A Heart For Home: June 2011

SaveMore: Free $20 Worth of Melissa & Doug Products (just pay $6.95 shipping)

Right now, SaveMore is offering a $20 voucher to WowMyKidSpace.com for just $8. If you haven't made a purchased with SaveMore before, you’ll get a free $10 credit when you first sign up. That makes this $20 voucher completely free!

WowMyKidsSpace carries a wide selection of toys, games and children's furniture including some great Melissa & Doug products for less than $20 in their Education Toys section.

Shipping is a flat-rate of $6.95.

(Look for this deal in the right sidebar under More Great Deals.)

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Good Reads ~ June 25th

May all your wanderings be blessed!

:: Jen @ Yard Sale Mommy has a great post on How to Plan Your Yard Sale Trip. Once we get our housing situation figured out I can't wait to start hitting some yard sales.

:: Do I rejoice in the role that God has given me in my home? Stephanie from Keeper of the Home addresses this question in her wonderful post, I Wasn't Trained to Be a Mom (But I Can Still Love It).

:: Looking to keep the kids cool this summer? Check out Tammy's awesome DIY PVC Sprinkler Project. Check out some more great ideas on my Outdoor Fun Pinterest board! See all my Pinterest boards here. Follow to keep up with all the great ideas I find online.

:: I'm awful at keeping up with extended family member's birthdays, so this Birthday Calendar Rolodex by Mary R has definitely been added to my Home Organization board and my list of thing to make, although I'm sure mine won't be quite as elaborate.

Have you stumbled upon any good reads recently? Please, share you links in the comments.

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Plum District: $40 Voucher to Discovery Toys for $14!

Plum District is offering a $40 voucher to Discovery Toys for $20 today. Supposedly the coupon code sizzling will get you an additional 20% off, making it just $16 for a $40 voucher. However, when I applied the coupon code I received 30% off, making my total ONLY $14 for $40 worth of educational toys and more.

Plum District says this deal is available for the next 2 days…however it will probably reach its limit before then.

There is no limit per person. Shipping is not included in this deal. This is valid on phoned-in orders only. Expires 12/24/11.

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Flat Diaper Winners!

Thank you all for your patience. Without further ado, here are the winners of the three flat diaper giveaways.

Baby Bunz & Co. Cottonclouds Flat Diapers giveaway ~ dailymom

Swaddlebees Flat Diapers giveaway ~ Nikki

Baby Belle Bottoms OsoCozy Organic Flat Diapers giveaway ~ tara

Thanks to our lovely sponsors and to everyone who entered!

(Winners you can expect an email from us shortly, please check your spam folders if you haven't heard from us by this evening.)

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Hairy Hotdogs

How's that for a blog post title? Well, before you become thoroughly grossed out, just know that they aren't as disgusting as they sound.

Last week I discovered the idea on Pinterest and decided to file it away for another day. When Emahry saw the picture she was very excited and even brought it up when Tim came home several hours later.

So...when Tim wanted to scrap the meal plan and make a fun meal with the kids the same evening, we decided that it would be the perfect time for our very own Hairy Hotdogs.

All you need is thin spaghetti (uncooked), hot dogs and water. (We used whole wheat thin spaghetti and nitrate free turkey dogs.)

Simply poke the hot dogs all over with the uncooked spaghetti noodles. The kids loved this part! It's also a great fine motor activity. (Jonathan found it easier when we broke the noodles in half.)

Then throw your impaled hot dogs in boiling water and boil until the noodles are cooked. You can then top your pasta with sauce or leave it plain. We opted for a chili topping since Tim and I were having chili dogs instead of the pasta.

Do you think your kids would like this recipe or do you think they would be grossed out?

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Menu Plan Monday ~ June 20th

We're still trucking along with our main dish salads at least 5 nights a week. I love how cool the house has stayed and how simple dinner has been to prepare. Also with lots of different combinations we're not sick of salads yet. That's definitely a good thing since we have quite a bit more summer to go.

Here are a couple of the combinations we've enjoyed so far. (As you can see we love chow mein noodles.)

This Week's Menu

We're adding more red meat to our diets right now because I'm having trouble keeping my iron levels up during this pregnancy. I'm always slightly anemic, but this time my levels are really low and tons of spinach and iron supplements haven't been able to get my levels up to where they need to be. We'll be bending the food budget a little but I need to get my levels up in order to deliver this baby at the birthing center instead of in the hospital.

(Any ideas for raising iron levels would be completely welcomed.)

Monday:
Tossed Salad topped with Sesame Ginger Chicken, mandarin oranges and chow mein noodles

Tuesday:
Tossed Salad topped with Creamy Poppyseed Chicken and sliced grapes and peaches

Wednesday:

Tossed Salad topped with Lime Seasoned Steak, sliced strawberries, mango and avocado

Thursday:
Black Bean and Ground Beef Taco Salad

Friday:
Tossed Salad topped with Marinated Steak

Saturday:
Salad night off.
Annie's Macaroni and Cheese
Baby carrots (and a small salad for me)

Sunday:

Tim's off.
Tossed Salad topped with Grilled Steak.

Sharing alongside hundreds of other meal plans at I'm an Organizing Junkie.

What are you cooking this week? I'd love some new recipe links and simple salad ideas!

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Peace in Transition

My husband, Tim has officially finished his degree (this one at least) and a move for our family is in the very near future.

Over the past couple of weeks the pressure has been on to find new housing for our growing family. Tim and I have both spent countless hours scouring Craigslist ads, searching for addresses on Google maps and calling about potential new homes.

All of this bustling while still trying to maintain our "normal" lives and pack our entire household has been completely draining to say the least.

With only one month to find a new home to rent, I was beginning to feel a little desperate.

Then last night, we drove to look at a potential home, which from the description and photos sounded like it might be a good fit for our family. The monthly rent was just right, the location was good, the size was perfect. However, the entire time we were being shown the house I kept thinking that this just wouldn't work for us. From the outside this feeling was completely crazy and I began thinking that maybe we could make the house work.

After we packed the kids back into the van and started the drive home I told Tim that I didn't think this was the place for us. Even as the words came out of my mouth I questioned them...what if we didn't find anything else...what if there were no other options and we missed out on this one?

But as soon as I had said it I felt a tremendous feeling of peace. This new feeling grew even greater as Tim told me he agreed completely.

So...where does that leave us?

Well, we still have only until July 15th to be moved out of our current home...we still have no prospects for a new home in a safe neighborhood within our budget...we still have an entire household (minus our spare bedroom) to pack into boxes...we still have all of our normal caring for children, cleaning, cooking and working obligations...we still have a new baby on the way and getting closer to arriving every day...

but one new thing we have is an overwhelming sense of peace.

For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” ~Jeremiah 29:11

Would you please keep our family in your prayers as we strive to follow him and make wise decisions regarding our housing situation?

Thank you!

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Amazon Deal: Hyper Dash Game on Clearance

We first discovered the Wild Planet Hyper Dashgame on Carisa's blog, 1+1+1=1 (scroll down to "Game Time").

Hyper Dashis an electronic game that tests speed and agility in a race against time using five targets and an electronic handheld unit. This game has multiple levels that can be used to practice color recognition, number (1-5) recognition, listening skills, and addition and subtraction.

This game won the 2009 Creative Child Magazine Top Toy of the Year Award.

After reading more reviews of Hyper Dash, we added the game to our family wishlist.

I'm excited to tell you that right now, Amazon has this game on clearance for only $7.31 (regularly $29.99).

I'm not sure how long these clearance games will be in stock, but you might want to check out Hyper Dashto add to your educational game library. I'm pretty sure our kids will be finding one of these under the tree this Christmas.

(Note: There is a newer model of this game, but the reviews for that version aren't nearly as good. I guess the company tried a little too hard to "improve" an already great product.)

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Quick Counting Practice Tip

Do you have a reluctant counter? Simply tell them they can have a certain number of special items than give them less and ask them to make sure you gave them enough.

Me: Jonathan, you can have five frozen grapes. (I then proceed to give him less than five...sometimes two...sometimes three...sometimes four.)

Me: Jonathan, did you get your five grapes?

Jonathan: (counts his grapes) No.

Me: How many do you have?

Jonathan: Two (or three, or four)

Me: Okay, I need to give you three more (or two, or one).

A great way to practice counting and also sneak in some early addition practice.

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Free Printable: Aa is for Apple Tot & Preschool Pack

We've added a new Tot and Preschool Printable Set to our Free Printables page (click on Letter/Theme Tot & Preschool Packs). We've combined activities for both toddlers and preschoolers so that you can chose the level of difficulty for your child(ren). This also makes it easy to use the same theme with multiple children.

Letter Aa Books & Tools

Here's a look at a few of the pages inside:

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Free Printable: Mm is for Mouse Tot & Preschool Pack

We've added a new Tot and Preschool Printable Set to our Free Printables page (click on Letter/Theme Tot & Preschool Printables). We've combined activities for both toddlers and preschoolers so that you can chose the level of difficulty for your child(ren). This also makes it easy to use the same theme with multiple children.

Letter Mm Books & Tools

Here's a look at a few of the pages inside:

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Free Printables: Ll is for Leaf Tot & Preschool Set

We've added a new Tot and Preschool Printable Set to our Free Printables page. We've combined activities for both toddlers and preschoolers so that you can chose the level of difficulty for your child(ren). This also makes it easy to use the same theme with multiple children.

Letter Ll Books & Tools

Here's a look at a few of the pages inside:

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Menu Plan Monday ~ June 6th

This summer, while Tim works during the day and is in class from 6-10 PM Monday through Friday, he has graciously suggested having a simple main dish salad for dinner every night.

Oh, how easy and healthy and uncomplicated. Oh, how much I love this man!

So, every night that Tim is home for dinner (Monday - Friday) we are having a huge green salad topped with some type of protein.

For the salads calling for chicken, I simply chop an entire package of chicken tenderloins and divide the cubed chicken into 3-4 containers. I then pour a little homemade marinade or store bought salad dressing into each container and place them in the fridge (or freezer if I do them more than a few days before we'll use them).

I cook the chicken on the stove top, since neither Tim or I have time to grill right now.

This Week's Menu

Monday:
Tossed Salad topped with Sesame Ginger Chicken, mandarin oranges and chow mein noodles

Tuesday:
Tossed Salad topped with Creamy Poppyseed Chicken and sliced strawberries

Wednesday:

Tossed Salad topped with Tropical Lime Chicken, sliced strawberries, mango and avocado

Thursday:
Baked Creamy Chicken Taquitos (because I'm making a batch to take to neighbors who just brought home a new baby)
Serve with Creamy Lime-Cilantro Dressing and Sour Cream
Tossed Salad

Friday:
Taco Salad

Saturday:
Tim's working.
Annie's Macaroni and Cheese (bought on sale last week)
Baby carrots (and a small salad for me)
Fruit

Sunday:

Tim's working.
Leftovers

Sharing alongside hundreds of other meal plans at I'm an Organizing Junkie.

What are you cooking this week? I'd love some new recipe links and simple salad ideas!

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New Free Printable: Entire Set of Lowercase Alphabet Color by Number Pages

I recently finished a set of Lowercase Alphabet Color by Number Printables. We'll be using these as part of our letter focus workboxes in the fall.

To download these color by number pages, simply visit our Free Printables Page and click on Lowercase Alphabet Color by Number. Then follow the directions to download the entire file or individual letters.

If you'd like to use these coloring pages over and over without reprinting, simply slide them into page protectors and have your child(ren) use dry-erase crayons to color. You'll need both the standard color and the bright color Crayola Dry-Erase Crayons.

Please, let us know if you use these coloring pages. Also if you use them and blog about your experience, let us know and we'll add your link to the download page.

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Free Funnix Beginning Math Program

Now through June 24, 2011, you can download a free 100-lesson beginning math computer program from Funnix.

This program is a 100-lesson computer program designed for children who have not learned beginning math operations, perfect for preschoolers or Kindergarten-aged children. While this is great for homeschoolers it would also be a great program to use during the summer to help make sure your child is ready for preschool or Kindergarten.

From the Funnix site:

Funnix Beginning Math is very user friendly. Like Funnix Reading, the math program is computer-based. Narrators direct the activities in each 35-minute lesson. A child or small group of children watch the computer screen with a parent or teacher. The children answer questions the narrator presents. The parent or teacher reinforces correct responses and directs the program to repeat parts that were difficult for the children.

This program usually costs $25.

Included with the download is 100 animated computer-based lessons, workbook material, a teaching guide, and a placement test for assessing the child.

We've downloaded this program and Emahry is already enjoying it. While the first few lessons have been very easy for her I know that we will soon beginning learning new concepts.

The lessons are straightforward and very user-friendly. I love how new information is presented very slowly with lots of reviewing. The teacher's guide actually states that only 10% of each lesson is new material, so students are able to experience lots of reinforcement of previous skills and therefore lots of success.

Please, let us know if you download and use this program with your children.

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List It, Link It ~ Tot and Preschool Tray Idea Sites

Tot and Preschool Tray Idea Sites

1. 1+1+1=1 ~ Lots of information and ideas for Tot Trays here. Here's a great post on how Carisa transitioned her son from Tot Trays to Preschool Workboxes.

2. Counting Coconuts ~ Montessori inspired trays. Mari-Ann has started an On Our Shelves feature each month. You can find even more ideas on her Flickr page.

3. Tot School ~ Shannon has tons of great ideas for Tot Trays but be sure to check out the rest of her blog for other great tot and preschool activities, too.

4. The Activity Mom ~ Nicole doesn't specifically use trays but many of her activities would be perfect for tot and preschool trays.

Any other great sites for tot and preschool tray ideas?

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Okay everyone…it’s your turn now!!! You may link to any type of family friendly list.

Please follow the guidelines below.

1. Link to your actual list, not your blog's home page, so we can find it easily.

2. Let us know what list you are sharing in your name/title, for example: Allyson @ A Heart for Home (Ten Favorite Children's Books)

3. In your list post, link back here so that your readers can come join the fun. Feel free to copy & paste our List It, Link It Button into your post. (Just copy the text in the box below the button, click on the "Edit HTML" tab for your post and paste it there.)

If you don’t have a blog, please feel free to share your lists in the comments section!

Okay, are you ready? Start linking and be sure to visit some other blogs when you get a chance.

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You Can Still Order Preschool & Grade School Workbooks from Amazon for only $1.05 Each!

As of this afternoon, all of the workbooks listed here are still available for $1.40 each and are part of the 4 for 3 promotion on Amazon. This makes the total for four workbooks only $4.20 or $1.05 each!

These workbooks are great for homeschool families, but also work wonderfully as extra practice for skills learned in daycare or preschool and to help prepare little ones for Kindergarten.

The grade school workbooks would also be a great way to review skills throughout the summer to help your older children retain what they've learned this year.

Remember, that you can also get these shipped for free through a free Amazon Mom account.

Click here to see all 15 workbooks available for $1.05 through this special promotion

We've ordered the following workbooks and plan to place them in page protectors and use them throughout the coming year in Emahry and Jonathan's homeschool workboxes. They'll use these Bright Crayola Dry Erase Crayonsas well as these Standard Colored Crayola Dry Erase Crayons to complete the workbook pages.

The following eight workbooks cost $8.40 TOTAL!

We also ordered this Following Directions workbook which is not part of the 4 for 3 promotion but was still only $1.40 and is a skill that we want to focus on as we begin our official homeschooling journey!

Have you scored any great deals on homeschool resources recently? We'd love to read about it in the comments section.

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