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Milk Unleashed Giveaway

The Milk Unleashed Giveaway hosted by Mommy Lesson Plans.

Now that school has started, it feels like I am always in the car. I live in the desert, so keeping things cool is pretty much next to impossible. So, providing my sons with milk has never been an option. And my littlest one loves milk. So, when I found out about Milk Unleashed I was really excited. Now I can carry milk anywhere we go. Yes!

Disney’s Phineas and Ferb: The Best LIVE Tour Ever!

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Kelly Kits

I love doing art with my kids. These Kelly Kits look like a great idea! I am so excited that they are offering free ones right now. I plan on getting one right away!

Kelly Kits encourage art play using a wide variety of creative tools & materials beyond what coloring books can offer. The Original Kelly Kit comes complete with one set of five unique activities that cover the five art disciplines: painting, drawing, sculpting, printmaking, & collage. Each kit contains all of the tools & materials needed for the activities, the user just needs access to a kitchen! To increase functionality for homeschooling parents, each activity includes an instruction card with an enrichment idea to adapt the art activity to a school lesson. Kelly Kits are designed to encourage creativity & teach!

Get a FREE Children's Art Kelly Kit Delivered to Your Door!  A $9.99 Value http://www.kellykits.com/free-kit-2/ Promo Code: USFG99

Welcome to the Nook Color 8GB Giveaway!

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The BlanKz Toy Giveaway & the Blog Hop

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The Blankz Giveaway hosted by Mommy Lesson Plans

You may have noticed that there are two Blankz contests on this blog. Just think of this as two chances to win.

I'm artsy. I used to tell my students that the reason I became a teacher was because I liked to color. (Funnily enough, they believed me.) It seems I have passed this trait on to my children. My boys love to color.

Another trait I have passed on to my children is the need to cuddle. If we aren't snuggled up on the couch, then we snuggle with a pillow or a stuffed animal. My boys have so many stuffed animals that there's barely room for them in their beds.

Blankz Giveaway #1

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Nine Ways to Keep your Kids Healthy

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Submit to your Inner Geek: Comic Books

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Back "Pack" To School With Green Supplies Giveaway

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Grocery Shopping...Again

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Physical Development

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Is Handwriting Important?

Not long ago, a friend told me that our sons' school was not going to teach cursive anymore. Apparently they feel that there isn't enough time in the day for cursive to be taught. Furthermore, with advances in technology, cursive is going by the wayside. Now, although I am not certain, I am pretty sure they're still teaching printing. But, the question is, is handwriting really that important?

Printing instruction is definitely important. In the primary years, handwriting instruction improves reading and spelling. This is due to the fact that the child often learns the sound of the letter as they are forming it. Furthermore, practicing writing increases fine motor skills.

In later grades, lack of handwriting instruction & practice can hinder learning. If a child's handwriting is labored, he or she will not want to write. This not only can effect their academic performance, but their self-esteem as well.

The Arts - Poetry

Genuine poetry can communicate before it is understood
-T. S. Eliot

You may not know this but 45 out of 50 states have adopted the new Common Core State Standards. One of the subjects that is addressed in those standards is poetry. Whether you like poetry or not, it is a valuable component to education. First of all, poetry increases reading fluency (the ability to read words like you are speaking) because kids tend to reread the poems. The rhythm of poetry is engaging, and if it rhymes, the kids can usually predict some of the words even if they can't read them well. If your child is too young to read, make sure that you do pick rhyming poems because the practice of rhyming sounds is a foundational reading skill. Poetry also creates imagery which can help children understand feelings and language.

Lego Monster Fighter Giveaway

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The Arts - Music

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Carter's Clothing Giveaway

I love Carter's clothing! My boys look so handsome in it. $200 can buy a nice amount of clothes.

Welcome to the Carter's Watch the Wear giveaway brought to you by Blog it Forward Media.

Carter's Watch the Wear was started by Henry Wood Carter. Under the name H.W. Carter & Sons (1890), Carter’s Overalls were sold and were very popular. The company expanded to market boy’s overalls, as well as railroad overalls, painter pants, coats, jumpers and shirts, eventually putting everything under the simple trademark “Carter’s”. They quickly evolved into a company that you see now. They specialize in clothing for newborns, infants and toddlers. and Guess what? Their collection is entirely affordable for the family.

Well, Carter's Watch the Wear has paired up with the bloggers of Blog it Forward to offer one lucky winner a $200 gift card to their website! That's right, you can enter for a chance to win $200 worth of clothes for your little one. Just fill out the form below to enter.
You can sign up for Carter's Watch the Wear e-mails! Do you want to be an affiliate? You can check out the details and sign up.

Just use the simple form below to enter! This giveaway is open to US and Canada. Must be 18+ to enter. Giveaway closes on July 31 at 11:59pm est. Only one person per household/IP address may enter. You only need to enter the giveaway on one of our blogs. Good luck!

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Social & Emotional Development

My two oldest sons are best friends. In many ways, I feel I am blessed because of this. But if I decide to dwell, I have to admit that the reason they get along so well is because the 9 year old aspie has about the same social and emotional skills as the 5 year old. And to think that he will be starting Jr. High in two short years. (This scares me to death!) Which brings me to the subject of this post.

0-6 Months
• Reacts to discomfort and pain
• Recognizes parent’s voice
• Makes eye contact
• Shows affection by looking, waving, kicking and smiling
• Shows feelings of security when held or talked to
• Expresses delight
• May form attachment to one special object
• Laughs when tickled
• Builds trust when cries are answered
• May begin to cling to primary caregiver

6-12 Months

• Enjoys being with other children
• Has an increased drive for independence
• Expresses anger more dramatically
• Has a fear of strangers
• Is aware of social approval or disapproval
• Performs for others
• Has pride in personal accomplishments

12-18 Months
• Prefers to keep caregiver in sight while exploring environment
• Demands personal attention
• May reveal stubbornness
• Unable to share
• Responds to simple

18-24 Months
• Is possessive
• Begins to show empathy
• Reveals a sense of trust
• Begins to play next to children
• Shows emotions of pride and embarrassment
• May dawdle
• Engages in imaginative play
• Tests limits of behavior
• Performs for an audience

2-3 Years Old
• Has a strong sense of ownership
• May begin cooperative play
• May show need for security object
• Is becoming more independent

4-5 Years Old
• Enjoys being with other children
• Has an increased drive for independence
• Expresses anger more dramatically
• Is aware of social approval or disapproval
• Performs for others
• Has pride in personal accomplishments
• Develops sex role identification
• Begins taking turns and negotiating

6-10 Years Old
• Has about 5 good friends
• Has at least one peer they dislike
• Tends to be bossy and/or protective of younger children

• Begins to understand that people have different points of views

 For more information go to
ACT • Quality Professional Development for Childhood Care and Education Professionals.
Livestrong

The Perplexus Original

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"Easy to play. Hard to master."

This is a quote taken from the back of the box. And my family agrees. The Perplexus Maze Original
is a maze ball around the size of a basketball. It is meant for children six and older. (They make the
Perplexus Rookie too, which is for younger children.) It has a little silver ball that the player tries to move around on a track without letting it fall. It is colorful and inviting; making children want to pick it up immediately. (I'll admit, the grownups like it too.) It is portable and quiet, making it easy to bring on trips. It sells for approximately $25, however, I have been able to find it for about $15.

Ideally, you would want to buy this game for children over six. It requires that a child be able to count up to 100. The directions on the box are in three languages, English, Spanish, and French; but any child who can read numbers can play it. This puzzle is fun for all types of kids. However, since it is challenging, you would want to monitor the frustration level. My nine year old son has Asperger's Syndrome and he had approximately the same frustration level that my five year old son had. They both kept having to start over and would get mad. Then, they would pick it back up again and start over. They literally could not put it down! "I have to do this mom!"

At first when we got the box, we didn't read the directions and just started moving it around. I then picked up the box and read the directions on the back. It was then that we realized that you needed to count in a certain order. My older son, immediately liked it better when I told him this. My 5 year old still prefers to play it without the numbers (fine with me.) I tried to play it too, but the numbers were hard for this old lady to read. Once I moved into better light, I found this game to be really fun. 

I then began to wonder what would happen once my sons mastered it. Would it then collect dust? So, I went to the Perplexus webpage. I was happy to discover that there were several ideas for both single player and multi-players; as well as Freestyle. It's nice to know that I will be able to teach my kids other ways to play.

As a mom of a special needs child, I would recommend this product for several reasons. First, it is easy to use and does not require major gross motor skills. Even my toddler was able to move the little silver ball along the track for a little while. Second, the design of the ball makes it easy to hold. There is a little bar around the outside of the ball that serves as a handle. Furthermore, I especially like that it is mentally challenging; allowing the kids to work through their frustrations in a fairly controlled environment.

Enter here for a chance to win your own Perplexus Original.

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Lesson Plans - Week 3

And the 3rd week of plans is now available. The dinner menu is all from Can You Stay for Dinner? This website has healthy, low-fat meals. I can not say if they are tasty, as I have not tried them yet. I'll get back to you on that. Just go to the "Weekly Mommy Plans" at the top of the page.

I just started the plans this week. So I just finished up the 1st week of plans. I have to say, it's going pretty well. I'll admit, I didn't get to everything. My downfall seems to be exercise. Grrr. I really need to make that happen. Plus, I have been having a hard time getting to some of the cleaning duties. I really need to get better at keeping the toddler occupied. Too much time is spent trying to keep him from scaling furniture or defacing things with the pens he has somehow gotten from the baby-proofed drawer. (He might be a spy one day.)

The photos on here are highlights of this week. I am taking pictures each week. You'll notice in the 2nd week of plans, I have started a scrap-booking project during learning time. I will let them use the photos from the previous week to paste in their books. They will write about what we did. The 9-year old will write on his own, but the 5-year old will dictate his sentences to me. They will get to add sticker to the page afterwards. We think I may only be able to stay at home for a year due to finances. So, this is the year of Mommy and I want to make sure they remember what we did.