Winter Fun Ideas

It appears that winter is here already.  It's freezing and windy here today.  So I thought I'd blog about some fun things to do in the winter.  Sometimes in the winter, boredom sets in and can make kids whiny.  "What can I do?"  I hear it a lot in the colder months.  And when you homeschool, you are likely to hear it more because you are with your kids more.   Anyway,  I have been digging around the internet to find some ideas.  Here are some links I came up with.
http://www.apples4theteacher.com/holidays/winter/#

Paper Snowflakes

http://www.papersnowflakes.com/patterns.htm

This one has some fun stuff to do in the winter.  I like the idea of a popcorn, hot chocolate and game night.

http://www.blisstree.com/thriftymommy/free-fun-winter-activities/

Making pine cone bird feeders is a fun thing to do in the winter. Apparently using peanut butter on the pine cones is not a good idea. I've seen some people saying it chokes the birds and can kill them.  Here's a better, healthier for the birds, way to do it.

http://www.enviro-explorers.com/pinecone_web_page/pineconefeederindex.html

This Frosty the Cheeseball recipe looks fun and tasty.
http://www.parentsconnect.com/dishes/frosty_the_cheese_ball.jhtml?sem=SEO_SSP_Y

Winter Crafts
http://www.dltk-holidays.com/winter/index.html

What are your favorite things to do with the kids in the winter?

Week in Review

What a week! This week we found the owners of this girl who wandered onto our street. Her name was Karma. The posts from Tuesday are here and here.

We also spent a couple of days in the creek. My kids love messing around in the creek water.

This is what I love about the creek...I just have to remember not to drink a lot of tea before we go.

We also did a "photo shoot" for my new gypsy rag tote and I got it listed on Etsy. And while we were at it I retook a couple of pictures for my bug keeper.

Yesterday, I made a new treasury with spa/ bath and body things. Do you ever do a spa evening at home? This treasury has some great stuff for doing just that. Take a look at these great shops with spa stuff.

http://www.etsy.com/treasury_list.php?room_id=68497

Well, that's my week in review. Of course I left out the boring stuff like laundry and dishes, but I'm sure you don't mind.

Have a great weekend!

Summer Reading

School's out, or will be shortly. Parents, whether homeschooling or not are looking for ways to keep kids busy during the summer months. After the novelty of not having school wears off the kids are bored. One great thing about summer break is that there is alot of time to do things that are fun and relaxing. A great way to beat boredom in the summer and keep kids learning is reading.

Reading during the summer can be more fun if there are incentives involved. Most public libraries offer free summer reading programs. Reading books earns small, fun prizes. There are other reading programs to enjoy as well. For the budding philanthropist, here is a reading for a cause program from Scholastic worth checking into. Bookseller Barnes and Noble also has a great reading incentive program for summer readers.
If you are wondering what to read, these reading lists may give you some ideas. Other fun ideas for summer including kid friendly and safe blogging can be found at http://www.readingrockets.org/article/23428
So, grab a book and keep those reading and learning skills sharp this summer!

Mom, Do I Have Any Clean Underwear?!

If this is a familiar question at your house, you are not alone. You would think if you are at home all the time being domestic and homeschooling your kids things would get done. But that is the challenge for a lot of us. Disorganization and a lack of schedule robs us of time.

When we are running around disorganized, we are stressed and then we get even less done. One thing that can help is to prioritize the things we need to do in a day. Write a list of what has to be done and put it in order of importance. It also helps to have a routine or schedule to get things done.

Routines and a good schedule are even more important if you are working at home too. To help unstress and get things done Flylady is the best site for getting yourself in order. It still takes work, but it is an amazing system for getting some peace in your life.

Here are some more helpful tips for WAHMs. http://tinyurl.com/cgvw2p

Armed with some good organization and coping skills you won't have to hear the dreaded "Honey, where are my clean work clothes" at 5:30 AM. (At least maybe not as often)

What have you found most helpful for getting things accomplished at home?