Preschool and Tossing Out the Schedule

I’ve discussed, at length, my Type A personality. I like schedules. I like plans. I LOVE it when things are predictable and orderly. Thing is: preschoolers do not care about personality types and Mommy’s personal preferences. What’s more? Being super structured isn’t necessarily good for the average two year old. Their job right now is … Continue reading →

Things We Did on the First Day of School

Cub spent almost a solid hour working on letters by his own choice and I introduced numbers 1-5. We also discovered that Josiah can… But proofreading is a bit tricky. Focus goes downhill as the day goes on–even with breaks. And Dad is a distraction. Unfortunately, my husband is now working second shift. So, I’m … Continue reading →

My Grandma’s Most Helpful Hints

My grandmother has put together one of the sweetest, most thoughtful and most useful gifts I’ve ever received. She has given this gift to all the granddaughters so far. Basically it’s a cookbook, but really, it’s so much more! Inside she included family-favorite recipes with coordinating grocery lists, and I use it daily. Over the last two … Continue reading →

Hi, My Name is Julie and I’m Addicted to Office Supplies

Have you ever watched Hoarders and seen those women who spend their family into debt buy buying thousands of clothing items they never get around to wearing? Yeah, that’s me…but with office supplies. I have to physically stop myself from going to the office-supply sections of any store unless I know we have spending money … Continue reading →

Revenge Tattoo. Oh yeah, and skin cancer.

Well, as if we don’t have enough on our plate with a new baby, a fit-throwing terribly 2-year-old, job loss, my possible return to the work force and medical bills, we also found out this week that I have skin cancer. Yep. Info here Months ago, when I was still hugely pregnant, my stepmother told … Continue reading →

Report Card? Check…Finally.

A few months ago, I told you all about the website I’d chosen to use for our gradebook/hour logging. I chose this because it was free and not terribly difficult to use. Click on the picture to go straight to homeschoolskedtrack.com or see the original review here. Severe procrastination and poor follow-through means I JUST … Continue reading →

Homeschool Curriculum and a Bit More Freedom

In my post from Tuesday, I talked about how structured J’s last school year was. I was new, and let’s face it, I like to organize, over plan and file things away. Overall, it actually worked pretty well for us. I was grateful to not have to think too hard about the school plan. Between … Continue reading →

Mom Essentials: Pocket Nanny Review

Months ago, the ItzBeen Pocket Nanny came to my attention via Pinterest. Immediately, I wanted it! Now, almost 8 months later, this wonderful little invention has shown up everywhere from Mom magazines to People’s list of cool mom gadgets. Here’s my personal review and experience with the Pocket Nanny in all it’s glory! First of … Continue reading →

Organizing and the Wise use of Child-Labor…I Mean, Little Sisters

In my nesting phase, the small nuisance areas of my homes have become these horrid beacons, screaming out profane recriminations about my housekeeping skills. The top of my fridge and tops of the cabinets above our dishes had become one such beacon. That dreadful black box “hid” our stash of candy…only it didn’t. Frequently candy … Continue reading →

Simple Organization: Going Crazy with Hooks

Every house has those little, annoying, seemingly unavoidable hang ups. Especially when it comes to organization. Sure, you could California Closet the whole place…but that requires winning the lottery, so you just have to live with things like they are. Then again, sometimes, just a few dollars can make all the difference in the world. … Continue reading →