and simplifying…and I hope to have a garage sale. (I love going to garage sales, but I don’t like having garage sales…any insight or wisdom on having a garage sale would be greatly appreciated!)

11. Begin reading some of the eBooks from the homemaking bundle that I recently purchased! FYI: If you’re interested, there is still time to purchase the bundle: 97 eBooks for $29.97 {sale ends May 4th}

Ministry/Friendships/Extended Family:

12. Finally finish updating and add to my family/friend birthday list. I almost missed an important birthday…so I have got to make this a priority!

Blogging/Online Activity:

13. Finish sharing the instructions for the MFW Kindergarten Words to Remember printables.

What is your May mission of the month?

If you participated last month, how did you do?

Feel free to link up and share! It is a great way to hold yourself accountable! Need a visual reminder of your monthly missions? Download the Mama’s Mission of the Month Checklist!

For more information on how to join in, please read the intro post. The linky will be open until midnight, May 5th.

iBlog: Everything you need to know about Blogging {eBook Giveaway}

2013-05-01T01:46:00.001-04:00

I am a contributing author for the iBlog eBook and this post contains my referral link.

I have been working behind the scenes on part of an amazing eBook that I am thrilled to finally share with you! A wonderfully talented group of bloggers have teamed up to present to you: iBlog: Everything You Need to Know About Blogging from 30 Top Bloggers!

How to Create Your Own Printables

I am often asked how I make the printables that I share on my blog. Hence, I decided to address this specific topic in the iBlog eBook. I contributed a full 16 page chapter, complete with step-by-step photos and instructions explaining exactly how I create printables. FYI, Creating Your Own Printables is just one of the many, many blogging topics addressed within the eBook.

iBlog contains 38 chapters and almost 400 pages of comprehensive material for all things blogging!

What else is included in the iBlog eBook?

Building a Vision for Your Blog
Finding Your Niche
Blog Design 101
Designing and Starting Your Blog on WordPress
Designing and Starting Your Blog on Blogger
Disclosure and Privacy Policies
Writing and Using an Elevator Pitch
Blog Planning and Organization
Basic SEO
Stock Image Tips
Blog Photography 101
Streamlining Your Research
Getting Your Blog Off the Ground
Building Your Brand
Building Community through Your Blog
How to Get Traffic to Your Blog
How to Get Subscribers
Guest Posting
Link-Ups, Hops and Other Events
Using Facebook to Grow Your Blog
Facebook Parties
Facebook Hops
Using Twitter to Grow Your Blog
Using Pinterest to Grow Your Blog
Using Freebies to Grow Your Blog
How To Create Your Own Printables
Selling Your Own Products
Using Affiliate Marketing
How to Write a Media Kit
How to Write a Product Review
Working as a Virtual Assistant
Running a Group Blog
Marriage and Blogging
Balancing Motherhood and Blogging
Balancing Homeschooling and Blogging
Using Your Blog as a Ministry
Time Saving Blog Tips
The Power of Attending a Blogging Conference

***

What I love about iBlog: Cost Efficient & Comprehensive

I already have the iBlog eBook and let me tell you, this is a steal! In fact, it comes out to be less than $0.25 per chapter! Now that is c.r.a.z.y!! I would have paid way more than $7.99 for iBlog! It truly is an unbeatable deal!

I also love that it's a one stop shop! It’s a comprehensive wealth of blogging wisdom from successful bloggers gathered all in one place. Everything that I can think of is included! Now, I've been blogging since 2008 and by no means do I know it all! I've been poring over the eBook in awe of all that I have yet to learn and I’m so thankful that I don't have to keep searching all over the Internet to find the answers…because it's all here in the eBook!

iBlog is your owner's manual for blogging: Created by bloggers for bloggers.

Buy it!

Are you ready to take your blogging to the next level? Or, are you ready to start blogging? You can purchase your copy of iBlog today for ONLY $7.99! {If you purchase iBlog and also win a copy of it, your money will be promptly refunded!}

Win it!

Would you like to win one of 3 copies of iBlog? You can enter to win using the Rafflecopter below. Giveaway ends at midnight on Thursday 5/2/13. The winner will be emailed and announced on the giveaway widget below. Winner will have 48 hours to respond to the email or a new winner will be selected. All entries must be documented within the Rafflecopter widget below. **If you are reading this post via email or via a reader and the giveaway widget does not appear below, visit the actual blog post or click the link below to enter.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

The Ultimate Homemaking eBook Bundle

2013-04-29T09:05:00.000-04:00

I am very excited to share this amazing deal with you today! In fact, I am super excited to be able to snag it for myself! Ladies, this is huge, I mean H.U.G.E! Take a look at all the goodies included in this sweet deal!

~The Homemaking Bundle Sale Has Ended~

What's Included in the Ultimate Homemaking eBook Bundle Sale?

When you purchase The Ultimate Homemaking eBook collection, you will get instant access to the 97 eBooks and eCourses listed below (valued at $640) plus over $140 of FREE bonuses all for ONLY $29.97!

Please note: This collection is only available from 9 a.m. EST on April 29th to 11:59 p.m. EST on May 4th. There will be no late sales offered, so make sure that you get your bundle right away!

~The Homemaking Bundle Sale Has Ended~

For ONLY $29.97, you get all of this: Notice that the list of goodies just keeps going and going and going!

PLUS, You will receive FREE Bonuses from these companies...

A FREE Two-Month Membership to Fit2B Studio, where their wholesome workouts for the whole family are tummy safe and particularly target Diastasis Recti (split abs). ($19.98 value. No shipping restrictions.)

***

A $15 store credit to TruKid. With products like their aware-winning sun care, they are dedicated to providing all natural skin and hair care for kids, babies, and now pets. ($15.00 value. Standard shipping applies. International shipping available.)

***

Your choice of incredible natural products like sea salt and clay for FREE. Choose from the Redmond Trading Earthpaste Bundle ($24.90 value) or the Facial Mud Bundle ($26.90 value). (Standard shipping applies. Continental US only.)

***

Your choice of a FREE heirloom sourdough starter or FREE yogurt starter from Cultures for Health, the leading supplier of starter cultures and supplies for making cultured and fermented foods ($12.95 value. US & CAN addresses only. Standard shipping applies.)

***

Your choice of: a FREE 3-Month Subscription (for new accounts) or 30% off a One Year Subscription. Plan to Eat is an online menu planner that uses your recipes, scheduled for the days you want them. ($15.00 value. No shipping restrictions.)

***

A FREE Culinary Herbs Assorted Seed Pack Check just in time for spring planting from www.wheatgrasskits.com, a living whole foods company. ($11.95 value. Standard shipping applies to all US states and territories- no international shipping for seeds.)

***

Get $10 off Union28's original "my husband rocks" tee. Their marriage apparel lets you celebrate your spouse in style. ($10.00 value. Standard shipping rates apply. International shipping available, but free shipping only available within USA.)

***

A $10 store credit plus 1 FREE lip balm from Bee All Natural. Their whole body products nourish and heal, and are made using only the highest quality, food grade, organic ingredients. ($13.49 value. Standard shipping applies. International shipping available.)

***

A FREE 2 oz. bottle of your choice of liquid herbal formula from TriLight Health. They specialize in fast acting, great tasting natural herbal remedies. ($12.95 value or more. Standard shipping applies, within the USA only.)

***

Your choice of 3 FREE ePlanners OR a 3-Month FREE Membership to ListPlanIt, whose mobile lists will help to organize your life. ($15.00 value. No shipping restrictions.)

~The Homemaking Bundle Sale Has Ended~

The fine print:

Bonus Offers

Each bonus offer can be redeemed once only per eBook Bundle purchase.
For each bonus offer, transaction numbers or proof of purchase may be required at the time of redemption.
All bonus offers are free gifts from the bonus sponsors, are their sole responsibility to provide, and are subject to availability.
All bonus offers expire at midnight on May 19th, 2013 (2 weeks from the last day of this sale).

General

It is your responsibility to download and back-up your purchase within the 1-month download time-frame. With proof of purchase, we can renew download links up until August 1st, 2013. After this date we will no longer have access to the books and will not be able to provide any new links to download.
Due to the nature of this sale, there will be no refunds available. However, we would invite you to read our Frequently Asked Questions page to learn more about the file types, the download process, how the bonus offers work, etc.
This collection is only available from 9 a.m. EST on April 29th to 11:59 p.m. EST on May 4th. There will be no late sales offered.
Particularly for those wanting to read these ebooks on their mobile devices (iPhones or iPads, Android, Kindle, etc.) you will want to learn more about the file types, how to download them correctly, and how to transfer them to your device.

This post contains affiliate links. Please review my disclosure policy.

Ff for Frog {MFW Kindergarten Printables}

2013-04-22T00:34:00.001-04:00

As much as I love the hands-on activities and crafts in our My Father’s World Kindergarten Curriculum, I was not very good about doing the Words to Remember badges with my daughter. So, I came up with something a little different for the boys. I created printable art/copywork pages for them to work on their penmanship while creatively depicting the Words to Remember.

This is the Lesson 22: Ff for Frog page from one of my older boy’s kindergarten school year. I simply printed the DLTK easy frog paper craft. The boys colored, cut out, and glued the frog. Super simple! Super easy!

Visit the MFW Kindergarten Words to Remember blog post for information on downloading all of the Words to Remember copywork pages.

PLEASE NOTE: These copywork printables are only for students who are reading and writing easily. This type of copywork is not a regular part of My Father's World Kindergarten curriculum.

Swimmy the Fish {Stamp Craft}

2013-04-15T00:30:00.000-04:00

Swimmy by Leo Lionni is a great book to help remind kids about the importance and benefits of working together! In order to avoid being eaten, Swimmy, a little black fish, and a school of little red fish work together to swim in a formation that looks like one giant fish – with Swimmy as the eye.

I have read this book to all of my kids during their kindergarten year. This year, with my youngest twins, I decided to incorporate a fun fish stamping craft to go along with the book!

Directions: First we made fish shaped bottle top stamps by cutting out foam fish shapes and adhering them to the bottle tops. (Stamps are shown in the image above.) I drew a big fish shape onto white paper and the boys stamped fish inside the big fish drawn on the paper.

They continued stamping until the big fish was full of little red fish. Then we used black ink to stamp Swimmy as the eye of the giant fish!

The final step is to cut out the fish and glue it to blue paper!

Alternative Craft: One of my boys wanted to make the blue paper look like water so we grabbed some blue and white paint and some bubble wrap.

Here is Swimmy in the bubbly water!

Which do you prefer? Swimmy in the plain blue water or Swimmy in the bubbly water?

If you don’t already own Swimmy, be sure to look for it at your local library!

Bb for Butterfly! {MFW Kindergarten printables}

2013-04-10T00:05:00.000-04:00

This is the Lesson 21: Bb for Butterfly page from one of my older boy’s kindergarten school year. I think this was the most fun page of the year because we ended up with LOTS of beautiful butterflies to display all over our house! The kids had a blast making the butterflies and made A LOT of them!!

Supplies:

cardstock (4x6” index cards work well too!)
paint
scissors
glue
craft sticks

Directions: The instructions for this activity are very easy and straightforward!

1) If using cardstock, cut it in half.

2) Take the cut paper and fold it in half.

3) Add drops of paint onto the folded paper.

4) Refold the paper and press so that the paint mixes together.

5) Open the paper and allow to dry.

6) Once dry, refold the paper and cut out one set of butterfly wings.

7) Open the paper up to reveal the complete butterfly.

8) Glue the craft stick in the middle to give your butterfly a body!

Super simple and lots of fun! I was even able to add in a little math lesson about symmetry!

Visit the MFW Kindergarten Words to Remember blog post for information on downloading all of the Words to Remember copywork pages.

PLEASE NOTE: These copywork printables are only for students who are reading and writing easily. This type of copywork is not a regular part of My Father's World Kindergarten curriculum.

Make Your Own Chewing Gum Kit

2013-04-08T21:00:00.000-04:00

I received this product free of charge for review purposes. All opinions expressed in this post are my own and I was not required to post a positive review of the product.

Confession time…I rarely ever give my kids gum. With that said, can you begin to imagine the squeals of “glee” when I told them that we were going to MAKE our own gum! Needless to say, my kids were VERY surprised and incredibly excited! Here is what was included in the Make Your Own Chewing Gum educational activity kit that we reviewed:

Making Chewing Gum:

The instructions included in the kit were very easy to follow. After reading a few other reviews, I decided to cook the gum base on the stove as opposed to the microwave and our gum turned out perfect! Below are a few specific steps in the cooking process! (Be sure to read the pamphlet included in the kit for complete instructions!)

We placed the chicle gum base into the plastic pan and the placed the pan in a pot of water.

We boiled the water until the gum base melted!

Melting the gum base over the stove took about 15 minutes. I used this time to read the included educational pamphlet to the kids!

Once the gum base was ready, we mixed it with the corn syrup. SUPER STICKY!! I opted to use a craft stick so that I could discard everything once our gum was made!

Once mixed well, we placed the sticky mixture onto the powdered sugar.

The kids took turns kneading, rolling, and flattening! It took some effort to mix the sugar in with chicle gum base, but with five helpful kiddos the process took no time at all!

Using the remaining sugar and the yummy flavor packets (peppermint and cherry), the kids kneaded, rolled, and flattened some more.

And some more!

…Until we were left with lots of yummy tasting gum! The instructions state to use a rolling pin to make thin sticks of gum. However, we opted to make gum balls!

The kids absolutely loved making the gum and we were quite impressed with the taste as well! We took a survey and of the seven of us, three prefer cherry, two prefer peppermint, and two could not decide, “because they both taste so good!” We had so much left over that we wrapped our gum balls in wax paper to save for later and to share with friends! The entire process only took us about an hour!

Learning about Gum & the Rainforest:

I used the time it took to melt the gum base on the stove to read the educational pamphlet to the kids! It answered the question:

“What does the Make Your Own Chewing Gum Kit have to do with the Rainforest?”

The kids and I learned SO MUCH about the process of making gum! We learned about the Sapodilla trees which grow wild in the rainforests of Guatemala! We learned that a “chiclero” is one who collects sap from Sapodilla trees to make gum! The kids and I were totally amazed and intrigued!

If the education pamphlet wasn’t enough, I discovered that the website also contains loads of additional FREE educational material (including supplements, lesson plans, stories, and more) about the gum making process! There is even a photo slide show showing the process of making Glee gum, literally taking you “from the tree to Glee!”

My kids LOVED seeing the photos and reading about the process of making Glee gum! They also enjoyed seeing the Glee Guy jump around the screen!

More Thoughts on the Chewing Gum Kit:

Like I said, I rarely let my kids chew gum! However, I felt surprisingly GOOD about my kids chewing the gum that we made! There is just something special about making things from scratch! I love that it is eco-friendly and that it’s made with natural ingredients! I was truly impressed with the chewing gum kit!

In fact, I am thinking about ordering the refill kit so that we can experiment a bit with the gum! We want to play with colors and flavors using food coloring and other powdered flavoring like Kool-Aid or Jell-o. Who knows, the kids may decide to start a little business selling homemade gum to the neighbors! {grins}

We enjoyed the Make Your Own Chewing Gum Kit so much so, that I am also thinking about purchasing the other educational candy kits to use with my kids! Learning should be sweet, right?! {grins}

For more Information, be sure to check out the following links:

The Make Your Own Candy Kits webpage
Glee Gum on Facebook
@gleeguy on Twitter

Purchase the Make Your Own Candy Kits:

Want to make your own sweet treats and learn a lot in the process? The Make Your Own Candy Kits are available on the Glee website for $13.95 and also on Amazon!

Buy the Make Your Own Chewing Gum Kit
{via Glee website} {via Amazon}
Buy the Make Your Own Gummies Kit
{via Glee website} {via Amazon}
Buy the Make Your Own Chocolate Kit
{via Glee website} {via Amazon}
Buy all three Make Your Own Candy Kits
{via Glee website} {via Amazon}

The Big Book of Pick and Draw Activities

2013-04-05T22:13:00.000-04:00

I received this product free of charge for review/giveaway purposes. All opinions expressed in this post are my own and I was not required to post a positive review of the product.

We have been using and loving our Pick and Draw game for quite awhile now! {Check out my initial Pick and Draw review!} In fact, we enjoy it so much that we put our own little spin on it and came up with Pick and Draw Bingo! So, there is no surprise that I was super interested in Pick and Draw creator, Rich Davis’ new book! The Big Book of Pick and Draw Activities is a compilation of activities and ideas for enhancing learning through the use of the Pick and Draw game cards!

The PAD activities included within the book address many common core state standards. What I love is that the various activities disguise writing, speaking, and listening skills with fun drawing activities! My kids have had so much fun with the activities that they didn’t even realize that they were actually learning!

Activities From the Book:

One of our favorite activities from the book has been the “Using Pick and Draw to Write Stories in an Hour” activity.

What I loved most about this activity was that it helped my kids steadily progress through the prewriting process. One of my sons tends to drag out this process so much so that writing becomes burdensome for him. Through a series of instructions at a fairly quick pace, my kids used the Pick and Draw cards to create their character, name their character, establish the characters family, determine the character’s fears/dislikes and what the character enjoys doing.

They each established a problem facing their character and how the problem was solved. The kids each had a blast orally telling their stories! Once the timed oral storytelling was complete, the kids got busy writing! Encouraged to write for the entire allotted time, the kids moved through the prewriting process with excitement! I love how my kids “owned” their characters and were so enthusiastic about writing their stories!

Here is the character that one of my sons (the one who sometimes struggles with prewriting) created:

One of my sons wrote a fun story about Mason Collar Mcleaves and how he tries to overcome his fear of flies, water, and caves to defeat the giant fly, Flamin the Fly, who lives near the water in a cave. Outwitting the fly, Mason is able to defeat Flamin with a fly swatter and bug spray!

My kids ALL had tons of fun creating, sharing, and writing their stories! I loved hearing each of them share their stories with such pride and excitement!

My 5 year olds even got in on the action! They loved creating their characters and telling their stories! They dictated a summary of their stories to me so that I could record it on paper for them, which they absolutely loved!

This is just ONE of the MANY activities found in The Big Book of Pick and Draw Activities that can be used to enhance learning! In fact, there are 15+ different learning activities utilizing the Pick and Draw game cards!

Other Uses for Pick and Draw:

While many of the activities are academic in nature, I appreciate that Rich also includes ways to use the Pick and Draw game for grief counseling. He shares how to utilize the game with autistic children. He even provides a way to share the Gospel using the cards! Take a peek:

Naturally, I was super excited when Rich asked me to be part of his book by including the PAD Bingo game that we created together! Be sure to check it out!

In the meantime, you can get more information about Rich’s Pick and Draw game and book via the links below:

Pick and Draw Website {main page}
More on The Big Book of Pick and Draw Activities
Buy The Big Book of Pick and Draw Activities {via Amazon}
Purchase the Pick and Draw Cards
Rich Davis’ Drawing Blog

Mama’s Mission of the Month: April 2013 {and March Accomplishments}

2013-04-04T22:48:00.000-04:00

March Mission Update: Here’s how I did with my goals for the month of March:

Personal:

~~1. Continue with my {adjusted}~~ ~~B90 Bible~~ ~~reading plan~~. I am definitely making progress! I am currently in Jeremiah.

~~2. Exercise daily…even if it is only some sit-ups and pushups!~~ I was doing GREAT with this until we took a family I have trip at the end of the month. I’m still trying to get caught up with everything…including exercising!

Marriage:

~~3. Have two date nights.~~

4. Flirt with my hubby daily! Does almost everyday count? LOL!

Parenting:

5. Plan intentional daily fun for me and the kids…even if it only means an impromptu pillow fight or an attack from the tickle monster! Why of why do I struggle with this! I have such good intentions, but I find that I

6. Make game night a part of our weekly family fun! We got a few new games, but have yet to play them. Movie night has superseded game night. I’ve got to diligently incorporate BOTH of them!

~~7. Read the book,~~ ~~Six Ways to Keep the “Little” in Your Girl~~. I LOVED READING THIS BOOK!!! It reminded me of the importance of being a connected mom and it gave me the confidence to begin some of the adolescent conversations with my daughter! Did I say that I love this book?!?!?!

Homeschooling:

8. Finish making the remaining Bible printable to coordinate with our curriculum.

~~9. Finish ordering next years curriculum.~~

Homemaking:

10. Get back on track with the SHE Method.

11. Meal planning…meal planning…meal planning!

Ministry/Friendships/Extended Family:

12. Finish updating and add to my family/friend birthday list.

13. Plan another movie night with friends.

Blogging/Online Activity:

14. Blog…sounds simple, but after going so long without blogging, I feel compelled to add it to my list!

15. Finish sharing the instructions for the MFW Kindergarten Words to Remember printables.

Other:

16. Update our budget.

~~17. Organize the mound to stray papers that have begun piling up around my house!~~

My Mission for April 2013:

For April, I am not adding a single new thing to my list. My plan is to complete what was left undone from March!

Personal:

1. Continue with my {adjusted} B90 Bible reading plan.

2. Exercise daily…even if it is only some sit-ups and pushups!

Marriage:

3. Have two date nights.

4. Flirt with my hubby daily!

Parenting:

5. Plan intentional daily fun for me and the kids…even if it only means an impromptu pillow fight or an attack from the tickle monster!

6. Make game night a part of our weekly family fun!

Homeschooling:

7. Finish making the remaining Bible printable to coordinate with our curriculum.

Homemaking:

8. Get back on track with the SHE Method.

9. Meal planning…meal planning…meal planning!

Ministry/Friendships/Extended Family:

10. Finish updating and add to my family/friend birthday list.

11. Plan another movie night with friends.

Blogging/Online Activity:

12. Blog…sounds simple, but after going so long without blogging, I feel compelled to add it to my list!

13. Finish sharing the instructions for the MFW Kindergarten Words to Remember printables.

Other:

14. Update our budget.

What is your April mission of the month?

If you participated last month, how did you do?

Feel free to link up and share! It is a great way to hold yourself accountable! Need a visual reminder of your monthly missions? Download the Mama’s Mission of the Month Checklist!

For more information on how to join in, please read the intro post. Since I’m late posting, the linky will be open until midnight, March 12th.

I Can’t Homeschool Because I Have Twins

2013-03-12T01:00:00.000-04:00

“I can’t homeschool because I have twins!”

I have heard this statement from many fellow moms of multiples. However, as a mom of not one, but two sets of twin boys, I feel the exact opposite! One of the major reasons that I choose to homeschool my kids is because I have twins!

Can I be completely open and honest?

While I think my daughter could be perfectly fine in a traditional school setting, I am hugely concerned that my twin boys would be “labeled” in such an environment. While I want them to be seen and treated as individuals, I don’t want one’s strengths to highlight the other’s weaknesses. For example, I know that ALL of my boys are very bright and intelligent. They all excel in different areas! One of my 7 year olds is very meticulous and methodical while the other is quite the free spirit! I don’t want those God-given characteristics to lead to classroom labels such as “the smart twin” and “the silly twin.” Nor do I want my boys to think that those labels dictate who they are!

While I want to avoid labels, I also want my boys to been seen as individuals. They may look alike, but they are not carbon copies! They learn differently. They are interested in different things! They excel in different areas! Because they look alike, it seems quite easy, almost natural for others to clump them together as if they are one person rather than seeing them as two completely different people! They are more, much more than just “the twin wearing blue” and “the twin wearing orange.”

As both their mother and teacher, I feel that I am the most qualified person to ensure that my boys are encouraged to thrive in their diversity as opposed to living under the dictation of labels. I work hard at intentionally accentuating their individual strengths without indirectly condemning their weaknesses. Honestly, I feel that no one is going to have my children’s best interest at heart more than myself! So, who better to teach and train them?

With that said, I am definitely not implying that homeschooling twins is easy. Homeschooling twins definitely presents its share of joys and challenges! However, knowing for certain that my boys will not be labeled by their teacher; knowing that they will be treated as individuals; knowing that they will be encouraged in their own specific God-given strengths…is priceless!

So, if you are thinking about homeschooling twins, but doubtful of your ability to teach them, I encourage you to can your mindset.

“I ~~can’t~~ CAN homeschool BECAUSE I have twins!”

Be sure to visit the iHomeschool Network for lots more bloggers sharing tons of other I Can’t Homeschool Because... topics!

Looking for more information on homeschooling twins? Check out some of my other posts:

Jj for Jewel {MFW Kindergarten Printables}

2013-03-11T00:33:00.000-04:00

This is the Lesson 20: Jj for Jewel page from one of my older boy’s kindergarten school year. All we used for this page was some glue, glitter, and the printable diamond jewel page. First, cut the text off of the bottom of the printable and adhere it to the copywork page. Squeeze glue over all of the lines on the diamond jewel. This is great fine motor skill practice!

Next, sprinkle glitter over all of the glue and shake off the excess. Allow to dry and you will have a sparkly diamond jewel!

You can download the Words to Remember printables from my MFW Kindergarten Supplemental Printables page.

PLEASE NOTE: These copywork printables are only for students who are reading and writing easily. This type of copywork is not a regular part of My Father's World Kindergarten curriculum.

Rr for Rock {MFW Kindergarten Printables}

2013-03-02T00:00:00.000-05:00

This is the Lesson 19: Rr for Rock page from one of my older boy’s kindergarten school year. All we used for this page was some glue, scissors, a sponge, black and brown construction paper, and paint.

Mix the black and white paint and dab it onto the black construction paper using a sponge. This gives the soon-to-be rock some texture. Allow to dry and then cut a rock shape out of the sponge-painted paper. In the meantime, cut a cross out of the brown construction paper and adhere them both to the page.

Visit the MFW Kindergarten Words to Remember blog post for information on downloading all of the Words to Remember copywork pages.

PLEASE NOTE: These copywork printables are only for students who are reading and writing easily. This type of copywork is not a regular part of My Father's World Kindergarten curriculum.

Mama’s Mission of the Month: March 2013 {and Jan/Feb Accomplishments}

2013-03-01T00:00:00.000-05:00

For those of you who have noticed, I have been MIA online for awhile now! Thank you so very much to those who emailed and/or left comments checking on me to make sure everything was okay! To answer your questions, everything is just fine! I had A LOT going on and blogging had to take the back seat!

With that said, I am excited to be back and I want to start out by posting the March Mama’s Mission of the Month post. I apologize for not getting the February Mission of the Month post up. But, like I said, life got in the way! {grins}. So, without further adieu, please feel free to link up your March missions and/or your January or February accomplishments!

January/February Mission Update: Although I have not been online, I was still plugging away at my missions! In fact, my original missions for January became my February missions too! Here’s how I did:

Personal:

~~1. Get back on track with my {adjusted}~~ ~~B90 Bible~~ ~~reading plan.~~ I am continually amazed at how quickly I have been able to make my way straight through the Bible!

2. Get back to running on the treadmill at least 3 times a week. I started strong, but fizzled out…

~~3. Complete my list of goals for 2013!~~

Marriage:

~~4. Have two date nights.~~

Parenting:

~~5. Start having movie night again.~~

6. Start having game night again. We had a few fun game nights, but nothing consistent…yet!

7. Plan intentional daily fun for me and the kids! Ha! We had lots of “random” fun, but not the “intentional fun” that I had in mind…

Homeschooling:

8. Finish making the Bible printables to coordinate with our curriculum. So far I have copywork pages and printables for The Old Testament Books of the Bible and The Ten Commandments…next up…Psalm 23! Umm, for those who are waiting on these, I apologize! I will get to work!!!

Homemaking:

~~9. Continue using~~ ~~Simplified Dinners~~ and start meal planning! We have made quite a few recipes from the eBook and so far we are loving it! Still working on the actual meal planning part though!

10. Get back on track with the SHE Method.

~~11. Organize and de-clutter all of the bedrooms and bathrooms in the house. I’ve been reading~~ ~~Organized Simplicity…and I’ve been inspired!!! {grins}~~

Ministry/Friendships/Extended Family:

12. Update and add to my family/friend birthday list. Still have a few more birthdays to get…

Blogging/Online Activity:

~~13. Organize all my 2012 blog info from BEFORE I created my~~ ~~2012 Blogging Planner~~. In need of a blogging planner? Be sure to check out my new and improved 2013 Blogging Planner?

Other:

14. Complete 5 scrapbook pages. I got 3 done…

15. Update our budget.

My Mission for March 2013:

I know that February is over half way over, but I do have a few things that I hope to accomplish in the remainder of the month:

Personal:

1. Continue with my {adjusted} B90 Bible reading plan.

2. Exercise daily…even if it is only some sit-ups and pushups! I have had a heart condition almost since I can remember and in the last few years my cardiologists have discovered that my heart actually beats and acts more normal during exercise. So, for my health, I have to make this a priority! In fact, I’m planning to use my habit forming printable so that I can really hold myself accountable to making exercise a way of life!

Marriage:

3. Have two date nights.

4. Flirt with my hubby daily!

Parenting:

5. Plan intentional daily fun for me and the kids…even if it only means an impromptu pillow fight or an attack from the tickle monster!

6. Make game night a part of our weekly family fun!

7. Read the book, Six Ways to Keep the “Little” in Your Girl. It is hard to believe that my little girl is growing up so fast! I definitely want to keep her “little” as long as I can!

Homeschooling:

8. Finish making the remaining Bible printable to coordinate with our curriculum.

9. Finish ordering next years curriculum.

Homemaking:

10. Get back on track with the SHE Method.

11. Meal planning…meal planning…meal planning!

Ministry/Friendships/Extended Family:

12. Finish updating and add to my family/friend birthday list.

13. Plan another movie night with friends.

Blogging/Online Activity:

14. Blog…sounds simple, but after going so long without blogging, I feel compelled to add it to my list!

15. Finish sharing the instructions for the MFW Kindergarten Words to Remember printables.

Other:

16. Update our budget.

17. Organize the mound to stray papers that have begun piling up around my house!

What is your March mission of the month?

If you participated last month, how did you do?

Feel free to link up and share! It is a great way to hold yourself accountable! Need a visual reminder of your monthly missions? Download the Mama’s Mission of the Month Checklist!

For more information on how to join in, please read the intro post. The linky will be open until midnight, March 7th.

Color Wheel Candy Experiments

2013-01-09T01:13:00.001-05:00

I am super excited to have Loralee Leavitt guest posting today! Loralee is the creator of www.CandyExperiments.com and author of the book Candy Experiments, which just hit the stores this month. Be sure to read my raving review. Today, Loralee is sharing how she used the idea of my FREE printable color wheel to experiment with color mixing and…of course, candy!

***

Kids love color. That’s one reason our family loves to experiment with colorful candy. When I saw Jenn’s color wheel, I couldn’t wait to try a candy version. Since one bag of M&M’s contains all the primary colors (red, yellow, and blue), I chose M&M’s for my color wheel. You could also try this activity with Nerds, jelly beans, or various flavors of Skittles.

To create an M&M color wheel, arrange six small bowls or cups in a circle. Place the M&M’s in the cups in this order:

2 red
1 red, 1 yellow
2 yellow
1 yellow, 1 blue
2 blue
1 blue, 1 red

Add enough warm water to cover the M&M’s and let them dissolve. Stir each cup to mix the colors. You should see a color wheel like this.

But a simple color wheel is only the start. You can create all sorts of color shades, and work in some math besides. For instance, this color wheel combines yellow and blue M&M’s in groups of five (five yellow, four yellow and one blue, three yellow and two blue, etc.)

Once your kids grasp the idea of mixing colors, they’ll be excited to experiment on their own. If you have extra M&M’s, let them play around and see what happens. You may end up with color cups like my four-year-old’s.

One final tip: Before you start any candy experiment, decide what the candy-eating guidelines will be. If you don’t want children to eat the candy, try saying “The candy is for experiments, not for eating.” Most children have so much fun that they soon forget about eating the candy. If you don’t think that strategy will work, agree together that they can have some M&M’s after you’re done experimenting.

Loralee Leavitt destroys candy for the sake of science at www.candyexperiments.com. Her new book, Candy Experiments, contains dozens of dazzling experiments including creating giant gummy worms, turning M&Ms into dazzling comets, growing candy crystals, and having lots of fun with candy color. Candy Experiments is available at Amazon.com.

Want to get rid of excess candy?

Looking for some fun science experiments?

Sounds like you need Candy Experiments!

Be sure to check out Loralee’s new book, Candy Experiments! My kids love the experimenting and I love that the amount of candy in our candy drawer is slowly diminishing! Now, that’s a win-win situation to me!

Candy Experiments {Book Review}

2013-01-07T00:15:00.000-05:00

I received this product free of charge for review purposes. All opinions expressed in this post are my own and I was not required to post a positive review of the product.

We have been experimenting with candy ever since I first discovered Loralee’s website, www.CandyExperiments.com. It is such an ingenious way to get rid of excess candy in the name of science! When I found out that Loralee had written a book, Candy Experiments, I jumped at the opportunity to review it!

First off, the book is so much fun! I love flipping through and looking at all of the colorful pages filled with ways to use up candy! There are LOTS of bright color photos of all the experiments! As soon as I showed my kids the book, they eagerly started planning!

I don’t allow my kids to eat a lot of handy and I purpose not to buy candy. However, for some reason, we have a candy drawer that is always full of candy! So, we dumped out all of our candy onto some trays and began experimenting!

One thing that I really appreciate about the book is the index. I can simply see what excess candy I have and then look in the index to find an experiment using that particular type of candy!

We had TONS of fun experimenting! We learned about the density of sugar and what happens when puddles of similar density meet!

We used the Bubble Test to learn about the acidity of sour candy using a base (baking soda).

The kids really had fun testing out various sour candies to test their acidity!

We checked for air bubbles in chocolates and tested their density.

The kids loved hypothesizing and then testing to see which chocolates would float and which would sink!

We learned that we could bend candy canes without breaking them!

And of course, our all time favorite is the floating letter experiment!

My kids LOVE Candy Experiments and I love seeing them get excited over experimenting with candy as opposed to eating it! Just after an hour or so of experimenting, our candy drawer was about half empty and the kids have not complained one bit about the candy being gone! Gotta love that!

Candy Experiments by Loralee Leavitt is a full color, 146 page paperback book filled with 70 sweet science experiments using all kinds of candy! You will discover secret ingredients in candy. You will investigate the color of candy. You will determine what sinks and what floats. You will squash candy, blow up candy, dissolve candy, and lots, lots more! (Visit Amazon to see a complete list of all the experiments included in the book.)

Candy Experiments is definitely a keeper for our family! I love that the book shows us how to use up excess candy in the name of science! I’m sure our dentist would appreciate the book too! {grins}

Want your kids to experiment with candy rather than eat it? Be sure to check out Candy Experiments! Visit the Candy Experiments website for some fun experiments! Buy the book Candy Experiments for LOTS more fun candy experiments!

Mama’s Mission of the Month: January 2013 {and Dec Accomplishments}

2013-01-01T22:45:00.001-05:00

December Mission Update: First off, I hope everyone had a very Merry Christmas and that December was filled with lots of joy and time spent with family! As for me, my December mission was to have fun with my kids. It was great giving myself permission to not worry about all the other “stuff” on my To-Do lists and just enjoy my family! I definitely think it is something that I need to be more intentional about!

My Mission for January 2013:

I am excited about all of the possibility that a new year brings and I plan to be more intentional about the things that are most important to me…like my family! With that said, I do have quite a few things that I am excited to get back on track with. Here are my goals for the month of January 2013:

Personal:

1. Get back on track with my {adjusted} B90 Bible reading plan.

2. Get back to running on the treadmill at least 3 times a week.

3. Complete my list of goals for 2013!

Marriage:

4. Have two date nights.

Parenting:

5. Start having movie night again.

6. Start having game night again.

7. Plan intentional daily fun for me and the kids!

Homeschooling:

Homemaking:

9. Continue using Simplified Dinners and start meal planning! For more info about the eBook, be sure to read my Simplified Dinners review!

10. Get back on track with the SHE Method.

11. Organize and de-clutter all of the bedrooms and bathrooms in the house. I’ve been reading Organized Simplicity…and I’ve been inspired!!! {grins}

Ministry/Friendships/Extended Family:

12. Update and add to my family/friend birthday list.

Blogging/Online Activity:

13. Organize all my 2012 blog info from BEFORE I created my 2012 Blogging Planner. In need of a blogging planner? Be sure to check out my new and improved 2013 Blogging Planner?

Other:

14. Complete 5 scrapbook pages.

15. Update our budget.

What is your January mission of the month?

If you participated last month, how did you do?

Feel free to link up and share! It is a great way to hold yourself accountable! Need a visual reminder of your monthly missions? Download the Mama’s Mission of the Month Checklist!

For more information on how to join in, please read the intro post. The linky will be open until midnight, January 7th.

Homeschooling Twins {The Planning Process}

2012-12-31T00:42:00.001-05:00

I have been homeschooling my kids for over 5 years. My oldest, a 9 year old girl, is in the 4th grade. I also have 7 year old twin boys in the 2nd grade AND 5 year old twin boys in kindergarten. In my years of homeschooling, I have picked up a few things that have been beneficial to me in the planning process of homeschooling twins.

I hope that what I have learned can be helpful to others homeschooling twins or considering homeschool for their twins! However, before talking about the process of planning homeschool for twins, I believe it is very important to establish a basic fact.

Different Strengths and Weaknesses

While twins may look alike, they usually have different strengths and weaknesses. The same holds true for both of my sets of twins! Of my 7 year olds, one son really excels academically. He enjoys being challenged and is determined to exceed expectations by being the best at everything. He is very meticulous and methodical. However, his drive for perfection can sometimes leave him quite frustrated and upset.

On the other hand, his twin is very creative and intuitive. He is always thinking outside the box and is quite the free spirit! However, excelling academically does not seem to be high on his list of priorities. As you can see, while looking alike, both boys have very different strengths and weaknesses!

Planning for Strengths and Weaknesses

When I am planning homeschool for my twins, I definitely take into account their differences by realizing that although one twin may seem to excel academically that each child does in fact have specific God-given strengths that allow them to excel. As a mom/teacher, I believe it is my job to not only address and help them with their weaknesses but to find and capitalize on each of their strengths! I look for activities, assignments, and projects that allow each of them to excel based on their different strengths. I incorporate those strengths in their academic areas so that each child feels “smart”!

Different Learning Styles

Looking alike does not guarantee that twins have the same strengths and weaknesses; nor does it guarantee that they learn in the same manner! The three main learning styles are auditory (learning by hearing), kinesthetic (learning by doing), and visual (learning by seeing). Before beginning to plan homeschool for twins, I feel it is very important to also take into account their learning styles. Quite often you will find that each child exhibits a combination of learning styles, but often times they tend to lean towards one particular style.

For example, of my older twins, one son is definitely a kinesthetic learner. He is very hands-on and likes to “move around” while doing his work! However, his twin is more of a visual learner! I can usually show him what to do and once he has seen it, he can do it on his own.

If you are unsure of what your children’s dominant learning styles are, you can easily do an internet search and find Learning Style Quizzes to help you in the process. Knowing your children’s learning style will enable you to tailor your teaching to their specific learning needs.

What About Mom?

While I am very aware that my children all have different strengths, weaknesses, and learning styles, I also realize that trying to cater to all of the differences in twins can be overwhelming and time consuming. So, while I am very aware of their needs, I do take myself {the teacher} into account as well! I purposely choose to NOT teach two completely different curricula to my twins because it would be too much for me to handle. A burnt out mom is not what my kids need.

Choosing Curriculum

So, how do I address all of their different needs in the process of planning their homeschool? I look for curricula that addresses multiple learning styles. That way, both twins receive instruction in the way they learn best AND they have the opportunity to be challenged in the areas of learning where they struggle. I have found that selecting curriculum that addresses multiple learning styles not only benefits my twins, but it also allows me to streamline my teaching. You can click the images below to see our current curriculum choices for my twins:

Planning Logistics

The curriculum has been selected and now the actual lesson planning begins! While many curricula include detailed lesson plans, I now prefer to use the Weekly Homeschool Planner to plan out the assignments for the school year.

The Workbox System has been an answer to prayer for our homeschool, particularly for the twins! In the years we have been using the system, I have tweaked it to meet our ever changing needs! Have more questions about how we use the Workbox System? Be sure to check out my Workbox Q&A post.

Because I have selected curricula that addresses multiple learning styles, I can simply differentiate and adjust a few assignments based on each child’s dominant learning style, strengths and weaknesses. For example when practicing math facts, my visual learner may prefer flashcards, whereas my kinesthetic learner may prefer using something more interactive like our Education Cubes! However, since I have begun the planning process by selecting multi-learning style curricula, I don’t have to make too many adjustments as I strive to teach each child how they learn best, all while capitalizing on their strengths while working to improve the weaknesses!

Planning for One-on-One Time

When planning to homeschool twins, I have found that planning for one-on-one instruction time is key! Since I use curricula that addresses multiple learning styles, I am able to teach the twins together. However, I have found that intentionally planning for one-on-one educational time with each twin allows me to help them in the areas where they are struggling and need extra help. Plus, it allows for some individual time with mom, which is always something that all of my kids want! As I have stated, each twin has different strengths and weaknesses and one-on-one time allows for me to intentionally celebrate the strengths and help work with them on their weaknesses!

Don’t Forget…

In all your planning, plan to have fun! Learning should be fun and sometimes as mom/teacher we can get caught up in the academic process so much so that we forget to have fun and enjoy this precious time we have with our children!

More Information…

For more information on homeschooling twins, check out my post about the Joys and Challenges of Homeschooling Twins!

Check out the iHomeschool Network Homeschool Planning link up for more information on homeschool planning from various other perspectives.

My 2013 Blogging Planner {FREE Printable}

2012-12-28T14:17:00.001-05:00

I loved my 2012 Blogging Planner so much that I have made a new and improved version for 2013! Of course, I wanted to share it with you all! This 50+ page pdf file includes printable blogging pages for the entire 2013 calendar year! There are four different pages included for each month of planning plus some additional bonus planning pages!

Monthly Blog Calendar

The first monthly page included in the download is the Monthly Blog Calendar. I write my blog post titles on the date I plan to post. Once I have written and scheduled the post, I check it off the “Scheduled” box.

This year I tweaked the calendar a bit by adding social media boxes to remind me to share my blog posts via the various social media outlets including Facebook, Twitter, Google+, and Pinterest. Once the post is live, I simply check the appropriate box once I have shared it via social media.

Monthly Blog Planning

The second monthly page is the Monthly Blog Planning page. I changed this page up a bit from last year. It includes two columns with the following titles: Major Blog Posts to Write {Giveaways & Reviews to Complete / Link-ups to Participate it / Upcoming Holidays or Event to Post About} AND Blog Related To-DO List & Goals. There are boxes so that I can check off items as they are completed.

Giveaways / Reviews

The third monthly page is the Giveaways / Reviews page. This is where I record information about various reviews and giveaways that I post on my blog. I love that this allows me to have my giveaway and review notes all in one place! I printed multiples of this page for each month.

Blog Post Notes

The fourth monthly page is the Blog Post Notes page. This is where I record notes and reminders about various non-giveaway/review blog posts. Again, it allows me to keep all of the information in one place. I printed multiples of this page for each month as well.

Bonus Pages

After using my 2012 Blogging Planner for awhile, I discovered that there are a few other pages that would be beneficial to have. Thus, I added them to my 2013 Blogging Planner! The new pages are below:

Year at a Glance Calendar

It is nice to have a Year at a Glance calendar to reference as I schedule blog posts. Believe it or not, I actually printed two of these…one for the front of my planner and one for the back!

Monthly Blog Statistics

The Monthly Blog Statistics page allows my to keep track of various blog related statistics each month, including: page views, unique visitors, RSS subscribers, email subscribers, and various social media followers.

Future Blog Post Ideas

This is an entire page dedicated to all of the ideas for future blog posts floating around in my head. I have check boxes so that as I bring the ideas into reality, I can check them off! I printed off multiples of this page. Hopefully that means I will have lots of great ideas! {grins}

Notes

The final page is for notes. I find that as I have blog related thoughts that I want to jot down, having some extra paper in the back dedicated to my random notes is very helpful! Plus, it is nice to have all my random blog notes all in one place…and not on various pieces of scrap paper all over the house! {grins}

Printing the Planner

I didn’t want to make the planner any bulkier than it had to be so I printed the pages front to back. I also printed multiples of some of the pages based on my blog planning needs. I obviously recommend that you print the planner in color. However, if you want to save ink, you can use the gray scale setting.

Binding the Planner

You could easily 3-hole punch the pages and use a 3-ring binder OR you could use spiral binding. Last year I took mine to Office Depot and had them bind the pages. However, this year I was able to use my lovely Proclick Binding Machine. Next to my laminator, my binding machine has got to be my absolute favorite homeschool tool! {I have become a home spiral binding maniac!} What I love most is that I can open the binding up and add in new pages if I need to later on! How cool is that?!?!! Plus, I like that the spiral binding makes the planner a little less bulkier than using a 3-ring notebook.

Daisies: A Different Color for Each Month

As you can tell, I like flowers. Last years planner had a different flower image for each month. Well, I really like daisies! So, the 2013 Blogging Planner has a different color daisy for each month. Not only do I think this makes the planner a little extra cute, but it also serves as a quick organizational help. For example, June is a yellow daisy. So, I as I am thumbing through my planner, I can quickly know that if I see a yellow daisy on the page, I am still looking at a June related planner page. I know it may sound silly, but for me, it’s the little things that make all the difference! {grins}

Ready to start organizing your blog for the new year?

Download my 2013 Blogging Planner right here!

Check out some of my other FREE printables:

Homeschooling Twins {The Joys & Challenges}

2012-12-19T13:19:00.001-05:00

Homeschooling twins presents a unique set of joys and challenges. However, I believe the benefits and blessings definitely outweigh those challenges.

Learning Together

As a mother of five including two sets of twin boys, my greatest joy in homeschooling is seeing them learn together. They are each other’s best friends and I wouldn’t have it any other way! They read to each other, play educational games together, quiz each other on Bible verses, help each other with math facts, and together come up with lots of fun adventures. Watching them work together truly warms my heart and brings a smile to my face!

Not Carbon Copies

As much as I love that they get to spend so much time learning together, one of my greatest challenges in homeschooling twins is not treating them like “twins.” Just because they are twins, does not mean that they are carbon copies of each other. While they may look the same, that by no means suggests that they learn the same way, excel in the same areas, or are interested in the same things. This requires me tailoring my lesson plans to meet their individual interests and learning styles.

For example, one of my 7 year old twins is very meticulous and methodical. Everything must be done in order and he gets frustrated if he can’t complete an assignment correctly and in its entirety. He takes special care to make sure that his work is flawless. He is perfectly content to sit at a desk and complete bookwork. My other 7 year old twin is quite the opposite. Very much a free spirit, it doesn’t bother him one bit to leave an assignment undone or out of order. However, he is excellent at solving problems and thinking outside the box. His creativity never ceases to amaze me and he thrives in hands-on learning situations!

Twin Boys = Built in Competition

Because of their differences, it can sometimes be difficult for them when one excels in an area and the other does not. Twin boys = built in competition! This provides opportunities for me to find creative ways to reaffirm each of them in their God-given strengths, talents, gifts, and abilities! Each child is special and deserves to be treated as such…even if they share the exact same birthday with someone who looks just like them!

Doubly…Doubly Blessed

As a mother of two sets of twins, I often hear the old cliché, “double trouble” with the addition: “double trouble times two.” However, I feel doubly…doubly blessed and fortunate to homeschool my children because of the joys and in spite of the challenges!

More Homeschooling Moms of Twins

For more information on the joys and challenges of homeschooling twins, visit the iHomeschool Network to read about Mary and Ticia (fellow homeschooling mother’s of twins)!

Pick and Draw BINGO {The New Updated Version}

2012-12-17T19:23:00.001-05:00

I have a fun treat for you all! Pick and Draw creator Rich Davis and I have collaborated to create a new PAD BINGO board!

The concept of the new board is the same as the original BINGO board we created. However, Rich has used his creative juices to make a fun new board for kids to use! I love that Rich designed the new game board so that the kids can color the artwork around the perimeter!

You can see Pick and Draw BINGO in action on my original PAD BINGO post. You can download the FREE printable game board from my Pick and Draw BINGO webpage! Be sure to purchase a set of Pick and Draw cards to use with the BINGO game!

Simplified Dinners eBook {Review & Giveaway}

2012-12-15T17:50:00.001-05:00

If you have been following my blog, then you may know that I have had menu planning as a Mission of the Month for quite awhile! I seem to have the same daily struggle right around 5pm. The kids start asking what’s for dinner and I get frustrated because I have no clue what we are going to eat! Well, I don’t know if Mystie (fellow homeschool mother of five) knew about my frustration, but her eBook, Simplified Dinners, has been a real help to my once daily (now rarely) dilemma!

What is Simplified Dinners? Simplified Dinners is a cookbook, but a cookbook with a greater purpose than JUST recipes! Simplified Dinners does exactly what it says, it helps to simplify dinner! You begin with a basic master pantry list. Keeping your pantry stocked with these basic (nothing fancy) grocery items from the master pantry list ensures that you can make the recipes included in the book!

[Simplified Dinners] is all about encouraging homestyle cooking with basic ingredients. It is possible to cook good, healthy food without a pantry full of specialized ingredients, and it is possible to make easy dinners without shortcut, preprepared products. Simplified Dinners (and the gluten- and dairy-free edition!), enables anyone to transition toward home-prepared, real, whole foods cooking—even those less confident in the kitchen. Simplified Dinners helps keep dinner streamlined while allowing flexibility. ~Simplified Dinners website

How I’m Using Simplified Dinners: Simplified Dinners is an eBook. However, I am a hard copy type of girl. So, I printed out the 30 page file and bound it together using my new binding machine. The book now sits on my desk in the kitchen ready for me to pull out at that once dreadful hour of 5pm! {grins}

Once I got the eBook printed out, I began filling up my pantry using the master pantry list supplied in the book. I was pleasantly surprised that I didn’t need to stock up on a bunch of random grocery items. Everything is very basic and easily accessible! While I still have yet to completely stock my pantry with ALL of the items, I have still been able to avoid that 5pm dilemma A LOT more than I had in the past!

I am quickly able to skim through the recipe combinations in the book and select a meal. When I am really on my game, I take a look at the book in the morning before breakfast so that I can thaw meat or fill my crockpot if needed. Honestly, it feels great to plan ahead and sit down to a great, nutritious, stress-free meal with my family! Yes, 5pm used to be a very stressful time of the day for me! {grins}

The Recipes: I really like how Mystie set up and organized the eBook. There a lot of meals included in the eBook:

Slow Cooker Roasts	Slow-Cooker (No Frost Chicken)
Chicken-in-a-Pot	Skillet Cutlets w/Pan Sauces
Marinades for Grilling or Broiling	Foil-Packet Fish
Stovetop Pasta	Bean Pots
Fajitas	Quesadillas
Taco Bar	Burritos or Enchiladas
Taquitos	Frittata
Oven Omelette	Pizza
Simple Stir-fry	Potato Hash
Baked Potato Bar	Bean Soups
Stews	Blended Vegetable Soups
Quick Soups	Main Dish Salads
Side Dishes	Salads

But, don’t be fooled, within the meal list shown above, there are multiple recipe variations for each meal! There are well over 100 recipes based on the meal list above, using the items from the master pantry list!

For example, take a look below. This is the page for Slow-Cooker, No Defrost Chicken. There are six variations of slow-cooker chicken recipes all using the same general process! Simple and easy…just how I like it!

Our Simplified Dinners: The very first recipe that I tried were the Creamy Chicken Taquitos. Oh.my.goodness! They were so delicious! I normally get the prepackaged taquitos from Costco and they are no comparison to these! My kids now request the “homemade” taquitos rather than the packaged ones!

Creamy Chicken Taquitos served with black beans and fresh salsa

After our experience with the taquitos, I was eager to try more recipes! Here are some of the recipes that I remembered to snap a photo of:

Taco Chicken served on a warm tortilla

Broccoli Cheese Soup

Black Bean Chili with ground turkey

Simple Sweet & Sour Stir-Fry served on a bed of brown rice

According to the Kids: Confession time…one morning I was cooking ground beef to use for dinner and my kids were shocked! Needless to say, I was excited when they asked me what’s for dinner that day…I actually knew what to tell them…and it was 8 o’clock in the morning! My 9 year daughter continued to say, and I quote, “This new meal planner stuff is really helping mom out! It’s only breakfast and she’s making dinner!”

I have gotten “thumbs up” from at least 4 of my 5 kids for every single meal that I have made using Simplified Dinners! Now, THAT is a sign that Simplified Dinners is a keeper!!! Thank you Mystie and my kids thank you too! {grins}

Buy It!

You can purchase Simplified Dinners for $12.99. Save even more by using the coupon code below!

Use coupon code holidays through December 2012 to get $3.00 OFF Simplified Dinners!

But, I’m on a gluten-free, dairy-free diet! Well, Mystie’s got you covered too! She has an GFDF edition of Simplified Dinners dedicated to easy, flexible, frugal, allergy-free cooking! Check it out!

Win It!

Would you like to win a copy of Simplified Dinners (your choice of the regular or allergy-free version)? You can enter to win using the Rafflecopter below. Giveaway ends at midnight on Thursday 12/20/12. The winner will be emailed and announced on the giveaway widget below. Winner will have 48 hours to respond to the email or a new winner will be selected. All entries must be documented within the Rafflecopter widget below.

**If you are reading this post via email or via a reader and the giveaway widget does not appear below, visit the actual blog post or click the link below to enter.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

This product was given to me free of charge for review/giveaway purposes. I do not have to return the product to the vendor. All opinions expressed in this post are my own and I was not required to post a positive review of the product.

Adventures in Odyssey: The Imagination Station Book Series {Giveaway}

2012-12-14T20:57:00.001-05:00

I previously wrote about how much my kids LOVED the first two Adventures in Odyssey Imagination Station books. Well, we got the rest of the series and my kids can’t stop reading! You should have seen the shouts of excitement as they opened the box and pulled out the books, one book at a time! Truth be told, I was pretty excited too! I love when my kids are excited about reading!

Hopefully your child will squeal with glee over these books as well, because I am super excited to be able to give away…not one…not two, but FIVE copies of the newest book in The Imagination Station series, Challenge on the Hill of Fire! The book is scheduled to release in stores in January. However, five lucky readers will get the book now! How cool is that?!?

Challenge on the Hill of Fire (Book #10) ~ from the publishers:

Kidnapped by Celtic Druids in 433, Patrick and Beth are headed to certain death when followers of a former Irish Slave (Saint Patrick, called Patritius in this book) save them. The cousins find themselves in the midst of a power struggle between Ireland’s King Logaire, Patritius, and the leader of the Druids, Lochru. A spiritual showdown begins on the Hill of Slane when Patritius builds a fire, challenging the King’s authority. Will Patritius prove to the king that the God of the Bible is the true God? Or will the king take sides with the Druids? The Emerald Isle holds many tales and legends, but this story of truth and standing strong for God is not one to be missed.

Our Thoughts and Experience: We have thoroughly enjoyed The Imagination Station book series thus far! My boys were so excited to have the whole series. When one of the books is not neatly stacked on their dresser, it is most likely stuck to one of my boys’ hands being read…or hidden under one of their pillows (so that their sibling won’t take it and loose their place in the book)! The books are very engaging and exciting and I love that the Bible is woven throughout the stories!

About the Series: The Imagination Station series, published by Tyndale House and Focus on the Family, is a historical fiction adventure series for young readers, recommended for ages 7 and up. The chapter books remind me of Magic Tree House books, but with the added benefit of having the Christian faith interwoven throughout the stories!

Win it!

Five readers will win a copy of the newest book in the series, Challenge on the Hill of Fire! You can enter to win using Rafflecopter below. Giveaway ends at midnight on Tuesday 12/18/12. The winners will be emailed and announced on the giveaway widget below. Winners will have 48 hours to respond to the email or a new winner will be selected. All entries must be documented within the Rafflecopter widget below. Giveaway is open to US residents only.

**If you are reading this post via email or via a reader and the giveaway widget does not appear below, visit the actual blog post or click the link below to enter.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Buy it!

You can visit Amazon to purchase this awesome book series! Each book is about $4.99 and they would make great Christmas gifts or stocking stuffers! For your convenience, each of the books in the series is linked up to Amazon below.

For more information about the book series, visit:

SEE THE LIGHT “Shipwrecked” DVD: Bible Story & Art Lessons {Giveaway}

2012-12-12T01:54:00.001-05:00

I have raved over all of our See The Light DVDs and Shipwrecked is no different! I love that these art DVDs are not solely about teaching art to your children. They dive into much greater issues of the heart and intertwine Bible stories and Biblical truths throughout the art lessons!

Shipwrecked is based on the story of the Apostle Paul and contains 260 minutes of content, including:

Shipwrecked: The story of the Apostle Paul is artfully brought to life through the captivating artwork of chalk artist Gloria Kohlmann.
COURAGE! Art Lesson: Artist Heidi Shorts shows how to use creative lettering with the word, COURAGE, by drawing wood planks.
Who Will Save Us! Art Lesson: Master Artist Pat Knepley teaches a step-by step drawing lesson using chalk pastels to create your own black light reveal that shows that the cross of Jesus truly does save!
God Is My Lighthouse Art Lesson: Create your own water color lighthouse painting with artist Jim Pence.
Musical Art: Watch chalk-artist Gloria Kholmann draw her incredible interpretation of the story of the Apostle Paul while listening to the music of “Breathing Room” featuring recording artists Jan Roper and Kevin Dukes.
Plan of Salvation: Lead little ones to Christ with this remarkably simple, yet creative presentation of the plan of salvation.
Commentary: Listen to chalk artist Gloria Kohlmann’s commentary as she creates her chalk masterpiece about the shipwrecked Apostle Paul.

As with all See The Light DVDs, we LOVED Shipwrecked! I never cease to be amazed at Mrs. Gloria’s stunning interpretations of the Bible stories using chalk! Check out some of the amazing artwork featured in the Shipwrecked story:

And of course, we LOVE Mrs. Gloria’s black light reveal! Throughout the story of Paul we see glimpses of her working on the piece shown below…

…which, under the black light, reveals…

LOVE IT!

In addition to the story of the Apostle Paul, there are three art lessons on the DVD. Below is one of the projects: creative lettering with Mrs. Heidi using the word, courage!

One of my 5 year olds even joined in on the fun!

Truly amazing, quality art lessons interwoven with Bible stories and Biblical truths! You can’t beat that!!

Want to know more about Shipwrecked? Check out the video below:

My Thoughts on SEE THE LIGHT: Want to see what else I have to say about See The Light? Check out some of my previous See The Light reviews:

The Gift of Love ~ based on the Christmas story
God’s Runaway ~ based on the story of Jonah
The Crossmaker ~ based on the Easter story
Art Class ~ homeschool art curriculum

Christmas is right around the corner!

See The Light Art DVDs make wonderful gifts and stocking stuffers!

What better gift than to share with your children

the One who gave the Greatest Gift of all!

This Christmas…

Let See The Light help draw your children to Him!

Giveaway:

Today I am thrilled to give away a copy of See The Light’s Shipwrecked DVD (valued at $14.99) to one of my readers! You can enter to win using Rafflecopter below. Giveaway ends at midnight on Monday 12/17/12. The winner will be emailed and announced on the giveaway widget below. Winner will have 48 hours to respond to the email or a new winner will be selected. All entries must be documented within the Rafflecopter widget below. Giveaway is open to US residents only.

**If you are reading this post via email or via a reader and the giveaway widget does not appear below, visit the actual blog post or click the link below to enter.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Mama Jenn

Mama’s Mission of the Month: May 2013 {and April Accomplishments}

iBlog: Everything you need to know about Blogging {eBook Giveaway}

How to Create Your Own Printables

What else is included in the iBlog eBook?

What I love about iBlog: Cost Efficient & Comprehensive

The Ultimate Homemaking eBook Bundle

What's Included in the Ultimate Homemaking eBook Bundle Sale?

Home & Property {Cleaning, Organizing, Decor}

Educational Children's Resources

Budgeting {Finance & Time}

In the Kitchen {Recipes and Cooking}

Pregnancy & Baby Care

Holidays & Special Events

Spiritual Growth

Marriage & Romance

Motherhood

Health & Fitness

Beauty

Working from Home & Blogging

Ecourses

PLUS, You will receive FREE Bonuses from these companies...

~The Homemaking Bundle Sale Has Ended~

The fine print:

Ff for Frog {MFW Kindergarten Printables}

Swimmy the Fish {Stamp Craft}

Bb for Butterfly! {MFW Kindergarten printables}

Make Your Own Chewing Gum Kit

The Big Book of Pick and Draw Activities

Mama’s Mission of the Month: April 2013 {and March Accomplishments}

I Can’t Homeschool Because I Have Twins

Jj for Jewel {MFW Kindergarten Printables}

Rr for Rock {MFW Kindergarten Printables}

Mama’s Mission of the Month: March 2013 {and Jan/Feb Accomplishments}

Color Wheel Candy Experiments

Candy Experiments {Book Review}

Top Ten Blog Posts {WRITTEN in 2012}

Top Ten Blog Posts {VISITED in 2012}

Mama’s Mission of the Month: January 2013 {and Dec Accomplishments}

Homeschooling Twins {The Planning Process}

My 2013 Blogging Planner {FREE Printable}

Homeschooling Twins {The Joys & Challenges}

Pick and Draw BINGO {The New Updated Version}

Simplified Dinners eBook {Review & Giveaway}

Adventures in Odyssey: The Imagination Station Book Series {Giveaway}

SEE THE LIGHT “Shipwrecked” DVD: Bible Story & Art Lessons {Giveaway}