Saturday, December 31, 2016

Mother Goose Time Kit Unboxing - What's Inside January

 
Here is my unboxing of Mother Goose Time's January box! This unboxing is a little longer because I describe into more detail about what comes in each box. This is a monthly homeschool preschool kit that comes with everything you need for 20 days of curriculum & activities PLUS SO MUCH MORE for you and your toddler!



After being a paying customer for months, Mother Goose Time approached me to receive this month's box for free in return for my honest feedback!

Friday, December 23, 2016

Christian Homeschooling Lessons for Toddlers



As you guys know, I use Mother Goose Time for Bella's homeschool preschool curriculum. If you haven't heard of them before, check out my previous post here. While this box comes with EVERYTHING, for an extra $5 a box you can create a Christian Curriculum and add on a package called Experience God - Child Art Packs. This was something I really wanted to do to incorporate God into our daily life with my kiddos. Let me give you a quick breakdown of what came in December's box!

Each pack comes with 4 lessons and activities (one per week). I usually do one each Sunday, but due to Christmas I waited to devote the week of Christmas to teach all about the story of Jesus. True to why I love Mother Goose Time, these packs come with all of your supplies needed for the art project along with instructions and a lesson. I will focus on the art projects in this post, and do a more detailed post later!


Lesson 1
 

Our Completed Art Project from Lesson 1
 
The first lesson we created a Mary puppet, which Bella really enjoyed. I love the creativity of this company!
 

Lesson 2


Our Completed Art Project from Lesson 2
 
The second lesson we created a Donkey in which Bella "rode" to Bethlehem.
 

Lesson 3


Our Completed Art Project from Lesson 3
 
The third lesson (my personal favorite) we created a manger. This project was super fun and I loved the way it turned out. Bella really enjoyed this one as well.
 
Lesson 4


Our Completed Art Project from Lesson 4
 
For our final project we created two Christmas Tree ornaments which are currently hanging on our tree!

Each lesson also includes a coloring sheet on the back! They really waste no space.

 
Here is a breakdown of the three items you can purchase to complete your Experience God curriculum! You can also read about it on their website here! While I received this month's MGT box for free in exchange for me to blog about my personal experience (after months of being a paying customer), I continue to purchase these Experience God packs myself because I love them so much! 

Saturday, December 17, 2016

Sick Days - Replaying Mother Goose Time

My house has been run into the ground this week. We all shared a head cold followed by a stomach bug. Let me just tell you that schooling was the last thing on my mind. My 3 year old was not sick (thankfully) when I first was. This left me out of energy and her full of it. For this, I pulled out some  previous Mother Goose Time Curriculum that she really loved!

Since this project was fun enough for her to do multiple days, I thought I should share it with you! Just another reason why I love MGT! It's the gift that keeps on giving!

Last month's theme was Community Helpers and Bella learned about all kinds of different careers. One day was Mail Carrier and it was so creative!


Each child was given a Mail Bag, postcards and corresponding posters. Like a mail carrier, the child decides which postcard goes to the corresponding poster. To make it even more fun I set up paper cups as "mailboxes" and hung them throughout the house on the wall with mess free putty.


She matched the Dalmatian on the postcard to the Dalmatian in the Poster
While it was fun, it taught my toddler a lot of different skills like problem solving and recognition. It also helped her motor skills a lot by teaching her to open the bag, shuffle through the post cards and place them in the "mailboxes". I would have NEVER thought of such an amazing idea on my own. I am constantly in awe of the ideas and projects presented in each month's kit!




She had a blast even when I couldn't give her 100% of my energy. I love being able to watch her learn so much about the world that I wouldn't think of teaching her. If you are interested, definitely check out their website! It is affordable and worth every penny.
Look at this smile!
*I paid for the November (Community Helpers) box myself but received this month's box for free in exchange for my personal opinion of these products!


Saturday, December 10, 2016

Projects with a Toddler Made Easy

I am a mom of two girls ages 1 & 3. I'm married. I work a full-time job. We like to travel.

I have no time.

One of my biggest priorities when I start my day is to spend one-on-one time with my daughters. My 3 year old struggles when we don't have some direct time together. I've tried doing it all myself. I've tried creating projects. I've tried spending $80 at a craft store but still having to struggle with what I will create.

THIS HAS FINALLY STOPPED!

Once a month, I get a box delivered to my door. I open it and inside lies 20 days worth of pre-bagged activities and projects I can do with my daughters. 20 days of learning. 20 days of ITEMS that I don't need to buy. I don't need to scrounge, stress out, or prep. My life has literally changed.

Mother Goose Time has made the biggest impact on my family in the best way!

I didn't plan on homeschooling my toddler. I was simply looking for something a little extra to do with her every day and this kit is perfect! You can combine days, spread them out, or do it a day at a time. There is no one to answer to but yourself, and a full kit delivered to your door that will help you and your child learn new things every day.

I am constantly impressed with the items received in this kit. For example: this week we learned about Pine Trees and Pinecones. I combined the days because, due to a crazy schedule, sometimes we have to miss a day of "class". These are straight-out-of-Pinterest, amazingly fun projects! THESE KITS COME WITH EVERYTHING!!!!

Bella and I were so excited to make this Invitation to Create Bird Feeder! This is something I have seen around since I was a child, but never had the supplies to create myself. First off, I don't have bird seeds (ever) and I don't live near pinecones. I opened our daily bag to two full-size Pinecones, bird seed and string (along with tons and tons of other items FOR ONE DAY). Look at this face!

Not only does it come with everything you need, it comes with an explanation on how to use the items and teach your child something new. It is fool-proof.

Our bird feeders came out perfectly and we also learned about the life cycle of Pine Trees! Bella uses so many skills thanks to this Preschool Program. These are things I could never do on my own. I'm grateful for this company! Check out the photos below of us creating our awesome project thanks to Mother Goose Time!


 
 
*After months of being a paying customer, I was approached by Mother Goose Time to receive this month's box for free in exchange for my honest feedback!
 

Friday, December 2, 2016

Video Unboxing of December Mother Goose Time Kit

Here is the live video the girls and I did on December 1st! This is the unboxing of Mother Goose Time's December box - Winter in the Woods. From this video you will understand why I do everything productive while my kids are asleep ;)







*After months of being a paying customer, I was approached by Mother Goose Time to receive this month's box for free in exchange for my honest feedback!

Thursday, December 1, 2016

Homeschooling With Mother Goose Time - Teaching a Toddler Numbers

Learning Numbers Has Never Been More Fun!


Since it is the 1st, Bella and I unboxed our December Mother Goose Time box! If you aren't familiar, check them out! I have also posted a video in my previous post here. This is the program I found in a desperate search for an easier way to teach my 3 year old daughter from home! I wanted something that we could do every day together for fun, that would also help her learn.

This month's theme is Winter in the Woods and is filled with tons of winter projects. Since there is a holiday this month (Christmas, of course) there was also a fun extra bundle that was Santa themed!

After our lesson, Bella begged to do the Santa Game she saw during our unboxing. Since we decorated for Christmas yesterday (and my 1 year old was asleep) I thought it would be a great idea!

As a parent of a newly turned 3 year old, I sometimes struggle with teaching her new things. I don't quite know what she is capable of and I struggle with creative teaching when it comes to numbers and letters especially. I can Pinterest topics and ideas all day, but numbers and letters constantly feel mind-numbingly repetitive. Mother Goose Time has COMPLETELY changed the way of teaching your child and that's why I absolutely love it. The creative ways they help your child learn is priceless. I'm constantly impressed with the way they give your child a gentle nudge into learning new topics and ideas.

Example: this Santa game included for free in this month's box! Synopsis: flip a number card, match the number to the number on Santa's beard, add a cotton ball to the matching number. There is also a villain who can take away cotton balls.

My training with Bella on numbers is lacking to say the least. She gets bored very easily when it comes to memorization and I haven't found something that clicked. Well today, it clicked! You have to watch this video because I am absolutely amazed. Bella could not recognize number a few weeks ago and she blew me away today! I am constantly reminded with this program of how capable Bella is, even if she seems like my baby.

 
 
 

She recognized numbers, counted the cotton balls, and subtracted cotton balls that the villain took away. My three year old did subtraction today! I'm serious you guys, I don't know what I would do without this program!

You can even download everything in the Santa's Workshop Celebration Kit for FREE through Mother Goose Time here! Merry Christmas!




*After months of being a paying customer, I was approached by Mother Goose Time to receive this month's box for free in exchange for my honest feedback!

Wednesday, November 2, 2016

Easy Teething Relief Frozen Drops Tutorial

My daughter (who turns 1 tomorrow!) has been having a terrible time with teething. I saw a video on Facebook full of teething relievers and decided to try some for myself. I went with frozen Yogurt and Baby Food drops! This is literally as easy as it gets!

Prep Time: 5 Minutes
Freeze Time: 1 Hour


1) Line a pan/flat item with wax paper. (I used a small baking pan that I knew would fit well in our freezer. It was plenty of space for the drops.)


2) Pick your child's favorite yogurt. (These yogurt tubes made it even easier!)

 
 3) Begin placing dime-size dots on the pan with a small gap in-between your drops.


You can also use baby food! I used Apple Sauce and created the drops with a spoon.



4) Place in the freezer for 1 hour!


All done!


Lastly, enjoy! Trinity went HAM on these frozen bites. You could tell they soothed her mouth and she liked the new texture. My only problem was that I couldn't get them off of the sheet fast enough!


Video Unboxing of November Mother Goose Time Kit


For November I thought I would give you guys an inside look into what I do with Bella daily. I found this after looking for Homeschool Preschool ideas on Pinterest and becoming super overwhelmed. I felt like everything was letters and numbers and we would have to spend $500 in the craft store for a weeks worth of projects. I came across this Preschool Curriculum Package on Google that came with EVERYTHING you need for Preschool to you door monthly. There is no commitment, no hidden fees, just pure awesomeness! And no, I am not getting paid to say this. I just love it that much! It's Mother Goose Time. If you haven't heard of them, go check them out now!

Each month has a theme and November's is Community Helpers.  Not only does it come with everything you need, but it comes with amazing lessons plans and curriculum that you could not create on your own. I am constantly impressed with the things Bella is learning thanks to Mother Goose Time! Check out the video to see why this box is just plain amazing!





Tuesday, September 6, 2016

JELL-O Creations Review

Quick, Easy & Cheap: JELL-O Creations Kit Review



If you are looking for an easy project to make with your child, this is perfect! I saw this on the shelf at our local Stater Bros and couldn't resist. My toddler LOVES cooking and this looked like something she could easily help make. She had also just learned about worms in her Mother Goose Time lesson so she was very excited!


This is as simple as simple gets guys. All you need is milk and cups!


I used some of my daughters cups that I had handy. It filled up 6 perfectly.



My daughter, who is almost 3, was able to mix the Jello with a little help from me.


We used a spoon to fill the cups (and taste test of course). 



Lastly, she added the Oreo crumb topping and worms!


It was that easy! It took about 15 minutes (prep to cleanup) and was so simple that she could do everything herself. Not to mention, I ate one myself and they were delicious! It actually was quite a bit of food and I could see you being able to fill 12 smaller serving cups that would be more appropriate for younger kids.

This product I would give 5 out of 5 stars! It's DELICIOUS, EASY and CHEAP (under $4)! While it's not something we would eat every day, it was a nice treat to make and share with our friends. I definitely recommend this! They also have a whole collection of different kits. Check them out!

Thursday, September 1, 2016

Quick Tutorial: Mess-Free Art Display


Quick Tutorial - Mess Free Art Display


Estimated Time for Project: 5 minutes (unless your kids try to help)




My oldest daughter has started the Mother Goose Time Homeschool Preschool program (which I will explain later) in which she creates a lot of awesome stuff daily. She wants to proudly display it and so do I. This was a cheap, easy and cute way to hang her art without putting holes in the wall or cramming the refrigerator door.

Items Needed:
1) Command Damage Free Hanging (Cord Organization) - I found this at my local dollar store!


2) String
3) Scissors
4) Clothespins

Steps:

1) Hang your hooks on opposing sides of the wall (as level as you can when free-handing it because you don't have time to measure precisely).

2) Wrap the string around your index finger loosely and tie a knot to create a small loop.

3) Hang the loop on the first hook and measure how long you would like your string. You can have the string tight or loose depending on your space. Cut.

4) Wrap the string around your index finger loosely and tie a knot to create a small loop. Hang the loop on the 2nd hook.

5) Use Clothespins to hang whatever you like!

This is our Work-In-Progress Supply Center for Homeschooling 









Wednesday, August 31, 2016

Welcome!

So, you're going to write a blog?

I know what you're thinking, "Here comes another mom blog full of opinions and over the top projects that no human has time for". I promise you this: I am not a super mom, I am not a millionaire and aint nobody got time for that.

I'm creating this blog so I can share some of the fun (and frugal) ways I have found to spend days with my two daughters (ages 9 months and 2 years 9 months). I work full-time from home and have ZERO time on my hands. Everything on this blog will be completely doable, use minimum time preparation and have items you should either have or can easily get from the dollar store. Note: you will quickly learn I LOVE a good deal.

Along with fun projects, I hope to share the humor of parenting with you. I am not here to judge. I am not a perfect parent. I'm just a parent like you. Parenting is hilarious, terrifying, frustrating and amazing all at the same time. This blog will be light-hearted, positive and practical. Have fun and don't be so serious!