WorkBoxes

So, for some reason I chose my husbands 90 hour workweek to launch an organizing frenzy. It all started with getting some new books, and realizing that our bookshelves were extremely cluttered. That led to dumping and sorting every toy bin in the house, then every closet met the same fate...
The good news is that I haven't been put in a padded room yet, plus now I actually know what we have and where it is! In doing the kids closets I realized that we have an amazing amount of resources that we never use. So, I actually typed up a list and used the ideas in Sue Patrick's Workbox System to devise a system to organize our days a bit.

As you can see we have 8 workboxes. Though, I think on preschool days and weekends I will only put out some of them. There is an activity in each box. The idea is that we will accomplish all of the activities in a day. Some of them are things that Ryan can do on his own., and some we will do together. Today they include 1. two letter puzzles 2. guided writing journal 3. number center 4. ABC go fish 5. Saxon lesson #50 6. wordbox spelling with letter magnets 7. sequence for kids 8. Missing Mittens Even & Odd Activity.

I'm hoping that this system will allow for us to be more consistent in our activities, yet help us to use a greater variety of resources. Since we're seriously considering homeschooling I'm anxious to see if this system works for us. I'd love to hear from families that have used Sue Patrick's Workbox System.

I've been completely sucked into Blogland!!!

Everyday I take the few precious spare minutes I can find in a day to sit down and work on my blog. The problem is that I have found so many AMAZING blogs that I sit here checking all of them and then I find myself having to step back into reality and play rocket ship, wipe a butt, etc...

I am going to just share a few of the best I've found so far...I know how busy you are too. Plus, I want to make sure you come back to my lame little blog!

Be sure to check out:
http://teachmama.blogspot.com/
http://www.notimeforflashcards.com/
http://activitymom.blogspot.com/
http://thesnailstrail.blogspot.com/
http://infantbibliophile.blogspot.com/ 
http://www.michellesjournalcorner.blogspot.com/ 
http://mytwohappyhomeschoolers.blogspot.com/

Ok- that's as small as I could get that list!! Sorry ;) ** Several of these sites did a single post right around New Year's that summarized the best of last year!!

Sure enough Ella is crying in her bed, more later...

Toddler Tuesday- Pouring Palooza!

This year we had to move the kids activity table and chairs to set up the Christmas tree. I stuck it in the garage thinking that we could easily live without it for a few weeks. I was wrong, but I'm so glad! I think we have used the table everyday now that I realized I can easily move it anywhere in the house.

I was trying to cook a healthy dinner, even though Daddy was working late. So, instead of turning on the tv, I brought the table into the kitchen. I put a huge vinyl tablecloth on the floor and grabbed a few towels to have handy if when, things got messy. I gave the kids measuring cups, spoons, ladles, all kinds of stuff from the kitchen. I only gave them about 2.5 cups of water, but it was plenty!

Ella got some great practice pouring and stirring. Ryan had fun seeing how many ladles it took to fill up the different containers. Next time I'll mix up the toys and find a funnel. I may even get brave enough to add food coloring. 

The grand finale was when Ryan dumped the big measuring cup, and it all started raining off the table. Ella screamed shower and stuck her head under it! Well, it's only water and I got the ahi broiled and veggies sauteed- what more could a mama ask for!


In case you've got a keen eye and are wondering, Yes- that is the same Batman shirt as yesterday! It wasn't worth the battle this morning :)

Vitamins and Supplements for Kids

I frequently get asked by friends and family about vitamins and supplements. I thought I would put some recommendations here. Let it be clear- I am not a doctor, I have no medical training. I just put a lot of research into what I give my kids and thought it may be helpful. I have started buying all of these products on amazon. It is WAY cheaper and easier than trekking out to Whole Foods or the Co-Op. You can check out the products and buy them at my amazon store. Here's to a healthy family!

Another Giveaway

Just wanted to let all my new readers know about another great giveaway that I found in the ever-addicting blogland...You can win 4 Dr. Seuss books! I haven't taken the time to really comb through the blog yet, but what I have seen seems great. Check it out at http://mommasfabulousplayground.blogspot.com/2009/12/giveaway-win-4-dr-seuss-books.html

What great blogs to do you follow?

Monday Math- Playing Store

Even though I have a kid that loves to do formal school work, there is no doubt about it that the BEST learning for kids comes from play and real life experiences. For today's math we set up a grocery store. Ryan's friend, S, was over and she loved the idea! I picked up some string tags at the dollar store, but you could just as easily make your own or even use masking tape. I went through the pantry and play food and picked ten items. Then I labeled them 1cent through 10 cents. While I was making the labels we talked about pennies, and the cent symbol.  I gave them each ten pennies in a cup (I figured the cup would be easier to manipulate than their play wallets, but I'll probably add the wallets next time). The kids loved choosing which items to buy and bringing them to me. The kids would count the money out to me, and then run back to find what else they had enough money for. S kept calling them moneys and Ryan kept saying dollars. I kept reminding them the correct words are pennies and cents. The kids didn't even realize that we were learning- they loved playing and got tons of practice counting, identifying numbers, and doing simple addition.

Win Free Books!! Tell a friend about our blog!

If I'm going to spend time writing this wonderful blog, I want to be sure that lots of wonderful people know about it! As part of an official 'launch' we are going to offer some great giveaways in the month of January!


You can win one of 4 great book sets!
Earn an entry in each of the following ways:
1. Become a Fan on Facebook!
2. Tell your friends to become a fan on Facebook by making it your status (email me when you do this please, stacy@sacbookmom.com)
3. Post a comment on a post. You can only earn one entry per post, but you can comment on more than one post. Remember, the best kind of comments are feedback with suggestions :)
4. Blog about it! (post a comment here after you do)

The Book Sets:

Set #1: Baby's Very First Colors Book & When I Was A Baby

Set #2: The Big Book of Things to Spot & The Fish Who Could Wish

Set #3: Creepy Crawlies (Kid Kit includes book, bug holder and magnifier), The Big Bug Search

Set #4: First Thousand Words in Spanish & Animal Jigsaw Atlas