Happy Birthday to my Princess!

This weekend we celebrated Chloe's 4th Birthday - can you believe it?! I know I can't. She is getting so big and independent but I am grateful that she is still mommy's girl and loves her cuddles! ---I really don't know what will become of my life when Cuddles end.

We are our worst enemy.

This morning I read an article on a very popular parenting site - the blogger had a friend who had just moved to a new town and a mom invited her and her daughter to a birthday party. The party had a dress up theme where the girls got a princess make over (which included make up) and were able to walk a red carpet laid out for them.  Instead of using this opportunity to meet new friends in her new town, the mom then turned around went to her friend and bashed the party theme, the mothers involved and of course the blogger decided to post it online.

Now, I am fully aware that not every little girl is into princess dresses and make up. My problem is -why do grown women feel the need to bash those that do? In a society where women empowerment is becoming a big movement, why do we put down the image of the "Girly girl"? Shouldn't all women be celebrated? Does make up and dresses somehow diminish a woman's worth? Shouldn't we teach our girls that make up and dresses are NOT what define a woman.

Exciting things are coming!

I have been missing for a few days- sadly, our house was hit with multiple cases of the stomach flu. Chloe got it the worst (of course!) poor baby couldn't even sit up long enough to put on a shirt at one point.

As you can see - there is a new look to the blog! I get bored of layouts fairly quickly, and I am currently loving the water color trend so this is perfect for right now. I, of course, say right now because I can't promise to not get bored of this one too.

Anyway, with the new school year coming up right this September - an extensive blog post will be coming up shortly on how I set up our Mother Goose supplies for the beginning of the school year. I will say that I have looked through the new September box and my level of excitement is absolutely off the charts. Mother Goose Time has always been great but they somehow found a way to take it to the next level!

Homeschool with limited space

I can't help but be a little bit jealous when I see people with dedicated homeschool rooms! Right now we use our dining room table. Also considering turning our Garage into a playroom/home school room.

Since our move, things just haven't been the same with the homeschooling. Chloe's old room was much larger which allowed for her dedicated space (below)

Outdoor school

I can't wait for summer to end. I don't like the heat...and even though winter for us here in Southern California means high 70s, I'll take whatever I can get. The one good thing about Summer is the long days, we are able to go outside after dinner and still enjoy plenty of daylight left. 

Day 2 of our Mother Goose Time August theme (Fables and Folktales) sent us outside to gather sticks. The point of the activity was to find sticks and have Chloe try to break as many as she could at once. Chloe wasn't very adventurous and the most she tried at once was 2 before her hand hurt. 

Tray Success!

Day 1 of "Fables and Folktales" is now behind us..and I know you are dying to find out how the trays worked out for me. The trays worked so wonderfully that I am prepared to call it a success after just one try. They made transitions between activities quick and extremely easy. As I suspected, they helped Chloe stay focused on the activity ahead since I didn't have a ton of other papers in front of her. I HIGHLY recommend these trays.

Anyway, let me tell you a little about our day. The theme started out with the "Lion and the Mouse" story - we were already familiar with this story so it was actually fun for us to go back and talk about it again. When I read the story overtime I said the word "LION" Chloe let out a big ROAR (see picture above) that made the story extra fun and she was listening to every word making sure she didn't miss an opportunity to be extra loud.

'Twas the night before a new theme

We are ready to start the August theme for Mother Goose Time; Fables and Folktales and I am super excited. From the moment I opened the box almost 3 weeks ago, I have been looking forward to this theme. As the name suggests this month we will be looking at Folktales that we all grew up with and from the looks of it, the most used tool this month will be IMAGINATION! Really looking forward to it - without even starting - I have a feeling this one might become my favorite theme to date.

Monthly Experience God add-on

I keep talking about this Experience God add on from Mother Goose time - so I wanted to show you what exactly you get each month.

Like the name implies - it is an Add on to the Mother Goose time Curriculum. You pay a small price each month on top of the Curriculum pricing. Just like with the original MGT Curriculum - it is worth the money.

It all comes packaged for you in 2 separate plastic bags ..a "Teachers bag" and a Student bag"

Investing in your Child.

Are you thinking about investing in Mother Goose time but are wondering if it's worth the money?

First off, Mother Goose time is extremely affordable compared to other curriculums out there - especially for what you get. I know that I have mentioned in the past the massive amount of materials that you get each month.

The boxes are packed to the max with supplies. From stickers, to craft sticks and even story books!

Training a Child's heart

In our home, education has always been a big thing when it comes to Chloe. Since before she was 1 year old, I made sure to research and find activities that would be beneficial to her development and to this day that hasn't stopped. We are always looking for ways to make learning fun and something that she loves. I think a lot of families are the same, we want to do as much as we can to help our children be successful in the world.

I soon realized that I should be putting as much focus on God. I want Chloe to know that the most important thing, above education, is her relationship with God. I also want to bring her up making time for God everyday, not just Sunday.

Professionalism in homeschooling?

Although I homeschool and professionalism isn’t a big deal, I love the fact that Mother Goose time makes me feel professional. Keeps me in track during the month and also keeps us on schedule.

Before Mother Goose time came along we used to be sort of inconsistent in our homeschooling time, we would skip days at a time or even change topics along the way if we weren’t very interested but Mother Goose time has for sure changed that for the best.

Having a thought out topic makes it so that we stick with that topic for the month and the number of activities makes it so that we don’t get bored of it. Best of all, we don’t want to miss days because we are afraid we might miss something totally awesome! If something does come up and we HAVE to skip a day we always make it up instead of skipping it all together which would have totally happened before.

The curriculum totally allows for flexibility, which lets you be as strict or as easy going as you feel like. Sometimes Chloe and I are very formal in our schooling and there are just some days we take things at a slower pace and wear PJS! Mother Goose time absolutely works for both ways. Works perfectly in a formal classroom setting or homeschools alike!

 

 

Mother Goose time Design

One of my favorite things about Mother Goose time is the colorful and engaging design. I am a big fan of graphics and MGT doesn’t disappoint.

 

The posters provided are so colorful and engaging. They attract Chloe’s attention and keep her busy with all the fun details that she can find. They pay attention to so many details…everything from the large posters to the instructions for the projects and recipe cards are beautifully designed and very child friendly.

Introducing new themes.

One of my favorite things about Mother Goose Time is the themes, it keeps things feeling fresh! I am always looking forward to looking through the new box and finding more about the months theme. They have all been great and so fun. We have obviously enjoyed some more than others, which also means that some are hardest to move on from.

On the day that we are introducing a new theme I usually spend the drive home from grandmas house talking about the new theme and explaining that we are done with the theme we had been working on (we homeschool in the afternoon after I get home from work). Sometimes Chloe is excited to move on and others it takes a couple of days ...Ocean Commotion for example was one that took us a while to get over and 2 new themes later she still sometimes refers to the new theme with Commotion at the end - Alphabet House Commotion. haha.

Organizing Mother Goose Time

It has taken me a couple of boxes to figure out the best way to sort my self out for a new month and theme of Mother Goose Time. I think I finally figured out the best way!

When you first receive your shipment and open the box it can be a bit overwhelming because there is just SO MUCH in there and it's all packaged in little bags. The bags are extremely helpful because they come labeled with the date of the month you will be using it and all the materials you need for that day.

A new chef in the kitchen

I love cooking and baking and ever since Chloe was born I could not wait to have her help me in the kitchen.

I know that growing up to help in the kitchen all that was needed was a dining room chair, but I have very nice hard to clean dining room chairs and they are also not the best to stand on..anyway...this is where the Guidecraft Step-up Kitchen helper comes in with all it's glory.

Seriously, the best money I have spent in a long time. Trust me, I have a problem with spending so this is a big bold statement and I stand by it. In the picture Above you can see Chloe (3 years old) This picture is fantastic to give you an idea of the size and how much room there is on the platform. I have no fears of her accidentally stepping off the side!

Since we got the kitchen helper, Chloe is obsessed with helping in the kitchen (can be a bad thing, especially when I just want to whip up a quick meal but I've had worse problems in my life.)

We will share on of Chloe's favorite recipes and it's so easy that she can pretty much do it herself! 

Girls weekend!

This past weekend JP had a Pistol instructors course, which meant GIRLS WEEKEND!

We spent our day crafting our beautiful button Tree. I actually got the inspiration to this from a Pin on Pinterest. The pin was an actual adult project but I knew that anything that involved an insane amount of glue was right down Chloe's preferred route so I went ahead and had her to it.

I painted the tree with some empty branches and she spent a good while just gluing buttons on there. I love the way it came out. Very colorful. 

Memorial Day: Small Town feel in Los Angeles

Happy Belated Memorial day! As a veterans wife these holidays that honor our troops are always near and dear to my heart. I would like to start off this post by thanking the service men and women that gave their life for this great nation, and to their families. Words fail to express the magnitude of my gratitude. 

One of my favorite part of these patriotic holidays is always seeing communities come together to celebrate the wonderful things about America. Living in such a diverse city like Los Angeles sometimes these holidays go almost unnoticed. You see the crowds at the beach and the park but not a lot of the community celebrations you see in small town america. I am very happy to report that about a year ago we moved to the La Crescenta/La Cañada/Montrose area of Los Angeles. A small town within a huge city and now I get all the perks of a tight knit community!

Disney Cruise: The perfect family cruise

On May 15, we went on a Disney Cruise to nowhere. Yes, to nowhere...out to sea and back again.

I had never been on a cruise before and I get nauseous in the car all the time so I was extremely worried I would get sick but those Disney Cruises always caught my attention! Luckily, Disney has a 2 night cruise that leaves from San Diego, California. We packed our bags and off we went!

The awe starts the minute you see the boat on the harbor - It is a beauty! Enough detail to let you know that it is a Disney cruise without compromising the elegance and beauty. Being a Disney cruise I am sure you will not be surprised to hear that every detail was thought of. Right when you step on the boat and onto the breath taking foyer they ask you for your family name and make an announcement that you are boarding the ship. My daughter specially loved that they all bowed down to her "majesty" as she walked past. It was the perfect way to start off a magical weekend.

When are you having another?

My whole life I always wanted 3 kids. Not 2, not 4 but 3. It just felt right. My husband was on board with 3 and when we decided to have our first and I was only 25, I knew we would have plenty of time for the other two.

Being pregnant was magical, I had morning sickness and even got kidney stones during my pregnancy but all I remember when I think back was feeling my daughter move, or listening to heart beat for the first time. I remember it fondly.

When Chloe was born, my heart grew about 4 times it's original size. I know this has been said a gazillion times but I really found out what love really really was when I held that little girl in my arms. 7 lbs, 7 oz of nothing but perfection. I loved being a mom and it felt natural. I was so in love with this little person, my life was from that moment forward - hers.

To this day she is the light of my life, for everyone else though - It felt like the minute she was born she became old news and the question "When are you having another?" kept coming up. Can you let my C Section heal before you ask me about another?

Butterfly Release!

For the past 3 weeks we have been a foster family to 5 wonderful caterpillars! Not the cutest pets we have ever had but they were certainly educational!

We are now very proud to say that our very own caterpillars turned into 5 beautiful butterflies and we were able to release them this week.  Chloe loved checking in on the caterpillars every day and we would talk about the development as they would happen.

April in Review

So April was nothing but a flash in this house. We had so much on our plates that I could not find a second sit down and write a blog post, and for that I apologize.

The April theme for Mother Goose time was the Ocean and Chloe Bear could not be happier. For a little girl that thinks she is a mermaid this was right up her alley. We have a great time learning in detail about different aspects of the ocean and the creatures that live in it. I think Chloe will forever say "Ocean Commotionnnn" sounding like a game show host.

Experience God

One of my favorite features of the Mother Goose Time curriculum has been the "Experience God" Add-on. Since this is an add-on it is not included in the core Mother Goose Time box but if you are interested you can learn more about it here >> Mother Goose Time- Experience God

I am always trying to find ways to make God an integral part of our lives and not just a Sunday thing and this program has helped me so much. It can either be used as a Sunday School curriculum or incorporated into your normal routine. We have been doing this once a week. 

Blast off!

WE'RE OFF TO SPACE! 

It is Thursday night now and we have just finished our 4th day of Mother Goose Time. So far we have nothing but great things to say!

The first success is the fact that we have gone 4 days straight without missing a day - very rare around here. Even when one night I had to stay at work later than normal, I was able to come home and still complete the lesson since like I mentioned in my MGT post - this is extremely easy to use.

I have also been extremely surprised at some of the answers Chloe gives me to the questions - kids know so much more than we give them credit for.

What is going on here?!

There are moments in life when you look at your baby and you realize...she isn't a baby any more! As proud as I am to watch Chloe grow into an amazing little girl the mom in me wants to just stop time and have her stay little forever.

I know you can all relate!

So what caused this motherly crisis? my sweet baby on a bike.

How big does she look now?! WHY?!

Mother Goose time!

Hey there! It's been quite a while! I have returned with some very exciting news for our homeschooling. As some of you may already know I work full time and have been doing some sort of homeschooling since Chloe was a little toddler.

It has been a challenge coming up with my own lessons, themes and gathering supplies each month - which is why I am super excited to share that Mother Goose Time has chosen me as a Blog Ambassador for their box curriculum! For the sake of disclosure I do get their product for free, but please know that all opinions are mine and are real.

This week Chloe and I were very excited to receive our package. As you can see she was very possessive of the box!