I mean let’s be honest…

Is my playroom white and pristine and Pinterest perfect?

No.  But, it’s really cute (check out my recent redecorating adventure) and super functional.  It’s a space where my daughters can imagine and play and just be kids.  In a couple of weeks it will also dually function as a virtual learning space and a place to create fun art.

Are my kids special little snowflakes who live for order and tidiness and never wreck havoc on my playroom?

Not a chance!  I’ve got two rough and tumble wildness, one of which who’s known for her tendency to be a total hurricane leaving a wake of mud and destruction in her path.

My kids aren’t perfect.  My house is far from perfect, but it’s manageable and usually at least relatively clean and largely in part to the playroom organization  and toy rotation system I use.

I’ve tried a hundred different ways to create a system that actually keeps our playroom looking like less of a disaster zone and I FINALLY found something that works!

Continue reading →

Life now is so different than it was 6 months ago.

If you’d told me 6 months ago that playgrounds would be empty, schools would be closed, and kids would primarily be confined to their homes as all large social events would be canceled, I’d have thought you were c-r-azy!

It’s funny how much we take for granted in our daily lives. In no time at all our world has been upended by the Coronavirus.

But Corona-times haven’t been all bad. Truth be told, I sort of enjoy this slowed down pace. Even though my kids drive me to the brink of insanity and back on a daily basis, I’ve treasured this time watching them grow.

When you’re not going 100 miles an hour all the time, shuttling kids to school, practice, Scouts, birthday parties and other events; you notice so much more. For that little light in the Corona cloud I’m grateful.

My house is also very grateful these days.

Continue reading →

This is the never-ending summer.

Corona-times have changed everything, and when you’re a stay at home Mom like me, the days start to bleed into one another. I miss having events to look forward to since there’s not much on our calendar these days.

So when I learned Party City wanted my help showcasing their amazingly affordable Halloween  products, I literally squealed with excitement.

I mean first of all, Halloween is like one of the best holidays ever. Second of all, planning parties is my favorite. And thirdly, we finally had something to look forward to!

My party planning wheels instantly started spinning; and then came to a screeching halt.

Coronavirus…

How do you plan a party during Corona-times?

The answer turned out to be short and quite sweetly simple. A virtual Halloween party hosted on Zoom.

Continue reading →

Birthdays in Corona-times are hard. Espcially when you’re five.

Each summer, I help my sister plan the perfect party for my sweet niece. We usually reserve the pool we are members at and invite all her close friends and family.

But this year the pool’s closed, and social distancing made it unsafe to have a big bash. However, I just knew I had to find a way to celebrate her in a big way!

So I put on my party planning hat and cleaned my house really good, and invited my Mom and sister over for a super extra and also adorable Barbie birthday party honoring my favorite 5 year old!

Continue reading →

When teaching a child to read, CVC words are the turning point where you really start to see the everything come together.

Just in case you’re not down with the Phonics lingo, CVC words are consonant-vowel-consonant words.

They are the foundation of reading instruction, and those first baby steps to becoming an emerging reader.  They are arguably one of the most essential tools in any good Reading Instruction program.

Continue reading →

We’ve reached the end of my 10 days of Free Preschool Lesson Plans series and today I’m sharing a theme that’s tried and true.  It’s always a hit with my boys, but girls have a blast with this too.

Today we’re talking things that go.

Planes, boats, trains, bikes, cars, submarines; all forms of transportation.

This week I’ve lined up a transportation themed  preschool lesson plan loaded with ton of fun crafts and activities!  So grab yourself a set of toy cars and lets get rolling.

See what I did there? Admit it, you love my cheesy Mom puns.

Continue reading →

Today’s free themed lesson plan, is one of my favorites!

I have always loved teaching about butterflies and found a way to work them in to practically every grade I taught.

I’m just fascinated by a butterflies metamorphosis and all it can represent.  I love raising caterpillars and the look of wonder on a child’s face when they see them emerge from a cocoon.  It never gets old.

So I rounded up some of the cutest crafts and the funnest activities on the interwebs for a super fun week spent learning about these amazing creatures!

Continue reading →

Todays free lesson plan doesn’t need much of an introduction.

I mean what kid doesn’t love dinosaurs?

Kids love learning about the time before they existed and they are generally even more fascinated by a time before anyone existed.

Dinosaurs are big, loud, wild and fierce.  Kind of like a young child.  Hhhmmm….Think there’s a connection to be made there?

Continue reading →

All my life, space has fasicinated me.

The idea that we are but a speck of matter in a vast and perhaps infinite universe is mind boggling to me.

As a child, I spent many nights staring at stars, wishing on stars and wishing to one day go to the stars.  That’s why this week’s Free Outer Space Preschool Lesson Plans are some of my favorite to teach!

It doesn’t take much to get kids excited about space, and if these crafts and activities won’t do it, nothing can!

Continue reading →

And we’re back!

6 day into my 10 days of Free Preschool Lesson Plans and today I’m bring you a free week of plans about plants!

We did a bunch of these a couple of months ago and had so much fun with it!  My girls and their Dad have even planted a little mini garden on the back deck and are continuing to learn about plants as they care for it.

My Mom has a green thumb, but it must have skipped a generation because I can’t keep houseplants alive.  Luckily my husband is practically an aspiring horticulturist who’s taken to the task of keeping my houseplants alive.

Luckily the activities in this week’s plant themed preschool lesson plans don’t require a green thumb!  So if you’re like me, you can just get these little projects started and then hand the results off to the pros!

Continue reading →