20 Random Facts About Me

I have been MIA from my blog over the last few weeks. Thanksgiving was a busy here for us and the kick start to holiday activities. I finally have some down time to write and decided to do something fun. So here are 20 random facts about me!

1.  I don't like fruit. Not even juice. 
2. I love chocolate.
3. I wanted to be a storm chaser. 
4. I was pregnant with my first child when I was 17.
5. I got married at 17.
6. I'm kind of obsessed with essential oils. 
7. I never wanted kids when I was growing up.
8. Once on a career test it said I should be a bus driver. 
9. I hate matching up socks.
10. I have my kids match up socks. hahaha. 
11. I went to college for a year.
12. I'm currently binge watching Full House.  
13. I'd rather text than talk on the phone. 
14. I hate needles. 
15. I love Burt's Bee baby products.
16. I never thought I would have a blog.
17. I never planned to homeschool.
18. I love being a housewife.
19. I love to sing...in the car...by myself.
20. It takes me forever to finish a book.
    
    
    

Draw and Learn Animal & Places Review

I love anything that keeps my 4-year-old busy while I work with my older 3 children. When I saw this Draw & Learn activity book available for review, I knew I had to try it out and I was not disappointed.

The book is huge and filled with beautiful colors and shapes. I would describe this book as a guided coloring book. The pages are filled with age-appropriate pictures that either need to be completed or colored. The directions are very easy to understand. It's a wonderful way to get children to think about details in pictures and be creative.







 





My daughter loved the pages that asked her to draw a picture of her mommy and daddy. On those pages, we talked about facial features and expressions. We also talked a little bit about emotions.

See activity book here
The lesson possibilities with this book are endless. The pages with the fish can easily turn into a lesson about fish and where they live. You can talk about the seaweed, rocks, and sand that are on the bottom of lakes and oceans.

This activity book is part of Timberdoodles Complete Homeschool Curriculum Kit for Pre-K. I give this activity book a 5-star rating. You can incorporate many different lessons with it or simply use it as is. Suggested ages are 3-6, but my 8-year-old son found a few pages he liked. The activity book is very affordable and you can also earn Doodle Dollars through the Timberdoodle website. 

I did not receive payment for this review. All opinions are my own. If you liked this review and would like to see more, please use the links provided to view or purchase the book. This helps Timberdoodle know how much traffic they are receiving through my link. Thanks for helping me!
Pre-K Curriculum Kit
Draw + Learn Animals + Places 

How To Store Breast Milk

I am very blessed to have an overflow of milk for my baby. I have so much that I am able to donate. If you follow me on Instagram you already know I am on exclusive pumping mom. In a day a can typically pump 64 to 74ounces. My baby only eats about 25 ounces a day.

So I put together this video to show you what I do with all my extra milk. I hope this helps anyone who is needing some ideas on how they can store their milk. This is the best way that I know how to store breast milk. If you do something differently I would love to know what that is!

Enjoy the video!

Homeschooling a Struggling Learner

Homeschooling can be very rewarding for both the kids and myself. I get to see all those "aha" moments and share in their amazement when they learn new things. We get to spend some great time together and I would never trade it in for anything in the world.

But, homeschooling can also be hard, especially if you have a child who struggles. My son is my struggling learner. He struggles with reading and math. Often times he gets frustrated during his lessons and cry. He gets very discouraged and second guesses himself making his lessons drag on for longer than they need to.

As his Mother and teacher, I feel discouraged as well and second guess myself. Am I doing enough for him? Am I giving him a good education? What am I doing wrong? How can I do better? Having my son and myself being discouraged is a recipe for disaster.

I have found a few things that work for us and I would like to share those things with you. I hope that you find my tips to be encouraging and helpful

1.   Stay calm. Staying calm during those frustrating times will make things go much smoother for you and your child. I have made the mistake many times of not staying calm and that always makes the situation worse. I also feel terrible about myself afterward. So try taking a short break if you need it and go back to the lesson when you are calm. Your child may also need to take a break as well. 
   
2. Try new things.
   If something seems to not be working or things just aren't "clicking" with your child, you may want to try something new. For my son, that was changing math curriculum. I also needed to add a few things into his lesson to assist him in understanding his work. 
   
3. Take time off.
   Sometimes my son and I just needed a break. Instead of doing our usual lessons I would just read to him instead or let him go play outside. Skipping a day of lessons isn't going to ruin your child. I found it refreshing to take a day off. When we got back into his lessons the next day, he was more confident in himself.
    
   
4.  Offer words of encouragement.
   This can go a long way. When my son is reading I say things like "good job, you got this, wow that was a hard word." My son smiles at me and finishes off his reading strong.
   
5. All kids are different.
   Always remember that kids will learn at different paces. What works for one child will not always work for the other and that's okay! One reason I homeschool my son is that I know he doesn't fit in the typical box of learning. It takes him longer to learn things and he learns things in different ways. 
   
6. Give grace.
   Give your child grace and yourself grace. If you have a bad day and end up losing your cool, give yourself some grace.