Mommy Octopus

 

This is exciting!  As part of the partnership between the University of Georgia Center for Continuing Education and Education To Go, the University of Georgia is pleased to announce the availability of 10 free self-paced tutorial courses.

These courses offer career leverage for a range of students as well as professionals seeking career development opportunities as circumstances around employment continue to change. The courses will be available through June 30, 2020.

Head on over to check out what is available.  I think I will be taking the Personal Finance course.  There’s always opportunity to grow!

We did a book swap with some friends a few days ago!  My friend messaged and said her kids had some books they’d love to swap for some other books since the libraries are closed.  My kids instantly jumped on that idea. They quickly ran around the house collecting some of their favorite books to loan to their friends.

We took pictures of the books we had to offer and texted them to our friends so they could pick out what they wanted to read.  Then we put our books in a bag out by our garage and my friend came by to drop off her books and pick ours up on her way to an errand.  It took just a few seconds and no interaction was needed.

Kids are thrilled with having new books to read and it didn’t cost us a thing. They also enjoyed waving at their friends through the windows.  I thought this was a great idea that maybe some of you would enjoy as well.

One way to support your local entrepreneurs is by shopping Etsy.  There are plenty of great gifts for Mother’s Day made by American small businesses.  Below, I’ve put together some that caught my eye that you might want to consider.

First up, I absolutely love this Handwriting Keychain, that will be engraved with the words or drawings that you provide.  How precious would this be with your little ones’ writing or from a dearly departed family member.

Another great one that is made right in my town are these Custom Watercolor House Portraits.  They are absolutely stunning!  You simply provide a photo of the house you’d like done and it will be done just for you!  Great way to remember a childhood home or as a housewarming gift.

I actually own a family portrait done by Badger and Wren and we get so many compliments on it when people come over.  It’s hanging right in our living room.  Badger and Wren offers family portraits and other designs and these would make a wonderful mother’s day gifts.  You can have a portrait drawn of 1-2 people, all the way up to 10+!  You won’t go wrong with this one!

These “Mom Juice” wine glasses with lids are so cute and are sure to make Mom smile!

I absolutely love these!  I like that you could add many charms for a Grandma and it not be too bulky-looking.  How precious of a keepsake this Charm Necklace would be.  Up to 8 charms and leafs can be added.

Another precious necklace is this Lovebirds necklace with up to 8 baby birds.  This is probably my favorite necklace that I’ve seen in a while!

There are also really cute Mother’s Day cards that are appropriate during this socially distancing season.  If your mom loves a good laugh, this is definitely one you’ll want to grab!

And again – there are cute things for moms during this COVID-19 season.  Gotta love this one, even though I am a homeschooling mom 😉 Promoted to Homeschool Mom…… Against My Will!

If you’re looking for something for Mom, head on over to Etsy and browse around.  Support local and shop Etsy!

Whew.  This morning, my husband and I ran errands around Athens for our family and for my mom’s needs.  Finally after 4 stores, we were able to get everything needed.  This was my first time out shopping since all this started and it’s so different!  I’ve been doing some Walmart Grocery Pickups (get a FREE $10 off discount for that here!) but for the most part just using what we had at the house.  It was so nice to get out without the kids for a few minutes.  We even went all out and got Chickfila for breakfast.  The week ahead of course is more of the same – school, cooking, cleaning, etc.  We also plan to do our homeschool testing later this week.  Hope you all are doing well!  Here’s what we are making this week:

Monday: Butternut Squash Lasagna 

Tuesday: Eggplant Pizza Bites

Wednesday: Buffalo Chicken Dip

Thursday: Roast with potatoes and carrots

Friday: Grilled Chicken and veggies

Saturday: Sandwiches or leftovers

Sunday: Burgers

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.

We love reading books together as a family and since we have been staying home, we have been reading even more books.  We were recently sent the beautiful children’s book Psalms for my Day  to review, published by Christian Focus.  Fresh out of the shipping box, I was fascinated by the amazing illustrations and the beauty of the book.  It is hardcover so it should last through many years and even be able to be passed down to future generations.

Psalms for my Day features a short, kid-appropriate devotion for 31 of the Psalms, followed by a simple prayer.  Some of the devotions it covers include  Psalm 1 – God’s Teaching, Psalm 8 – Majestic God, Psalm 23 – Caring God, Psalm 40 – God Saves, and Psalm 133 – God the Father.  Of course this is just a small sampling of the 31 sections, but it should give you an idea of how it points back to God in each Psalm. References are also included on each devotional page along with the printed verses.The translation included in this book is by Biblical scholar Alec Motyer.

Geared toward children ages 4-6 as a read-aloud with their parent and ages 7-11 as a read-to-myself, I feel like this book is right on track with those ages.  My youngest is 4.5 and it’s absolutely perfect for him.  Older children may find it to be a bit simplistic, but much can be learned from the devotions.

My husband and youngest son have been reading this book together on the nights that he is off from work.  The book also includes a ribbon bookmark, so it is easy to keep their place in the book.  It’s been such a sweet time together as they read and study God’s word together.  It’s a great way to end the day focused on God and what he has done for us.

Below you can see the devotion for Psalm 117 to get an idea of how short the devotions are and how they flow.  The printed verses are on the left page followed by the devotion and prayer on the right.  Aren’t the pages just gorgeous!! The whole book is super colorful.

We have really enjoyed this book and plan to continue using it as a devotion for our youngest son.  I would recommend this book to any family that has younger children and are looking for a good devotion that will keep their attention without being too long.

 

For More Information:

For more information, please visit the Christian Focus website.  You can also find out more on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.  You can also read more reviews on this product and 2 other books from this company by clicking the banner below.

 

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.

My youngest will be officially starting Kindergarten this fall, but we are already getting started with the BJU Press Homeschool Focus on Fives kit.  When our kit arrived, I was initially overwhelmed by the amount of things included.  We have not used a box curriculum for the other kids in Kindergarten, so this was new to me.  Once I got it all sorted, I realize the majority was the Teacher’s Editions and not work for my son.

The Focus on Fives kit includes everything needed for a complete Kindergarten year for both the teacher and the student.

• Worktext
• Phonics Practice book
• Phonics and Review Cards
• Write Now! book
• 34 Reading Books
• Phonic Charts
• Spiral-bound Visuals Flip Chart
• Six spiral-bound Teacher’s Edition Books

The Teacher’s Edition books are a good size, beautiful and spiral bound.  I’m a huge fan of having my books spiral bound so they can lay flat as I use them.  The first book has great tips on teaching a child to hold their pencil the correct way, how to prepare the materials, classroom routine, teaching students to walk in a line, and more.  A lot of the initial stuff I skipped over since it wasn’t relevant as a homeschooling family and we don’t require walking in a line. 😉

This curriculum is taught from a Biblical perspective.  For example on Day 1, the teacher shows a Biblical Worldview Theme visual to the child and explains how the Bible is important and obeying classroom rules is important.

Each day, all the lessons are completely written out for the teacher, making planning a breeze.  One day the teacher might read aloud from a story in the Teacher’s Edition and ask the child questions as shown above.  The teacher reads aloud what is in blue and the red is the answers.  Some days the teacher and student sing songs together.  We do not use all the activities in the book yet, because my little guy is still young, but he is enjoying what we have done so far.  We pick and choose what works for a particular day for our family.

The students have 3 workbooks titled Write Now!, Phonics Practice, and Worktext.  My son has enjoyed the workbook pages.  They are short so he doesn’t get overwhelmed with school.  The pages are all colorful, except for the Phonics Practice, which is black and white.  Phonics Practice starts off with one page of tracing lines in a picture and then progresses to half a page of writing practice.  It’s very simple things that my son completes usually in just a couple minutes.

Both Phonics Practice and Worktext both have the book designed to remove the pages as needed.  I like this so my son doesn’t have access to his full workbook.  After he completes his page, we hole punch it and put it in his three-ring notebook to save.

Here he is showing off his matching from one of the Worktext pages.  I also like the spot for his name at the top so he’s getting that practice in everyday. As the year progresses, the worksheets will get a little more challenging as they will require him to read basic words and match them to pictures. I am confident that as the year goes on, he will be able to stay on track using this great program.

Also included in the set are 34 books.  The first books are geared toward short vowels and consonants and then it progresses on from there.

Flashcards are also included with this set.  There are sight words and blend sounds (sh, ch, etc..) that students learn throughout the year.

Overall, I think this is a very well-rounded curriculum that has been put together wonderfully.  Everything blends well and isn’t overwhelming for the youngest students.  I definitely recommend this to anyone looking for a great option for their Kindergartener.  This is a wonderful foundation to start a school journey.

Something else to think about is that later this summer, Focus on Fives will be offering a video series.  You can see more about that here.  It looks like a great option for families.

 

For More Information:

For more information, please visit the BJU Press Homeschool Focus on Fives website.  You can also find more on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, and YouTube.

To read more reviews from other homeschooling families on this product, please click the banner below.

HomeDepot.com is now offering FREE shipping on select items, and it includes many home decor items.  I was just looking and I was quite impressed with their selection of decor items!  Some have no minimum and some may have a $45 minimum for the free shipping.  Be sure to shop around and enjoy browsing without the crowds and germs in the stores.

Great news to those that love the Winterville Marigold Festival!  The Winterville Marigold Festival is excited to announce that they are bringing a little bit of the festival to you. For three special Saturday evenings they will be broadcasting on Facebook Live.

Two bands will air each Saturday, see schedule below.  You can watch online on the Marigold Festival Facebook Page.

Saturday April 25, 2020:

6:00 pm Cree Mo

6:35 pm Gio Turra

Saturday May 2, 2020:

6:00 pm Sir. Crazy Pants

6:35 pm Bo Bedingfield

Saturday May 9, 2020:

6:00 pm Caroline Aiken

6:30 pm Dodd Ferrelle & Adam Poulin

About the Bands:

Cree Mo: Rock, Blues, Jazz and old school Soul all mixed together into one smooth, intoxicating concoction of original music. @CreeMoSoul

Gio Turra: Trying to make it to the big leagues someday, Gio Turra is a musician greatly influenced by the music of the 60’s and 70’ @thetwotakes

Sir. Crazy Pants: Sir. Crazy Pants doesn’t put on a show that is cute and cuddly. This is a full on bang your head, rock your socks off, rock-n-roll show. Families tend to lose their minds while enjoying an SCP show…. and this makes SCP a happy performer. SCP will provide the comedy and music, but he ask that you simply forget about the world outside and GO CRAZY for the time you are rocking with your new friends at the Sir. Crazy Pants show. Visit sircrazypants.com to see all of the fun.

Bo Bedingfield: Frontman for the Wydelles and long-time local utility player, Bo Bedingfield has been a tall and quiet fixture in the Athens music scene since the early 2000’s. With a dislike of touring and general discomfort with attention, Bo is delighted to work a day job and make beautiful albums in relative secret. Although he once said that his ideal album release would be to hurl a vinyl record into the forest, his latest release, Six Normal Songs, is curiously available on all major streaming services and for HD download at thewydelles.bandcamp.com.

Caroline Aiken: “Years of performing, beginning in 1969 in NY, California, South America, NW and Europe, Caroline Aiken was named “The Best Acoustic Act”(Atlanta Mag) in her birth town of Atlanta, GA. Her rich history includes recording and performing with Bonnie Raitt and the Indigo Girls, opening for Arlo Guthrie, Muddy Waters, Doc Watson, Randy Newman, Little Feat, 38 Special, Beach Boys, Janis Ian, Richie Havens. Caroline appears in regional and national festivals, radio shows, workshops and concert series, supporting 9 nationally acclaimed recordings. Caroline’s “Sensual voice, masterful songwriting, expert guitar” (Victory Music-Seattle) anchored the city’s acoustic and folk scene, influencing up and coming artists whom she took under her wing, including Indigo Girls and Shawn Mullins.” GA MUSIC HALL OF FAME

Dodd Ferrelle & Adam Poulin: Dodd Ferrelle and Adam Poulin are both longtime members of the Athens, Ga. Music Scene and together they make up 2/5ths of Dodd Ferrelle and the WinterVillains. Singer Songwriter Ferrelle and Fiddle Player Poulin, along with their band, are currently working on the WinterVillains debut release with grammy nominated producer John Keane at the helm. The album will be Ferrelle’s 10th release, but the first one with this current lineup. It will feature the distinct Sonic Americana instrumentation the band has forged underneath Ferrelle’s heartfelt lyrics and vocals. The tentatively titled “:Summer Hearts” will be completed this year with a target release date of December 1st, 2020. Ferrelle and Poulin will perform acoustic versions of tracks from the album during this online Marigold Festival celebration that Ferrelle hope will be a small pivot point for the community.

 

Another week has gone by.  We are still doing well and chugging right along on our school.  I’m really enjoying the slowness of this season and having more time at home with the kids.  Hope you all have a great week!  Here’s what we are making-

Monday: Sour Cream Beef Enchiladas

Tuesday: Trim Mac Salad

Wednesday: Chicken and Rice

Thursday: Egg Casserole or Leftovers depending on what we have left

Friday: Disney’s Grilled Three-Cheese Sandwich from Woody’s Lunch Box, soup

Saturday: Grilled Chicken and Veggies

Sunday: Quesadillas