Why We Homeschool Year Round

I'm in my 6th year of homeschooling my four children. What once began as a "let's see how this goes" adventure has now progressed into a definite way of life that I cannot imagine diverting away from. The ups and downs of the first year were certainly the most stressful, and while there are still ups and downs, I wouldn't trade homeschooling my children for anything.

Today I'm going to be sharing about the driving factors and our "whys" for schooling year round.  Many homeschoolers still school on a traditional schedule, but year round schooling has been the school schedule that we love the most and have held onto the longest. If you've been looking for ways to set up your school schedule, I encourage you to consider this type of set-up.

*Note: When I say "year round" I don't mean that we sit down with our books every day. In fact, my homeschooling style is not one where we spend much time at the table "schooling" anyway. Rather, it means that we don't follow a traditional school schedule in regards to big summer breaks and holidays and such. We plan on schooling all through the year with the idea that if and when we want a day off, to take a family vacation, or to just have a fun day together at the beach, we can do so without getting behind on our school. Our kids still go to fun camps in the summer, and we still have days where we just throw our hands up and watch movies together all day.

When we started homeschooling, we adhered to a traditional school schedule. Summers off. Breaks when the schools had breaks. Spring and winter breaks, holidays, etc. were all observed. I stuck pretty carefully to this schedule. After all, I grew up in public school and even taught kindergarten for a couple years...this is just how you do it, right? I knew of no other way, and so I naturally just followed suit.

Over the years, we found that our lives were much more balanced when we schooled year round, taking breaks as we need them instead of when we were supposed to take them. Several factors played into this, and I honestly feel that I find more reasons in favor of it the longer we do it.

At first, when my kids were younger, it was a behavioral decision. On school days, with routine, the kids had better attitudes. On days where we just "did whatever" and didn't do any "school", they were crazy. Children thrive on routines and on knowing what to expect. When the routines got thrown out the window, it seemed to mess with their understanding and expectations of the day. This was most noticeable when they were younger. As older children now (5, 8, 9, 11), they have enough consistent non-school routine things to keep the balance of our day (i.e. morning responsibilities- self care like teeth, dressing themselves, etc, and family chores-unloading the dishwasher, making their own breakfasts, etc.). Nevertheless, we love the routine of "school" being as simple as an every day part of our lives. I hope to raise life-long learners, and believe that schooling year round helps them understand that learning is something we should pursue always and forever.

Weather began to play a roll in this decision, as well. August is extremely hot here, whereas September is beautiful. With littles who wanted to play at the park often, we found the slides and swings were too hot to even enjoy in August. We preferred to play outside in September over August. Lake Tahoe is generally still really nice in September, and the bonus is that school-kids are back in school and we have the beach and parks to ourselves! Schooling year round allowed us to take breaks in September to go play without feeling "behind" on our schooling. We also will take our Disneyland family vacations on non-school breaks to ensure that it's not too crowded. And no, we never bring our school work along with us.

Retention quickly became a driving force to school year round. I found that, in general, many curriculums provide a couple weeks of review material with each new year of curriculum. The fact that many take a couple months off from school means that generally speaking, a review is necessary before moving on. Maintaining our year round schedule not only meant the kids remembered what they were learning, but that we could also skip those couple weeks of review material each year and just jump in with the new stuff. Imagine skipping 26 total weeks of review work over the course of a K-12 education. That's half a year spent just on reviewing stuff you already learned but forgot because of taking so much time off!

Flexibility is another. At this point, we average only 4 days of school/week. My kids usually do 5 days worth of work for all core subjects, but they complete it (on most weeks) in four days. If we have a crazy Monday, we can still complete all our stuff during the rest of the week. BUT, if we don't get to five days of work each week, it's still okay...year round schooling will keep us on track over the course of the year. The flexibility and relief of not having to stress over a missed school day is totally worth it. It keeps me sane, and helps keep the kids from stressing, too.

We love year round schooling. We are able to complete all of our necessary school work, have fun, enjoy the nice weather, and keep ourselves relatively stress free. If you are struggling to find a great schedule balance in your homeschool, I encourage you to take a look at schooling year round. It might be just what you're family needs!

Do you school year round? What is your favorite aspect of this type of school schedule? 

Our Favorite On-the-Go Games (Easy to Teach, Quick to Learn)

Our homeschool family loves to play games. I love that a good game can not only engage my kids, but teach them math skills, co-operation, reading, and more. We happen to spend a good chunk of our time at our martial arts gym. Between the classes that I teach, the classes that they each take, and the classes that my husband and I take, we are there for a few hours each day. Sometimes they play with the other kids, sometimes they sit and veg out on iPads, and a lot of times they bring games to play together and with their friends.

I'm always looking for simple but fun games that my kids can play on their own easily. Games that are easy to teach and are easy/quick to learn are the BEST!  (If you have any that you love, I'd love to hear about them, too.) I figured since we've got a few good ones at the moment, we'd share with all of you!

1. Snappy Dressers. I love any game that I can throw in my purse and bring with me on the go. This is one of those games.  This is a fast-paced card game that anyone can learn and play quickly. While there are at least 9 different ways to play this game, we generally stick to the first option. Every card in the deck matches every other card in the deck in exactly ONE way. You have to spot the matching item on the card (hat color, scarf, top, bottoms, shoes, gift, or animal) to lay it down in the discard pile. First person to get rid of all their cards wins.

 

2. Sleeping Queens. My sister in law, Jenny, gave us this game for a birthday once, and it quickly became a favorite. Not only is it fun to play and won several game awards, it also incorporates matching, addition and subtraction, and silly character cards. My kids have taught many of their friends to play, and it quickly becomes a favorite for most. We've played it with numerous 4 year olds, as well as up to big kids (10-12's).

 

3. Mancala. This isn't a new game, for sure, but it's a fun one that we recently rediscovered. After purchasing this game and realizing that I played differently than the instructions in our game box, I took to the internet for the rules.  And guess what? It turned into a whole history lesson as we explored the oldest game ever known! It originates in ancient Egypt, and there are over 600 variations of the game/ways to play. There are a variety of board shapes, styles, and rules. So if you play this game with others who already know it, be sure to clarify how you plan to play! You may find that you play by different rules. Side note: My 4 year old manipulating the little beads in his hand is the absolute cutest thing ever. He loves playing this game with his 4 year old buddy from martial arts while their big siblings are all in their classes. So cute.

4. Nerts/Group Solitaire.  You know the age-old game of solitaire we used to play on our computers as kids? Did you know you can play group solitaire? To play: Everyone needs their own deck of cards. Set up your seven piles just like normal solitaire (first pile is face up, then six face down piles; move to the second pile and place one face up, then the other five piles face down...continue until all seven piles have a face-up card on them). Everything is the same in group solitaire EXCEPT that ANYONE can play off of the center Ace cards.

This is an interesting one because although you are trying to beat each other, if one player doesn't uncover all their cards, you might both lose. SO, there is a little bit of team work, too. My 7, 9, and 10 year olds have all been working really hard to get good at this game, and it's become really fun to play with them.

   

5. Labyrinth.  We've had this game for a couple years now, and it is still a favorite. A portion of the squares on the game board are stationary, the rest are movable. Each player draws a card to find a treasure. They then have to get through the labyrinth and to the treasure in as few of turns as possible. You only get to push one square on each turn. The first person to get to five treasures wins. The labyrinth is always changing, making it a fun challenge to set up moves for your next turn. Even the little ones simply enjoy changing up the labyrinth on their turn. This game is most-loved by my little 7-year-old engineer brained child, who can *almost* always get himself to the treasure on his first try.

This is a decently quick game, easy and quick to set up, and great for all ages...even adults.

6. While not a game, I wanted to mention this neat little tool that allows our youngest kiddo to jump into card games with the rest of us. My friend Ginny gifted this to my Levi, and it has gotten more than its fair share of use. This card holder allows little hands to grab on and stick their cards across so they can see their cards and play. He uses it every time we play Sleeping Queens.

7. Last thing, I promise. These waterproof cards were also a gift from my friend Ginny to my husband...I have since claimed them as my own because they are my favorite. BUT, they are also the BEST cards to pack up in my purse, car, to go to activities, etc. because they are waterproof and cleanable! My kids often bring these cards with them to martial arts and play with their friends while I take class...and if they get dirty from kid hands, I can easily wipe them clean! So great. Everyone needs these cards! (Side note: I am aiming to provide you with an Amazon link to buy these, but the one showing up for these appears to have BLUE spades/clubs, not black. While not a huge issue, I find it difficult to play Nerts with differing colors of card numbers/shapes.) 


What are your favorite games to play with your family/friends? I'm especially looking for more games like these that can go with us anywhere, are easy to teach, quick to play, and fun for kids of all ages. Leave your ideas/suggestions in the comments!



(Some of the links in this post are my referral/affiliate links.  Read my disclosure policy HERE.  Thank you for supporting the continuation of this blog by using my links!)

Don't Give My Kid That Medal

I think I grew up in the first generation to really be a part of the mass distribution of "participation awards".

I was a soccer player from the time I was 4 1/2 until the time I graduated high school.  I have a distinct memory of sitting on the front walkway of these apartments where we lived when I was maybe 5 or 6 years old, and lining up my soccer trophies so that anyone who walked by could see them.  And you know what?  I was SO proud of them.  I really was.  When I first started playing soccer, I was a hysterical, crying mess.  But my parents kept taking me and I eventually fell in love with the sport.  And each and every year, I received another trophy.   They were cool, but I stopped caring so much about them over time.

By high school, soccer trophies just for showing up had ceased, but I now had shelves full of look-alike trophies from my younger years.  They began to lose their awesomeness, and I cared about them less and less.  Medals began to show up now, which we only received when we placed well in tournaments.  These were special to me.  High school soccer seasons ended with awards for "top scorer" or "most inspirational" or "best whatever", none of which ever seemed to grace my hands.  But that was okay, and it didn't disappoint me, and I had learned to be sincerely happy for those who did receive them.

When I finished high school and got married, I left my trophies behind for my parents to deal with.  I'm sure they got rid of them, and I certainly don't care that they did.  I hung onto a couple paper awards that I was especially fond of from academic achievements, but otherwise, I let it all go (it's important to note that I'm totally a minimalist and in no way, shape, or form am I sentimental).

Fast forward to having kids of my own.  As a new mom who knew every thing about parenting (ha!), not letting my kids have participation awards was up there with never homeschooling (we all know how that turned out).  Buuuuut.....I found that for my little 5 year olds trying out a new sport for the first time, a trophy or medal at the end of the season made their little hearts so dang happy.  And there was no way in hell that I'd ever tell them it didn't mean anything other than they showed up and played soccer for a full season.  Heck-they rocked it.  Tried something new.  Got over their fears.  Got hit in the face with a ball.  They totally needed that cheap little trophy at the end of the season.

But now I have a child who is actually competing in a sport.  Ellie is 9 and just finished her second gymnastics meet.  I find myself back at the "don't give my kid a medal just for showing up" place once again.  This is not a recreational gig, this is a competition.  We greatly focus in our home on just doing your best.  Whether you "win" or "lose", you do your best.  Beat you score from last time.  Nail something that you were unsteady on last time.  Cheer on your teammates, and smile even if you don't get called up for an award.

Competition #1- She did it! 

Ellie's first competition was met with medals for every place.  If there were 9 girls in a division, they placed each event up to the 9th place.  And so, Ellie received 5 medals, even though two of them were last or second to last place.  But this was her first competition, and we were so proud of her for going out and doing it (and heck-she had to compete against 13 year olds for some reason).  We never even mentioned to her that some of those medals were technically last place.

But she knew.  She even mentioned it to us after a few days.  And I wondered if her medals were worth slightly less in her mind now that she figured out that everyone got one no matter what. But of course I didn't ask her about it.

Competition #2

Competition number 2 was this weekend, and while the podium was a large one (up to 8th place), they did NOT give participation medals.  You either earned your way up there or you didn't.   And I was so relieved.  No parent wants their kid to miss out on earning a medal in a situation like this, but at the same time, I am the parent who doesn't want my kid to get one just for showing up.  When everyone gets a medal in a competition, it devalues the medals that were actually earned. The kids who receive the "last place" medals know that they just got last place.  I want my child to know that if she earns an award/medal/trophy that it has meaning and value.  I want my child to know that sometimes we try our hardest and still don't "win" anything.  And that's okay.  I want my child to find value in her accomplishments outside of just getting a medal, and to feel a sense of pride in her work, regardless of what anyone else might say.

4th place on bars

Ellie mentioned how these medals were cooler because she earned them.  She totally gets what's going on.

So don't give my kid that medal.  If she earns it, go for it.  But if it's for last place, please don't.  She'll be fine even if she doesn't get one.  Because in her words, "I'm proud of myself because I overcame my anxiety and fears about competing and I did it...even though I got last place in that event!"

My "Not New Years" Goals

I've never been much of a New Years Resolutions kinda person.  I have occasionally set a goal or two, but rarely have I kept up with them.  I think that far too often our goals are too big or too boring or too far outside our normal, current lifestyle, that we just can't keep up with them.

But those of you who know me personally know that I am a planner.  And I do love goals.  And Excel spreadsheets.  And notebooks.  And journals.  And Kanban goal flow boards.  And sticky notes.  And, and, and.....

I actually really enjoy setting goals, but I have found that to be successful with my goals, they need to be bite sized, and typical New Years Resolutions seem to just be big things, without the baby steps.  If I want to set a goal to workout 6 days a week, it usually has to start with setting a goal to regularly exercise two days a week, then to bump it up a day, and so on and so forth.  If I want to read aloud one new book each month to my children, I start with something like reading aloud for a few minutes twice a week.  Bite-sized baby steps to the rescue.

I think my hesitancy to set New Years goals lies in the premise that there is something magical about a certain day or month of the year for starting new things.  It communicates that goals are to be made in January, and not March or September.  It communicates that if we "fail" at our goal, it's probably not the right time to redo our goal and keep pushing...because it's not the new year.  It communicates that we should only specifically look to improve our lifestyle, health, habits, etc. one time a year.

We miss the mark sometimes (okay, a lot of times).  Our lofty goals may have been too big or not right for us and we fail.  And there is NOTHING wrong with failing; it's how we learn.  But if we keep our minds set to only create new goals and try new things once a year, we may let failure end at failure.  We may not do anything with our failure, or adjust our goals, or try again.

So no New Years' Resolutions for me.  Instead, I'll let you know the goals that I'm currently working on, as well as the goals I'm setting for myself in the near future.

Here are a few of my current goals:

*Work out 5 times per week.  I'm crushing this because I found something I love that motivates me to get up and go (see my previous post).  Not only do I go five times a week, but a couple of those days I go to both an afternoon and evening class.  A mini goal within this is to attend 1 Brazillian Jiu Jitsu class each week (this is newer to me, and not my favorite compared to the Mixed Martial Arts, but still fun and I can learn some great skills here). Considering how six months ago I *maybe* worked out twice per week, and I now work out 5-6 days a week, I have had some awesome success with this goal.  I attribute success with this goal to 1) finding something I love and look forward to doing, and 2) great trainers and friends to train with.  It's made this goal one in which I don't even have to "try" to accomplish anymore.

*Meal Plan more effectively.  Those of you who have followed my blog for a long time would be shocked to find out how poorly I've been doing at meal planning lately.  It's especially awful since we are often out late at various martial arts classes or gymnastics classes and then come home to no food.  So....I am currently working at being just a little bit better at meal planning.  One of these mini goals is to keep things like cooked rice, chopped lettuce, and other quick-meal type stuff my family likes in the fridge.  But really, my crock pot misses me.  And I miss it.  So back to meal planning we go!

*Read two books aloud to the kids each month.  Okay, so this one took some major baby stepping.  Also, I had to have grace for the times when my kids just really weren't interested in the book at hand.  Last month we read Peter Pan and The Little House in the Big Woods, and we are currently almost done with The Three Musketeers.  For some odd reason, I have found that I feel especially "accomplished" with our homeschool day if I've spent time reading aloud to the kids.  Not sure why.  You'd think that finishing Math and English would leave me feeling accomplished, but nope-it's reading aloud.  And so, that's why this goal is an important one to me.  It's good for the kids but also gives me as a homeschooling mom a sense of accomplishment that I so desperately need sometimes.

*Read more personal enrichments books.  Notice how I don't have a set number for this...it's because I've been there, done that, and it never works.  So now I just keep on my mind that it's something I value and want to regularly do.  I am currently reading through both Rich Dad, Poor Dad and The Millionaire Next Door, both of which I find incredibly eye-opening and interesting.  Following these books, I'd like to read Wired to Eat by my new friend Robb Wolf, who is a health expert and author of the New York Times Bestselling book, The Paleo Solution. Also, he is super awesome and is super nice when he kicks my butt at jiu jitsu. We don't eat Paleo in our home, but I'm becoming more aware of food and its affect on my body, and am really wanting to learn more.


So, there they are...a few of my current, "not New Years" goals.  They aren't resolutions, and they don't start or end on a certain day. They are things that I believe will enrich and enhance my life.  No New Years Resolutions for me!  And I'm perfectly happy and fine with that.

How to Go on a Run with Four Children in 29 Easy Steps

A couple weeks ago, Ben was gone performing a couple wedding ceremonies (he officiates weddings occasionally).  I have been really dedicated this past month or two and have been working out almost daily.  So, since it was Saturday and the gym childcare was closed, I decided to take the kids on a run.  This accomplishes two things- 1) I get a run, and 2) the kids exert some energy on their bikes/scooters/etc.  The only thing, though, is that taking four kids on a run like this requires an enormous amount of effort for very little run time.  And usually, my heart rate is up more due to the stress of my kids than from the actual run itself.  I had published this on my personal Facebook page that day, but after today's run WITH daddy (which I though would be easier) proved to be just as incredibly frustrating and difficult as my last run with the kids, I figured I'd publish it here as my tips to you.  You know, just so you're prepared for what's to come the next time you step out the door to go on a "run."  

How to go on a run with 4 children in 29 easy steps:

1. Announce your intentions.
2. Listen to four individual declarations of bikes/scooters/I'm-not-riding-in-the-jogging-strollers.
3. Go to the garage.  
4. Send three kids back into the garage for inappropriate clothing or shoes.
5. Listen to two kids complain they can only find one shoe.
6. Clean out your van to find no less than 20 individual shoes. And still no match to the proper shoes.
7. Concede to let children wear flip flops.
8. Grab the bike pump to fill flat tires on #2's bike.
9. Realize the bike pump cord has been severed. Suggest a scooter to child #2.
10. Listen to moaning, groaning, and bargaining for the flat-tired bike and why it will work.
11. Focus your attention on the 2 year old who thinks he's riding his tricycle. Comment on his cuteness.
12. Try to find the words to kindly explain to said 2 year old that him on a tricycle means you don't get to actually run. Because he's 2. And slow.
13. Argue with a 2 year old for a few more minutes about the bike. Let him win.
14. Start the run, empty jogging stroller in hand.
15. Take 20 steps and realize that a child forgot their helmet. Send child back to retrieve it.
16. Pretend to run while you could really be walking, all the while pushing an empty two-person jogging stroller because you know the 2 year old will quit any minute.
17. 2 year old quits. Stop running. Find a way to fit the tricycle into the stroller.
18. Convince 2 year old to buckle up.
19. Run.
20. Yell at the 5 year old who keeps darting off the side walk and into the street.
21. Stop so your two daughters can switch bikes/scooters.
22. Run.
23. Stop when two daughters collide and both eat it on the pavement.
24. Run.
25. Stop when daughter #2 eats it on the pavement again.
26. Give up and walk the rest of the way.
27. Let 2 year old ride his tricycle the final stretch home.
28. Listen to him cry about how it's not a long enough ride.
29. Breathe a sigh of relief and vow to never take them out on a run again....Until you decide to try it again.  Because moms are crazy. 

5 Reasons My Kids are in Martial Arts

 

My crazy boy after his green belt test.  He was maybe just a little excited.

  I can remember being in 1st or 2nd grade, and being "bothered" by these boys on the playground.  My mom thought karate might help me handle those obnoxious boys, and so she brought me to a karate class.  I can remember putting on these big pads, and sparring with another girl who seemed just a little older than I.  I CLEARLY remember getting the wind knocked out of me by her kick to my chest.  But, by that age, I was already pretty tough and stubborn and definitely wasn't going to cry or whine about it, so I sucked it up, but definitely didn't enjoy it.  At the end of the class, the instructor commented on how our karate was not to be used on our friends or other kids, and so my mom said that was the end of karate.

I continued to dive into soccer and gymnastics, and eventually settled on soccer as my sport of choice.  I played year round soccer-fall and spring seasons were a must, as well as off season indoor leagues.  I LOVED it.

And so here is my terrible confession...Somewhere around middle school I decided karate was for nerds.  Not sure why.  It just was.  And I was a middle school know-it-all who thought she was pretty darn cool (in reality, I was mostly a band nerd in middle school).  Soccer was (clearly) the cool kid choice, and most others ranked lower in my book.

My little sister started into martial arts and ended up with her black belt.  And even though I had zero skills, I was relentless and tough and always certain I could kick her butt, and so we regularly tried to tap each other out at home. My parents would rarely, if ever, break up these fights...I'm sure they thought by this point that my sister could finally handle herself.

Fast forward about 12 years (say what?!?! I'm getting old)...we ended up enrolling our son, Aaron, into a karate program just around the corner.  And for real, within about two weeks, I declared this to be the most amazing sport ever.  I honestly cannot believe how wrong my impressions of the sport had been.  My Zoe (7) actually just quit gymnastics and started karate recently, too, and she is thriving and enjoying it.

So for any other mommas who have established your opinion of karate based on TV or your middle school judgements or whatnot instead of first hand experience, let me give you my newly developed, first hand, momma to momma feedback on the sport of karate (and if you are a "real" karate person, forgive my lack of proper terminology...I know very little-clearly):

1) Karate is a sport that teaches respect.  From the very first lesson, Aaron was taught to bow coming on and off of the mat as a sign of respect.  His little 5 year old body gets a little too excited sometimes and he runs right off, but now that he is a few belts in, he is starting to be more consistent.
They also bow to their instructors at various times, and I LOVE that their instructors are often bowing back.  We show respect to teach respect, right?  Kids are just as worthy of our respect as adults are, and I love that there is mutual respect being taught within the sport, even in the little kids' program.  The kids respond to their teachers with "yes sir" or "yes ma'am".  Aaron often says "yes sir" to me when I ask him to do things at home now (his main teacher is a male...it's habit).

My little Levi and his friend watching the big kids at our karate homeschool field trip.

2) Big kids teach little kids.  I was shocked the first time I saw a child only a head or two taller than Aaron walk onto the mat and begin to kindly and patiently explain, demonstrate, and teach a Thai Boxing Combo to Aaron.  As I watched, I realized that these kids, who seem to be mostly around ages 10-12, are perfectly capable little instructors.  Not only that, but as a teacher myself, and an advocate for mixed ages in learning situations, I KNOW that those "big" kids are learning a great deal themselves by teaching someone else.  What a fabulous experience for the younger kids to learn from someone more "peer" like, and for those "big" kids to experience and navigate sharing their knowledge to someone younger than themselves.

3) Self defense skills are learned.  A month or so ago, a little guy at a friends house choked Aaron.  He was so panicked and crying after his sisters got the boy off of him.  He talked about it for days, in fact.  Fast forward about a month, and something similar happened, with a friend coming up around his back/neck.  Except this time he could still talk.  He asked and told the kid three times to get off of him, and when he didn't Aaron quickly maneuvered himself out of the situation with a jab to the gut.  I was SO proud that even at 5, he remembered to use his words and only when that was ineffective, he was able to quickly get himself out of the situation. When I talked to him afterwards, he said, "I was really scared and I asked him to get off but he wouldn't so I used my self defense."  (And if you're wondering why I didn't step in when his friend was on top of him, it's because I wasn't there...the grown ups who saw communicated what happened to us).  Now, if I could just figure out what in the world possesses little boys to tackle and choke others, that would be fabulous (not sure if I'll ever understand little boys, though).

My Zoe is in the white belt, and Aaron is in the green. 

4) Self control/discipline is being learned.  THIS is something my kids (and all of us) need more of.  Aaron has been in karate for almost a year now.  He's 5, and can be fidgety sometimes.  But he also has a personality that hates to be in trouble and he aims to please (not really with me-ha! But with others, definitely).  Last week, he got super fidgety at the end of class when the kids are supposed to sit with their instructor and chat about the word of the week.  I'm pretty sure he made the floor a drum pad, and before you know it, Aaron was doing some push ups, peeking to see if we saw what happened, and then sat his body nice and still.  And of course, there's turn taking which is great for developing some self control.

5) It's a family affair.  I'm not sure whether this is typical for the sport of karate, but it certainly is true of our gym.  Children need to earn 6 "tips" on their belt to be eligible for a belt test.  The first 5 have to do with skills learned, the final tip is a parent approval tip.  I LOVE how a child's ability to move on up is not only dependent upon their class performance, but is also based on how they are at home with their siblings/whether they show respect at home/etc.  Because life should be well rounded.  Children should not learn that being respectful or hardworking is something that only happens at one place and time, but that those qualities should transcend into all areas of their lives.

Beyond that, this particular gym has LOTS of full-families participating in various classes.  We have two of our kiddos in classes, I am taking private self defense classes (and surprise-I've discovered I actually really love it and will be joining a regular class after our Disneyland trip in a few weeks), and my husband has been diving into Brazilian Jiu Jitsu (if you've been around a while, you'll remember his severe knee injury a few years back that almost led to his leg being amputated...he's taking it SLOWLY, but is sure giving it a try!).  I love to see all the families participating.  What a fabulous way for parents to not only help their kids stay healthy and active, but to SHOW them too!

6) Fitness is important.  My kids come off sweaty after every class.  They work hard, and get a great workout in at each class.  It is suggested that all children do 60+ minutes of physical exercise each DAY, and yet only 1 in 3 children are physically active every day.  Most of the 60 minutes should be made up of aerobic activity (per CDC recommendations), with bone and muscle strengthening exercises being mixed in too.  I love that our karate studio is unlimited enrollment, and since it's right by our house, we can usually make it to 4-5 classes each week.  That fits in half of their daily aerobic exercise on those days!


Overall, karate is NOTHING like I imagined it to be when I was younger.  It is SO much greater than I could have expected, and I am so grateful to have found such a wonderful gym right by our house.  While I always dreamed of having little soccer players, muddy cleats, and stinky shinguards laying around the house, I'm finding more and more joy in watching my kids discover the sports that they love.

So, if you're looking for a new sport to introduce your kiddos to, I would highly suggest martial arts!

How We Started Our Kids' Savings Accounts AND Scored Some FREE Money

We're a little behind the curve on opening savings accounts for our kids.  But hey, better late than never.  One problem I had as I searched around was that so many banks required a certain amount to open an account.  Since these accounts are for my kids to invest their OWN money into, a "big" starting amount for them was challenging (because they're currently really great at the "spending" aspect of money, but not so much the "savings" one).  I really needed a bank with either a low starting amount, or required starting amount at all.  And no fees.  Fees are bad.

I had been hunting for quite a while, and had actually even set this aside for quite some time.  But recently I came across some info on Capital One 360 savings accounts online, and after some research, ended up choosing them for my kids' accounts AND one for me, too!

Here's what I love:

*If you go through someone's referral link, you get a $25 credit upon making a $250 deposit and leaving it there for a month (and they get a little credit too!).  That's FREE money people!  So I set up a "Disneyland" savings account, with auto debits from my main bank account so that this fund can start to build, and started it with a $250 deposit. I instantly got my $25 bonus-score!

*These account have a higher interest rate of .75% APY.  I don't know about you, but this is WAY better than my regular bank savings account!

*No fees and no minimums.  I love that there are no fees at all, and that none of the six accounts I opened had to have any minimum opening balance (minus the $250 in my savings since I wanted the bonus).

*You can deposit checks directly into your account using your phone!  I haven't done this yet, but this will make depositing checks that the kids receive SO much easier!

*Kids can open up to 25 different accounts to save for multiple items!  I love this option.  It makes it easy for kids to make "small" item goals AND "big" item goals and save for both at the same time.

*It was super easy to link my main bank account and to set up auto debits for my Disneyland account.

I am thinking that I may eventually set up a few more small savings accounts with Capital One 360 and set up auto debits for some of my sinking accounts (i.e. things that happen periodically such as car registrations, car maintenance, homeschool supplies/books, etc.).  This would ensure that all of my funds are always fully funded when I need them, and so it doesn't kill my budget by forgetting to save throughout the year for car registrations or whatever.

If you are looking for a new system of savings accounts for you or your kids, I really do like our new Capital One accounts!  You can get your free $25 bonus by following my personal link HERE.

Prepping Food for the Week

I've been better about prepping ahead for the week lately.  I used to freezer crock pot cook a month at a time, but have since found it hard to find time or energy to totally prep so many meals in advance.  I've since taken to weekly prepping, which I find much easier to do right now, and also much easier to pick recipes that are currently sounding yummy to me.

On Sunday afternoon/evening, I take a couple hours to prep for the week.  I seriously dislike cooking, and with our evening schedule being the way it is right now with sports and swim lessons, having everything prepared before hand is so much easier.  I wrote last week's menu within THIS POST for the Reno Moms Blog.


Here's what tonight's time included:

*8 Cups brown rice (We use this for sides, but also my girls will eat it for snacks or for lunch)
*2 Caprese salads for my husband (with lettuce from the garden!)
*2 Cranberry, sunflower seed, and blue cheese salads
*7 cups of granola for cereal or snacking
*18 biscuits for breakfasts
*Crock Pot Sloppy Joes (made with hidden veggies!) - $13, but I had 2 pounds of ground beef on hand in my freezer so it was only about $5 out of pocket this week.
*Crock Pot Pulled Pork (with a pork shoulder from a local pig) - $3 out of pocket, plus the $20 pork shoulder I've had in my freezer from our last pig purchase.
*Crock Pot Minestrone Soup - $11.25

We have one other night where we eat dinner with church, and one weekday where I don't have any evening activities and can cook at the stove (enchiladas).

I did this prep over the course of two hours while also finishing up and serving and eating dinner with my family.  A little bit of time, for a much easier week!  We won't have to resort to fast food or other junk food options during the evenings that are busier, because a hot dinner will be waiting for us at home!

Do you prep ahead for your week?  What are your favorites to prep?

Life Lately...

We've had a few crazy weeks around here, hence the lack of blogging.  Here's a little peek into our life lately:

Little sickies, who then gave me sickies, have been the story of my life lately.  It seems like we've finally turned a corner, though, so there's that.  Since I'm the sole owner and teacher of a Kindermusik program, getting sick proved to be a whole lot of work as I had to last-minute cancel classes.  I REALLY need to hire someone, which has become more evident as I've been growing.  Sigh.  Good problem to have, I suppose! 

We're in the middle of buying our house.  After 4 years of renting here, we've been given the opportunity to purchase the house.  We jumped right on it!  The housing market here in Reno is insane, and houses are typically very expensive and hard to buy.  This has been a HUGE blessing for our family.  We close in about 1 week, and holding out on ripping off the wallpaper is taking some serious self control on my part.  

Homeschooling is ever-evolving, and I'm loving it.  The kids are working through and adapting to some new curriculums.  The girls just finished a 6 week theater/acting session, and although one of them said she hated it, from watching them, they both had a ton of fun and learned some self-confidence in the process.  Definitely something I'd sign them up for again.  

The girls start their third semester of choir today, which is always so much fun, but work for me as I organize the choir (totally worth it though).  They are both continuing on with gymnastics.  Ellie has moved onto the advanced gymnastics class and is determined that she wants to compete some day.  Aaron currently takes karate about 4 times a week at a studio that is conveniently down the street from our house.  He just had his first belt test and he was SO proud of himself (and oh, so cute!).  The girls continue to take piano lessons, though we've cut back to every other week in an effort to save some time from our schedule and some money as we purchase the house.  We're hoping swim lessons will work their way into our schedule and budget soon.  Our kids do not know how to swim (yikes!), and I'd really like to spend more time by the water this summer.  We've had field trips, park trips with friends, and recently had a fun Valentine's party at our house with homeschool friends.  

(To those of you who say homeschoolers aren't "socialized," I beg you to look at the active schedules of homeschoolers.  Instead of sitting at a desk with the same group of like-aged kids for 7 hours a day, they are out and about, engaging in a variety of activities with a variety of people of all ages.  I beg to differ, that it is homeschoolers who gain more "social" experiences!)

Anyway, life is fun and full and a little crazy lately with the sicknesses going around, buying the house, and my business growing a TON since the new year.  I'm hoping to start waking up early again now that everyone is healthy and sleeping, which means I can blog regularly again.  Yay!  On to tackle the day!  

"Create Your Own Cupcake Business" Printable

For months, my girls have been planning their own cupcake shops.  My 8 year old is incredibly detail oriented, and very persistent and determined to someday own her own store.  It all started when she discovered the show "Cupcake Wars."  She recently watched the American Girl movie, Grace, and realized that more specifically, a French bakery, or a "Patisserie" was what she wanted.  She researches cupcake recipes, copies them down in her many journals, and has even baked a few batches for Ben's work office.

I want my children to be entrepreneurial.  I want them to be creative, and I want my them to know that going to college is not the only way to make a great life for themselves.  They each have unique skills, and I want to help them develop those skills and know that they can turn their skills and passions into income sources if they so desire.

And with that, I created the "Create Your Own Cupcake Business" printable packet.  My girls have been hard at work planning their newest cupcake shop.  The packet helps guide them through some of the various aspects of starting a cupcake business.  Designing a logo, naming their store, thinking through where they'll advertise, designing a menu, and more, are part of this packet.  It's simple, but can easily be expanded upon.

My girls will end their planning process by putting all their info and designs onto a trifold presentation board, baking a batch of cupcakes, and giving a presentation on their store to the family.

I want to encourage my children's creativity and passions in any way possible.  I want them to know I believe in them, that they can succeed, and that their ideas are valuable and unique.

I have made these printables available to homeschoolers and teachers alike via my Teachers Pay Teachers store.  The packet is just $1.99, and gives you access to the 15 pages of guided planning!  You will find planning pages, "task" pages, and others designed to inspire your child to create their own cupcake shop!

Enjoy!

(Some of the links in this post are my referral/affiliate links.  Read my disclosure policy HERE.  Thank you for supporting the continuation of this blog by using my links!)

Trader Joes: The Secret Animals!

I shop at Trader Joe's a couple times a week (no joke...I head there twice a week just for produce trips).  I love the store, plus it's close to my home.  I've become pretty skilled at taking 4 kids shopping with me, but still, it's always nice to have something to "do" at the store.  If the ever-changing decorations at Trader Joe's weren't enough to entertain the children, many locations hide little stuffed animals for the kids to find!

Our store has Billy the Goat, Rosemary the Bird, and Milly (I haven't seen her in a while; not sure what species she belongs to).  They move them often, so it's always fun to hunt.  

They're almost always up high, out of the kids' reach, so keep your eyes looking UP!  

Once you find your store's little animal, be sure to head to customer service and tell them you found "so and so" and where he/she was.  They give out lollipops or other little treats once you've located their friend.

My children LOVE looking for Billy each time we head into the store.  As of late, they've been particularly excited because both Billy and Rosemary have been out and about.  

How Easing into the School Year Saved My Sanity

We are just entering our 3rd year of homeschooling.   What started out as a "let's see how this works" thing, has now turned into a "I LOVE this" kinda thing.  Homeschooling isn't easy, especially at first. But it does get easier as time passes and you figure out how you can best teach each of your children. This year's big challenge is that I have 2 "official" school children (K & 3rd), plus a preschooler and toddler.  Zoe did complete about half of Kindergarten last year at her own pace, but because of her birthdate, I had always planned to "hold her back" a year, making this her first official year in school (read: where I actually have to make sure she's on track with her learning). We're still figuring it all out, but it's coming along nicely.

Anyway, you know how the start of a new school year (whether homeschooled or not) is always a bit crazy?  You start new routines, new school work, etc. all at once and it's TERRIBLE.  Everyone ends up stressed, the kids are crying, I'm hiding in the hall closet crying and eating chocolate, and it all sucks.  By week two everyone hates school (and life, for that matter), and you're already counting down the days to fall break.

This year was going to be different.  I wasn't going to be stressed or lose my mind.  I wasn't going to put all our school year routines on my kids and myself at once.  I wasn't even going to have an official "first day of school."  Weird, right?  No-genious.

I started by writing down what our typical school days have look liked in the past, and adjusted for things that didn't work or that I wanted to add.  For me, these are the things that change/transition when we shift from summer to school year:

*Personal Hygiene Routines/Chores: The summer is very relaxed around here.  Once school starts, though, the kids eat breakfast and then are expected to get dressed, make their beds, brush their teeth & hair, and tidy up their rooms immediately following.

*My Chore/Cleaning Schedule:  Again, in the summer I just do things as they need to get done (or let them get way out of control...you know how that goes).  During the school year, I typically start at least one load of laundry in the morning before school, and another in the afternoon.  I unload the dishwasher after breakfast and do all the morning dishes before school starts. I clean the bathrooms on a particular day, wash all the bed sheets on a particular day, etc.

*School Time: This is an obvious one, but we did do a bit of school this summer, so this year, our school routines would feel a shift too.

*Activities: Although some activities ran through the summer (gymnastics, piano lessons), others would start in late August/September (Farm School, soccer classes, homeschool co-ops, and choir).  This meant that our daily schedules/times we're home would change.

After I made the above notes (I LOVE notes, lists, journals, spreadsheets, etc.- ha!), I then assigned them each to a week.  I gave myself about 3 weeks of leeway before I wanted to be "going" with everything.  So, since my goal was September 1st, I started on about August 10th.

The week of August 10th, I began having all the children get in the habit of their morning routines.  Breakfast, getting dressed, picking up rooms, teeth, etc.  By the end of the week, no one was complaining anymore, and a couple of them had even started doing it on their own, without prompting. We still enjoyed our summer, and visited parks, the discovery museum, and played with friends.

The week of August 17th, I added in my chores, as well as the kids chores.  We started getting into our laundry routines.  The kids started helping do their own laundry loads again.  I started making sure the kitchen was clean after breakfast (a messy kitchen is a huge distraction while homeschooling).  I also started adding back in my trips to the gym (where they have FREE childcare-woot!).

The week of August 24th, I began adding in our school work.  We just did a little, and didn't spend a ton of time lesson planning this week.  I did a little each day and we'd take breaks when I began to get big push back or huge frustration from the kids.  By Friday of this week, they were starting to ask for their next assignments or what our next science lesson would be about, and their frustration levels had already decreased significantly.

By this week, we are in full "school mode."  We're getting our chores done, our routines are in place, I've gone to gym everyday, the house is (mostly) clean, and we're doing all the school we need to do.  The kids are in good spirits, they aren't burned out from an overload of new changes, and I still have my sanity.  We still have a few activities to add in to our schedules this month, but I know it won't be a big deal since we've got everything else going already.

By easing into our school year, we have definitely started out on a better foot than any other school year in the past.  I will, without a doubt, ease into all future school years in this same manner.

Now, I totally get that if you're NOT a homeschooler, this will look a bit different, but after seeing my public schooling friends' stressed out posts on Facebook, too, I definitely encourage you non-homeschoolers to find ways to ease into your next school year as well.  Perhaps start with getting bed times and wake up times back on schedule, and following that up with morning routines.  That way, by the time school starts, the only NEW thing is that they are headed to school during the day (which is still a big adjustment in itself).

Easing into the school year for the WIN!

Easter Craft

I have been majorly failing at the crafty side of things these past couple months.  Majorly, I tell you.  Anyway, it's almost Easter, so I figured we should do SOMETHING crafty.  

My kiddos wrote the verse "He has risen, just as he said!" onto their pages.  Although it doesn't come out very well in the photos, we found some really cute, sparkly scrapbook paper to use for Easter eggs.  My kids have decided that "eggs" fit into the Easter story as the "stone" rolled in front of the tomb where Jesus was laid to rest after he died on the cross.  I think it's a great tie-in!

They each went out to collect two little sticks from the backyard.  I tied them together for them.  We glued/stapled them onto their papers.  The grass is a great fine motor skill work-out.  I gave them a green strip, and they cut slits half way down throughout.  

Since ZERO of the 15 glue bottles in our home actually work, we ended up pouring Mod Podge in a little bowl and painting glue on with a paint brush-another great fine motor work out!

So simple, but a great way to practice their scripture verse and work on fine motor skills.  Plus-every kid loves to glue things!  

Happy Easter everyone!

DIY Kids Sized Farmhouse Table

Last year, we built ourselves this farmhouse table.  I still love it, though there are definitely things I would do differently next time.  But it’s particularly special because it’s the first big thing we ever made together. 

We are a pretty big family, considering we have four children.  Our table fits us all well, with plenty of room to spare.  And when we have just one other small family over for dinner, we have enough space at our table for everyone.  BUT, if we have another big family over (or multiple families over), we simply cannot all fit at our big farmhouse table. 

I really like our kids to dine close to us, even if they’re not at the same table.  We had a little round table, but it just wasn’t cutting it anymore.  For the full sized table we built, we used this gal's modified plans from Ana White's website (love her!).   We simply scaled down our farmhouse table measurements to make it kid-sized.  It is was so simple to just shorten all the measurements and create a "mini" farmhouse table.  

As always, I found a really cute green "oops" paint from Home Depot for just $.50!!!  I used my Valspar Antiquing Glaze from Lowe's (my absolute favorite!) to give it an older look.  I finished the green areas with low oder polyurethane (I use this kind).

The table top is chalkboard paint.  I like this kind, and it lasts through a ton of projects!  I used 2 coats of chalkboard paint.  You do not put polyurethane on top of the chalkboard paint.  You just leave it as is.  

It's such a fun table and a great way to add extra seating into our kitchen.  We use it all the time.  

It's a perfect sized table for group crafts since they don't have to reach so far across the table, and it's always fun to just draw on it with chalk.  We use it whenever we have lots of people over, and it's a great way for a bunch of kids to be able to sit together and talk while they eat.

I'm so glad we made the decision to build this table.  It was quick and easy, and a really useful piece for our family!

Melissa & Doug Products Half Off Today!!!

Amazon's Deal of the Day is 50% Melissa and Doug Products.  They have some great items for cheap today!  Melissa and Doug products are great because they are high quality, but they are expensive if you don't get them on sale.  My favorite of all the toys offered is the above pictured Shape, Model, and Mold set.  It's perfect for play dough, and will keep your kids from always grabbing the kitchen rolling pin!  Today, it is $9.99 instead of $19.99.  

Blocks like these are a favorite open-ended toy.  My son, especially, enjoys all things blocks.  These are normally $69.99, but today they are $34.99.

Isn't this wood car carrier cute?  I especially appreciate that it's not plastic like all the other toys were generally accumulate.  It's so unique!  Today it's $9.99 instead of $19.99.

Dress ups aren't just for Halloween!  We have quite a few dress ups in our house.  They are a favorite among my children and their friends.  This fire chief costume set would be a perfect gift for a young child.  And the jacket is machine washable!  It is $14.99 today instead of $29.99.

We actually already own these puzzles.  They are my favorite for kids ages 3-5.  They all have little pegs to grab the puzzle pieces out easily for little hands (great for fine motor skills!), and the ABC puzzle is a favorite for letter and sound recognition.  Today, this 3 pack of puzzles is $9.99 instead of $19.99.  

These deals are all good through today or until they sell out (sometimes that happens earlier than the end of the day!).  

(The links in this post are my referral/affiliate links.  Read my disclosure policy HERE.  Thank you for supporting the continuation of this blog by using my links!)

Advent Activity Ideas

Still looking for something easy and meaningful for an advent calendar this year?  Last year I created this advent activity idea sheet, and it was so much fun for our whole family.  We didn't do all of them, but we did and tried a lot of things that we wouldn't have done otherwise.  

The post contains a FREE downloadable .pdf file so you can do these fun activities too!  

Head HERE to get the link for downloading!