Currently January 2015

It's been awhile since I've linked up with Currently on Oh Boy 4th Grade! What better time than now?

 

Currently I am listening to the whirr of the washing machine. I have lots of loads of laundry to catch up on. I mean, normally with 4 kids I have a lot anyway, but since we were out of town for a few days, it adds up quick!

 

I am always extra grateful for a warm house on days like today. When we lived overseas we didn't have central heat, so it was always harder to stay warm, even inside.

 

I've been thinking a lot about our homeschool plans, but I have yet to actually do anything about it. Hopefully this weekend I can get some time to do it.

 

In the fall, my husband and I did the Whole 30 and loved it! It was challenging, but rewarding. We did good as far as eating goes up until about a month ago, and it's all been downhill since then. We are planning another Whole 30 starting in January!

 

With all the new toys and stuff for Christmas, I'm ready to clean out and organize! Easier said than done when I'm home with the kids all day. I don't need a day out to myself, I need a day IN to myself!

 

YES I am going to focus on my kids as individuals this year. I just read a great book called Loving the Little Years by Rachel Jankovic. In it, she talked about how we tend to see and treat our children as a group many times, but they always see themselves as individuals, and it really challenged me to take time to talk to, listen to, and spend time with each of my kids as individuals.

MAYBE I will start working out again. It's been a few years, but I'd really like to start walking or doing Pilates again.

I WISH I could create educational apps. I have a lot of great ideas for fun apps, but no idea how to go about actually getting them created!

 

I hope you all have a great New Year's and I can't wait to see what 2015 will bring!!

 

 

 

Secret Santa Blog Hop

Even though we are done (or almost done) with this semester and are READY for a break, I know for me, my mind is never completely able to take a break from thinking about and planning stuff for my kids! We're here to bring you some fun Christmas gifts to give you a head start on next semester!

Here are 2 free activities from my All About Penguins - Print & Go Pack.

Don't forget to hop around to the rest of The Elementary Entourage pages and grab all the great freebies! Have a great break and Merry Christmas!!

An InLinkz Link-up

12 Days of Christmas Sales

I'm teaming up with some awesome teacher-authors to bring you some great deals leading up to Christmas! Each day we will offer you different discounted items to stock up on for last minute holiday fun, or to get a head start on planning for next semester.

Here are just a few of the items I will have on sale in the coming days!

 
  
 

Visit The Primary Gal's blog to see all the great deals offered!

Our Favorite Things Blog Hop

 

I'm so glad to be a part of this hop where we can share with you our favorite things! Here are a few of mine:

 

 

My favorite restaurant has got to be Chuy's! I only discovered it a few years ago, but I love it!

 

The food is good, the atmosphere is great, but the creamy jalapeno dip is the BEST! I literally eat chips and dip the whole time and don't even need to order food (although I usually do.)

 

 

This time of year, one of my favorite things is having holiday traditions with my kids. We are trying a new advent activity this year called, "Truth in the Tinsel." It is an ebook that you can purchase and download, and it includes verses to read and simple crafts to do each day leading up to Christmas!

It helps keep our minds and hearts focused on what we are really celebrating during this time!

 

One of my favorite things I use in my homeschool room is this 10 drawer cart!

 

 

I use it to organize the kids' independent work each day. They start at the top and work their way down, and can easily move from one subject to the next with little help from me!

 



Another of my favorite items we use for school are these Do-a-Dot markers! They are great for little ones to be able to paint without making a mess. There are also a lot of educational activities you can do with them.

 

 

I have several activities and products I've created to use these dot markers with to practice sight words, building fluency, letters, and numbers. Some of these will be 50% off this week - just visit my TpT store and look for "My Featured Items" near the top of the page!

Because we value our followers and wanted to treat you to our favorite things Oprah style, we have put together the best giveaway of the season! My bloggy friends and I welcome you to the best, biggest, most cheerful event of the season:

The prize I'm donating is a $20 gift card to Michaels! I love Michaels for all kinds of craft supplies.

 

Here's a list of all the prizes - 7 winners for 7 prize packs!

Come and enter the giveaway and check out my bloggy friends' favorite things:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

An InLinkz Link-up