Hello everyone! It’s Veronica and I’m so excited to be here this month sharing a fun Family Night idea with you: teaching kids not to gossip. I know Mariel has explained the concept of Family Night before, but for anyone new to this idea, we basically gather our family once a week, we have a short lesson, play some sort of game and then have a treat at the end. It’s such a great way to reconnect as a family, but also a great time to teach your children in a fun and uplifting way.
When school gets back in session, I always feel a bit nervous for my kids. I want them to learn new things, make new friends and be happy as they go through their school year. But, it doesn’t seem so easy anymore. The world seems to be a lot harder to navigate than it was for me as a child. They deal with so much pressure, beginning at very young ages. Friendships seem a bit trickier at times and it feels like more kids struggle with a good solid sense of who they are. And with the awesome tool of social media, these things seem to be magnified. One of the other struggles they face is gossiping. It’s been around forever, and always will be, unfortunately. It can be so damaging and destructive to anyone involved. Recently I’ve seen the effects gossip can have, so I wanted to take the opportunity to teach my kids about it. I think it’s a great reminder for ALL of us, regardless of our age.
Archives for September 2014
After School Snacks, Featuring Cheesy Ham Bagel Bites (she: Jana)
Hello! I’m Jana from Double the Deliciousness and I’m so excited to be here to share with you some great, easy, kid & teen friendly after school snacks. School is in full swing now & I don’t know about you, but the first thing I hear out of my kids mouths when we enter the house after school is “what can I have for a snack?”
My must-have for after school snacks is that they be quick and easy. Something that we can throw together before we get working on homework or start carpooling the kids to their different activities. I try to get/make healthy snacks throughout the week, but always make a fun sweet treat for Friday’s after school snack to welcome in the weekend!:)
This recipe is one of our favorite after school snacks, and it pleases my teenagers down to my 7 year old. Win!
Creative Journaling Tips & Printable Writing Prompts (she: Carmella)
Hello again! I am so happy to be back here at Or So She Says to share another creative idea with you all! Did you know that September 22 is “Dear Diary” day?? I’m sure you had your calendars marked, right? Today I hope to get you excited to bring out that journal again with these tip and tricks…
Journaling….. we all know that it’s good for us to get our thoughts and feeling out but sometimes we just get stuck and don’t know what to write about. I’ve come up with creative journaling tips to get you started. These prompts are perfect for any age and all you have to do is cut and paste them in your journal and start writing {or painting} your ideas…
Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Mug Cake (she: Cathy)
This Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Mug Cake is perfect for fall…..and not just because of the pumpkin, but because it’s a great way for kids to get involved in the kitchen! With the start of the school year, my kids want nothing more than a little extra time with mom. What better place to get it than the room I clearly spend the most time in??
Come check out this delicious recipe and 9 more brand new ideas, ‘Just for Kids!’ From recipes, to crafts… and, anything that brings the family together, during this busy time of year.
ABC Activities for Your Pre-Preschooler
Hello, hello! It’s Brooke from Blissful Roots. How are you all? Finally settling into your school routines? My twins just finished their third week of school, and my preschooler began Thursday, so we’re definitely into the school routine at our house. I do have to say it’s a bit strange not having a little one around all day (although that will be changing in about six weeks when baby boy number four arrives). I miss doing fun and simple educational activities with my youngest. We still do things here and there, but with school and other activities keeping us busy, we don’t have a lot of free time to do some of the activities we used to.
And considering baby number four hasn’t even been born yet, it will be a while before I need to pull out my ABC activites again. But before I put them away for too long, I thought it would be fun to share them with you. Some of these activities date back to my first grade teaching days, and some are ones I’ve discovered recently in this technology-filled world of ours. My boys always loved doing these at home before their preschool years. We only have ever done one year of preschool with our boys because I love doing things like this at home for FREE! I promise if you do just one of these a day (along with reading) with your three-year-old, he/she will be more than ready preschool, and much more. So, let’s get started!
Finding Family Time During the School Year (she: Heather)
September already!? School bells have rung and any day now the leaves are going to start changing colors. Heather here, from FamilyVolley.com. I am excited to share with you some tips for finding family time, now that school is back in session.
A new school year means family life gets a little crazy and a lot busy, which means family time can easily go out the window. The question is, how can we focus more on family and less on the hectic lifestyle we are living?
I have eight suggestions for you and your kids that will help you find more quality family time during the school year. Some are simple, like establishing a set bedtime for everyone in the family, eating a meal together regularly, or reading together. Others, like limiting technology time every day as well as weekly extra-curriculars, may be a little more difficult. But I promise it’s worth it!
Kindness Begins With Me
Happy Sunday, my friends! I’ve been meaning to do better with my inspirational posts for Sunday. So, here’s my attempt. Hopefully, I can be a little more consistent. Today’s thought is all about kindness. We could all incorporate a little more kindness in our lives, right? Come be inspired, share the love, and get your free printable!
Craftsy Review ~ FREE Perfect Pizza at Home Class
After being on the road for most of the summer, it’s been really nice to finally get settled back into making regular home cooked meals. Rather than order pizza (again), the kids and I recently decided to make our own at home. Some of you may be home-cooked pizza experts, but this was a first […]
Peach Syrup… Great for Adding to Drinks! (she: Holly)
Hi everyone, it’s Holly from Bits of Everything again. We have had a huge harvest with our garden this year, did you? We have a garden that is about 30 ft by 60 ft, plus an orchard with 9 fruit trees and raspberries and strawberries. I love it all, but it is a lot of work too. My very favorite thing we harvested this year is peaches! 4 of my 9 fruit trees are peaches, all different kinds. One tree gave us over 200 peaches!! Yay! I have bottled peaches, made peach fruit leather, peach pie, peach dessert, and peach jam, and still had some to share with my family and friends! This year I tried one new peach recipe — Peach Syrup.
The Best Use For Apples (she: Darleen)
Apple picking, just like other fruit picking, comes early in Georgia–as early as the beginning of August and will last until October. Since I recently used my last canned homemade applesauce, I knew apple picking would have to be a summer activity instead of our traditional fall activity. If you have had a chance to check out my blog, Darling Darleen, you will know we take apple picking very seriously!
I came home with a large variety of apples. We picked about 6 of the 8 varieties. I know I needed to make my picking more precise for the baking and canning I plan to do. So I put together an apple guide of some of the most popular varieties for the next time you go pick. This “Best Use for Apples” chart is a combined guide gathered from Pick Your Own and US Apple Association. It’s easy to print, so take it on your next apple picking adventure! Some helpful recommendations: for baking pies, choose apples that hold their shape and combine varieties of sweet and tart. For juicing, choose an apple that has a balance of sweet and tart like honey crisp. And for sauce–choose a sweeter apple if you prefer a low-sugar applesauce.
Mushroom Soft Tacos with Parmesan Cheese (she: Cathy)
Hey, friends! It’s Cathy from Lemon Tree Dwelling….back again to share some yumminess with you! I’m sure I’m not alone when I say I CAN’T BELIEVE summer is over! It seriously flew by….and I must say….now that fall is here I’m not sure I’m exactly ready!
Don’t get me wrong…..I’m definitely excited for the kids to be back in school and for our lives to have a little more structure. I’m excited for them to get to know their new teachers and meet some new friends and get back into all their activities. And I’m more than excited to have a little more time to myself!
But. Back to school means back to a busy schedule. And less time than ever to make (and eat) dinner together as a family! Which is exactly where this recipe for delicious Mushroom Soft Tacos comes in.
Love Note Printables for National Love Note Day (she: Anne)
Hello there and Happy September! It’s Anne from Circus Berry. We have entered one of my favorite months of the year…the one that kicks off fall, all things pumpkin-and apple-flavored, MY BIRTHDAY, and…National Love Note Day. That’s right! September 26th is National Love Note Day.
The timing of this special little day is perfect. In the midst of back-to-school, back-to-lessons, practices, and rehearsals, tight schedules, (and for this household, the chaos of a keeping up with a newborn plus two other lively, sassy kids) we may all forget to take a moment remind our loved ones how much we love them, or what we love about them. And aren’t those little gestures important too?
Today, I am sharing some perfect, open-ended love note printables for you to use with your loved ones. Use them all in one day, across days, on one family member, or with the whole family. Take a moment to share what you love. Put a smile on someone’s face with a little surprise note!