Confident Foundation

Tips To Make Laundry Quicker & Easier

Legalese Disclosure Nonsense: The reviewer has been compensated in the form of a Best Buy Gift Card and/or received the product/service at a reduced price or for free

Mt. Washmore

When I first heard this description of what we as moms tackle in regards to laundry I just had to laugh. At times it definitely feels like I’m tackling Mt. Washmore. As I love to work smarter, not harder I’ve come up with some tips and tricks that help make laundry a whole lot faster and easier, and today I’m sharing them with you!

Tip 1: Condense Your Loads

Figure out what you can wash together safely and easily! For me I personally have 3 loads I always do– Dark Towels, Jeans, and Dark Underwear & Socks all go in one load–this is my load that always get washed in hot water and a super scrubbing mode! Load #2 is all my light colored items of every shape and size. Load #3 is my darks & reds of any other kind. With just these 3 categories I can easily wash all our clothes in a way that will make them last a long time but also combines similar enough items to give me just a few big loads (but that’s getting into a future tip)

Tip 2: Sort As You Go

If you have a laundry room with space this is an amazing trick! As I mentioned I do 3 loads so I have 3 small, foldable baskets without lids located in our laundry room. For my kids instead of having them throw their dirty clothes into a hamper, I have the bring it straight into the laundry room and put it in the right basket. Our master bath/closet is further away and where our dirty clothes end up, so I have a small basket for us, but every few days I take it into the laundry room and sort it out quickly. This means once it’s laundry day you’re ready to go!

Tip 3: Do It All

I know some people who do their laundry all week long, but I’ve found for me personally this wastes a lot of time. I always try to get a head start on my laundry on the weekend, or start Monday morning. Since I only have the 3 loads I can do all those large loads over 2 or 3 days, , and then have all my laundry done for the week no matter how busy I am. This is a huge time saver for me and it feels great to know I’m “done” with laundry until the next week!

Tip 4: Get A New Machine With Better Features & Energy Saving

Do you have a clunker that’s as old as the hills and as energy efficient as a huge, black cloud billowing machine? An upgraded washer and dryer will save you time, energy, and money! And right now at Best Buy, you can get new ENERGY STAR®  certified electronics and appliances that include these features:

  • Better for you – ENERGY STAR certified clothes washers and dryers save energy, which means that you will save on energy bills. Save $490 over the lifetime of an ENERGY STAR certified clothes washer and even more with an ENERGY STAR washer/dryer pair. Many are also equipped with advanced features that make cleaning and drying easier and more effective.
  • Better for the environment – Saving energy means that ENERGY STAR certified washers and dryers help protect the climate, which means that your kids and the planet will benefit for years to come. Clothes dryers that have earned the ENERGY STAR use approximately 20% less energy than standard models.
  • Better for your clothes – ENERGY STAR clothes washers use a variety of sophisticated cleaning methods that are gentler on your clothes, while ENERGY STAR clothes dryers use less heat and sensor drying which reduces wear and tear on clothes from over-drying.

To learn more about ENERGY STAR you can check out this fun video here, or read this great article here!

What are your tips and tricks for making laundry faster and easier? I’d love to hear them!

Easy Ways To Sneak Adventure Into Your Family’s Life

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #BornToShred #ShredTheDay #CollectiveBias

There are a couple of quotes that I love, that I feel so strongly about it’s like I came up with them (or, rather, could have if I’d been so clever). You’ve heard me say them before, and chances are you’ll hear me say them again. But they’re Just. That. Good.

Collect Memories, Not Things

&

Not All Who Wander Are Lost ~ J. R. R. Tolkien

Life is the sum of the experiences we have, and the people that we share them with. As a busy-crazy parent, though, it’s all too easy to lose sight of that in the million-mile long to-do list. Especially during this time of year, it’s far too easy to lose our sense of adventure and playfulness and focus on the urgent instead of the important. So today I want to really encourage you to block out some time for some adventure! There’s another new quote I just came across that I love, too:

We were born to play. We were born to move. We were born to laugh and to seek adventures both big and small. We were born to live a full, flavorful live. We were Born to Shred. ~ Shredded Wheat Cereal

I love this!! It so embodies the life I want to live and give my family.

However, as you recently saw when I shared how I rock this back to life season, I’m as crazy busy as everyone else! I don’t have the time, money, or energy for going to Europe or Skydiving at the moment. There are plenty of ways to fill your life with adventures that you can easily sneak into even your busy crazy weeks! So today I’ll be sharing them with you, plus giving you practical tips for how to make sure they actually happen.

But first…

I just *couldn’t* be an adventuring mom of nearly 10 years without throwing in some tips and tricks on how to make your adventure go smoothly!! After all, while chaotic adventures are still adventures, they don’t exactly make for the sweetest memories.

Fuel Up! Whatever you’re into, fuel it with Post® Shredded Wheat! Hanger is a true thing (at least in this family) and making sure that everyone is well fed before heading out for the day not only saves you money, it also ensures that you’ll be able to tackle your adventure!

Shredded Wheat has just come out with 3 delicious new Frosted flavors which are Mixed Berry, Cinnamon Roll, and S’mores Bites! Not only are these perfect for breakfast, but they also make great on-the-go adventure snacks! One of my kids all-time favorite snacks to bring along is dry cereal in a baggie, and these delicious combos are perfect for that!

Extra Awesome? Right now you can take advantage of this great iBotta offer for Shredded Wheat cereal at Walmart and earn $3 cash back! Just click on the picture to get all the details!

Once you’re fueled up for the day, bag some extra for a snack, bring along drinks, make sure your car is all set, and head out on one of these Easy Adventures!

*Explore Every Local Park In Your Hometown

Most cities have a website with a Parks Directory. Search for yours or even find it by looking up the map views of your hometown online. Then visit each park at least once with your family! Parks are my favorite spot for easy week day adventures. Especially here in Texas they usually are so much more than just playgrounds and can include fishing ponds with ducks and turtles, hiking paths, sports fields, and more! Often parks will have special events that happen in them, so search these up too for a chance to find out about concerts, movies, and yearly events that happen there.

*Visit Your Closest National or State Park, or Nature Preserves

These are gorgeous gems that often tourists will travel for days (or in the case of National Parks, the world) to see. The crazy thing is that I’ve often found that the locals have never visited these spots, or only gone a handful of times. Pick one of these and make a day trip on a weekend! These also often have websites completely dedicated to all there is to do, see, and participate in them. In Wyoming, my parents live just a day trip away from all of all the above, and they even include the wide variety of desert regions to the gorgeous mountains lakes and streams!

*Check Out A Locally Owned Store You’ve Never Visited On the Town Square

How many locally owned stores do you have in your town? Even (and especially) in itty-bitty towns there are Mom and Pop Stores, Local Bakeries, and Thrift Stores. Hit up your main town square which usually includes a beautiful mix of old buildings and these shops and poke into places you’ve never been! You might even discover little, hidden treasures like we did when we stumbled across a little free library in our town square.

*Go Painted Rock Hunting & Hiding

While traditional rock hunting has always been loads of fun, there’s a new twist to this classic past time that’s popping up everywhere! People are painting rocks, then hiding them for others to find. Anyone can join in on the fun, and you can easily find or start a group for your hometown using Facebook!

*Learn A New Skill As a Family–like Archery or Taekwondo

Pick a hobby or skill that every member of your family can participate in, and then do it! This can be as simple as searching for videos on how to do a few simple moves or steps of a skill, or you can get dedicated and sign up the entire family to learn together! Active skills are great, but this could also be something like finding a group video game to do together or completing a DIY project.

Want to remember these plus even more ideas? Here’s a printable for you as a way to get inspired to sneak adventure into your life!

Want to make sure this actually happens? Take out your calendar now! Pick 4 of the easiest and put them on your schedule, one a week. Now, pick one of the bigger adventures and put it down for one weekend in the coming month. Then repeat! I promise that if you carve out the time you won’t regret it! The rich experiences and new memories will make you feel alive and encourage you as it draws you closer together as a family. Every state and hometown has its own unique hidden treasures, and I’ve found you’ll love and appreciate where you live so much more when you take a few minutes to go adventuring to them and discover new ones along the way!

Don’t forget to Fuel Up With Your Favorite New Shredded Wheat Flavor before and on the go! Looking for even more amazing and inspiring ideas? Check out all the great ones on Pinterest Here!

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Creative Solutions To Teaching & Rewarding Your Older Kids

Legalese Disclosure Nonsense: I’m being compensated to share this fun, interesting new option for rewarding your kids with you today!

 

It’s clear by many different posts that I’ve shared with you why I think that having your kids help around the house is so beneficial. I’ve shared our system with you, and how it’s evolved through the years. We’re still using the method where the kids work to earn money or screen time. This is perfect for the ages they’re at, but as Amber gets older at a lightning speed, I’ve been thinking towards the future.

So when I first heard about BusyKid I thought it was a super intriguing idea! It is estimated that nearly 80 percent of millennials are not invested in the stock market.  I agree that the stock market has always felt super intimating to me. Although I have an IRA I’ve never actively participated in purchasing stock. I love this easy way to introduce your kids to it, and how it opens up their options for the money they earn. I thought my readers with older kids would especially appreciate learning about this new and innovative option!

Also, did you know that right now in the US, only 7 states require high school students to pass a basic finance test in order to graduate, and it’s possible depending on where you live, that your child would never spend one hour talking about this important topic before being on their own. This means as parents we need to make sure our kids are equipped with the skills and knowledge they’ll need to succeed.

For a limited time, 2 kids of each new family will receive a free $10 stock.  BusyKid wants kids to learn how to invest so they decided to give them their first experience in dealing with the stock market. Also, right now you can enroll the entire family for $14.95 a year and get first 30 days free.

So what exactly is BusyKid and how does it work? Here’s some information from the company:

Think of BusyKid as your child’s first job with direct deposit. Your child can earn, save, share, spend and invest a weekly allowance. By using BusyKid regularly from a young age, your children can start building a routine they can use when it’s time for them to be living on their own.

Earn Your Stock – Let your children earn money to invest by completing chores around the house. By using BusyKid, your children can automatically turn their allowance into investments. In addition to the stock option, you can also use BusyKid to make direct donations to several charities, to transfer funds to bank accounts.

There’s also the option to Add a BusyKid Spend Card (rechargeable Debit Card) for just $5 per year. The BusyKid Spend Card allows your child to spend allowance in-stores or online, or transfer fund to other bank accounts.

I love how these options set up an account that mimics the real world while still letting the parent be in charge of a completely customized system!

To get the whole scoop on this innovative new system visit their website here!

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5 Ways To Power Through Your Crazy Week

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, INC., The Coca-Cola Company, and Conagra Brands all opinions are mine alone. #PowerfullySmart #CollectiveBias

Life. Is. Busy.

I know, I know. It’s a recurring theme around here lately. But seriously, this time of year is SO BUSY for me, and I know it is for you, too! For a while, I was just really struggling to keep up the energy and drive that I needed to tackle this season (literally and figuratively).

The first thing I did was to get organized and come up with a schedule to keep things on track and from slipping through the cracks. I recently shared that with you in my How To Rock Your Back To Life post. All the organization in the world, though, doesn’t do you a bit of good if you’re so exhausted you can’t get through it, or so distracted that you can’t focus.

So today I’m sharing with you things I’m doing in my life to be able to Power Through My Busy Week and actually manage to accomplish half of that list!

Get Enough Rest

Again, I know, I know. You’ve heard this one a million times, and chances are you might even laugh at it. Like, HOW is it possible to get enough rest? This one has always been super challenging for me, too. For one, I’m a night person so living in a morning person world now that the kids are in school is not pleasant. Also, I’m one of those “lucky” people who truly does need 8-9 hours of good sleep or their whole world is out of joint.

These are the things that have really helped me be able to get the rest I need. Some you’ve heard before, and others are a little non-conventional, but hopefully, they’ll get your mind going on how YOU can get the rest you need. As you’ll see you can tweak your routine according to your personality. The more you know about yourself the more you’ll be able to make it work. For example, extroverts and introverts both need time alone each day–but for opposite reasons!

  • Early Bedtimes For Kids – So a lifesaver for me is that my kids have early bedtimes. Even at ages 7 & 9, they’re both still in bed with doors shut at 7:30 almost every night. Then they can stay up reading or cleaning/organizing their rooms until 8, which is lights out. They’re both extroverts, like me, so this time alone helps them to get tired and shut down their brains for the night. Which plays right into the next step
  • Intentionally Wind Down— When my kids go down for the night is also when I stop working. I shut down my email and my social media and I “mush” for the night. This is so helpful. As I mentioned I’m an extrovert and a night person. In order for me not to be jazzed and my brain not to be whirling into the middle of the night, I have to intentionally shut it down. Plus I think there really is something to that screen light keeping you awake theory (look it up if you’re curious). Cuddling up in a comfy room, with dim lights, and a good book makes it possible for me to pass out easily at a decent time every night!
  • Sleep In — Yepp. You read that right. While there are a ton of articles on the merits of waking up early, I’ve found it’s best for me if I hit that snooze. My kids actually are up *before* I am. *gasps*. But, as I mentioned, they’re the ones who have to be up, dressed, and ready for the day early on. All I need to do is be up in time to make sure they’re good to go, haven’t forgotten anything, and drive them to drop off. It’s amazing what this extra 20 minutes of light snooze does for me each morning. It gives my inner not-a-morning-person a chance to ease into the day–while still in my cozy bed.

Power Up With Your Food

I hate breakfast. I wish I didn’t and I know how (supposedly) it’s the most important, but usually, I skim by with just a little of something like Greek Yogurt. I think it’s that whole “not a morning person” thing still. Because I go lightly on breakfast, though, it means I need a delicious, filling, and smart meal to help me power through the rest of my busy day. I also need something convenient and quick. Since I work from home I don’t want to spend a lot of time whipping up a meal during my precious little lunch break.

Que Healthy Choice® Power Bowls and smartwater. This dynamic duo is the perfect answer to lunch!

First off, let’s talk hydration. Because, really, it should go without saying, but I will anyway. There’s absolutely no way to power through your busy week if you’re not staying hydrated with water! Personally drinking water is one thing that I’ve always been really good at. I love it and it loves me! I know so many of my readers have trouble drinking water, though, so I’d love to introduce you to smartwater. It comes in this gorgeous, sleek packaging and is vapor-distilled for purity, inspired by the clouds, with just the right amount of electrolytes for a uniquely clean taste. If you don’t drink enough water because of disliking how it tastes, you need to purchase this brand! I love the size of the bottle, too. For someone who chugs water all day, this is the just-right amount for lunch or when I’m out and about!

And now for the food! For me, food has to taste delicious, or I just don’t want it. However, I know I need power for my days so I’m trying to be more intentional about what I’m putting in my body. That’s why I was attracted to Healthy Choice® Power Bowls. They are food with purpose that insist that every ingredient matters. They’re also made with an intentional balance of vegetables, proteins, and whole grains to fuel your lifestyle. They come in a variety of bold, fun flavors:

  • Adobo Chicken Bowl
  • Cuban-Inspired Pork Bowl
  • Chicken Sausage And Barley Bowl (my favorite!! I just love the flavor combination in this one, soooo tasty and filling!)
  • Korean-Inspired Beef Bowl

You can find both these products at Walmart! And right now you can even Earn .75 cash back when you purchase Healthy Choice® Power Bowls at Walmart (any variety – any size) through iBotta!

Another thing to do when you’re eating is to **Just Eat**

This is a tough one. When your schedule gets so completely jam-packed it’s possible to want to over-task every single second. I’ve found that this ends up in a very frazzled, tired, and stressed out me! Even if you’re making these for on the go, find a spot, sit down, and actually just *enjoy* eating and drinking. It only takes a few moments and just the act of taking a break and enjoying your food makes a huge difference in giving you power and energy for your day!

Create a Stress-Free Space

This is another big one! When you get overly busy is also when those things that *can* slip through the cracks, do. Often this means that workspaces get super chaotic looking and cluttered. For me, clutter absolutely adds stress into my life. I find it much harder to focus and concentrate when working in an untidy space (although usually, I don’t even consciously realize that’s what’s going on). This also applies to my first step, as well. If your master bedroom looks like a storage room instead of a restful oasis, chances are it’s adding to your exhaustion. Clear the clutter, add in some items that bring you joy, and get back to being productive! Wondering how on earth you can find the time to do this with your current workload? Read on!

Find Your Sweet Spot

In my post on organization, I mentioned how using timers can be huge for helping increase focus and productivity. Learning how and when you work best can make or break this system. For example, I’ve found that when I’m working at the computer I’ll be super focused….and then “all of a sudden” I’ll find myself rabbit trailing down a sea of mindless social media scrolling, stray post clicking, or thinking about the million other to-dos.

By using my timers I’ve found that my brain can focus and work hard for 30-45 minutes. At this point, I start to get distracted by everything. So now I set my timer for 30-45 minutes depending on my daily schedule. Then after that, I reset my timer for 10-15 minutes to do something that breaks me away from whatever I’ve been focused on. Usually, I try to make this something when I get up and move around. So these time chunks are where you’d work in de-cluttering your work area! It’s amazing how much you can get done in 10-15 minutes when you’re motivated. Since I work from home this is the block of time that I do my laundry and other housework in. It takes the time that my brain would automatically be zoning out in and works in active, productive activities. I find once I’m back it’s so much easier to refocus!

Move Your Body

When your life gets busy crazy it’s soooo easy to also let being active slip to the wayside. Again, this is one of the worst things you can do since it’s a great source of energy! I’ve found that during this time of life I just have to get super creative with *how* I’m sneaking exercise into my routine. As you know for a long while I worked on our treadmill once the kids were in bed each night. Over the past half a year, however, for several reasons that just wasn’t working well any longer. Then I came up with a great idea.

When my kids worked out, I joined them! At first, this looked like me playing with them on the playground. When I ran us by after school, instead of scrolling on my phone while they played tag, I joined in! This was a great “work smarter not harder” move as it combined quality time with them and moving for me.

This summer they joined our local martial arts school. For months I’ve sat and watched them while I played on my computer a few times a week. Then I realized that with the group discount rate my husband and I could both join in for just a little bit extra each month. Last week I officially started and we’re all loving it! Our local school combines kid and adults, so we’re all out there together. Again, a super win for working smarter not harder.

Chances are good you have active kids, too. When they’re active find a way to move *your* body as well. That might be playing with them, or walking around the track, or going out for a jog during that time. It’ll look different for us all, but it doesn’t have to be hard!

Have any amazing tips I missed? I’m always looking for more ways to power through my own oh-so-crazy days!  Leave me a comment letting me know and don’t forget to use the iBotta offer on your next trip to Walmart!

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How Books Changed Our Lives–One Family’s Literacy Journey

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser.  All opinions are mine alone.  #MyLiteracyStory #DGMyStoryEntry #CollectiveBias

We all know reading is important. If you can read, you can learn about the things that fascinate you and experience far-off places you long to visit and see life through the eyes of someone who is different from you, all within the pages of a book.  As a homeschooling mom, every day of my week centers around reading with my children and encouraging them to appreciate and love reading.  For the last 5 years we’ve been using the Charlotte Mason method for our home school, which focuses mainly on learning through reading great literature.  All those hours we’ve spent immersed in great books have shaped us so much as individuals and as a family.  My kids haven’t just learned history and science and grammar.  They’ve learned empathy and compassion and courage, and that “normal” doesn’t mean “exactly like me.” Reading has a way of changing us for the better, and it’s a joy that everyone should be able to experience.

That’s why I’m so excited to share with you about the Dollar General Literacy Foundation and how they’re making the dream of reading a reality for so many people. Since it began, the Foundation has awarded more than $140 million to nonprofit organizations and schools that have helped over 9 million people improve their literacy and education. That’s a lot of good!  You can learn more about this literacy initiative and also enter the #DGMyStory sweepstakes to win a $50 Dollar General gift card (nice!) by clicking here and sharing your own personal literacy story with the hashtag #DGMyStoryEntry.

And now I can support a cause that’s really important to me by buying the cereals my family loves anyway, because Kellogg’s® is a proud sponsor of the Dollar General Literacy Foundation! Head over to your local Dollar General to pick up some Kellogg’s cereals. I found several varieties on an end cap in the food section and grabbed a few because we really like our cereal around here.

This initiative is a great example of the fact that every day, Kellogg employees work together to fulfill their vision of enriching and delighting the world through foods and brands that matter.   Hover over the image below to be a part of this great initiative and start conveniently shopping right now for Kellogg’s timeless cereals, including Rice Krispies®, Froot Loops®, Frosted Flakes®, and my family’s favorite, Frosted Mini-Wheats®!

Check out the literacy stories featured on select Kellogg’s cereal boxes and be inspired by the encouraging stories people have shared.  We’ve all been on some sort of journey that relates to reading, and sharing our stories with each other has a way of connecting us.

Each of my children has unique strengths, interests, struggles, and abilities, so it makes sense that each one would learn to read in a different way and at a different pace.   Today I’m going to share about my experiences in teaching three very different kids to read and how we have all grown as a result of reading.

Let me introduce you to my 10-year-old.  Sweet, helpful, conscientious, thoughtful…a typical firstborn child.  Teaching her to read should have been a joy.  She was eager to please and willing to learn anything I wanted to teach her.  Unfortunately for her, we had friends whose 3-year-old was doing a reading program and already knew more than my almost-kindergartener.  My daughter could recognize letters and knew many of the sounds (which, in hindsight, was absolutely fine), but comparison had me in its clutches and in my mind we were suddenly way behind.  I got the same online program that our friends were using and she started official reading lessons.  While my daughter caught on quickly and was soon able to read short words, it wasn’t a joy for either of us.  She didn’t love reading, and that broke my literature-loving heart.

So I did some serious soul searching and realized I was burdening both of us with an unspoken pressure to measure up to a ridiculous and unnecessary standard.  Did I want her to learn to read early just to keep up with someone?   No! I wanted her to learn to read in a way that made reading enjoyable.  So I took the pressure off and went back to the things that make reading fun–books!  I started simply reading lots of books to her again for the sheer pleasure of it.  Reading became fun again. When she started kindergarten and it was time to pick up reading lessons again, it was a breeze.  This time I had the ultimate goal in sight–cultivating a love of reading.  We tried some traditional methods, like flash cards and early readers, and some hands-on activities using things like Easter eggs and popsicle sticks.  But no matter what approach I used this time, her reading improved rapidly because now there was no pressure and she could learn for the joy of it!

Then came my son.  Energetic, creative, stubborn, wild and wiggly…he didn’t have the time or inclination to sit and learn anything in the “normal” way.  Luckily I had learned my lesson already and was determined not to make learning to read a chore for him.  So I spent hours just reading books to him and my girls.  When I read biographies or mythology or poetry to his older sister for her lessons, he sat at our feet building creations with Legos.  He seemed completely engrossed in what he was doing, but he was quietly listening to every word.  He would exclaim over a surprising turn of events in the story or ask a question about why the characters did a certain thing and I realized he was really interested in hearing these stories.  And as he sat there playing with his favorite toys, he was unwittingly learning.  His vocabulary grew, his grasp of language improved, and his love for literature blossomed.

This composed the entirety of his kindergarten reading “curriculum.”  The next year I wanted him to really start reading so we started working on some phonics and sight words.  He didn’t enjoy this at all, so we took it REALLY slowly and only spent a few minutes a day on it.  He couldn’t handle more than about 5 minutes at a time and would melt down if I tried to go any longer.  (We’ve since discovered that he struggles with anxiety and ADHD, making traditional learning incredibly overwhelming and frustrating for him.)  I got discouraged and started to wonder if he would ever learn to read at all.  But I was determined to let him learn at his own pace and in a way that would foster a love of reading.  So I just kept reading lots of books aloud, and he kept listening.  We also found some audiobooks at the library, which we put on to help him settle down at night and fall asleep.  He loved these so much that he started listening to audiobooks anytime he was in his room building with Legos (yep, it’s still his favorite pasttime.)  He was being exposed to hours of literature every day and couldn’t seem to get enough of it.  I was tempted so many times to push him to catch up to where I thought a typical first-grader should be, but I reminded myself over and over to just let him love literature until he was ready to read it.

Now he is in 2nd grade and he just read his first chapter book, which he finished in two days.  On his own.  With no prompting.  I almost cried.  Only a few months ago, I could hardly get him to read a few sentences without becoming overwhelmed.  Occasionally he gets stuck on a word, but his vocabulary is so extensive from all those books he’s been soaking up for the last few years that he can almost always figure out what something says without help.

After these two polar opposite experiences with teaching my first two kids to read, I wasn’t sure what to expect from my youngest.  Fun-loving, bright, chatty, intelligent, cuddly, compassionate…this little 4-year-old is very much her own person.  I was expecting to start teaching her to read when she starts kindergarten next year.   Boy, was I wrong!  Right around her 4th birthday she started asking me to teach her to read.

We were part of a home school co-op and she was in the kindergarten class for lack of a better option.  We really joined the co-op for the sake of her big sister and brother, and she was pretty much just along for the ride (or so I thought).   I honestly didn’t expect her to learn much academically because she was only 3.  She quietly listened every Friday as her teacher introduced a new letter, and one day it just clicked for her that each letter makes a sound.  After that, she wanted to read her letter cards every day, so we read those five cards over and over, and the next week she got a new one, and then came cards with two or three letters on them…and still she couldn’t get enough.

I created some hands-on activities to help her recognize upper-and lower-case letters and practice letter sounds and even make words from loose letters.  For this one I simply wrote letters on paper, laminated it, and had her fill in each letter with Froot Loops and Frosted Mini Wheats.  Bonus: She got to eat them for her snack when she was done.


For her all of this is fun and exciting, and if she gets discouraged or frustrated at any point we put it away until another time, because I want her to continue to see reading as a joyful experience and not a chore.

I can’t take any credit for this early interest in reading.  Maybe it was her co-op teacher, maybe it was seeing her older siblings reading, maybe it was hearing so many hundreds of books read aloud.  Whatever it was, I’m not complaining!

The one common element in each one of my kids’ reading journeys was hearing lots of great books read aloud.  It’s also the reason they love books!   So I want to share with you a list of read-alouds that I highly recommend for elementary-aged kids.  These are all wonderful to read with the family or listen to together in audiobook form.  Some kids will want to read these themselves and that’s great too!

  1.  The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis
    • I know this is actually a series of books but every one of them is absolutely worth reading.  They’re beautifully written and filled with adventure and imagination.  The characters are so easy to relate to, and every character struggles through something at one time or another.  In The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, Edmund, one of the four siblings, starts off mean-spirited and cynical and ends up betraying his family.  In Voyage of the Dawn Treader, cousin Eustace is petty and cowardly and appears to have no positive qualities at all. But these characters that struggle with selfishness, fear, pride, and other issues that are common to humanity experience undeserved redemption and they’re forever changed.  My son deals with lots of anger and he often lashes out verbally and physically when he’s frustrated.  He knows he shouldn’t and is always repentant afterwards but he can’t seem to stop himself when he’s angry.  For him to see these characters, who don’t seem to have any redeeming qualities whatsoever, completely transformed into people who can put others first and choose what’s right gives him hope for his own life.  These books also have a way of infusing us with a sense of purpose and greatness beyond the smallness of our day to day lives.  There are a thousand reasons to read the Narnia books, but that would probably be an entire post 🙂 These are definitely more suitable for elementary age and up.
  2. Wonder by R. J. Palacio
    • This book is only a few years old but someday it will probably be considered a classic because it’s that good.  It’s about 10-year-old  August Pullman, who had multiple surgeries for a medical defect and is left with a severe facial deformity.  The story follows his journey of entering public school, being rejected and ridiculed by some, and finding acceptance and friendship with others who see past his appearance and appreciate him for who he is.  This one sparked some great conversations with all my kids about giving everyone a chance to be known for who they are and not judging people by their appearances.  Several sections of the book are written from the perspective of different characters, and we even felt bad for Julian (the bully) because we got to see into his life.  All of my kids developed a new level of empathy and compassion for people who are obviously suffering, but they also realized that everyone’s story involves some kind of sadness or diffuculty.  I strongly recommend this book for the whole family.  The audio version is great because the voices are done by different people and it’s even easier to connect with each character.
  3. Heidi by Johanna Spyri
    • This one is definitely a classic.  Set in the Swiss Alps, this book transports you to a place where life is beautifully simple, yet rich.  Kids growing up in today’s world don’t always think about the simple pleasures in life, but Heidi makes all of us, children and adults alike, long to run with goats in a field of wildflowers and watch a glorious mountaintop sunset and have toasted cheese and milk for supper.  This book somehow had a calming effect on my son.  Every time I started reading it he settled down and listened.  We all laughed at Peter the goatherd and his jealous antics.  Heidi’s determination, optimism, and genuine concern for others are an example for us all, particularly kids who struggle in those areas.  The contrasts between her life on the mountain and our modern lives make us want to slow down and enjoy the little things in life rather than always wanting to add more to the busyness.
  4. Ramona the Pest (and all the other Ramona books) by Beverly Cleary
    • There’s a reason most of us read these books as kids.  Beverly Cleary weaves so much humor into these stories about an ordinary girl and her everyday life.   She writes what kids often think, making Ramona such a relatable character that kids can’t help but empathize with her many mishaps and fiascoes.  The way she thinks people see her is exactly the way a lot of kids think of themselves–as bothersome, or not smart enough, or not as pretty as someone else–and realizing they’re not alone in feeling this way can be a huge relief.  My son specifically identifies with Ramona because he’s often the one getting in trouble or causing a problem without intending to.  He sometimes thinks of himself as the “bad” one just like Ramona, but she’s the heroine of the whole collection in spite of (or maybe because of) her tendency to make a mess of things.  Sometimes just knowing there are other people (or characters) out there who share our struggles makes us feel understood, and that’s a tremendous relief for kids who are a little different.  I love Ramona for making so many kids feel this way 🙂
  5. My Side of the Mountain by Jean Craighead George
    • We just finished this book.  Every time I started to put it down my kids begged me to keep reading just a little longer.  Teenager Sam Gribley runs away from his over-crowded New York City apartment to make a life for himself in the Catskill mountains.  I was a little skeptical of this one because I didn’t want to sensationalize the idea of running away. But Sam isn’t running away to escape his family–he simply believes he can make a great life for himself on his family’s old property in the wilderness. He reads many books and prepares himself extensively before he goes on this mission. His experiences are fascinating and fun for kids and adults alike, and he makes all of us want to get out and enjoy nature.

Because my kids have grown so much through exposure to great characters in well-written books, I’m incredibly passionate about literacy.  The Dollar General Literacy Foundation is celebrating over 20 years of helping individuals learn to read, prepare for their high school equivalency, or learn English.  Just think of all those lives that have been forever changed because they were given an opportunity to better themselves.   Kellogg’s is committed to providing 3 billion Better Days through 2025 through initiatives that feed people and their potential.  So have a bowl of Frosted Flakes or Froot Loops in honor of all the good these two companies are doing!

And don’t forget to go tell your own literacy story here and enter the #DGMyStory Sweepstakes with the hashtag #DGMy StoryEntry for a chance to win a $50 Dollar General gift card!

Chicken Mushroom Rice Recipe & The Story of Thomas

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #NutrishFureverHome #CollectiveBias

Before I get into our story, I want to make sure you know about this great chance to win big and do good!

Enter this sweepstakes for a chance to win $25,000 and other prizes! Register your purchase at www.nutrishfureverhome.com

The Grand Prize is $25,000 and a one-year supply of Nutrish® dry dog food or one year worth of Nutrish® dry cat. And there’s also 3 First Prizes: $5,000 and a one-year supply of Nutrish® dry dog food or one year worth of Nutrish® dry cat.

Entering is easy, too! Purchase any Nutrish®-only product during the Sweepstakes Period, then visit www.nutrishfureverhome.com and follow the on-screen instructions to complete the registration.

Our family had always dreamed of owning a dog. Once my husband got out of the Coast Guard, that dream became a reality and we were so thrilled for 3 happy years. Then, right after we moved into our new home when he graduated college, a horrible, tragic incident struck and we were left grieving, scarred, and without a dog.

I swore because of the pain and the trauma, I’d never, ever want another dog again.

Just like the cliche goes, though, time heals all wounds and this past summer, one year later, my heart had started to ache for a sweet, furry friend once more. After talking about it we decided to look around at all the local shelters, wanting to adopt our next dog. Of course, we were all thinking about a puppy, and when we walked into the shelter that day it was to look at some pups I’d seen online.

I let the staff know that we were looking for a sweet, mild, low maintenance kind of dog. “Oh!” She told me, “You just *have* to meet Thomas!”

We walked past the cages of wriggling, frenzied, barking bodies. And there, in his kennel, sat Thomas. As calm and quiet and happy as could be. As soon as he came out to us Amber looked and me and said, “Oh mom. This is OUR DOG.” I wasn’t convinced and told her that surely we wanted to look at those puppies.

We looked around the entire shelter but just keep coming back to Thomas. After I began to play with and pet him, I became more and more convinced. It became perfectly clear that this ridiculously adorable little mutt had adopted us.

Indeed, 3-year-old Thomas was OUR dog!

He was at the shelter because his owner had passed away, and he kept getting passed over because of his age, and because of his one “peg leg”. A back leg got broken when he was a tiny puppy and wasn’t set right–so now it’s permanently straight. He has no idea about this, and runs and jumps and plays just like any other puppy. He really was so perfect for us, and now a few months later I can’t imagine life without his sweet smiling little face! We have helped him find his Furever Home™ and he has brought so much joy and healing to our hearts and lives!

I’m not the only one with a soft spot for shelter pets! Rachael Ray™ Nutrish®  Furever Home™ Helps Shelter Pets Find The Home They Deserve. In fact, this month October 2017, your support will help Rachael Ray Nutrish donate $250,000 to benefit shelter pets. Rachael’s Rescue® was created for all of the forgotten pets – the ones who might not have someone who loves them as much as they deserve. A portion of proceeds from each sale of Nutrish is donated to The Rachael Ray Foundation, which helps animals in need through Rachael’s Rescue. Through September 2017, Rachael’s Rescue has donated more than $21 million dollars to pet charities and other organizations that do good for animals.

I picked up my bag of Rachael Ray™ Nutrish® Dog Food at my local Dollar General. I love it when I can do good by purchasing something we already need, and the chance to win a sweepstakes on top of all that is just the icing on the dog treat, so to say.

All Nutrish dry dog and cat food is natural with added vitamins & minerals, and wholesome, delicious ingredients.

In fact the Chicken, Brown Rice, and Veggies Nutrish recipe that I purchased Thomas looked like such a delicious recipe combination that it inspired me to pull together a human version for us as a family to enjoy while Thomas noshed on his Nutrish dinner!

Chicken Mushroom Rice Recipe

Ingredients:

  • 2 Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts
  • Kickin’ Chicken Seasoning
  • Italian Seasoning
  • 1 Lemon
  • 1 Cup Chopped Mushrooms
  • 1/2 Cup Red Onion, Diced
  • 1/2 Cup Butter
  • Brown Rice

Squeeze the juice of one lemon over Chicken Breasts.

Season Chicken Breasts with Kickin’ Chicken & Italian Seasoning to taste. For ours, I just sprinkled the tops with Kickin’ Chicken spices, and then once they were chopped up I added 2 TBSP of Italian Seasoning. I wanted the Italian seasoning to be the primary flavoring, but the Kickin’ Chicken flavoring gave it that added depth and zing.

Cut Chicken into Bite-Sized Pieces, then Chop Mushrooms and Red Onion into small pieces.

Prepare Brown Rice according to package directions.

While the rice is cooking, in a skillet melt butter (you can also do 1/2 butter and 1/2 olive oil, but I love how butter caramelizes the mushrooms & the onions) and add in Chicken. Cook until white throughout. Add in Onion and Mushrooms and cook until they melt down and caramelize.

Serve the Chicken mixture over top of the Brown Rice.

This meal is absolutely perfect for a busy week day dinner, and quick and easy to pull together! Which is just perfect for a family filled with activities and pets to love on!

Do you have a shelter pet story? I’d love to hear it! Also, don’t forget to Enter the Sweepstakes!

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The Empower, Inspire, & Thankfulness Challenge

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser, MARS Incorporated. All opinions are mine alone. #WhatMakesDove #CollectiveBias

Life’s tough right now, isn’t it??!!

Between the disasters happening on a huge scale, to so many people I know personally just going through HARD hard times, looking around it would be so very easy to get discouraged.

That’s where today’s post comes in!!! I have a mission for you to do within the next 2 weeks.

The Empower, Inspire, & Thankfulness Challenge

Now, don’t worry!! That might sound like a lot. I *know* you’re busy, I *know* you have so much on your plate, and I *know* you could use some help and encouragement, too. Because of this, I’m not doing anything elaborate. This is something you can sneak into your busy day, but this little gesture will have SO MUCH meaning for you, and the women you do it for.

You ready?! I’ll share how I fulfilled this challenge, my story behind the “why” of who I chose, and then I’ll share ideas for who you might chose to encourage and inspire in your life!

Thanks to what I do for my job, I’m the All Things Internet and Social Media Gal for our Center!

In case you hadn’t noticed, I’m passionate about helping, empowering, and inspiring other women. In fact, that’s my entire purpose behind this blog! Ever since becoming a mom almost 10 years ago, I discovered I  have such a heart and passion for helping out other moms. I long to teach and inspire them to work hard, support each other, and strive for their dreams every day.

This passion turned into me finding local ways to volunteer and help moms in my community. When we were in Lindale I volunteered for 2 years at a Mom Mentorship and Earn While You Learn program, and in our new hometown I’m volunteering at a Pregnancy Resource Center that offers free tests, ultrasounds, consultations, and also offers an Earn While You Learn program where moms can earn vital items like a car seat, diapers, and clothes all by going through curriculum that teaches them important things about pregnancy, childbirth, and parenting.

After moving to our new hometown I have had a really difficult time finding “my tribe” or putting down roots. With both of the kids in school all day, and me working from home, making connections was tough. It wasn’t until I jumped back into volunteering that I actually found the empowerment and support that *I* needed, through the other volunteers there! These ladies are so sweet, caring, and compassionate–and not just to our clients! Especially a few of them in particular have allowed me to “adopt” them and given me and my kids hugs, support, and love as we tried to make our new hometown actually *feel* a whole lot more like home.

Because of how much they have empowered and inspired me, I wanted to return just a little bit of that to them, as well! I knew just the way to do it, too!

Like I said before–fulfilling this challenge doesn’t have to be elaborate to be amazing! For all my closest lady friends one of the best ways you can say “thank you” or give them a pick-me-up falls into a very delicious and pretty formula:

DOVE Chocolate PROMISES + Beautiful Flowers = Perfection

This 31 oz Canister is so pretty and it also shows the real treasure that’s inside! 3 flavors of their best-selling DOVE Dark Chocolate Variety Mix! With flavors like Dark Chocolate, White & Dark Chocolate Swirl, and Sea Salt Caramel & Dark Chocolate there is no way to go wrong with this!

It’s exclusively found at Sam’s Club and right now you can Sign up for a free Ibotta account  and earn $1.50 with the purchase of a 31 oz canister of DOVE PROMISES Chocolate 3 Flavor Assortment (if you don’t have an Ibotta account already, you don’t you really should! It’s a super fun and handy way to earn cash back that I’ve used for several months now!)

Not sure where your closest Sam’s Club is? Check out the store locator here!

While you’re in the club you can also pick up some fresh flowers and stock up on essentials–like I said, this does not have to be anything crazy or time-consuming!

The fact that DOVE Chocolate PROMISES are delicious would be reason enough to pick them up, but I actually had another very important reason for choosing this exact product and company for this mission!

DOVE Chocolate, produced by Mars Wrigley Confectionery, together with CARE, announced a partnership designed to empower women who grow cocoa in the communities of Ivory Coast. Along with DOVE Chocolate PROMISES, CARE builds Village Savings and Loan Associations in communities where the cocoa is sourced, which helps female farmers obtain funds that can be invested in their farms, their communities and their future. Here’s a little more about CARE’s Vision:

  • Increase women’s access to economic and social opportunities
  • Provide resources to help women farmers improve their yields and incomes
  • Enable women to make decisions in cocoa farming communities and household

I love that they’re finding ways to empower and inspire women towards a better life across the world–just like we’re trying to do here locally!

So this week I tackled my challenge and surprised the staff and volunteers with the delicious DOVE Chocolate PROMISES and flowers from Sam’s Club. They were all so surprised, and thankful! It brought a smile to their faces and so many of them commented on how much they love DOVE Dark Chocolate.

They also loved the inspirational messaging inside the DOVE Chocolate PROMISES wrapper. These were two of our favorites! “Don’t Worry What The Neighbors Think” and “Be Proud of Your Age”. Talk about awesome little pearls of wisdom!

Now it’s your turn!!! I challenge you to find a woman, or a group of women in your life that could use some encouragement, inspiration, and empowerment! As you read this I’m sure you immediately thought of something that could really use some DOVE Chocolate and flowers. If not here are some thought starters for who you could target for this challenge:

  • A Mom who has been battling sickness, injury, or surgery in her family
  • Teachers or Staff at your local schools
  • Volunteers at Local Community Resource Centers
  • A Military Spouse whose husband is currently away for training, underway, or deployed
  • Staff at a local nursing home
  • New Neighbors (like me they might not have anyone locally and are wishing someone would reach out!)

The possibilities to reach out and empower and inspire are literally all around you, every day! I think we often feel too overwhelmed by thinking that a gesture has to be over-the-top “Pinterest Perfect” to make a difference, but it really doesn’t!

Stop by Sam’s Club, get your shopping done, and then drop these quietly by for someone who needs them!

Want even MORE amazing inspiration for how to encourage, inspire, and thank the women around you? Check out the amazing ideas here!

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How To Build The Perfect Diaper Bag Gift

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #MoreHuggiesMoreSavings #CollectiveBias

It’s hinting at being fall and babies are everywhere! Every time I log into social media my feed is full baby grins that make me melt and adorable photo reveals of pink or blue. Every week I also volunteer at Heart of Hope. It’s our local Pregnancy Resource Center that gives out free pregnancy tests, ultrasounds, and also has an Earn While You Learn program. Through this moms can earn items they need for their babies while working through important pregnancy, childbirth, and parenting curriculum.

So although it’s been a while since I’ve had onesies and diapers in my house; they’re still a frequent part of my everyday life! Anyone who’s been around babies at all knows that the one thing a new mom’s NEEDS is diapers and wipes, and lots of them! They also know that if you just go and purchase them at a regular store they can get pretty pricey, pretty fast! That’s why when I heard about the amazing deal that Sam’s Club has going on right now for new members I just had to share it with you!

Join now and get $45 in Instant Savings on participating Huggies® products! Follow these steps in order to get this amazing deal!

Purchase a NEW MEMBER Sam’s Club Savings membership using THIS LINK *or* you can purchase your membership in store. If you’d prefer to do that, please visit this link and print out the offer page to bring into your club so that they can load this offer for you! (the bonus to joining online is you’ll get a $5 e-gift card!)

Mom Tip: If you purchase your membership online you’ll then go to the club to pick up your card. When you go be sure to bring both your license *and* your confirmation number. They won’t be able to pull up your membership to get you a card with your license alone if you go in the same day you purchase it. If you forget you can always log in to your email or your new Sam’s Club membership profile and get it there {we won’t discuss how I know that 😉 }

Once you’ve purchased your new membership just head on in to your local club and purchase any three participating Huggies® products to get rewarded with $45 in Instant Savings!

 

If you’ve ever thought about getting a Sam’s Club membership now is the perfect time to try! I learned more about Sam’s Club and how awesome it was through my in-laws during a visit years ago. They love the savings they get by buying things in bulk, and always have the business membership for themselves. Since that visit took place when Amber was a baby they stocked me up on diapers while we were there.

I was amazed at how much money you can save by purchasing diapers and wipes in bulk! Another cool thing about Sam’s Club is that they have some really handy services available. My favorites are Sam’s Club Pick-Up service and their Scan and Go option.

This trip we decided to try out their Scan and Go to avoid the after work lines. It’s really easy to use! You download the app on your phone for free and then just open it up! Log in using your Sam’s Club member profile information and you’re good to go! You scan the barcodes as you shop, then input your payment information. That checks you out then you just show your phone at the exit for them to scan and you’re good to go!

If you have a baby it’s a no-brainer to stock up and save. (Plus–you *don’t* want to have to make a diaper run when it’s nap time, trust me.)

Are you like me and no longer having to wake up 3 times a night? There’s still plenty of reasons to buy diapers and wipes in bulk! As I mentioned babies are all over, and with them come all those fun baby showers and visiting 2nd or 3rd (or even 9th) time moms to hold a sweet newborn! The gift I’ve found that is always the most appreciated by new moms is Huggies® Diapers and Huggies® Wipes!

Also, diapers and wipes are some of the most needed and most requested items for local community resources. Did you know that nearly all Pregnancy Resource Centers and Food Banks accept (and desperately need) diaper and wipe donations?! Do a little digging around to see where you can donate these needed items in your community!

At Heart of Hope when a new mom has her baby they visit her and bring her an amazing present–a brand new diaper bag fully loaded with diapers, wipes, and everything us veteran moms know she’ll need!

Today I’m sharing with you just How To Build The Perfect Diaper Bag Gift!

Here are the items to purchase and include:

  • An Adorable Diaper Bag — (the chevron and lil elephant made me squeal a little)
  • Huggies® Little Snugglers Diapers –– what’s a diaper bag without the diapers?! I actually fill it with size one, instead of newborn. That way even if they have a big baby (like I always did) they’ll be able to use them all! Huggies is a brand that moms know and trust, and I used them exclusively with Tyler. These ones are so cute too. I adore Pooh Bear and I love the little “front and back” stamps–so helpful for brand new mommies running on NO sleep

  • Huggies® Natural Care Wipes — I like to always give sensitive wipes to new moms in case their babies have allergies! The Huggies® One and Done wipes are another great choice to include, and are especially amazing for moms with older babies!
  • Diaper Rash Cream — another “diaper bag MUST”
  • Adorable Outfit — Babies are messy! I recommend that new moms always keep a spare outfit in their diaper bag at all times for those “just in case” moments
  • Pacifiers — my kids loved their “pacis” and I think they’re wonderful! New moms usually need to try a few kinds to see which their baby will take a fancy to (if any). Mine always loved this type best, so I always gift them. I make sure to only give 2, though, just in case they’re not a hit. I couldn’t resist these cute ones with the cute sayings. If anyone needs to “Keep Calm and Carry On” it’s a mom with a newborn!
  • Pacifier clip — nothings more frustrating than continually replacing your pacifier supply because they’re falling out of your little one’s mouths or they’re *flinging* them wildly for fun. Paci Clips are genius and every mommy needs a few!
  • Light, comfy, sturdy blanket. — These can be used for everything from a blanket, to a play mat, to a diaper changing pad, to a nursing cover. Never underestimate the power of a good blanket!

Gifting these will give the mom in your life all the essentials that she’ll need and a good start on her stockpile! Did I forget anything? Leave a comment and let me know!

Don’t forget to stock up at Sam’s Club and take advantage of the special Huggies offer to save big!

How To Find Your Own Personal Style

This shop has been compensated by Schwarzkopf. #CareWithKeratin #sponsored

 

I love to play dress up.

No, not in a cosplay or larp-ing kind of way (#closetgeek that I even know what that means) But in a *squee* I love to wear pretty dresses and get all sorts of fancy way.

When I was little I adored dresses and wore them to school all the time. As I got older dresses every day were just not in style in the rough and tumble Wyoming culture I grew up in. As a result, I wanted to fit in, so I quit wearing them and opted for jeans, tees, and hoodies like everyone else. Through my twenties, I floundered around a bit trying to figure out what to wear and based a lot of my purchases on what I thought other people liked or what was trending.

I’ve come to realize now that was all a big mistake! Now, there’s nothing wrong with dressing or doing your hair a certain way because it’s what your significant other thinks you look amazing in. There’s also nothing wrong with jumping on the latest adorable trend because (or even if) everyone else is. However, most of the time you need to dress in your personal style! Your confidence will soar, you’ll look your best, and somehow life just seems more tackle-able (yes I made that word up) when you’re looking your best and also feeling comfortable in your own skin!

Are you stuck where I was just a bit ago, floundering around to find what fits you best, in every way? Then you’ve come to the right place! Today I’m going to give you some tips and tricks on how to find and rock YOUR personal style!

How To Find Your Own Personal Style

Get Amazing, Fun Hair

So for me, my hair has always been a huge part of my overall look and style. I think for most women it is! It’s such a fun thing to play around with. Today I’m especially going to focus on your hair color! If you’ve been around for a bit you know that you need to learn to recognize me by my face, because my hair color varies wildly with my moods and the seasons!

Today I’m going to let you in on a little secret. The reason I’m able to change up my color and styles so often? I dye it myself! Yes, you read that right! All those varying hues are box dyes that I pick up at Walmart! It might seem super scary at first. I remember the first time I picked up a box kit I made my hubby help me and I was just sure that I was going to end up with trashed hair the color of slime that would require a walk of shame to a stylist.

In reality? It was so easy-peasy and my hair looked gorgeous and no one knew I colored it myself! If it’s your first dye-at-home adventure I have some pro tips for you, and I’ll walk you through step-by-step!

Pro Tip: If you’re dying your hair at home for the first time pick a shade just one away from your own. It’s a great way to freshen up your look without being too shocking and it’s nearly fail-proof!

Ever since I went multi-tone purple and blue with my hair I’ve been trying to figure out what I wanted to do next. I was tired of sticking out everywhere I went, so last time I picked a brownish hue. It had started to fade out, and left me with these weird, nondescript colors. I think my face pretty much sums up how I was feeling about it. It was definitely time to pick a new color and dye it again!

I decided to go for Schwarzkopf Keratin Color in Ruby. I picked this brand because it’s professional quality hair color at home that offers flattering colors while caring for the hair. Keratin Color cares for your hair, which is important to me since I dye so often! It also has a  Pre-treatment for even color result, which is what I was desperately hoping for this time. I had a hard time choosing which of their fun shades I wanted to try, but this one jumped out at me. It was just the right amount of “fun” with its intense color while not being “everyone turn and look at Nicole”. Also, it followed my other pro tip which is:

Pro Tip: When dying your hair yourself going darker is always safe, but you cannot go loads lighter. If your current hair color isn’t on the “color result” chart on the back of the box, there’s a reason.

You can see that my multi-weird colors fit within the Dark Blonde to Light Medium Brown range, which also had close to the same color result. I was wanting to get one, consistent tone that would be fun, so this was perfect!

***Right now you can actually try Schwarzkopf Keratin Color for FREE with this rebate offer!!! Just purchase it at Walmart, keep your receipt, then mail it in with this form to get the rebate!***

How To Dye Your Hair At Home

So, this should go without saying but I will say it anyway, always *follow all instructions in the package and follow all safety instructions including doing a patch test and using gloves.* The instructions are wonderful and will walk you through step by step through the three easy steps, so I’ll just show you step by step photos of how I did it so you get a feel for it!

One important thing I do want to reassure you of is when you see that weird color in the bottle *don’t panic*!!! When you are dying your hair the dye going on to your head is NOT the color your hair will be. As you can see this dye is a weird orangey color. That would have freaked me out if I had never dyed my hair before. Just trust them and as long as your first color is on the chart on the back you’re good!

Pro Tip: If your hair is very long, and/or very thick you’ll need more than one box of dye. For this brand, they even said that in the instructions, which I appreciated! 

Because my hair is SO THICK and long this time I actually ended up using 3 boxes of dye to get the result I want.

And here it is! I’m in love with it!!! Inside it looks like this beautiful, rich brownish-black. But as soon as I go into the sunlight you pick up this gorgeous purply-red shade. I’ve already gotten so many compliments on it. After church on Sunday standing outside my sweet friend gushed, “Oh Nicole! Where the light hits your hair, well you’re just *glowing*! It’s so pretty!!” It’s also so soft and silky now, I loved the pre-treatment and the conditioner included in the set.

So now that your hair is looking a-MAZ-ing it’s time to focus on the rest of you! After your hair, the next big area to find your style is, of course, your clothes! Before we dive into the next topic I want to share that one more reason I purchased Schwarzkopf Keratin Color is because I love supporting companies that give back to causes I’m passionate about!

Keratin Color brings out confidence in every woman by gently restoring and augmenting her hair. With every purchase of Keratin Color, we can also help women get a fresh start through a partnership with Dress for Success®. Dress for Success Worldwide empowers women by providing them with the tools they need to achieve economic independence. Through education and mentoring, they’re making a difference in your community and across the globe. Over one million women have been served by this international organization and its programs. This partnership empowers women looking for upward mobility to revitalize women’s hair and clothing options so they can be as successful as they look.

You know my entire site is dedicated to helping women feel confident and be successful, so this cause is near and dear to my heart! And speaking of dressing for success–our next point is for you to focus on:

Find Clothes that Look Great on You, You Love, and Are Comfy!

Do you have a closet full of clothes that fit the size you are *right now*, that you’re comfortable in, and that you LOVE?!

Chances are good that if you’re anything like most women (especially moms!) I know that you don’t. Revamping your personal style doesn’t have to be super complicated or expensive, though!

If you’re really just stuck in a sea of tees and yoga pants with no idea where to start, I want you to think back to your childhood. Before peer pressure kicked in what did you LOVE to dress in? Have you always been a Tees and Jean’s gal, or (like me) did you live in pretty, fancy dresses? Getting back in touch with what you wore before you really cared what everyone else thought can clue you into *your* personal style.

Over the past few years, I’ve re-discovered my original LOVE of dressing up. I realized that skirts and sundresses are MORE comfy for my body type than jeans are and that they look so much more flattering on me. As a result, I now rock this look several times a week, despite living in an area where yoga pants and jean shorts are the typical “mom uniform”.

I mentioned before that as far as trends go, it’s great to embrace the ones you LOVE! When you see a trend ask yourself if you’ll be sick of that piece of clothing in a year. You want to invest in pieces you’ll look amazing in and wear forever, regardless if chevron goes out.

I mentioned before that revamping your style doesn’t have to be expensive. Want to get in on a little secret? I purchased both of the pieces you see above at Walmart on the clearance rack when I was picking up my hair dye! So for under $45 I got a completely new, adorable look that included dying my hair and a completely new outfit. Two trends that I absolutely swoon over are lace overlay and asymmetrical hemlines. These pieces both showcase those, and the Go Your Own Way on the shirt was just *Too* perfect for the theme of this post.

They’re also SO comfy! Being stylish does NOT mean you have to be uncomfortable. All my clothes are yoga-pants-comfy while making me look polished and stylish. It is possible, you just have to find what fits and feels good on you!

So there are some of my best tips for How To Find Your Own Personal Style! Don’t forget to  try Schwarzkopf Keratin Color for FREE with this rebate offer! And you can get more Personal Style Inspiration from some of my favorite Bloggers Here!

Are you really stuck with finding your personal style or need more tips on where to buy clothes or makeup? Give me a shout out on social media and I’ll help you figure out what will REALLY work for you!

Tweet Me Here — or Leave A Comment On Facebook or Instagram!

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Sharing Poetry with Kids

Every summer, I spend a few weeks planning everything we’re going to cover during the upcoming school year. Call me crazy, but I love those weeks of planning and researching and ordering books. I figure out all the historical time periods and people we’re going to study, choose a focus for science lessons, settle on a math curriculum, plan writing practice…all the core subjects.

And then it’s time to add in the fun stuff–subjects that aren’t usually given priority because they’re not considered as important. Things like literature, Shakespeare, art, and poetry.  This is my favorite part of planning because, not only are these subjects vitally important to study, they’re also fun!  In a Charlotte Mason education, these subjects are valued just as highly as core subjects because they expose our kids to rich, beautiful language and timeless works of art.  They give our kids a chance to see greatness.

 

While all these “extras” are wonderful, today I want to focus on sharing poetry with your children.  With all the subjects you have to cover, do you really need to add poetry to the list?  Is it important enough to take up valuable school time each week?  Does it provide any real benefits?

Experts say YES!

Hearing the meter and rhyme of poems in the early years helps create phonological awareness and can lay the foundation for literacy.  Poetry exposes kids to language they might not otherwise hear, expanding both their vocabulary and their understanding of the world.  And well-written poetry can awaken the imagination and speak to the soul like nothing else.

 

So how do you go about sharing poetry with your kids?  The good news is that it’s ridiculously simple.  Just read it!  No need to analyze it or search for hidden meaning.  Simply reading poems that your kids can enjoy is all it takes.  You can read a poem a day, study a certain poet’s work for several weeks, or institute weekly poetry teatime.

We’ve tried all these options and my kids enjoy poetry teatime the most.  (I’m sure it has nothing to do with the apple cider, hot chocolate, or treats we enjoy with our poetry 😉 ) It started as a nice way to end our week on Friday, but now my kids love it so much they ask for teatime more often.  All we do is pull out some poetry books and read whatever poems we’re in the mood for.  I try to include something new along with the old favorites.  I’ve also recently started having my kids recite something they’ve memorized each time.  This can be Scripture, poetry, or stories in German (the language they’re learning).  That way they’re learning to speak in front of people in a way that isn’t too intimidating.

Feeling inspired but not sure where to start?  I’ve compiled a list of some great poets and books that are perfect for preschool and elementary-aged kids.  Here are some of our favorites.

  • A Child’s Garden of Verses, by Robert Louis Stevenson
    • His poems are fun for even really young kids.  Most of them are about happy aspects of childhood so they’re relatable and easy to understand.
    • Most are relatively short, so they’re great ones to memorize
    • Some favorites by Stevenson include The Swing, A Good Play, and Whole Duty of Children.

  • Where the Sidewalk Ends, by Shel Silverstein
    • By far my kids’ favorite–all of his poems are funny and a little ridiculous.
    • Great ones to read include Hungry Mungry, Peanut Butter Sandwich, and Sick, but really the whole book is wonderfully fun.
    • Shel Silverstein has a few other books of poetry as well if you just can’t get enough of his work.

  • Lewis Carroll, edited by Edward Mendelson (from the Poetry for Young People series)
    • His poems are full of nonsense and made-up words, which makes them especially fun.
    • They’re better suited for elementary ages–the language and length of the poems might be a little difficult for really young kids.
    • This book (and the whole Poetry for Young People series) is wonderful because it gives some interesting information about the author and his life and also gives definitions for some of the more difficult words (including the words Carroll made up!)
    • Favorites include Matilda Jane, Father William, and especially Brother and Sister (which my kids happily memorized together).

  • Just So Stories, by Rudyard Kipling
    • This book is mainly short stories, but there is a poem that goes along with each story.
    • Kipling also wrote many other poems that aren’t specifically for children but some are still great to share with older kids.
    • Great poems by Kipling include If and How the Camel Got His Hump.

Hopefully this gives you a starting place for beginning to share the beauty of poetry with your children.  Other great poets to study include A.A. Milne, Emily Dickinson, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Walt Whitman…there are so many great writers and resources out there.  Whether you’re looking for something that makes you and your kids laugh or something that speaks to your heart, there’s plenty of beautiful poetry out there for everyone.  Share some of your favorites with us!