Adding a Baby to Your Homeschool Year

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I remember stressing last year, as my belly ever increased in size and the time drew near for Baby girl to be born. How would I juggle the itty bitty newborn-hood and preschooling my 4 year old at the same time? Thankfully my baby has been a very laid back one, and enjoys just watching her big brother. There were moments of difficult transition, but for the most part it went pretty smoothly. Now it's time to plan for an older baby/almost toddler to join our Kindergarten this year! Here is how I plan to do so...

Make them a part of your homeschool

When Baby girl was a newborn, this meant wrapping her up in a moby wrap and letting her nap while I taught my son. Now it is going to mean something different as she gets ready to start walking and discovering things in the school room (yikes!). I am trying to accommodate this by setting a boppy pillow lounger by our morning chair, so she can also be a part of our morning time. She may not last long enough to be involved in math and phonics, but she can join in the Morning Time of hymn singing, Bible reading, and the book we are reading. Here is how I am helping her stay in the room with us:

Have age appropriate items for them to use during 'school'

As she will go from being 9 months-18 months during the school year, I've set aside some items that she should enjoy that can be both entertaining and educational for her. I'm not much into the itty bitty 'school', and she won't be doing any traditional learning for a couple more years, but that doesn't mean she can't do things that will help her develop sensory, verbal, and motor skills! I've set aside a small area of Little Man's cube shelf to accommodate Baby Girl's items. Here are a few of the things that I've included:

Melissa and Doug chunky puzzles

Fisher Price Block sorter


Cloth and touch and feel books

Give yourself grace

Whether having a newborn that needs your undivided attention, or a older baby transitioning to toddlerhood that is having a meltdown-homeschool means that things can be flexible. I remember there were days when we had to wait until the afternoon to finish school, or scrambling to finish a project during nap time. Allow yourself to get out of the routine, if it means that everyone is able to get what they need. We do a 4 day schedule for that very reason! If something happens and we have to call it quits one of the days, there is always Friday to finish up all the things we were unable to do.


I know in a way I have it easy, as I only have the 2 little ones. Let me know, how do you juggle the itty bitty's and homeschool?

Space Themed Quiet Basket

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If you follow me here, you know I've included quiet time baskets in our Unplugged Summer. If you follow me on Instagram, you've seen these quiet time baskets up close (click on link and then saved stories to see these themed baskets-ocean, space, and vehicles!). This has been great, as my son is 4 and doesn't always take naps anymore. While Baby Girl is napping, he can quietly do a puzzle, look at a book, or do another themed activity. This is intended to be hands off for mom, as well, as we are off for the summer-so this isn't a unit study, just a way for quiet time learning. If you are looking for more space themed learning, click on one of the links in this Timberdoodle blog hop!

This post is on our Space themed basket, in honor of the 50th anniversary of the moon landing! I am adding links to everything I put in the basket, but feel free to shop around your own house and find things that fit the theme.

The other night we were coming home from an outing, and my son mentioned something he looked at in one of these books. He can't read yet, but I was very impressed with what he gathered from just looking at the pictures. These quiet baskets have also encouraged him to play with puzzles and activities he perhaps had forgotten about, and gave him independence to do each task himself. Enjoy this look into one of our favorite themed quiet baskets: Space!

Puzzles: Melissa & Doug Solar System Floor Puzzle (Floor Puzzles, Easy-Clean Surface, Promotes Hand-Eye Coordination, 48 Pieces, 36” L x 24” W), vintage occupations cardboard puzzle

Books and Activities: 

God Made Outer Space (Happy Day® Books: Level 3),The Magic School Bus Lost In The Solar System (forgot to add this to the picture, but he loves Magic School Bus books!),On the Space Station (A Shine-A-Light Book ), Wipe-Clean Space Activities (Wipe-Clean Activities), Solar System reader (no link).

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My Amazon Favorites!

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Amazon Prime Day is Monday and Tuesday, and in honor of all those good deals happening, I thought I would share my favorites that I've either been given, or ordered myself.

Baby:

If you are new to my blog, you may not know that I have a 7 month old baby girl. She is baby #2, so there is a bit of experience under my belt. Here are some things we got through Amazon, that I love during the baby months.

Baby Registry
Shop Amazon - Create an Amazon Baby Registry

The baby registry through Amazon Prime was simple to make, and once I checked off each category, and ordered one thing that was $10 or more ( I just registered for something I had planned to buy for the baby, anyway) I was sent a baby box. It didn't just have samples of baby products, but an entire package of wipes, 2 onesies, a muslin blanket, and much much more!

Aden and Anais Muslin Blankets

This is the set my baby girl was given. I'm not a brand snob for a lot of things, but this brand of Muslin blankets are a must! I've tried at least 3 other brands, and none of the others are as soft or durable as these. You not only use them when they are itty bitty for swaddling, but you can use them as burp cloths, to let them play on, get their diaper changed on, and when they're older, they make great lightweight blankets to sleep with!

Diaper Caddy

This was the product I didn't know I needed, with my son! I have used this as a bedside storage for in the middle of the night diaper changes. It keeps everything together and organized, and allows my nightstand to house more things than just baby items!

Here are some honorable mentions:

Baltic Amber Teething Necklace For Babies (Unisex) (Honey) - Anti Flammatory, Drooling & Teething Pain Reduce Properties - Natural Certificated Oval Baltic Jewelry with the Highest Quality Guaranteed

Hudson Baby Unisex Baby Animal Face Hooded Towel, Pretty Elephant 1-Pack, One Size (these are adorable! Plus great quality.)

Kids:

Ikea Dinnerware Set

When my son outgrew his baby dinnerware set, this set was the best quality for the price. At less than $30, you get everything-bowls, cups, plates, and serve ware. After 2 years of use, my only complaint is that the forks seem to show a lot of wear. I would still recommend this set for little ones needing to transition into 'big kid' dinnerware.

Paw Patrol Socks

If your house is like mine, socks get eaten by the washer and dryer! I like to get my son a big pack of white socks, so that it is easy to find a match, but my son still loves the character socks. So many times, character clothes are more expensive, and worse quality. These socks here, have held up very well, and less expensive than some in the store.

Other products in the kid category, can be found on previous blog posts.
My favorite travel products for kids
My favorite products for church
My favorite puzzles
My favorite games and activities

Personal Favorites

Now for the adult-y things!
I am only doing these in link format, as the first one is a bit personal. Some of you know that before Baby Girl, I struggled with infertility and loss. Something that helped me conceive were ovulation tests! These can be bought in bulk and cheaply-I have tried 2 brands so far, and these are my favorite. I still use these as natural family planning sources.

PREGMATE 50 Ovulation LH and 20 Pregnancy HCG Test Strips OPK LH Surge Predictor Kit Combo (50 LH + 20 HCG)

This next one is something that is probably old news, but I absolutely love!

Wet Brush Classic Brush, Black

Now that I've typed this out, I'm realizing that I have purchased a lot for my kids, and not so much in the adult category, lol!

I hope you have enjoyed this favorites list! If you don't have Prime, it's a great way to get free shipping, watch shows (They have so many great period dramas-my favorite!), and more!

Summer DIYs: Colorful Bin Makeover

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For the past two years, my front room has had a bright little corner dedicated to all things preschool. I was gifted the cubby shelves with the bright colored bins. They were wonderful for housing all the supplies I needed for preschool. Perhaps it's been all the beautiful Instagram accounts with farmhouse schoolrooms and woven baskets, but I've had the itch to take the color in this corner down a few notches. I don't want to take all the color out, but I want to keep most things neutral, so that the pops of color are that-pops of color.

Rope baskets are very popular, but can be a bit pricey, and hard to find for this particular set of cubbies. While shopping at the Dollar Tree, I got the idea to wrap the baskets I already had in some of the nautical rope they have. The results are perfect for my space! You can use dollar tree baskets for this project, if you don't have bins already at your house. For me, reusing the baskets I had, helped keep from buying anything new, and I automatically knew they would fit the area I had. If you do this project, be sure and tag me on social media!

Supplies:

Plastic Bin

Dollar Tree Nautical Rope (I wound up needing almost 2 of these)

Chalk Paint in the color of your choosing

Hot glue gun

Paint 2 coats of chalk paint, allowing the paint to fully dry between each coat. 

Once paint is dry, use a hot glue gun to glue rope to the plastic bin. Glue the rope until the bottom of the bin is covered! 

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There is the first step in my Homeschool room makeover! Check back in a few weeks, when I'll be sharing all the changes I've done to the space. Want to see how I decorated for Pre-K and Preschool? Click the links to see!

Summer DIYs: DIY Ladder Ball

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If you have been here long, you know we are having an unplugged summer this year! That means devices and TV are being limited which encourages us to be outside a lot more. Something we've been enjoying is my husband's corn-hole game. While at the beach we were introduced to another outside game: Ladder Ball (I know, I know, we are behind the times. We did know about it, just hadn't played it before). Since getting back my husband looked for one of his own, before deciding it would make a fun DIY!

Now, you can get your own, at Academy or Walmart for around $25 or one on Amazon for $35. The cheaper ones at Academy and Walmart are a little flimsy and might not be as sturdy. The one I will be sharing today is comparable in price, but with quality materials that will last! So if you are interest in building your own Ladder Ball set, stay tuned! Here are some notes before we get started:

• Skill Level: Easy
  If we could do it, you can do it! We enjoy a DIY every once in a while, but I wouldn't say we are experts...AT ALL. However, this was a simple enough project to put together.
• Time: About 5 hours, if you include waiting for the paint to dry. That honestly took the longest time. You could get all the components ready and painted in the morning, put it together once it's dry in the evening, and play the same day! I love DIY projects that only take a day to do. Any longer and I might lose motivation!

Here are all the parts you will need to do this project:

• 4, 10 ft  sections of 3/4" PVC pipe (36 ft total)  
• 12, 3/4"  PVC T fittings
• 4, 3/4" 90 degree PVC fittings
• Nylon Rope (144")
• 12 Golf balls
• Spray paint of your choice

Now for the tools you will need:

• Saw or PVC cutter 
• Tape measure
• Drill+ drill bit slightly larger than the nylon rope you choose
• some sort of glue if you want to make your ladder ball non portable. We decided to not use the glue

 Little Man wanted to help Daddy, so he gathered his own tools for the project!

Measure and cut 8, 2ft sections of PVC pipe, and 16, 1ft sections of PVC pipe.

Pipe has been measured and cut into 1ft and 2ft pieces. Now ready for some paint!

 We went with patriotic colors. My husband likes to think of it as Ole Miss colors, as he is a big fan, but most people are going to just see it as red white and blue.

 Once the paint dried it was time to assemble the pieces. Take 2 of your Ts and put a 2ft piece and a 1ft piece on each side of both Ts. Then take a 1ft section and put it on top of each. Add another T to each of the the bottom pieces and put a 2 ft (painted blue in picture) piece to connect them. Add a 1 ft piece on top of each to begin the 2nd rung. Repeat the last step, by connecting the two sides with Ts and a 2ft piece (not painted in the picture), with 1ft pieces going up.

Take your 90° PVC piece and add it to each side (connecting it to the 1ft sections). Add your last 2ft piece to finish the Ladder Ball set! (you will do this twice to make both pieces) 

For the Balls:

Take a drill bit larger than your nylon rope and drill a hole into each golf ball. We found it easier to tape the end of the rope and thread it through one of the balls. Tie a knot on each end of the ball. We also found it easier to then measure off 12", make a not, then thread the other ball. Add a knot to the end and burn the ends of the nylon, so they don't fray.

There you go! We took this set the next day to a family reunion and it was enjoyed by adults and kids alike! Here are the Ladder Ball rules, if you are unfamiliar with the game.

Have you ever played Ladder Ball? What are your favorite lawn games?