A couple months ago, our sweet German Shepherd passed away after a sudden illness.  We did everything we could to try and save her.  Since then, our house hasn’t quite seemed the same.

On Friday, I happened to be scrolling facebook and saw a sad looking puppy at a local shelter.  A couple kids and I went out to meet him and fell in love!  After we heard his story, we knew he just had to come home with us!  Teddy (formerly Duke) and his mom had been turned into the shelter because his elderly owner had passed away.  He is by far the perfect pup!  He’s calm and likes to lay in the schoolroom while we do school.  He doesn’t chase our cats.  He loves to snuggle and comfort.  He’s just perfect.  He’s already cheering up and showing off his personality and we just love him!

I think we made a great choice with him and he fits into our crazy lives perfectly.  He can pick up on our emotions already and give us extra love when it’s needed.  So thankful we were able to adopt him.

Any guesses what kind of mixed pup he is?  We know his mom had some yorkie in her, but other than that, it’s anyone’s guess.

Monday: Taco Pie 

Tuesday: Southwestern Chicken in the Crock Pot

Wednesday: Grilled Sandwiches

Thursday: Cereal, fruit

Friday: Burgers, veggies

Saturday: Grilled Chicken

Sunday: Carne Picada tacos

Let’s face it, sometimes life is crazy and simplicity is needed. That is where one of my favorite websites, Jane.com, comes in hand. If you are looking for an easy Halloween costume, there are options to fit your style and your budget.

For starters, check out these Cute Bear Costume Shirts.  They remind me so much of one of my favorite childhood toys.  I can’t decide which one is my favorite – the heart, lollipops, and even the raincloud would probably be my top picks.  I could see this being an adorable group halloween costume for a family or friends.  These are so cute and are sure to bring up lots of smiles and memories.  These shirts ship for just $17.98 for one, and $16.98 after that!

One great option for the girls are these Character and Princess Inspired Dresses.  They are always so popular for dress up, every day use, Halloween, or taking a magical trip.  There are thirty different styles to choose from in this deal including ice princesses, a mouse, glass slipper princess, poison apple princess, and lots more!  The first one ships for only $17.98 and just $15.98 for any additional dresses.

Every child loves pretending to be a superhero, and every superhero needs a cape.  This Personalized Superhero Cape is perfect for a Halloween costume and could double as a dress-up item during the rest of the year. I love that they are able to be personalized with your little one’s name.  We have a cape that we received when my 12 year old was tiny and it still gets worn by his younger siblings.   It truly is an item that will get used a ton. Available for only $19.98 shipped for the first one and $17.98 shipped for ones after that.

Jane.com is a great resource for fun and stylish clothes and household items.  I love checking everyday to see what is new on their website.  Beside these items, there is a vast amount of fall and Halloween decor and accessories.

It’s time for some Fire tablet deals!

Prime Members can grab the All-New Fire 7 Tablet for only $29.99 right now, down from $49.99!

• 7″ IPS display; 16 or 32 GB of internal storage (add up to 512 GB with microSD)
• Faster 1.3 GHz quad-core processor
• Up to 7 hours of reading, browsing the web, watching video, and listening to music
• Now Alexa hands-free
• 1 GB of RAM
• 2 MP front and rear-facing cameras with 720p HD video recording
• Dual-band Wi-Fi

You can also score the Fire HD 8 Tablet for only $49.99, down from $79.99.

• 8″ HD display; 16 or 32 GB of internal storage (up to 400 GB with microSD)
• 1.3 GHz quad-core processor
• Up to 10 hours of battery life
• Alexa hands-free enabled
• 1.5 GB of RAM
• 2 MP front-facing camera + 2 MP rear-facing HD camera
• Dual-band Wi-Fi

Not an Amazon Prime member?  Try Amazon Prime 30-Day Free Trial

Right now this 5 Piece Ozark Trail Kids Camping Set is only $39, down from $119!  The Ozark Trail Kids Camping Kit comes with Tent, Chairs and Sleeping Pads!  Perfect for park, backyard or playroom camping.  This is one heck of a deal and won’t last at this price!

 

Both my 3rd and 4th graders need a little consistent review on multiplication facts right now.  Thanks to our  Online Times Alive subscription from City Creek Press, Inc. my girls are learning their math facts by watching videos and practicing math facts.

About the Program:

Online Times Alive teaches multiplication facts through songs, stories, and games. Throughout the program, there are quizzes, coloring pages, matching, and more.  Online Times Alive is available for $9.95 per month with a $6.95 sign-up fee.  This price allows an unlimited number of students on one computer.

There is also an Online Times Alive app designed for iOS 9 and above if you prefer for your children to learn that way.  We were given access to the app as well, so I put that on the children’s iPad.  We found that it was a lot easier to work on Online Times Alive through the app instead of on a computer.

After listening to the story or song, there is a section where they immediately put into practice the math fact that was taught. For example for 8×4=32, the story is about pigs that get muddy.  It’s easy and fun to remember this fact that way.

Next, there will be a set of problems that have been taught already for review.  It will check the problems for your student and let them know how they did.  If they forget some, they can manually go back in the program and review the facts that are causing the struggle.

The Lesson List shows what has been completed so far in the program.  The number 4 with a circle is supposed to indicate that the student has completed that area, but we found that often my daughters had completed something but it was just marked as viewed.  Not quite sure what we were doing wrong that it didn’t show complete on many things.

Our Thoughts:

We’ve been checking out Online Times Alive over the past few weeks and my 4th grade daughter has completed the program.  My 3rd grader still has a little bit left.  The program doesn’t have an automatic stopping point, so my older daughter had gone quite far in the program during one sitting before I remember she was still working on it.  She didn’t seem to mind, though, and enjoyed listening and working on the program.

Although it’s not their favorite math program, I have noticed that my girls are remembering their multiplication facts a little quicker now.  I bet it’s because they have all these nifty songs and stories in their heads helping them remember.

One thing that is important to note about Online Times Alive is that it keeps track of your children’s place on one computer or device, only, so be sure when you create an account that you are using the device that you want your child to use each time.  For us, we chose the school room computer.  I would definitely prefer a program that we can log onto any computer and be able to work at the same place where we left off.

For More Information:

For more information, please visit Online Times Alive .  You can also find out more on Facebook, YouTube, and Instagram.  You can also click the banner below to read more reviews on this product from other homeschooling families.

 

 

How fun is this!  Curious George books used to be my favorites.  I may have to take my 4 year old down to visit this new traveling exhibit.

Young learners and families are invited to Children’s Museum of Atlanta to get curious with the famous inquisitive monkey himself at the new traveling exhibit, Curious George™: Let’s Get Curious!.Beginning Saturday, September 21, kiddos can explore the neighborhood where Curious George lives with his best friend, The Man with the Yellow Hat. Guests will have until Sunday, January 5, 2020 to discover the magic of Curious George’s neighborhood.

“Curious George: Let’s Get Curious! is a natural fit for Children’s Museum of Atlanta as it reinforces learning through the power of play,” said Jane Turner, “From exploring the physics behind mini golf to solving the math behind weighing and counting produce, this experience will spark little ones’ imaginations and sense of discovery.”

Created by the Minnesota Children’s Museum, this highly interactive experience will inspire little ones’ natural curiosity as they discover science, math and engineering through play. While visiting George’s neighborhood, visitors can operate pulleys and levers at his apartment; weigh fruits and vegetables at the neighborhood produce stand; design a building at the construction site; care for animals at the local farm; and more. In addition, Children’s Museum of Atlanta’s Imaginators will be performing the mini-musical “Kid Detective” while the exhibit is at the Museum. This mini performance will take audience members on a hunt as they follow clues with Kid Detective Jo as he tries to help his friend Bumble find his way home.

Local sponsorship of “Curious George™: Let’s Get Curious!” was made possible by Ford Motor Company Fund, Georgia Power Foundation, the Mayor’s Office of Cultural Affairs and Fulton County, Atlanta, Georgia.

For more information, visit childrensmuseumatlanta.org.

This weekend was nice but busy.  The kids are getting busier with their friends and babysitting, petsitting, and other activities.  I’m so thankful they have sweet friends.  I also took our 2 boys to Monster Jam while it was at the Infinite Energy Arena.  That was a lot of fun!  They got to meet one of the drivers!

The week ahead brings one of our favorite little friend’s birthdays and more homeschool. We’ve been passing around a cold and I hope this week also brings healing for our family.  Here’s what we are making this week:

Monday: Pork Chops, veggies

Tuesday: Chicken Fried Cauliflower Rice

Wednesday: Bean Burritos

Thursday: Secret Ingredient Buffalo Chicken Casserole 

Friday: Dinner with friends

Saturday: Chicken Casserole

Sunday: Dinner with friends

Carters.com is having a big clearance sale for $2.99 and up, but I saw prices starting as low as $2.39!!  Now is the time to stock up for fall or for next year.  I even found long pants for my little guy for $2.99!  Hurry on over as the good stuff will sell out fast.

You can select free pickup in store or shipping is free on orders over $35.

 

The super popular Baby Shark song has many families wanting to dress up as Baby Shark for Halloween.  These costumes are currently available but will likely sell out as we get closer to Halloween.  Even better, most of these have a sound chip so that you can play the song!

Which one is your favorite?

Kid’s Baby Shark Costume

Kid’s Mommy Shark Costume 

Kid’s Daddy Shark Costume

Adult Mommy Shark Costume

Adult Daddy Shark Costume