Motivated Moms Yearly Sale Time!

** This post contains affiliate links

Are you looking for a simple way to bring order to your home?  Do you love chores already planned out for you so you don't have to think what needs to be done but just do it? Then, I would highly recommend Motivated Moms chore planners for you!

You might need to sit down before you read this next part from me.  If you've been a reader here for any length of time, you probably know that I am a paper planner girl.  I normally go with the Motivated Moms Ebooks to help tackle our house cleaning each year.  It does a wonderful job of breaking the chore of housekeeping down into bite size chunks.  

This year though, I'm going for the Android app instead.  I'll still write MOMO (short for Motivated Moms) on my paper calender probably but all the household tasks will be checked off and maintained using the app.  I'll let you know how that works out for me.

On each of the planners, chores are broken down for you on a daily basis. You don't need to keep track of what needs to be done or when to do it.  The planner does all of that for you!   The printable version is available in many different varieties. 

You know what I think I love the most about this planner? The simplicity. It simply has what needs to be done. Household chores can be done quickly and efficiently.  It also has lots of different versions available suiting the needs of every household -even people like me who want to try them all.  

Right now all planners are on sale until January 2, 2015. Perfect timing to help with those goals or resolutions of staying on top of chores for the New Year.

All Ebooks are now $6 (regular price of $8)

All Apps are $5.99 for the year (regular price of $7.99) - a note about the app version is you will need to purchase the app itself and then add the year 2015 calendar on through this link.  If you have previously purchased the app in the past, you will need to purchase the new one that doesn't have a year or the words lite attached for the 2015 calendar to work! 

The Lite versions let you give Motivated Moms a try before purchasing!  

2014 in Rewind

Can you believe another year has come and almost gone?  It really does go by so fast!  

Here are some of our most popular posts for 2014 in case you missed them the first time around.  Enjoy!

Free 2015 Budget Calendars
Review of Analytical Grammar's Beyond The Book Report
Review of Spelling You See American Spirit Level E
Weekly Wrap Up 20 - The One Where We Survived
5 Days of Homeschooling Essentials Series
Review - Mere Christianity Critical Analysis Journal

Time to bring on 2015!  Here's to a brand new beginning.

2014 Goals Update

Let's take a look at how I did this year with the goals I set for myself.

Notes in red

Self/Health

*daily prayer/bible study time – decide on devotional or study

*exercise 3 x a week (M, W, Th)

*drink 64oz water daily - big fail

*Lose 60 pounds

    1st goal – 10 – by end of Jan

    2nd goal – 10 – by end of Mar

    3rd goal – 10 – by end of May - nope

    4th goal – 15 –by end of Aug - nope

    5th goal –15 – by end of Oct - nope

I've actually gained 5 back the past 2 months...ugh

Wife

*send Good morning - I love you txt - not consistent at all

*marriage conference?? - nope

*date night - sorta

*pray daily using 31dbbs - January

Mother

*continue to work on praise – write them down -nope

*spend more one on one time even if it’s at home and not out

*something special for a 16 yo – don’t cry :)

Homeschool Teacher

*plan our lessons on Saturdays for the upcoming week

*set up testing (decide what option I want to use this year)

*decide on curriculum for new school year – budget and order -

*keep accurate grades/records

*update homeschool blog at least weekly but hopefully according to schedule

*take more pictures and video of our day - I did well with this but there is always room for improvement here.

Homemaker

*rise and shine by 7:00 - hahahahaha

*update to-do list every night before bed

*set and evaluate monthly goals - started strong but slacked after a few months

*use motivated moms planner daily

*inspect chores DAILY before any free activities can take place – implement a secret reward system??

*continue morning/afternoon chores

Church Member

*pray more – complain less

*head up mother/daughter camp

*help new Youth Pastor

*teach preK SS class

also helped with VBS and summer camp

Other

*making a running review list in calendar

*make a list of family serving opportunities and schedule – ie soup kitchen, CHEW bags, local theatre, church,

Youtube Schedule - did pretty well with this

*Monday – grocery haul

*Wednesday – weigh ins

*Friday – homeschool, crafts, recipes, favorites, misc

*Saturday – menu planning/week of meals??

Blogging Schedule

*Monday – photo challenge (will help with more posts goal as well) - stopped

*Wednesday – reviews when due

*Saturday – weekly wrap up - could do better with this one!

Financial - well pleased here!

*clear out 2013

*prep for 2014 – print out budget sheets

*set up annual and monthly budget

*evaluate 2013

*set up monthly budget – evaluate bi-weekly

*menu plan weekly (could use some improvement) – budget $125 per week for groceries

So, overall I moved forward in some areas and that's what goals are all about!

Blogging Through The Alphabet - H is for Holidays!

Blogging Through the Alphabet  with Letter H.  H is for Holidays.  We are enjoying our Holiday break!

Planning is taking place behind the scenes and we will officially start back to school on the 5th.

Merry Christmas!

PunjabiGraphics.com | Christmas | Forward this Picture

Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas from our home to yours!

Interview with Me at Homemaking Organized

Recently, I had the chance to "sit down" over email with Kemi at Homemaking Organized for a series she's doing called Homeschoolers At Home Tuesdays.  Kemi is a fellow crew mate for the new Schoolhouse Review Crew that will be starting back in January.  It was fun to sit down and share a little bit about how and why we do what we do.

You can read my interview here and find out about some other wonderful ladies here.  It is so fun and motivational for me to read about others and their households as well!

Weekly Newsletter

I would love for you to join me in 2015 as I work through household, budgeting, and personal goals to make my life more productive - not just busy but productive!

Here are some things I hope to share with you each week...

• Scripture verses to mediate on each week
• monthly goals and updates
• budgeting tips and goals
• recipes my family enjoys
• a wrap up of the weekly posts so you can be sure to never miss one again :)

Overall, I want this to be a journal for myself and I hope if I'm still around in 2016 I can say that my life was more focused with Jesus in the center of it all! 

The 1st newsletter should arrive in your inbox on 01-05-15 and each Monday thereafter.  And if it goes missing, whose going to keep me accountable?  I need you!  :)

Sign up here...

Blogging Through The Alphabet - G

I'm joining up with some bloggers that are Blogging Through the Alphabet.  This week is G.  Can you guess where I'll be going?  Hint:  The name we chose for our school.

Yes, G is for Grace!  Oh the grace that is given to me daily first and foremost by my Lord.  When I really sit and ponder all the grace He has given me over my 42 years, how can I not share that same grace with others!  

I recently added to our About page a little on how we chose our school name and I'm going to share that here as well.

Christmas Favs- Rocky Road

Here is another favorite Christmas food tradition that we love at my house.  Again, it's very simple!

Ingredients

1 bag of mini marshmallows
1 bag of chocolate chips - semi-sweet or milk chocolate ( I like to mix with 1/2 milk chocolate and 1/2 semi-sweet)
1 can sweetened condensed milk
2 TBS of butter

Directions

Add chocolate chips, milk, and butter to a bowl and microwave on high for about a minute and a half - be sure to stir about every 30 seconds.  Fold in marshmallows until completely combined and add to a 9x13 pan to chill in fridge for 2 hours.

Cut, serve, and enjoy!

Blogging Through The Alphabet - F is for Frozen

I'm joining up with some bloggers that are Blogging Through the Alphabet and since this week is F and today we went to see Disney on Ice's Frozen - can you just say that worked out perfectly!  Well, it did!  

We've tried to make it an annual tradition to see each years Disney on Ice performance. Even though my children are older, they still love this tradition and I'm so glad because I enjoy just as much as they do!

As always, it was a wonderful show and makes my heart wish so much to see Disney World once again but for now - this will do.

I just love Olaf!  Just goes to show, you are never to old for Disney!

Hoping to go back and add A-E soon.

Giveaway at Chestnut Grove Academy

Today, I'm sharing with you a guest post announcing a fantastic giveaway going on at Chestnut Grove Academy.  Scroll down to the bottom of this post for your chance to win lots of great prizes!

$15 in Gift Cards of your choice with a $20 purchase at Sephora

 

*This post contains my referral links so you would be helping me out too - thanks!

Swagbucks has an incredible deal right now for all of you VISA customers out there - register your card via this offer and you'll get $15 in Gift Cards of your choice (1500 Swag Bucks) when you make a purchase of $20 or more at any Sephora store!


The best part is that you can complete this offer up to 5 times, meaning you can get a total of $75 in FREE gift cards through this offer.

If you haven't joined Swagbucks yet, this is the time to join - just click this link and you'll be taken straight to the offer!

$5 Gift Card of your choice with a $1 purchase at Peets Coffee & Tea!

*This post contains my referral link so you'd be helping me too - thanks!

Swagbucks has an incredible deal right now for all of you VISA customers out there - register your card via this offer and you'll get a $5 Gift Card of your choice (500 Swag Bucks) when you make a purchase of $1 or more at any Peets Coffee & Tea store! 

The best part is that you can complete this offer up to 5 times, meaning you can get a total of $25 in FREE gift cards through this offer. 

If you haven't joined Swagbucks yet, this is the time to join - just click this link and you'll be taken straight to the offer! You can earn free gifts cards every month for offers just like this!

Christmas Favorites - Oreo Balls

I'm hoping to show a few of our Christmas favorites with you and Oreo Balls are a part of our Christmas tradition.  Bonus:  they are extremely easy to make and under 3 ingredients!

What you need

1 Package of Oreos
1 Package of Almond Bark White Chocolate - I only used half and you can also just melt white chocolate chips
1 Package of Cream Cheese
Sprinkles or colored sugar - optional

Directions

Put your oreos in a food processer and pulse to you get a crumb mixture.  If you don't have a food processor, just put them in a ziploc bag and crush them.  Next mix in the cream cheese until you get a nice pliable ball.

Chill mixture for at least 30 minutes or overnight.  Melt chocolate in microwave or 1 minute 30 seconds until melted stopping to stir every 15 seconds.  Roll mixture into small balls dip in chocolate.  If you'd like to add a little color, add sprinkle or colored sugar to the top as soon as you dip them. Chill again for at least 30 minutes or until chocolate hardens.

Enjoy!

Watch and see how quick and simple the process is.  If you can't see the video, click here.

50% off Grocery University Today!

*This post does contain affiliate links.

Saving money on our grocery budget is a subject I am super passionate about!  I have read many articles and books to help in this area but it is always a work in progress.  

Today only, Grocery University is on sale for 50% off, making the cost only $4.97 for a full course on groceries!

The Grocery University course includes:

• 139 minutes of audio MP3 files - makes it simple to listen while your doing household tasks.
• 40-page student workbook (PDF) - helps with my need for visual aids.
• BONUS! The Grocery University Rock Bottom Price Database PDF ($10 value on its own!)

All information is delivered digitally so you can start learning right away! 

My only wish would be that it would be done in video format since I'm such a visual person!  The student workbook does help with that so it's not totally auditory.  It's not all about coupons either but menu planning, shopping from your pantry,  saving wherever you can, and lots more so I think everyone can learn from Grocery University! 

But hurry,this sale only lasts today!  

Free 2015 Budget Calendars!

The budget calendars that I have used and created for the past 2 years are complete.  Download yours today and be sure to share them with anyone you think would be interested.  They are very simple to make and easy on the printer ink so I enjoy sharing them!

Download your Free Budget Calendars and be ready to tackle a new year!

How Well Do My Children Know Me?

This was so much fun to do!

Planner Peak and Supplies I Like To Use

I am a planner addict!  I love paper planners and always have since I can remember.   My current favorite is the Family Plus Daytimer that I picked up from Wal-Mart for $19.96.  This will be my 2nd year using it and I still love the layout.

Here is a peak into my planner...




And here I share some of my favorite supplies...

Our Dinners

Sharing some of our meals - we stick to the same ones mostly but it's still fun to look back on too!

Review of Out of the Box Games

Our family has a love affair with games - card games, board games, video games....games! Today's review brings you a guaranteed hilarious family fun time! Out of the Box Games has produced a sly and witty award winning game called Snake Oil. It's slogan says, "It cures what ails ya."


Snake Oil is a quick game to learn and retails for $19.99. It contains over 289 wild word cards and 70 character cards. It can be played by 3-10 players.

This game is easy to set up and only takes minutes before you are laughing hysterically. Each player takes a hand of six Word Cards. You will also select one player to be the Customer for the 1st round.

Playing the Game

1. The Customer takes a Customer Card from the center of the box, reads it aloud, and places it in front of him or herself. The Customer takes on the role printed on the Customer Card for that round. Some examples of roles are cowboys, teenager, ninja, etc. 
2. The other players have 30-40 seconds to combine two Word Cards from their hands to create something for the Customer. Players place their two-card items face down on the table. In clockwise order from the Customer, players turn over and “pitch” their item to the Customer. The Customer can cut o ff any pitch that goes over 30 seconds. 
3. After each player has made a pitch, the Customer picks the best item and awards the Customer Card to the player who created that item. 
4. The Word Cards that were played are then discarded and players take enough Word Cards to bring their hands back up to six. 
5. The player to the left of the current Customer becomes the new Customer and play continues following steps 1-4 until each player has been the Customer once.

Winning the Game
After each player has been the Customer once, the player with the most Customer Cards wins!

It's just that simple! Snake Oil is best for ages 10 and up. It does take some critical thinking skills to come up with a quick advertisement for your Customer. Your children would need to be able to read the words on the card to play effectively or have someone there to help as well. Only having six word cards to choose from for your advertisement could sometimes be a difficult task to come up with quickly. The words do not necessarily fit together easily - words like dream, bacteria, glasses, prayer, sleep, rubber. Selling something made of any of those two items would take some great marketing skills! That's what makes the game take on twists and turns which creates loads of family fun. We were not real sticklers for the 30 second time restraint.

This game also went along perfectly with our American History studies as we imagined ourselves as real snake oil salesman! Real snake oil did exist and was introduced to America during the building time of the Transcontinental Railroad. Jeff Ochs, Teacher and Inventor of Snake Oil, actually came up with the concept of the game to use in his own classroom as they were studying a unit on the wild west. Here are more ideas on using Snake Oil as a part of your classroom studies.

I think this would make a wonderful game to gather around after Thanksgiving dinner. It is definitely a new favorite among our game shelf!

Other places to find Out of the Box Games
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/OutoftheBoxGames
Twitter: https://twitter.com/OTBgames
YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lYAQiV5S9ZQ&feature=c4-overview&list=UUTEAg1uDVwq0LNxFAwM7N5Q

Countdown To Thanksgiving

**Disclaimer:  I received a free copy of this ebook in exchange for my review.  The links below are affiliate links. All opinions expressed are my own.

Amy Puetz, owner of Golden Prairie Press, has produced a new Countdown to Thanksgiving Ebook.  If you are looking for something to help your family slow down and focus on being thankful this holiday season, this is a great resource for you.

We were given the chance to review this colorful ebook and I wanted to share a little of what you will find inside.

Countdown to Thanksgiving is available in both ebook and printed book formats.  The ebook is in color while the printed book is in black and white.  Both the ebook and the printed book sell for $17. 

Countdown to Thanksgiving is broken down into 14 daily lessons that can be completed leading up to Thanksgiving.  Each day includes a beautiful Thanksgiving story.  Many of the stories are from the 1800's and 1900's.  Some of the stories included are...

• "Helen's Thanksgiving" by Susan Coolidge
• "Why He Carried the Turkey" by James Baldwin
• "How Obadiah Brought About Thanksgiving" by Emily Hewitt Leland
• "The Mother of Thanksgiving" by Amy Puetz
• "A Mystery in the Kitchen" by Olive Thorne Miller
• "Squanto" by Mr. Blaisdell and Mr. Ball
• "The Story of Massasoit" by Robert Mackenzie
• "Turning the Thanksgiving Tables" By Carolyn Sherwin Bailey

Each day also includes an activity.  The activities are very simple and can be completed easily with very little preparation.  The main thing would be to check any supplies needed for crafts and recipes.  Some of the activities include songs to sing, cooking, crafts such as making pilgrim hats, games, questions about the stories, etc.  

The ebook can be completed with children of all ages but is best suited for children ages 6-14.  Reading through Countdown to Thanksgiving is a great way to bring families together during the beginnings of the hectic holiday time!