Mommy Octopus

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One of my goals this year was to read at least 12 books. I know that doesn’t sound like much, but when I was growing up, I loved to read! Since having kids, I feel like I haven’t had the time to read as much. I set that goal and am slowly making progress toward it.

The latest book that I’m reading was brought to me for a review. It’s called Love Her Well – 10 Ways to Find Joy and Connection with Your Teenage Daughter by Kari Kampakis. I’ve enjoyed reading it on our back porch now that the evenings are starting to cool off a bit more.

Throughout the book, there is great wisdom regarding the mother/daughter relationship during the teenage years. My daughters are currently ages 17, 11, and 9. I felt that I could relate to pretty much everything in the book and enjoyed that each chapter had Reflection Questions so that I could examine myself and my thoughts.

Every relationship can take improvement and I think Love Her Well shows how to put action into motion. I could feel myself relating to the author and understanding her struggles. Many of my struggles with my daughters were just like the ones she would mention. Throughout the book are Bible verses to go along with the points she is making. They flow well and aren’t overbearing.

I like that it’s not a “how to fix your teen” type book, but more of helping the reader find joy and connection through positive interactions. Teens can be hard, but sometimes their reactions are because of how their parents handle the situation.

I’m glad that I had the chance to read this book and I’m sure I’ll be getting a refresher when my younger girls get closer to the teen years.

Interested in winning your own copy? Head on over here to enter the giveaway on Blessed Freebies website. This is definitely one prize you’ll want to win!

I’m LOVING the two new Disney prints from Vera Bradley. I think Sweet Treat Ditsy is my favorite! Some items are already sold out, but still some good stuff left! I wouldn’t hesitate if you’d like to own some! What do you think of these new prints?

Free shipping on orders over $35.

Disclaimer: I received a FREE copy of this product through the HOMESCHOOL REVIEW CREW in exchange for my honest review. I was not required to write a positive review nor was I compensated in any other way.

When my older kids were younger, we joined a homeschool co-op , where they were taught the Institute for Excellence in Writing® curriculum. I felt it was greatly beneficial to their writing and wanted to continue it for the other kids. I haven’t been able to find a class for the littles, so I was super excited to have the chance to review  Structure and Style® for Students Year 1 Level A from Institute for Excellence in Writing®.

Structure and Style® for Students is a 24 week writing curriculum that is taught via an online or dvd video course. IEW® provides daily assignments that include literary elements, vocabulary words, and help to improve writing. This course has lesson plans for five days per week. These plans include watching the videos, outlining, writing, peer editing, re-writing, and presenting.

The Structure and Style® for Students Year 1 Level A that we reviewed is geared toward 3rd-5th graders. The program includes a student binder, teacher’s manual, 24 DVDS or 24 Forever Streaming Videos. We received the Forever Streaming Videos. I am glad for that option so I can continue using this with my youngest when he’s ready for the program.

Throughout the summer, I have been using Structure and Style® for Students Year 1 Level A with my 4th and 5th graders. I think working through this program together has been a great fit for my girls. One of our favorite weeks included the fable of The Fox and the Stork, and we will feature that week’s lessons in this review. Below you can see how a typical week goes through this program:

On Mondays, they watch part of a video and write their Key Word Outline (KWO) for that week’s literary piece. On Tuesdays they will watch the rest of the video and test their KWO by retelling it out loud to each other or to myself or another sibling. From there, they work on adding adverb dress-ups or other descriptive words to enhance their writing. Wednesdays, they write their summary of the literary piece, including the adverbs they added. After it is written, the girls read their paper out loud, which catches some errors in their writing. Then my girls swap with each other for peer editing. Once they have looked over each other’s papers, I collect them to add a little extra editing where needed. Thursday is the day to write out the final draft and make any final changes. Friday it’s turned in!

Very little teacher prep is needed in order to start this program each week, which is perfect for our busy homeschool. It also doesn’t require a large involvement from me since they are watching the teacher on the videos. The kids find the teacher quirky and fun and do not mind watching the lessons.

Below you can see the rough draft of my 4th grader’s work before any editing has taken place. The program recommends writing in pen and skipping lines to add in any corrections.

We have been very pleased with our experience and I know the girls are learning more about writing in a wonderful way. I plan to get Level B for next school year and continue using this curriculum for them. So thankful for a great way for them to learn IEW® at home.

For more information, please visit IEW® on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, or Youtube. You can also find out more on this product and others in the IEW line by clicking the banner below.

It’s that time of the year! ShopDisney.com is having their Twice Upon a Year Sale with big discounts! It’s a great time to stock up on gifts for birthdays or Christmas. Here are a few worth mentioning:

Beach Towels as low as $6!

Water Bottles as low as $5.98!

Fleece Blankets as low as $6.98!

It’s also worth noting that Disney’s Halloween section is up now, too! Happy shopping!

Shipping is free on orders over $75 with code SHIPMAGIC.

In case anyone needs them for work or grocery store, ThatDailyDeal.com is offering a 20 pack of KN95 Masks for $19.99.  Shipping is free if you purchase 2 or more of these deals!

I’ve bought from this website before and it was a good experience.Just passing along in case anyone needs any.

Happy Monday! This weekend, we lounged, we did lawn care, we celebrated my nephew’s 12th birthday, and got caught up on many things that were behind. Kids and I even cleaned back some of our woods to put out for leaf and limb pickup. I only wish they would come for pickup more often so we could get more of the overgrowth cleared! One day, it will be done – hopefully before we decide to move away.

Anyway, the week ahead brings more homeschool. We are moving ahead nicely in our school this year. Hope you all have a great week!

Monday: Beef and Macaroni

Tuesday: Curried Chicken Salad Sandwiches

Wednesday: Grilled Chicken and Romaine Salads

Thursday: Eggs, sausage, biscuits

Friday: Italian sausage, veggies

Saturday: Grilled Sandwiches (This is a new family favorite! We basically pull out random things from the fridge and lunch meat. We grill onions, chop avocado, whatever we have on hand. Then the kids make their own sandwich with their favorite items.)

Sunday: Leftovers

With as much as the kids have grown over the summer, new shoes are in order! Target has you covered with their Buy One Get One Half Off Kids’ Shoes sale! This includes many rain boots, sneakers, slip on shoes, sandals, and more.

On many items you can select to pick up at the store or it will ship free with a $35 purchase. Target also has free shipping and an extra 5% off for REDcard holders. You can apply online and it only takes just a couple minutes to find out if you are approved.

Kids needing new footwear or apparel? Dick’s Sporting Goods is offering $10 Off Your Select Youth Footwear & Apparel Purchase of $49.99 or More ! That means you can make your own sale!

You do not need a code to get the discount as it will come off your total at checkout. This deal is good through 8/16/20.

Free shipping on orders over $49 or select to pick up at your local store.

Not needing youth sizes? You can also take $15 Off Your Select Men’s or Women’s Footwear and Cleats Purchase of $69.99 or More!

If you’re looking for the elusive Germ-X Hand Sanitzer, it is currently available to purchase on Amazon.  There may be shipping delays, but it will get to you eventually!

4- 32 Oz Bottles 

12- 8 Oz Pump

24 – 3 Oz Bottles