Habit Resolutions: 14 Day Challenges

The beginning of a new year always has us contemplating what things we want to change about our lives.

We want to get skinnier

We want to get organized

We want to read more

This year I'm asking different questions.

What habits can I form that will help me achieve my goals?

I want to lose baby weight and fit into smaller clothes. What Can I do to accomplish my goal? Set aside time for a 20 minute workout each day. If I can do this for 2 weeks, then the habit is formed. 

I want to get my home to a place where it only takes a few minutes to tidy each day. What can I do to accomplish my goal? This year I am forming a habit of setting aside 10 minutes each day to do the 'onion method' of decluttering. If you are unfamiliar with this, you can watch the Minimal Mom channel on YouTube. Her channel has a wealth of information on how to get your house under control. I think in the past I've expected too much out of myself. I want to set realistic, small habits to help me focus on getting things to a more manageable inventory. 

I want to read more and look at my phone less. A habit I want to form is to leave my phone on the bar when I go to feed my baby, and always have a book on hand to read or read to my kids. I am planning to make a list, so that I never have a problem figuring out what next to read. I am listing my favorite books from 2020 that you might want to check out for your list!

I want to teach my children habits for them to do, to both help their characters and me around the house. How do I achieve this goal? Set aside time to show Little Man the proper way to make his bed instead of just doing it myself or just getting by with sloppy work. Remind the kids to pick up after themselves, instead of being too lazy to stop and make sure things get done. 

If you can relate to any of this, check in with me on Instagram or Facebook. There I'll be doing a check in each day to see how you are achieving your goals and help provide accountability. Each week I'll be sharing tips and inspiration for each of these categories: Health habits, Decluttering habits, Reading habits, and Habit training with my kids. Be sure and write down your own 'habits' for each category and join me in the 14 day challenges starting January 4. 

Of course, I am wanting to do this for longer than 14 days, but since it takes 2 weeks to form a habit, I am wanting to start there. I will actually be posting about it consistently for the next 4-5 weeks, before I go to doing some monthly *goals*. So if you are seeing this 2-3 weeks later, never fear! You can start any time!

So get out a notebook or a planner and write down what you would like to do and join me! For me I have settled on a: 

• 10 min declutter
• 30 min tidy
• 30 min reading
• 15 min habit training for each kid
• 20 min workout

Excited to form new habits this year!

A Timberdoodle Christmas: My favorite Timberdoodle Products

I have been so blessed to work with one of my favorite companies, Timberdoodle. If you've followed me very long you know that I have been able to review many products. Today I decided to create a favorites list of products that my kids have come back to again and again. 

If you have young kids on your Christmas list, hopefully this list can help you decide on something that's not only fun but educational! 

 Baby and Tots

Animal Bingo

This and the product underneath it have been the most used products I've received, ever! Baby Girl gets this game out almost every day. She just turned 2 and can match all the animals, and it has helped her not only recognize the animals, but I truly believe it's helped her vocabulary. If you get one thing off this list, this is the one to get!

Dot a Dot Book and Marker Set

We loved this set so much I bought more books to go with it as gifts. This is perfect for both the much smaller ones in your life, up to early elementary. My 6 year old enjoys it as much as Baby Girl does! It is so colorful, fun, and *almost* mess free!

Indestructables Books

These books are bright, colorful, and so so sturdy! If you have a baby on your list and you want a gift that can last a long time, this is the thing to get! Sturdy for the itty bitty chewer, bright for the mesmerized tot, easy words for a sibling to help read to their brother or sister. I see Baby Girl pick up one of these books often. 

Young Elementary

My First Body Book

If you have a youngster who loves books and/or science this is a wonderful gift. My son continues to request this book again and again. We are actually using this as a foundation for a unit study. It's colorful, fun, and very educational. (also it's not a toy, so you'll make mom happy too!)

Gobblet Gobblers  

This game is fun for early elementary - adult! This is a fun spin on the traditional tic-tac-toe game, and my son has enjoyed playing it. Colorful and educational, in that it builds critical thinking skills. 

Smart Farmer

Speaking of Critical thinking skills this is a great game for both young and upper elementary grades. If you have a kid who loves puzzles, this would be perfect!

If you would like to see my complete list of what I've reviewed from Timberdoodle, you can find it here. I have loved all the products I've been gifted, but these are the products that are both giftable and tried and true favorites by my kids. 

How to Have a Cozy Christmas Homeschool Day

 Whew! What a mouthful of a title! I wanted to extend my 'Cozy Home' series to Christmas, as it's the most wonderful time of the year! So get out your blankets, snuggle under the Christmas tree, bring out your homeschool materials and get ready to have a cozy homeschool day!

Do School by the Christmas Tree

We often do math in the living room, as Little Man watches the Math-U-See dvd, and I am excited for math manipulatives by the tree! Any subject can become cozy and Christmas-y by bringing it to the Christmas tree.  Be ready for some distracted kiddos, mesmerized by ornaments they made when they were two, or wondering why they can see their reflections in the shiny ball ornaments, but that can also be a great time to walk down memory lane. I have ornaments from when my husband and I got married, when each of the kids were born, etc, and it's a great time to tell of the significance of each one. Homeschool isn't just about curriculum and problems to solve, it's about taking your kids on a journey of learning through all aspects of life!

Drink Hot Chocolate 

Last year we would occasionally add a 'hot chocolate day' to make the mundane homeschool day special. Little Man still remembers those days and talks about how fun they were. I like to add candy canes to mix the chocolate and mini marshmallows on top. This is a great activity to add to a read aloud or something you do as a family. This leads me to my next tip:

Add Christmas time learning to your Morning Basket

A few months ago I talked about our Morning Basket time. This is a time everyone comes and learns together. It can include music, Bible, read alouds, the possibilities are endless! During the Christmas season I like to include a Christmas hymn, Scripture reading and memorization from both the prophetic Old Testament verses about Jesus, and the Christmas story from Matthew and Luke. There are great resources for coloring sheets, workbooks and activities that kids can work on while they listen to Scripture. 

Bake Christmas Cookies Together!

I'm pretty sure I mentioned this in my fall cozy time post, but this time I'll share some of my favorite cookies to make with the kids! I have found that making the dough beforehand and getting it all chilled and set out, plus already having the icing made up makes for a much smoother time with the kids. I used to include them in every step, but I found that by the time it was time to cut out the cookies and decorate them, they were tired and grouchy. Here are my favorite recipes, plus my favorite cut outs!

My Favorite Gingerbread Cookies

My Favorite Sugar Cookies

Icing:

1/2 stick of butter softened
Powdered Sugar
Milk
Vanilla

I do everything by consistency. I blend the

butter and powdered sugar together and add just a table spoon of milk at a time until the consistency  is right. I add vanilla for flavor and whatever color I want to add. There are royal icing recipes on Pinterest, but I haven't found one I really like. 

I hope you get inspired to add a little sparkle and Christmas time joy to your homeschool day. So many of these 'ideas' might seem like no-brainers, but sometimes we get so much into the mundane that we forget to make things special (Myself included!). 

5 Cozy Fall Crockpot Recipes

As a busy mom of 3 I am always on the lookout for good crock-pot meals. When it comes to trying out seasonal favorites Pinterest is my normal go to place to find new and exciting recipes. Unfortunately, when you type 'fall crock-pot meals' what comes up is soup. My husband dislikes soup, so this makes 99.9% of the recipes out of the question for our family. What do I cook in the crock-pot for our no-soup family? 

Today I am sharing 2 crock-pot recipes of my own, and 3 more recipes that are tried and true favorites from Pinterest. If you are stumped on what to cook for dinner (or breakfast for dinner) then I hope this will offer some inspiration! 

Apple Butter

This is a great recipe to do with your kids! It's both a recipe with just a few ingredients, and quick to put together, which is perfect for young helpers. We bought these knives for Little Man, so he could learn about cutting up fruits and veggies. 

I also want to add that I added Pumpkin Pie spice, instead of each individual spice you'll find on most recipes. I did this to lesson the amount of ingredients. I think they also make an apple pie spice mix, but this is what I had on hand and it turned out perfect! Here is the recipe:

8 medium sized apples 
1 cup brown sugar
2 teaspoons Pumpkin Pie Spice
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 tablespoon vanilla

Chop up apples, skin and all and place into crockpot. Add the rest of the ingredients and turn the crockpot on low. Cook on low for 8 hrs, blend in a blender and add it back to the crockpot to cook for about 30/45 more minutes. Add to jars.  

If you wanted to start this first thing in the morning you can have one of my favorite easy dinners: breakfast for supper. Fry up some bacon, maybe whip up a couple of eggs and slather this delicious warm apple butter on biscuits, toast, waffles, pancakes, whatever!

I love supper recipes that I can put together at lunch time and this next recipe is a perfect recipe for that! My husband loves a chunkier chili (again, we aren't a soup family) so you'll see beans and a good amount of meat. You can adjust this to fit your family's preference!

Chili

1 lb of ground beef
1/2 a medium onion, diced
1 can of beans (pinto, kidney, black beans, etc.), drained
1 28 oz can of petite diced tomatoes in tomato juice
Chili seasoning mix (I make my own by combining about a teaspoon of each (garlic powder, chili powder, creole seasoning, paprika)
Salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup (or more if you like thinner chili) Chicken stock

Brown ground beef and onion in a pan. Add 1/2 of seasoning to meat as it cooks. Add it and the rest of the ingredients to the crockpot and cook on low for 4 hrs. 

Other Crockpot recipes we love on Pinterest:

Healthy Crock Pot Pulled Pork This is absolutely delicious! My kids loved this and no one noticed that I used sugar free BBQ sauce (Sweet Baby Ray's all the way). 

Red Beans and Rice  This is one of my favorite cold day favorites. It will 

Crockpot Caesar Chicken  This is an anytime favorite that can be served with a quick veggie. 

5 Ways to Have a Cozy Home for Fall

 

When I say 'cozy home' what do you think of? Warm blankets? Candles? The other day it was one of those crisp cold days (okay, cold in the south, which is where the temps are in the 50s!) where I honestly just wanted to curl up in a ball on the couch with a good book and a cup of coffee or tea. I'm a mom, so that didn't happen. Actually, all this staying at home all the time can be a big downer on your mood. However, even spending so much time with your crew, and in your home, you can get that cozy home feel, I promise! If you are a mom and yearning for that cozy home feel, here are some ways you can help make your home feel cozier!

Do a quick clean of the house

Set a timer for 15 minutes per room. You'll be surprised what you'll be able to accomplish in such a short amount of time, and for me personally, it helps me to be less anxious. A cluttered house can lead to a cluttered mind! Nothing says cozy more than a freshly cleaned house-it's almost like I can actually breathe and rest once it's clean. For those with young kiddos-you may have to lower expectations. Toys will get back out, spills will happen, handprints will reappear, but having things tidied as much as possible, and wiped down will certainly be a step in the right direction! 

Light a candle

I am not sponsored by Bath and Body Works at all, but if you get the Pumpkin Pecan Waffles, or Blueberry Pumpkin Waffles (notice a theme here?! haha) you can't go wrong! I love the smell of baking, and both the scent and the ambiance put me in a cozy mood. So stop what you are doing (yes! I give you permission to stop reading my post for a few minutes) go do a quick tidy and light a candle and see if doesn't help your mood!

Listen to some encouraging music

We really like our home Google Device. Listening to positive Christian music helps me get those chores done with a better attitude. Pouring out my thanks to God helps me appreciate the home given to me. I also feel like this helps calm the chaos that my house feels like 24/7! 

Read a Good Book with your Children

So you no longer have the luxury of curling around a good book and a cozy blanket on a cold rainy day, but bringing your children around you on the couch with the same snuggly blankets can be just as refreshing. My favorite Read alouds are the Little House books, Chronicles of Narnia, Ann of Green Gables, and Little Britches series (reader discretion advised-it contains some language. Mom can easily read around it though!). What are your favorite books to read together as a family?

Bake Cookies together!

Maybe this should be done first, since it makes such a big mess, but there is just something about freshly baked cookies on a wet, cold day. We recently made homemade chocolate cookies from scratch. I decided to do a merge of Magnolia's and a family recipe. The secret to good cookies is vanilla! Some don't include this, and also, less butter. Try 1 stick instead of 2 and the texture is so much better. Here is how we made ours (I didn't have baking soda, so I used baking powder and they turned out fine!)

Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 stick of butter
3/4 cup white sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 egg
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 1/4 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 package of chocolate chips (I used a whole 2 cup package and it was super chocolaty and we had chocolate chips that simply didn't stick to the dough)

Preheat oven to 375F. Mix butter, sugars, egg, and vanilla, then add flour, baking soda and salt. Mix together-should make a pretty thick dough. Add chocolate chips. Make balls (not sure of size...they kept their shape pretty well!) and slightly push them down on the tray. Bake for 9 minutes. Should make about 30 cookies

Math U See Alpha Review

 In my post about what had and hadn't worked last year, I talked about how Saxon was the one bit of curriculum that simply didn't work with Little Man. I made the decision to switch to Math U See, and I am so glad I did! I chose the Alpha to begin, and Little Man has been flying through it. Today I am sharing my thoughts, pros and cons with you. This isn't sponsored or gifted, I am just wanting to share with you my experience. And that is what it is...my experience. Just like with Saxon, you may have a different experience. Every child and situation is different, and so curriculum needs will be different as well!

Math U See is math...that you see! It comes with not only the Workbook, teacher book, test book, and DVD, but also with manipulative blocks to help the child see the different numbers units-tens-hundreds. Math U See uses the blocks to build numbers, and the workbooks to write, and the child also says the numbers as well. Each lesson concentrates on a certain topic and repeats the topic until the student fully understands what is being taught. This has helped my son so much! By the time the week is over, he has a full grasp on what is being taught. 

I actually have a 'hack' for that-when doing a lesson, if your child understands the material first try, you can skip to the review, and if your child is able to do that with no problems then you can go straight to the enrichment and then test. Going through the 'easy' lessons quickly allows extra time for a student to spend in the lessons that might be harder for them to grasp. 

Something that my son has really enjoyed about the curriculum are the Enrichment lessons. These are often dot-to-dots, 'coloring by number', drawing word problems, or doing silly word problems. My son refers to these as the 'fun' lessons. I love when fun is mixed with learning! 

One con I see with this curriculum is that it doesn't focus on things like days of the week, months of the year, etc. It does teach telling time at the end, but the other things I have to go over with him myself. This is a small thing though, and we go over dates and things often. 

Overall, I highly recommend Math U See Alpha! My son doesn't dread (actually he quite looks forward to it!) math any more, and it is something he can do almost independently. Having a couple of subjects that don't take all of my attention, really help as I navigate the whole 2 under 2 thing! Do you have any questions? Let me know!

All About Spelling 1: A Timberdoodle Review

 

This past summer we did very little school work. With preparations being made for Itty Bitty's arrival, and trying to enjoy both the summer and the projects we worked on, it just always seemed to get put on the back burner. I was worried that Little Man would forget all the reading progress we made last year. I was eager to to try All About Spelling and see if it would help Little Man. I was very blessed to be gifted this curriculum from Timberdoodle Co. While it may have been given to me, my opinion is entirely my own! 

When our package arrived from Timberdoodle it was almost like getting a Christmas gift with all the pieces, boxes and books that came with the curriculum set. A teacher book, card box for words the child will master, 2 sticker charts, stickers, magnets with the tiles to go with it, and a big bag to put it all in. While the set may seem pricey at first, it comes with so much!

I was a bit overwhelmed with all the punching out and prep work needed to start. Even though the prep work was a bit extensive, once you have the prep work done, doing spelling each day is a snap! Little Man brings me the bag and everything we need is in one place. Not only that, but the teacher book is AMAZING! It tells you every little thing you need to know or do. 

Inside the teacher book there are hints and tips for not only ways to teach, but methods to teach. All About Spelling is a multi-sensory spelling curriculum, that doesn't bombard a student with writing spelling words a hundred times, but in helping them master sounds that will in turn help them spell. This has helped my son so much with review and helped him get right back into school when we started back. He very quickly went to where he was before in reading, even though I was worried that level 1 would be too easy (turns out it was greatly helpful for the transition we needed). 

Something else that I love about this curriculum is that each lesson is called a 'Step'- not lesson or weeks. This helps a student go through it at their own pace. I'm not worried at what 'week' we are on, I just worry about mastery instead. 

After my son gets done with each step, he gets to put a sticker on that step. This is extra encouragement as he accomplishes each level, and also helps him see where he is in mastering the curriculum. He looks forward to spelling each day, and has done really well through it. I've seen it help him in other aspects of learning, as well. 

In conclusion, if you've been on the fence about this curriculum, I want to say that I recommend this 100%! Don't let the prep-work overwhelm you, or the price deter you, I promise it's worth it! In just a few weeks, I saw my son start being able to pick apart words by sounds, which in turn helped him not only spell but read. I plan to re-approach this curriculum at the end of the year to give you an update, but right now it gets two thumbs up!

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