Jane.com: Betty Necklace $8.99

**Update: This deal is over. Sorry, friends! *

Through Saturday, January 30th, Jane.com is offering This adorable Betty necklace for only $8.99 in 6 different colors!   

What a fun necklace to add to your collection! This necklace features a variety of beading making a unique and fabulous look. It has a great quality and will be one that you with tons of things

It is approximately 19.5" long with a 3" extender.

COLORS

• Coral

• Cream

• Gray

• Red

• Turquoise

• Yellow

I think I'm going to order the red.  I have quite a few items that would really make the color pop.  Remember these are only available through Saturday and you can check it out HERE.

Cupid's Fantastic Float

With Valentine's Day right around the corner, love is definitely in the air!

The love of all things sweet that is.

The boys went to Boy Scouts sometime and Emma and I got together to concoct this yummy drink to share with y'all. We came up with this which we're calling Cupid's Fantasic Float (isn't the name adorable?  Emma came up with it...love her!)

Here's what we love about our float: It's super easy to make, super cute, super yummy, and a tad healthier than other drinks we've seen around.

So without further ado here's the recipe and step-by-step directions:

Cupid's Fantastic Float

Ingredients

1-1/4 cups Raspberry Juicy Juice

1 cup club soda

2 scoops vanilla ice cream or frozen yogurt

1 red vine or twizzler

Steps:

1. Measure out juice and club soda into a glass ball jar.

2. Gently plop a scoop of ice cream onto the top of the drink. Stir gently to combine and when it melts in a little plop another cute little scoop on the drink to float on top.

3. Snip both ends off of a twizzler to make a fun straw. (optional)

Voila!  A fun drink to surprise your kiddos with!  Emma loved this! 

I called the twizzler optional because you could always serve with a fun-colored straw and then you would have a completely natural colored drink.  No red dye 40 in sight if you forego the straw! Or you can purchase these panda red licorices that are all natural and amazing!

I hope you enjoy this drink as much as we do. It's a sweet thirst quencher for sure.  

Give these a try and we're sure you'll LOVE them like we do!

Be sure to let us know how you like them!

Homeschool Co-op Drop Outs: What I've Learned

So I am a co-op drop out. 

Yep, I'm a cool homeschool mom like that. 

I keep thinking of that song about being a beauty school drop out. 

And yes that probably makes me a dork.  I'm learning to be okay with that.

The truth is that this has been a long time coming.

And by long time I mean about a month.

Here we go with my lengthy explanation.

We started a homeschooling co-op in the fall.  It was a group of other families with the moms teaching and assisting in the classrooms with class periods set up.  The kids went to different classes throughout the day and we had a lunch period in the middle. The co-op set the school year into trimesters. 

The first trimester seemed to go fairly well.  We had some issues but nothing serious in the classroom.  The big part I was having a bit of an issue with was when the second trimester came along, the only heavy weight class the kids were in was Chemistry and the kids were falling drastically behind the class with their homework. It wasn't for lack of trying but they were just not grasping what was being covered.  So I was having to struggle with how to get them to learn it while having them behind and not knowing whether to speed them up to be with the class while not understanding what they were doing or to stay behind to understand but go to class every week with unfinished homework and assignments.

The other classes were nice but they were extra curriculars.  Legos, crochet, etc.  And so by going to co-op I felt that we were kind of missing an entire day that could be used for instruction on fun stuff.  Don't get me wrong, I know they were learning things and having a great time with friends.  But I also knew that behind the scenes we were falling drastically behind in math, grammar, and latin.  Yoinkerdoodles.

I also somehow forget that Calvin has autism.  The summer and autumn we were in a really great cycle.  I don't look at my son and see "autism" plastered over his forehead, he's just him.  But over Christmas break he started being able to not communicate again.  And started stimming again.  And a whole other myriad of things including not having control over the tone of his voice.  So when he's answering you in a good mood he sounds like he sounds irritated and mad at you.  It's difficult on us.  It's super difficult on him.

And I just knew then and there.  There was no way I was going to be able to send him back to co-op like this.  I can't ask mothers to handle this when they have a classroom of other children to help.  I can't ask other children to act like nothing's going on when he's yelling at them for no reason. 

And so we dropped out.  I felt really bad.  I cried.  A lot.  I've asked that they allow us to return if we want but haven't heard what the final "verdict" from the leadership board is. 

But in the end of it, I am holding my head high.

I did what was best for our family.  While it was difficult for me because it might not be the best thing for Emma to leave but it is for Calvin, what that meant was if it's not good for one of us it can't be good for any of us.  It might seem unfair sometimes but we're learning we're a team and we have to stick together.

As a homeschooling mom I am constantly worried about what people think of me.  I don't want others to think I'm a "weirdo" because I homeschool.  I want the other homeschool moms to think I have it all together. Ugh.  it's just a weird place to be sometimes when you carry this title.  But in this instance I felt that I had finally grown mature enough to be able to recognize that this was not working and it wasn't the best fit for our family.

Through this homeschooling journey I swear I am learning as much if not more than the children are.  I'm learning to laugh in the rain, to give myself grace when things get rough, and to see things as trial and error rather than failures when they simply don't work out. 

As I write this we should be at co-op right now.

Instead we dropped out. Before I would have felt like a total failure because of that.

Instead we made it half way through a math lesson today before Calvin went into his quiet corner in the homeschool room and was on his own with his cat for 20 minutes.  Then he went and played piano.  He learned 15 spelling words and successfully wrote legibly two sheets of words for me in handwriting.  All of those are things we wouldn't have gotten done even last week.  I'm considering this a win.

And as a homeschooling mom and an autism mom, I'll take as many wins as I can get.

Happy weekend sweet friends!  Hope you learn to look for wins and to give yourself grace.  Love you!

To check out my blog on a link up with other cool ones click here!

Save Money by Making a Children's Clothing Inventory

If you read my previous post about girl's fashions you probably gathered that I am bit obsessed with children's fashions.  I love dressing our kiddos, especially Emma, but it is super fun to dress our handsome little man too. 

As much as I love dressing them and finding cute clothes the thing that makes me way giddy is finding deals on clothes for them!  That is why I love shopping at resale events! Have you ever been to these?  They are amazing and they are popping up all over the country. If you are interested in finding one there is an amazing website called Consignment Mommies that has a directory of resales around the country. 

The resale that is near and dear to my heart is getting ready to launch March 12! 

At our sale I am selling items this year and I will also be shopping. The sale is a Spring and Summer sale only so I am only shopping and selling things for those two seasons.

Since our sale is coming up I am currently getting items ready to tag to sell.  I realize that everyone does this differently but I thought I would share with you what I do to get our items ready to sell and to prepare myself for some serious shopping!

A couple of months before the sale I make a list of every type of clothing and shoes the kids have. As you can see I am clearly an old-school, write it down kind of girl.  You could always type it out and print it or just keep it on your tablet or phone.  But then you don't get to write with a purple pen so seriously, where's the fun in that?  :)

This serves as my master list for two different purposes.

The first way I use it is that we go through it and try on clothing by category.  Emma is old enough that she knows the way the list works, will look at it and decide what category to try on.  If she's feeling it we'll try on a two or three categories just to get through it. 

So here's what we do: We're at the stage of the game right now that they try on at least one category every day, we put everything that doesn't fit in a bag, and those things go into our guest room which is where I stage everything that needs to be tagged to sell. Some items get donated or I separate for family members but regardless, the too smalls go to the guest room to clear space. 

The things that do still fit get written down on the list so I know what clothes we have for the upcoming spring and summer. 

I then cling to this list like Rose to shipwreck. I mean, this sucker goes with me everywhere.  So when I am at the resale and I am looking at shoes I can pull out my list and see if Calvin already has a pair of leather flip flops or if he outgrew his.  Or with sweats.  Or bathing suits.  Or whatever. 

And I don't take the list with me just for the resale but also to Target or Gymboree or when I am looking on Zulily, or wherever.  I can pull it out and see what we need and what we don't.  I circle categories I really need and that reminds me to focus my attention on looking for items in those categories. 

These are the categories I use for a girls wardrobe (I'm assuming you can't read my chicken scratch in the picture there):

• sandals
• flip-flops
• flats
• Athletic shoes
• Slippers
• skirts
• Jeans
• Athletic pants (think track pants)
• Leggings
• Shorts
• Capris
• Tank Tops
• Short Sleeve
• Light Long sleeve
• Cadigans
• Sweatshirts
• 3/4 sleeve shirts
• Jackets
• Outfits
• Dresses
• Ballet Tights
• Ballet Leos
• Swimsuits
• Swim cover-ups
• Tights
• Camisoles
• Underpants

Of course you can alter this any way you see fit.  As I'm writing this I'm remembering that she will be in tennis this year and softball so I will need to add categories for tennis skirts, cleats, etc. As you can see on my picture above, I leave spaces based on what we have more of.  She has a ton of outfits, that's the way I prefer to dress her, so I left more room to list those.  You can tweak it however you want. 

For a boy's wardrobe these are the categories I use:

• Sandals
• Flip-flops
• Slip Ons
• Church Shoes
• Jeans
• Athletic Pants
• Pants
• Shorts
• Tanks
• Short Sleeved Shirts
• Polos
• Oxfords
• Long Sleeved Shirts
• Cardigans
• Jackets
• Sweatshirts
• Outfits
• Ties
• Swimsuits
• Swim Shirts
• Underpants
• Under shirts

So if you are planning on shopping at our resale or any resale, or anywhere for clothing for the upcoming seasons, you should make a list and write down the inventory you already have!  It helps you see what you already have, what you need, and how blessed you are by what you have!  It also helps you to not overspend because you won't be overbuying in areas where you already have enough. 

As an example yesterday I visited a Once Upon a Child and with the list I knew that Emma needed a new pair of sandals so I was able to snag some super cute ones for a song. 

Also as you can see I have these written right now on a pretty beat up old notebook which is perfectly fine.

I had this genius idea though!  I've been carrying a new journal around since September and I LOVE it!  I write everything in it...meeting notes, lists, business goals, etc.  So I will be transferring the lists over to the journal since I carry it with me anyway.  You can get your own here.  I LOVE Molly & Rex products, their illustrations are so sweet.  In my journal the pages are all decorated and so inspiring.  Love, love, love it. 

Happy Inventory Taking!

Martin Luther King Jr. Day

Today my family and I are on a field trip day but I didn't want that to stop us all from celebrating this amazing day.

I always have the kids study Martin Luther King Jr., his life, his speeches, and his example of standing up for what you believe while making sure to not compromise your Christian beliefs.

In case you have no idea what to do or just need me to walk you through this because the caffeine hasn't kicked in yet, here are some things we've used to honor the day:

MLK Jr's "I Have A Dream" speech

I have the kids watch the "I have a dream" speech on YouTube and then we discuss it.  We talk about how 100 years before the speech was the Emancipation Proclamation and what had changed since then.  Then we talk about what has changed between the speech and present day.  I'm going to have them talk to their grandparents about the time period of the speech.  Last year I had them go and speak with my grandmother who passed away a couple of months ago.  She grew up in North Carolina and was able to tell them about how she was able to take a bus to school but the black children couldn't.  It was really good to hear an actual oral account of everything going on in the south and I cherish those times as she is gone now.  She was able to talk to the kids how she never understood why they couldn't ride the bus with them. 

Biography

One of my favorite websites is Super Teacher Worksheets. If you become a member it's only $19.95 a year to have full access but they also have a ton of free things!  This Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. biography is one of those free things.  You can print off however you need and it comes with a sheet to read, questions to answer, and an answer key. 

Cut Out Hands

Okay, I don't know how much of a craft you would call this, but you could have your kids trace their hands on black paper and white, cut them out and glue them together.  We do this and it's so cute to pull them out from the bin every year and see how little their hands used to be. 

We did this activity after we watched the speech and talked about the section where Dr. King said:

"...one day right there in Alabama, little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls as sisters and brothers."

So I hope that helps you with some simple things you can do today to observe Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. day. 

If you have any other ways you honor MLK Jr. let me know, I'd love to share!

This blog post may contain affiliate links that help offset the cost of running this blog.  You can read my full disclosure policy here. 

Calvin and Hobbes Birthday Party

Well this was it.  We had our last big hurrah as far as Birthday Parties with family go. 

Eight is your cut off here in our household.

For Birthdays from here on out the kids can choose to have a party with their friends or to go on a small weekend trip. 

So for Calvin's last big party he wanted to have a Calvin and Hobbes party. 

How stinkin' adorable is that? 

I was super excited until I found out that there isn't much in the way of traditional "Calvin and Hobbes" Birthday decorations. I love getting kits from Etsy to support local moms and to have unique and fun decorations I can personalize and print off as needed.

But there were none of those kits either.

So we got a little creative.

And by the way I was able to spend next to nothing when it came to this party.  I didn't set out for it to be that way but it's amazing when you look back and think "thank you Lord for putting this idea in my brain that didn't cost one red cent."  Can't wait to share with you!

So first of all, I found a long sleeved striped shirt from Gymboree  back in Autumn and it was completely a Calvin and Hobbes shirt.  Not to mention it was on sale for only $8.99 and then I had an additional 20% off coupon.  Who doesn't love Gymboree? 

After that I had invitations made at Shutterfly.  With a January Birthday, invitations had to go out the week before Christmas.  In November I was emailed a Birthday gift (my Birthday's in November, yo!) for $20.00 off anything and free shipping.  So I ordered Birthday cards. I think the total for 25 cards was about $10 with tax.  Woohoo!  I love saving money, ladies! So my advice is if you get a coupon code or a freebie from somewhere, think of upcoming events you could use it for. 

Then in December Tiny Prints sent me an offer of 5 sets of address labels for free!  If you are not members at these places you really need to create an account.  They send you some of the most amazing deals!  So I was able to make adorable Calvin and Hobbes address labels for the envelopes. I used one of their address label templates where you can put a picture in and then downloaded a picture of Calvin and Hobbes together to put on there.  And as luck would have it Tiny Prints had the Calvin and Hobbes type font so it looked perfect!  Plus I got Valentine's address labels and two sets of regular address labels.  But let me tell you about my awesome out of the box idea:  I was racking my brain while looking at these address labels trying to figure out what other cool things you could do with them at the party.  Think about it: stickers for water bottles, on napkin bundles: the options are endless!  But then I found their wrap around labels to put around the corner of an envelope and I thought those would be perfect to put on the goodie bags for guests! Voila! Again I chose a label template with a photo option and imported a calvin and hobbes photo. 

In the books Calvin liked to make sandwiches to run away from home so I thought simple paper bags worked for the goodie bags.  Those were super easy as I have a million of those already.  I love using things around the house that makes things way easy for me.  Plus it was Calvin approved.  Our Calvin.  He spent weeks researching everything for how the party should be by looking through the books and books of Calvin and Hobbes comics that he has. 

I have to tell ya, I think I stink at the role of party mom.  Cute craft kits or something remarkable you are guaranteed not to find in our goodie bags.  Nope, throw some food, candy, and a toy or two in a bag and there ya go.  I know, I know, I'm lame but I figure I could be worse, right?   I put fun dip in there (because who doesn't love fun dip?) Cheetos as tiger tails, Birthday Cake M&M's and some googly eyes to play with.  Done and done.

Once goodie bags were in the bag (ha!) we started with some decorating.  Guests first saw the Duplicator box and the Time Machine box on the porch.  Are you kind of getting that these decorations are cheap?  Um, cardboxes leftover from Christmas were free, 'yo.  I am a frugalista after all here. And seriously if you were short on cash this would be a perfect party theme to go with!

Emma made snowmen that we put in the foyer for people to enjoy.  Many of them are trying to slaughter each other.  She got the idea to recreate the snowmen made in the comics so I gave her a slab of clay and let her go to town.  She's cute like that :)

Nick free handed some of the snowmen with signs and we put them in the windows of our foyer and solarium so people could see them as they walk up to our home.  There were three of them.  They were so funny.  I would have loved to of made some of the actual snowmen but alas, we were short on snow that weekend.  Boo.

I decorated Calvin too! Isn't he adorable?  I think I just showed you this picture but I cut his darn feet off so I wanted to show you the whole ensemble.  He had black chucks on, a Calvin and Hobbes shirt, and jeans.  We spiked his hair and he had his Hobbes with him.  I love this sweet boy so much!

We decorated a little bit around the house.  I love the Christmas Tree Shop and got all of our decorations from there.  If you have one around you I am sure you love it as much as I do.  Things are do cheap there!  Decorations?  $2 a pack.  Plates? $1 a pack.  Calvin was insisting on everything being red and black so that's what I bought. Red straws, red and black balloons, red and black. If you don't have a good party supply store near you I have linked everything to Amazon so you can find everything I've used. 

We put the pom poms and the spiral doo-hickeys all around the house.  I also bought crepe paper.  I am totally old school and believe crepe paper to be a party must.  In the 80's I remember every party having crepe paper.  I'm here to bring it back folks :) I bought LED lights for the fire place from the dollar section at Target.  They say "Happy BDay!" and are so cute!

For food we had lots of snacky food and then we ordered Jimmy Johns sandwiches.  I think we ordered 45 sandwiches.  Calvin as I said researched for the party and found that Calvin seemed to always be eating a sandwich.  Plus Jimmy John's is our Calvin's favorite so it was a perfect fit. This picture was before the sandwiches were delivered but you can get the gist of it.  I used newspaper as the table runner on the buffet since Calvin and Hobbes was in the newspaper!  We had "tiger tails" and "chocolate frosted sugar bombs" from the comic.  We also had chips, rice krispy treats, and then pasta salad and cannoli bites that my amazing Mother-in-Law made.  Oh, and the fave, my sweet sister-in-law brought white chocolate mix, or white trash or whatever you call it.  Yum! 

For cake I really had this doozy of a story.  So our neighbors decorate cakes and we've always gotten our cake from them.  Then I realized (duh) that we have been trying to keep Cal off gluten so I was going to make my own cake for him so I was able to order just a fondant topper.  Then after much debate we decided to let Calvin have what he calls a "gluten day" so he could eat regular cake and the bread from Jimmy John's.  But by then it was too late to order a cake. 

So we got a cake from Costco and I did the handwriting on it and we put the fondant topper on it. I put the message on it Calvin asked for.  If you have a kid with Autism you know that sometimes they like to have things exact.  I do have to put in there that this was some janky looking cake from Costco.  See that wave of frosting on the bottom edge of the cake.  I mean, what the what?  And the frosting was riddled with cake crumbs.  Weird people just weird.  It was yummy though!

I also made gluten free cupcakes.  I found this ladies sweet website and decided to try frosting these.  Mine don't look nearly as amazing as hers but Calvin thought they were neat and that's all that matters.

We all had such a great time at the party!  We had one very happy boy after he opened all of his gifts.  We are so truly blessed by all of our friends and family members.

So I hope this helps you with planning your own party.  I know there were about three parties I oogled over on Pinterest with a Calvin and Hobbes theme.  Feel free to use any of my ideas!

Happy Planning!

Field Trip Ideas for Martin Luther King Jr. Day

Coming up on the 18th is MLK Jr. Day. In our family it tends to be field trip day.   The past few years we've been trying to go and experience different things on this day.  One we are all going stir crazy because it is the dead of winter and two, there are so many venues that have free admission so it is amazing to be able to go to these places where each of them would cost us upwards of $100 and we can go for free or simply with the cost of donations.  Amazing!

Not gonna lie, homeschooling gets expensive!  So with these places we feel so blessed to be able to go!  Last year we went to Indianapolis, Indiana and did a whole boom, boom, boom, event of seeing lots of different places.  First we started out at the Children's Museum, followed by lunch at The Tamale Place because it's our favorite place ever.  Ever!  It was featured on the Food Network and is simply amazing, fresh food.  

After a huge lunch we headed downtown to the Eiteljorg and the Indiana State Museum.  We then went to Conner Prairie before we decided to call it a day and head home. 

This year we may go about the same route but I have found that the zoo is free so somehow we will have to work that in!  There are so many amazing places.  Here's some info that I found abnout the places in the Indianapolis area.  If you are in the Midwest these may be worth the trip for you as well:

Eiteljorg

The Eiteljorg Museum is free with the donation of a canned food item for Gleaners Food Bank.  The museum is open 10am-5pm. They have a lot of neat kid areas in the lower level of the museum and they have a huge Totem pole that the kids loved examining and trying to figure out what the animals were. They also have a cool winter wonderland diorama type display with model trains called Jingle Rails set up and MLK Jr. is the last day to see if to for the year!  It is so fun to explore and meander through. 

Indianapolis Zoo

is free with a canned good donation from 9 a.m. -4 p.m. weather permitting. The hardier animals will be out and the indoor exhibits are open as well. 

Indiana State Museum

Indiana State Museum is free with a non perishable food item and is open from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. They have a huge S.T.E.M. learning center that is so much fun and they offer crafts related to the Civil Rights Movement.  They also have Martin Luther King Jr's "I have a dream" speech playing continuously in their theater.  Last year when we visited we were able to see the Emancipation Proclamation that President Lincoln signed.  We talked with the kids about what an important signature on that piece of paper was and what it meant in the time of Martin Luther King Jr. We discussed what was better and what still needed improvement then as well as today.  Check their website because other historic sites they manage around the state are also free so even if you aren't in Indianapolis you may find one that is closer to you.

Last year the kids (especially Emma) were obsessed with their Foucalt Pendulum clock.  It is so much fun to watch and wait for. Make sure you watch it when you are there!

Children's Museum

The Children's Museum of Indianapolis  is the best in the nation and it is HUGE!  If you haven't been there you can easily spend the entire day there.  Serious. Open 10-5 there is so much for kids to do I am sure you all will love it!

Conner Prairie

Conner Prairie in Fishers, IN is free on MLK Jr. Day.  Please note that this is just the inside exhibits...it would be freezing for all of the walking outside!  Still there was a ton for the kids to do last year and they got to experience all kinds of experiments with electricity, inertia, and other concepts.  It was so much fun!

Others

Some other free events include the IMAX Theater, the Indiana Historical Society, and the Rhythm Discovery Center

I am sure there lots in your area as well.  I googled "free Martin Luther King Jr 2016 Indianapolis" to get all of the ones above. 

Anyway, we usually study about Martin Luther King Jr. the Friday before the actual day.  I think it is a super important day.  We always watch the "I have a dream" speech video, discuss it and then do a craft,  One year we made wreaths of all hands made with all different colored construction paper.  Anything can be done to bring home the message of unity.  We then usually get books from the library about Martin Luther King Jr. and study his life.  Anyway, it helps to study these things before we go on Field Trip day so that when we see exhibits for the day the kids know what they are fore. 

If you find any other amazing places with free admission be sure to let us all know in the comments section below. 

Happy Field Trip Planning!

Super Easy Valentine's Gift for Your Mom Friends

Finishing up some sweet hosted gifts for our cookie day today

A photo posted by Lindsay - Super Busy at Home (@superbusylindsay) on Dec 9, 2015 at 7:36am PST

If you follow me onthe Instagram you may have seen this photo I posted back in December.  Am I the only one who calls it "the Instagram"? 

Probably. 

Like old people calling diabetes "the sugar diabetes".

Oh Lordy. 

Anywho, I think this is going to quickly become my signature gift because

a) it was so super easy

and

2) it's super easy to personalize between each person even if you are giving the same gift combo to numerous people and

c) it's super easy relatively inexpensive (ha I was on a super easy kick so just had to throw that last one in there!)

Upon looking at my picture I realized you may not even be able to see what the heck I am talking about so allow me to divulge...

I went to my Mother in Law's for a cookie making day with all of the ladies in our family and I made a little gift of a dish towel with a cookie cutter hanging from it.  Two things you can use in the kitchen.  I got the cookie cutter because it was cookie day but I was thinking you could do it other times too. 

For instance, if you want to steal my idea I am getting ready to get some together for Valentine's Day.  I mean, all of my friends have kids so everyone is always using cookie cutters.  And who doesn't use towels?  Unless you're a troll living under a bridge you use towels.  I bet trolls even use towels. 

Try saying that three times fast. 

I'll wait.

Anywho...

I was trolling Amazon (ha with me now!) and found these cuties:

Aren't these so cute?  These are $7.88 and are eligible for free shipping.  And it comes with 2 cutters so you could split it between two gift bundles or give them both to the same friend. 

I love this hot pink Mama!  So fun and cute and it is such a great size for cookies!  Plus it is on sale for only $4.50, 42% off plus it's eligible for free shipping. 

You could pair one of those cutters with one of these sweet towels.  Aren't they just adorable? They're 100 % cotton which is always important to me because they absorb so much more! And they are $15.50 for three of them.  That's $5.17 a towel, ya know :)

I love these towels too but they're a little salty for my cheap self :) They're $27.97 for the set with free shipping eligible.  So if anyone wants me to give me a gift here's an idea, wink, wink, nudge, nudge :).  This set comes with one cookie cutter and four of identical towels.  These are just the cutest ever!

One of my kitchen staples is baker's twine.  You can use it to tie boxes but I seem to use it a lot to tie gifts.  Towels with cookie cutters for example :)  Or if you're giving someone a bag of something (chex mix?) it's so cute to put it in a clear bag and tie it with bakers twine.  Fancier than a Ziploc, speedier than light.  If you don't want as big a thing of twine there are smaller ones available. 

So with those three things you can assemble an adorable gift.  I just take the cookie cutter out of the packaging, string it through with the bakers twine, wrap it around the towel a few times and tie it with a simple bow.

Easy peasy, lemon squeezy friends! 

So there you have it! 

Have fun putting these together!  It's so fun to give gifts to friends, isn't it? 

I'd love to know if you have a tried and true gift you love to give.  Comment below with what it is, I'm always looking for fun idea.

This blog post may contain affiliate links that help offset the cost of running this blog.  You can read my full disclosure policy here. 

Cleaning the Homeschool Slate

Freshening up the homeschool room.  That is what I am doing this week. 

I am a chronic "can't get this right-er".

The first semester I start out with very high hopes of how the homeschooling year is going to go.  I am going to rock the socks off of these kids.  They will learn so much.  Fireworks will go off.  Marching bands will play.  It will be glorious. 

Sadly, we start right after Labor Day in September and by Halloween, October is ending, and I am holding on by the skin of my teeth when it comes to lesson plans: we're grotesquely behind in grammar and math, no one has been able to find the science book for a couple of weeks now, and Latin has become "reviewing flashcards" rather than actually diving into any form of lesson.

Oh how lovely.

From there it is a steep, falling down a slope with jagged rocks fall into some sort of pit we could simply just call Christmas Vacation.

It ain't pretty friends. 

Those weeks between Halloween and Thanksgiving are littered with Halloween worksheets we didn't get to, Thanksgiving crafts that have no merit of learning in them (they would have had we not been doing them the past three years and so now they are tradition and cannot be deemed learning as both of the children are too young for any of the crafts). I try to do schoolwork somedays when we are not plastered with ballet practice for the Nutcracker or bell ringing with Boy Scouts, therapy, cooking, cleaning, baking, and parties.  AHHHH!!!!!

So now that all of the misery is behind us we are in the new year, it's a chance for me to start over and try to figure all of this out.  Again. 

Again, again.

And probably one more again thrown in for good measure.

Can any other homeschool Mama's relate? 

Can I get an Amen?

And that's just talking about our lesson plans not to talk about how the classroom looks like it's trying to eat itself by the time we get to Christmas.  How I bought all of these cool manipulatives before school started and have pretty much forgotten where I even put them.  Epic.mom.fail.

It's always amazing to me though how God takes these failures of mine and shows his grace to me through it all.

And unlike the post Christmas trash and clutter is a constant reminder of my failures, God takes our failures and wipes the slate clean.  Like it didn't happen.  How amazing is that?  I don't have to have a constant reminder of my clutter, of my disorganization, of the lack of time I spent when I should have to put things away rather than let them pile up and pile up.  Rather I can clean it up and there will be no trace of what was here.  Just like God's grace.

I have to tell ya I am an organizational book junkie.  I could sit for hours reading about how to organize and clean, what to use, etc. etc. Unfortunately the problem with those is that those hours spent on the couch reading those books doesn't actually clean hour house. Darn.  But a tip I learned from one of those books is to look at the space where whatever you are picking up actually was.  Acknowledge the spot of floor you can see when you pick up the pile of race cars, or whatever.  But see the cleanliness you have made in what could be a sea of dirtiness. 

Amazing friends.  Simply amazing.  And so today whatever junk you are cleaning up I encourage you to take the time to see what you have cleaned up and acknowledge that.  Be it the box of gift boxes that finally got put in the attic (that would be me I am looking at here!) or laundry you are determined to tackle, or whatever!  Acknowledge what you have gotten done rather than focus on how dirty the other parts are.  I think that's the best any of us can do, right?

I'll be here trying to get all of this right but fortunately we have the power of the Holy Spirit we can call on.  We don't have to do this alone sweet friends!  How amazing is that? 

Let's roll up our sleeves, wipe our slates clean (with God or in our homeschooling rooms!) and let's face our second chance in the face with a smile. 

Happy Monday friends!

What are you all working on this week?  I'd love to know so I can encourage and pray for you!  Comment below :)

A Quick Word Y'all...

Hi my friends!  It feels like it's been forever and ever since I've written lasted to pop in and tell you that I am still alive and well! 

At least I am. 

These kids have been sick off and on and off and on, switching it back and forth more times than the ball at a soccer game, yeesh.

And then the holidays, school starting, putting holidays away, and we have a little boy's Birthday to decorate and bake and cook and clean for this weekend that has made me just a bit frazzled. 

Anywho, I know all of you busy Mama's understand.  I'm coming back it will be fun, we'll all have fun.  Good times, good times. 

Have a great day!

Crazy 8's Semi-Annual Clearance Sale: It's Crazy!

Holy wow you guys! 

I had an email in my inbox this morn and I just had to share!

Right now for a limited time at Crazy 8 you can get up to 75% off plus an additional 20% off with code EXTRA20! 

I found this super adorable shirt for only $5.00 and after the coupon code EXTRA20 it will be only $4!  How cute would this be for Valentine's Day?  Huh, huh? And at regularly $14.88 it's a steal!

And for the boys, oh the boys clothes are just precious.  But I have to bring these up because I am such a bargain shopper!  These jammies are on sale for only $9.99 and then with the code EXTRA20 you can get them for only $7.99!  So order the next size up and you can get an amazing deal on Christmas Jammies for next year!  They have tons of sizes so your kiddos could all match!  Think of the feeling you'll have when you don't have to go out on top of everything else to do next Christmas to get jammies!  Ah, the relief you'll feel!  These are super soft 100% cotton jammies that are $19.88 regular price so you could snatch them for $11.88 off the normal price!  Score!!!

If you are new to Crazy 8 they are owned by the Umbrella company that also has Gymboree and Janie and Jack.  They have adorable clothes and I love their value and durability!  I also love that almost everything is cotton which is a big one for me with sensitive skin on our little man. 

Happy Shopping and I hope you find lots of goodies!  Comment below with the amazing deals you find!

Note: This blog contains affiliate links.  You can read my full disclosure policy here

Planning on Turning Blunders into Beauty

I hope you all had a wonderful and very blessed Christmas! 

We are still here celebrating the 12 days of Christmas so we have our Christmas season last until about January 5th.  Then it's a madhouse to get everything back to it's place, sorted, organized, cleaned and pretty by the time we celebrate our little boys birthday. 

I love celebrating Christmas after Christmas because without those 12 days it just seems like this huge letdown.  Do you know what I mean?  I mean you plan forever, shop, wrap, cook, clean, decorate, and in a blink of an eye it's over.  But Jesus is born and we are taking more than a day to celebrate and I would encourage you to do the same, it's so great!

It's always so chaotic but always worth it.  Whew! 

For now though we are noshing on holiday snacks, swigging some nog, and staying very cozy indoors in our Christmas jammies and sweats.  Nick has over two weeks off over the holidays so with us it's just a big love fest as we are all together and enjoying one another without having to rush.  So wonderful.

This week between Christmas and New Years is when I start to think about the upcoming year.  I am completely not a "resolutions" lady at all. Not one bit. But I do think this is a good time of the year to evaluate if your life is in line with what God wants for you and if you are still headed towards your goals and dreams. 

And so with that I find myself thinking about this blog.  To be perfectly frank, this last year I set out to monetize this blog (start making some money!) and it has been very, very slow going.  Some things derailed me a bit but I am determined to make my blunders into beauties.  (My pastor said that this morning and isn't it just the best?)

So I hope I can encourage you all to do the same.  Look back at 2015 and think about the big events in your life.  Are there some things you kind of cringe about when your mind falls on them?  Give them to God and leave them at the feet of Jesus.  Stop carrying that baggage around.  You can't change it, you can't go back in the time and Marty McFly things.  Instead you can ask God to use them and then walk away, leaving them with him, and trusting that he will turn your blunders into beauty. 

Happy mid-holiday week.  I love you all so much!

The "Fun" of Christmas with Autism

This isn't one of those posts where I'm all like "Christmas with an Autistic Child is like a dream come true..." because it just stinks.

The case of the stinks starts pretty much right after Thanksgiving. Or rather on Thanksgiving.

Christmas tree getting leads to over load.  Decorating leads to overload.  Cookies lead to overload.  Church performances lead to overload.  Shopping leads to overload.  Everything leads to overload.

And a lot of times people don't see it unless you are in the house with an Autistic child.  THEN I'm sure you see it. 

Our son, Calvin, will fall asleep when he's overloaded.  People say "oh, the poor thing's had a busy day." 

Nope, he just can't take anyone or anything, anymore.

Which is a great coping mechanism until it's 2 am and he's raring to go while punching me in the face to watch this one commercial with him.  Over and over and over and over.

Oh the Christmas joy.

Then there are the times when he doesn't even try to hide his overloaded-ness from anyone.

Take last Sunday in church for example...

Our cute, adorable Emma (who I always seems to describe like Grover) sang in church with some other girls. Nick pulls out his phone to video tape it. 

So here is the next 2 minutes of Calvin, full volume, in church with a somewhat Veruca Salt tone in his voice:

"I knew you had your phone. 

Why can't I play games on your phone?

No cell phones in church!

No cell phones in church!

Let me play games on your phone!

Why not?

No cell phones in church!

No cell phones in church!

You never let me play games in church!"

Oh.sweet.baby.Jesus.

If you seeing me saying this to my son it's not because I don't love him but rather because I am tired of whisper arguing in church after 3 sleepless nights.

Anyway, this is one of those Autism Mom Public Service Announcements to say, if you know someone who has an Autistic child, please cut them a little slack.  We all have a lot on our plates this time of year but for those of us with a child from Autism it takes everything to a completely whole new level. 

Just imagine we're trying to pacify one child so they won't completely fly off the handle at an event or at home and we are trying to make sure the children who don't have autism aren't feeling like the autistic child is spoiled and everything is focused on them and we are trying to plan for every little thing...is aunt so and so wears her strong perfume and they are going to complain loudly about how bad she smells what are you going to do? Or if that dog that they hate is there what are you going to do? Or if other kids want a turn with the toys at Grandma's and they don't' understand, what are you going to to?  We have 18 backup plans with 2 more to have as backup plans to our backup plans.  All that coupled with remembering green bean casserole and wrapping gifts and everything can just feel chaotic and overwhelming.

So if you know a Momma (or a Daddy!) who's little one has Autism, a hug and a starbucks giftcard can go a long way towards making us feel like we're not in this alone.  That you get it.  That you're here for us. 

And if you are celebrating Christmas with a little one on the spectrum please don't be freaked out.  Be understanding but don't treat them with kid gloves.  They will be able to sense it and that alone will feel weird and foreign.  Just be you to them and loving and understanding if they need to back away.  Look for those signs.  The child isn't trying to be defiant or naughty by not wanting to participate or do something but rather that may be their way of shutting down as a coping mechanism to try to avoid overload. We sure love our little ones don't we?  Christmas is so special for them and even if they aren't participating or are struggling, they're still here doing it with us.  They know everything around them and they get it on a deep level, trust me. 

All that being said...

Merry Christmas!  I have a feeling it will definitely not be a Silent Night.

$14.99 and Under Sale at Gymboree with Free Shipping!

Gymboree is having an amazing sale!  $14.99 or less on everything with no exclusions! And shipping is free!  It's like Christmas gifts came early for us Gymbo loving Momma's!  

I am normally not a "jump on every sales bandwagon" kind of gal, but this one so close to Christmas seems pretty incredible! 

New coats? $14.99 or less! 

New Christmas outfits? $14.99 or less!

Emma and I went to Gymboree Monday while Cal was at therapy and I couldn't believe the deals we found.  I think we walked out with 6 things and I spend about $20.00.  We're starting to get into that Emma finding something and asking for it and she's just so gosh darn cute that it's hard to resist. I think I'm going to have to come up with a plan to avert my eyes from her as she's asking. 

Anyway...

Here are some of the things I LOVE!

Regularly $79.95, this adorable Olivia coat is only $14.99!  That's right folks! This would be a perfect church coat or to wear over your best girl's best outfit for Christmas!

This purple party dress will be adorable on your little Christmas angel and again, is only $14.99! Regularly $59.95 so this is a great deal!

Nick and I are huge fans of the boys sweaters at Gymboree.  We should start some sort of weird club and create bumper stickers.  Let's just say that I love them on him and then Nick likes them too so he usually gives me the okay to spend more than I usually would on irresistibly cute clothes for the boy. This cardigan is precisely what I'm talking about here but here it is only $14.99! Much easier to get him to let me shop with great prices!
 

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I feel like I should be running some type of used car commercial "prices so low, low, low!" But seriously folks, these prices are amazing!  And if you have a 20% off coupon you could use that too!  These prices are online and in store but with shipping being FREE with no minimum you could just shop from the comfort of your couch and yoga pants. 

But shop quick for Christmas delivery you have to get your order in by noon today!

Note: This blog contains affiliate links.  You can read my full disclosure policy here

Happy Shopping!