Week 6 - Catch Up

So we have been behind where I want to be with the girls, trying to adjust to new schedules, school work, etc. But this weekend we did get caught up.

Last week was crazy with everything we had going on. Arianna had a project for school. She was given a lamb and a paper plate and told to make the environment the lamb would live in and then she had to have a paper with three things about the lamb as well. Well, since I was working with her on her project, Makaylah wanted to make a "project" as well. :-)

Then we had family science night at the school. The girls all enjoyed the different stations, and Sonya even helped at one of the stations for a few minutes.

We also then were able to enjoy a baseball game courtesy of the after school program that started this year. Three school buses full of families, all the kids seemed to really have fun. Now despite the picture, my middle child did have fun, this is just her response when told to smile, lol.

Saturday we were back to one dance class at 9, and second one at 2. Makes it hard to get anything else scheduled, but we did do some work in between the classes. We are caught up on letters C, D and E.

 Letter Hunt pages I used from my curriculum from Confessions of a Homeschooler.

 Arianna practiced her hand writing using a scripture verse from a free download I had awhile ago.

 I looked for math worksheets online and printed out a subtraction from 20 sheet.

 Then of course we did a color by number for something fun to do . :-)

I used the Dinosaur and Elephant craft from DLTK's Crafts for Kids.

So this next week we will focus on letter F. Arianna has spelling words from school and also needs to track her reading, so we will focus on those areas and I will have a few pages for handwritting practice as well as math.

I hope you all had a great week last week! Thank you for stopping by.

Norwex Solutions

If you are looking for a way to clean your home the green, non-chemical way, then you have come to the right spot.

I learned about Norwex due to a friend who was hosting a party online. I thought no way can just a cloth and water clean, I asked her how it kills germs. Then the night of the party came and I was online watching the information, pictures and videos posted. You know what got me? Seeing the Black Light and Protein Tester Demo video. I was instantly sold!

Well, September is a sign up free month. I was able to sign up for free and only paid $7.99 for shipping and handling. If you are reading this and it's Still September 2014, there is still time to Join Us!

So I got my and tried out washing my mirror in the bathroom first, and there were streaks left! I only used two cloths, one wet and one to dry. You can follow me on Facebook at Kristina Brown - Independent Norwex Consultant.

I decided I really want to make the most out of this business as I can so I decided to host a Launch Party myself on Facebook.

Ok, so I have given you a information on why I joined but not a lot of information about Norwex. Our mission is to help reduce chemicals in our homes while promoting the health of our families and environment. They have gone from cleaning without chemicals to helping reduce plastic waste. They now offer Metal Straws, sandwich and snack sacks, produce bags, and so much more.

So what is Norwex Microfiber? Norwex Microfiber is 1/200th the size of a human hair, which is amazing to think about! It can also hold up to 7 times it's weight in matter. As you wipe the surface, the microfiber goes into action by attracting and picking up even the smallest particles of dust.

What sets Norwex Microfiber apart from other microfibers? First, to be considered microfiber, it only needs to be 1/6th of the size of a human hair and Norwex's is 1/200th! Next is the Antibac in the microfiber which is micro silver that is in the cloth which immediately starts working to kill the germs you have just picked up, so you are not spreading them around as you clean. With this great innovation, the cloths don't have to be washed often, maybe once every week to two weeks. You also need to use an all natural detergent, or you will end up with a smelly cloth due to the chemicals from regular detergents left in the fiber. And do not use softener!

By using the cloths alone, you can replace 90% of the chemicals you use to clean your home. This reduces the toxins from chemicals used and saves you money as well since you are no longer buying the chemical cleaners. The average household can save from $400 - $600 a year in cleaners and paper towels alone!

I will be talking more about Norwex as I grow with them and use more of their products myself. Please considering reducing the chemicals used in your home and improving your families life as well as the environment.

If you are interested in learning more, or maybe even hosting a party, please contact me! If you would like to order, please order HERE.

Natural Hand Sanitizer

So I purchased coconut oil months ago when I first started purchasing my other oils but it has just sat there. So last night I finally decided I would use the roller balls I have purchased and make myself some hand sanitizer to keep in my purse.
First I used the Shield blend from Spark Naturals.

I added coconut oil almost to the top of my roller ball bottle and then topped it off with the Shield blend. Now I have my own hand sanitizer to keep with me, and I am hoping that the coconut oil will help to keep my moisturized too.

What are some of your favorites blends that you have to keep on hand?

Week 5

I am so proud of all of my girls. We got report cards on Friday and Arianna has a lot of E+'s and nothing lower than an E-, and Sonya has all but two A's, then a B and C.

My girls love their activities and were actually upset with me last night because I didn't have anything ready for them to go. I am still trying to find a good way to do these nightly, because if anything with my schedule changes, our time is cut in half or gone for activities. So I might just plan on doing them on weekends and if we have time and they are up for extra, then working on a sheet or two at night. :-)

I think it will be a nice review for both of them after their week at school and for me to know where they are at.

Last week I had Arianna working on scripture verses to help her with her handwriting.

Makaylah worked more on the letter C at home while they were working on D at preschool. It was also her birthday this last week which was cupcake themed!

The kids all had fun with their projects and coloring pages. I was able to get a good picture of my three girls together before things go crazy! Lol.

Sonya lost the letters for her graffiti project, so we are starting over with that, except doing it a little different from the plan we had used. However, she did a pretty awesome Horse head.

What works best for you all? Do you work full-time and have activities that you do outside of the school, do you homeschool while working full-time, or are you able to homeschool full-time? Let us know and help others! :)

I hope you have all had a marvelous week! 

Week 3 & 4

So the last few weeks have been crazy due to illness and a holiday. The weeknights just go so fast after work and trying to pick the girls up, then dance started back up so we adjusting to the schedules. 

I did have my youngest with me one day and set her up to work on her worksheets. Since one week included a holiday, they just did a review of A & B so last week was letter C. 

We are going to have to adjust slightly for my 1st grader as her homework has increased and I don't want to have them working all day and night. I know she needs helping reading and writing more than anything else, so we will have her write her memory verse for the week and some small reading pages at night. 

My freshman's homework has also increased so we will still have art projects, just no deadlines so she can focus, and again we want this to be fun for her not something she starts to hate. 

As for my youngest, I am still going to work nightly with her, just have to catch up where I want to be by the end of the week. She is doing a great so far and we want to keep her on track for being ready for kindergarten next year. 

Working full time and trying to work in activities with the girls can definitely be a challenge, but it's all about scheduling and sticking to it. Thankfully they love the work we do together. <3 

17 Freezer Meals

I thought I would take another stab at Costco meal planning. This time I made up most of my own recipes. Some for the crockpot, some cooked, some just prepped so it's ready to go.

I threw out my receipt by accident, so I can't list prices for everything, but can say that I spent just under $300 and have 17 meals ready to go. Now I also have left over items for breakfast and lunches as well as just keeping some items, like chicken tenders, frozen for use in the nest batch of meals. Also I bought some fruit for snacks, and a few other items for the house.

Costco Ingredient List 

Meats 
4 rotisserie chickens 
1 15 ct chicken sausage 
1 package stew beef

Produce
1 8lb yellow onions 
Garlic
Salad
3 - 6pk multi-color peppers
1 5lb bag baby carrots
1 bag red potatoes
1 24oz box of mushrooms

Frozen/Pantry staples
1 bag frozen chicken tenders
1 - 12pk chicken broth cans
8pk canned diced tomatoes
8pk canned black beans
Stir fry sauce
Italian seasoning 
Tortillas 
Bacon
Whole grain/wheat pasta

Dairy
Eggs 
Shredded Mozzarella
Shredded Mexican cheese   

Now since my weekend was pretty busy, I broke up preparing the meals into two settings. I made 8 meals in about 40 minutes on Saturday night.


Chicken Fajitas
I shredded up the rotisserie chicken while sautéing pepper strips with onion and garlic. Once the veggies were done I added in a can of black beans. I used three peppers, one onion, and three cloves of garlic. I split this up between two freezer bags. When I am ready to make these, I will just pull out the morning before and place in the fridge. Then that night I will add some of the mixture with some Mexican cheese between two tortillas in the griddle until heated through in both sides.

Sausage and Peppers
I split the sausage between three freezer bags, then cut up three peppers and one onion and split between the two bags. When ready to use I will pull out the night before. In the morning I will put in the crock pot with a can of chicken broth and cook in low for 10 hours. This will be served over rice.

Italian Chicken Pasta
I shredded some rotisserie chicken between three bags while cooking some pasta. I then sauteed some mushrooms with onions and garlic. When the pasta was done I added the mushroom mixture and three cans of diced tomatoes with some Italian seasoning (add to your taste). I separated the pasta between the tree bags and added some mozzarella cheese to top it off. When ready to cook take the bag out the night before and place in fridge. Then bake at 350 for 15 - 20 minutes. (You can also freeze this in an oven safe dish and cook longer if you forget to take it out, close to an hour to 1 1/2 hours).

I made the rest of the meals Sunday when I had more time late morning/early afternoon.

Italian Beef Stew
I separated the stew beef between three bags, added 1 can of corn to each, about 1 1/2 cups of baby carrots, and about 6 diced red potatoes. I also added in 1 can of diced tomatoes to each with some Italian seasoning. When ready to use, take out of freezer the night before and place in fridge, then cook on low 8-10 hours.

Eggs and Potatoes with Bacon
I diced up about 12 red potatoes, 3 peppers, and mushrooms. I coated with olive oil and seasoning salt. When ready to use take out and place in fridge the night before. Then just cook in skillet, add eggs when veggies are done and make some bacon to go with.

Chicken Stir-Fry
I added stir-fry veggies to two bags and then 4 chicken tenders per bag. I topped one bag with 1/2 bottle of Teriyaki Stir-Fry sauce and the other with an Orange Stri-Fry sauce. (I purchased the sauces at Safeway because I only saw Soy Sauce at our Costco). When ready to cook place in fridge the night before and then cook on low 8 - 10 hours. Serve over rice. Make sure there is enough liquid when you put in slow cooker. If you need more, add a little bit of chicken broth.

Chicken Pasta with Veggies
While boiling pasta I cut up the rest of the mushrooms and peppers. I also shredded up some chicken between the two bags. Once the pasta was done I added the veggies and some Italian seasoning. When ready to make place in fridge the night before. Then bake at 350 for 15-20 minutes. Top with some mozzarella cheese.

I hope this helps give you some ideas of what you can do. Now I haven't tried all of these myself, so please let me know what you think or what spices you used instead of the ones I did, etc. :-)

Thank you and enjoy!!

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Week 2 - Letter B and Finding the Sounds Like Sheets

So I missed doing any number work with my youngest the week before, so last week we started with number 1. I just picked up a Playskool Math PreK Learning Counting book at our local Dollar Tree.

Since we are working with her on tracing and getting familiar I am taking it slow. So on the first page was the number one written out and just 1. So I had her to one line a day, which took four days. She enjoyed it because I also picked up some stickers to give her for her completed daily work, which meant 4 stickers for this. :-)

Then our letter for the week was B. Another site I have visited and purchased materials from was Confessions Of A Homeschooler. I love how she has things laid out and you get a curriculum to follow as well. I just have her Letter of the Week for PreK. Using this and few other sites online I printed out some B pages for Makaylah to work on daily. One was just a color page to get her use to the letter B, then she had a tracer page, another one was for her to cut out the pictures that started with the letter B and paste them at the top. We ended the week with the Summer Beach Branch Craft.

For Arianna, I think our focus most of this year will be improving her reading skills. So I wanted to make sure her work was focused on words and sounds. I did also have her fill in missing numbers up to 100 to keep up with her numbers, and this week I will have something else like that but maybe by counting in 2's.

Her sheets focused on filling in the blanks and even a couple crafts where she had to find the words that sounded like O in Doe, or EW in Stew and New.

I am trying to keep it fun since I know they are doing work in school and preschool, and so far, for the most part, they are excited when we sit down to do our "activities". :-) There are so many free sites you can use if you are just looking for something extra, and definitely sites if you need something for homeschool that can help you save costs and allow you more flexibility on tailoring to your individual child.

My oldest is still working on her graffiti project, takes a back burner to her homework and chores. Art for her is just more for fun and she doesn't have anything she needs extra help. :-)

Super Cute Cake for Lily!

One of the things I enjoy doing is baking and decorating. I did try making a business out of this passion, but there are so many home bakers in our area, and it just didn't pan out (at the time). So this is just something I do for fun, family, and friends.

This weekend was one of those times I was able to spend on decorating a cake for a Sip and See party for a very cute little baby girl named Lily.

What I started out with is pictured below.

I believe what is is the pink pacifier, eggs and milk. I found some very cute Lily Flowers at a local cake store as well as the pacifier and booties. What is even more awesome is the shoes are ceramic and allow the mom to use them as a keepsake with the Lily's birthdate information on the bottom. The person who helped me pick a few things out even suggested they could be a cute babies first ornament. :-)

So after making the box mix and letting it cool. I filled the layers with a strawberry filling and topped the cake with the white butter cream frosting. Then I wanted to make an ombre effect so used a closed star tip to pipe the sides of the cake. The first round was white followed by a pink and bottom round an even darker pink.

I think the finished product was just simply sweet. :-)

One day, when I have more time (when my girls all decide they don't need me anymore, but rather their friends, eek!) I will work more on making my own flowers, toppers, etc. Until then I am all about enjoying putting it together with the awesome toppers I can find already made!