Twirls 'n Curls

I've been making more of a conscious effort to play with my girlies the past couple of weeks, while we still have lots of daylight and warm weather...and while they're still young enough to want me to play with them!  We've been having so much fun!  It doesn't take much to keep little kids entertained, and they love having their pictures taken.  Linking up with the Millers for Wordless Wednesday, here are some of my favorite pics from this past week:    Playing wears me out!!

When I saw this writing prompt from Mama Kat , I knew I had to jump in. After all, I think I have the best job in the world! Well, most days, anyway. Here are a few thoughts on the perks of being a stay-at-home mommy: 1. PDA: Most companies have a strict policy on public displays of affection. At my place, though, the more affection I show, the better! I am the executive boo boo kisser, toddler cuddler, make-it-all-better hugger. I even get to give the CEO a big kiss when he comes in. It doesn't get much better than that! 2. Permanent maternity leave: Working women have 8 or 12 weeks at the most to go back to work after they have a baby, reluctantly leaving their little ones and the comforts of home. But my job began when I had a baby, and I may never leave home again! If you've had little ones, you know what I mean!  I consider it a long-term vacation :) 3. Surprises: One of the big complaints in an ordinary ol' job is that it gets monotonous over time. The

To kick off our school year, we attend the county fair not too far from us (okay, it's an hour, but so is everything else!)  The girls had a blast this year, tons of rides and activities for kids their age!  The best part was, since my in-laws just moved into the area, I dropped the baby off with them and my sister-in-law came along.  Here are a few highlights for this fabulous Wednesday: Hannah's first little roller coaster Great kids' area: making dirt babies, milking cows , petting zoo     Linking up with Miller Racing Family!

Everyone seems to have an opinion or "expert advice" about the challenges of homeschooling, and there are certainly challenges.  Now I graduated with a degree in secondary education, and both my parents are teachers - personally, I love the idea of a traditional education.  It just isn't what we feel is best for our family at this stage in our lives.  So, on a more lighthearted note, here are some of my favorite "tips" about homeschooling (mostly from non-homeschoolers!) that I vowed to put into practice: Tip #1:   Make sure your kids get some time with peers so they learn how to get along with others. Tip #2:   Don't let your kids stay in their pajamas all day. Tip #3:   Don't let your children slack off and do nothing just because they're at home. This is our kindergarten material! Tip #4: Expose your children to a variety of different settings so they know how to behave in public. Tip #5:  Don't let your kids grow up to be weird!!

 We started our second year of homeschooling a few weeks ago, and we love it!     This year we're using a virtual charter academy called K12 (click here for website). Basically, it means that Linsey is enrolled in an online charter school, and I am the "moderator." Several people have asked me about the program, so I thought I'd go into a little detail:   - I am responsible to teach my daughter the material, but the company sends me EVERYTHING I need (including clay, tempera paint, a globe, you name it!) for free, just as a traditional public school would provide. - They provide day-by-day lesson plans according to your child's needs along with teacher guides explaining exactly HOW to teach each lesson. So many great ideas!  Very strong educational base even in kindergarten, but still fun.   Cinderella and her "glass" slippers - I enter all attendance, test scores, etc., online, and they keep the records. This helps tremendously with the a

Since I homeschool our girls, we are together a LOT.  We have a deal:  I play with them, they help me clean...that's what families do, right?  We're there for each other.  We do our heavy cleaning on Thursdays and Fridays, but they enjoy it so much, sometimes they ask if we can clean just for fun!  Here are my "helpers:" What chores do you have your little ones help with?

My girls l-o-v-e helping me in the kitchen, and you can see why:  Good to the last drop! I had to hop in on this fun recipe hop with my friend Jocelyn , check out her delicious recipes every Tuesday!  Anyway, this no-bake dessert is a favorite of ours, especially when it's too hot to turn on the oven: Frozen Mocha Pie Crust: 1 c. graham cracker crumbs 1/4 c. sugar 1/4 c. cocoa 1/4 c. melted butter Combine and press in pan. Filling: Mix 2 T. instant coffee and 2 t. boiling water.  Add 1 can sweetened condensed milk and 1/4 c. chocolate syrup.  Fold mixture into 1 pint whipped whipping cream.  Freeze. * Note: This calls for 1 pint (2 cups) whipping cream, which equals about 4 cups when whipped.