Want a new way to organize small items?

 I bought the Etch-it cups a while back and later found them in the back of my cupboard. (Ohhhhhhh so thats where those went!)

If I remember right, when I was cleaning out the cupboards, my kids were coloring. Well, we have a shoe box full of crayons which was what I always put down for them to use. Like clockwork, half of the shoebox of crayons ended up everywhere but in the shoebox. I decided to make it easier by putting a small amount into the cups. I’m sure that using cups for things is not a new invention but I thought it was pretty cool! I ended up sorting various coloring utensils (is that what you call them? lol) into different cups. I thought the end result was a whole lot better to keep on on and for the kids to utilize. It has been a long while since I first did that, I have actually only had to change out 2 of the cups.

Here are some photos of what I did:

 

You can use just about anything to “etch” a word(s) on the cup. Even though scissors are pictured, I ended up using the colored pencil. (see red arrow [5th photo down] )

 

 

***********************************************************************

This was so super simple and what I have been using for a while now. The kids grab the cup off of the shelf and replace it (most of the time) when they are finished.

 *******************************crazycoolmom*********************************************

List of Virtual Schools by State

compiled by: C. Holding

 

• Alabama

              * Access Distance Learning   (9-12)    http://accessdl.state.al.us/students.html

• Alaska

            * The Fairbanks B.E.S.T. Program    (7-12th grades) http://www.fairbanksbest.com/main.html

            * Alaska Virtual Academy (K-8th grades) http://www.k12.com/akva/

• Arizona

 

           * Mercury Online Academy of Arizona (K-8) http://az.moaschools.com/

                * Arizona Virtual Academy (K-12) http://www.k12.com/azva/

• Arkansas

          * Arkansas Virtual Highshool (9-12) http://arkansashigh.k12.ar.us/

         * Arkansas Virtual Academy (K-8) http://www.k12.com/arva/

• California

 

              * Dunlap Leadership Academy (9-12) http://www.dunlapleadershipacademy.com/ 

              * Pacific View  Charter School ( K-12)   http://www.pvcsonlinehighschool.org/

              * Southern California Virtual High School http://www.socalvirtualhighschool.com/

            * California Virtual Academies (K-12) http://www.k12.com/cava/

•  Colorado

           * Colorado Virtual Academy (K-12) http://www.k12.com/cova/

•  Connecticut

             *

• Delaware

             *

• Florida

              *Florida Virtual School (K-12) http://flvs.net/Pages/default.aspx

            * Florida Virtual Program (K-12) http://www.k12.com/flvp/

• Georgia

                * Georgia Virtual Academy (K-8) http://www.k12.com/gva/

                * Georgia Virtual School (  ) http://www.gavirtualschool.org/

• Hawaii

                * Hawaii Technology Academy (K-11) http://www.k12.com/hta/

• Idaho

          * Idaho Virtual Academy (K-12) http://www.k12.com/idva/

• Illinois

•             * Chicago Virtual Charter School (K-11) http://www.k12.com/cvcs/

•  Indiana

              * Hoosier Academies http://www.k12.com/ha/

•  Iowa

        * Iowa learning Online (9-12) http://www.iowalearningonline.org/

        * Iowa Online AP Academy (9-12) http://www.iowaapacademy.org/

• Kansas

           * Insight Schools of Kansas (9-12) http://www.insightks.net/

• Kentucky

          * Kentucky Virtual Schools http://kvhs.org/ (unknown if this is a free public school option)

 

• Louisiana

            *

• Maine

            *

• Maryland

                 * Maryland Virtual High School of Science and Mathematics http://mvhs1.mbhs.edu/ (unknown if this a free public school option)

• Massachusetts

            *

 

• Michigan

                *

 

•  Minnesota

            * Minnesota Online High School (10-12) http://mnohs.org/

            * Minnesota Virtual High School (6-12) http://www.minnesotavirtualhighschool.com/index.html

     * Minnesota Virtual Academy (K-12) http://www.k12.com/mnva/

 

•  Mississippi

              *

• Missouri 

          * Missouri Virtual Instruction Program (MVIP) (K-12) http://www.movip.org/

        * Link: http://www.k12.com/curriculum_and_products/participating_schools_in_missouri/

• Montana

           *

•  Nebraska

          *

•  Nevada

             * Washoe Online Learning for the Future (WOLF) (6-12) http://www.learnwithwolf.com/index.html

   * Nevada Virtual Academy (K-12) http://www.k12.com/nvva/

• New Hampshire

                * Virtual Learning Academy (VLA) (9-12) http://vlacs.org/

•  New Jersey

                *

•  New Mexico

                  *

•  New York

             *

• North Carolina 

                  * North Carolina Virtual Public School (K-12) http://www.ncvps.org/

 

•  North Dakota

                    * North Dakota Center for Distance Education (6-12) https://www.ndcde.org/Home.aspx

•  Ohio

                  * Electronic Classroom of Tomorrow (ECOT) (K-12) http://www.ecotohio.org/home.php

                 * QDA (K-12) http://www.go2qda.org/qda/site/default.asp

       * Ohio Virtual Academy (K-12) http://www.k12.com/ohva/

                 

•  Oklahoma

                      * Oklahoma Virtual High School (6-12)  http://www.oklahomavirtualhighschool.com/

                      * Oklahoma Virtual School (K-12) http://www.oklahomavirtualschool.com/

           *Oklahoma Virtual Academy (1-8) http://www.k12.com/okva/

• Oregon 

                  * Oregon Connections Academy (ORCA) (K-12) http://www.connectionsacademy.com/home.aspx

                  * Oregon Virtual Academy (ORVA)  (K-8) http://www.k12.com/orva/

• Pennsylvania

                    *Pennsylvania Cyber Charter School (K-12) http://www.pacyber.org/

                    * Pennsylvania Virtual Charter School (K-12) http://www.pavcsk12.org/

                    * 21st Century Cyber Charter School (9-12) http://www.21cccs.org/ 

                    * Pennsylvania Leadership Charter School (K-12) http://www.palcs.org/ 

          * Agora Cyber Charter School (K-12) http://www.k12.com/agora/

         

•  Rhode Island

                    *

•  South Carolina

                  * South Carolina Virtual Charter School (K-12) http://www.k12.com/scvcs/

• South Dakota

                      *

•  Tennessee

                      *

•  Texas 

                 * Texas Virtual Academy at Southwest (3-9 http://www.k12.com/txva/

•  Utah

                   * Open High School of Utah (9-12) http://openhighschool.org/ 

                   * Utah Electronic High School (9-12) http://www.schools.utah.gov/ehs/

                   * Utah Virtual Academy (K-12 Charter School) (K-12) http://www.k12.com/utva/

• Vermont  

                     *

• Virginia

                    * Virginia Virtual Academy (K-8) http://www.k12.com/vava/

•  Washington

                 * Columbia Virtual Academy (CVA)  (K-12) http://www.columbiavirtualacademy.org/

                 * Insight School of Washington (9-12) http://www.insightwa.net/

                 * Internet Academy (IA) (K-12) http://www.iacademy.org/

                * IQ Academy Washington (6-12) http://www.iqacademywa.com/

               * Meridian Parent Partnership Program (MP3) http://www.meridian.wednet.edu/mp3/

               * Move-Up Program (MOVE) (9-12) http://www.highschoolontheweb.com/marysville/

               * Okanogan Regional Learning Academy (ORLA) (9-12) http://www.highschoolontheweb.com/okanogan/

               * Washington Academy of Arts and Technology (WAAT)

               * Washington Virtual Academy (WAVA) (K-12) http://www.k12.com/wava/

               * Giant Campus of Washington (9-12) http://www.giantcampuswa.com/

              * Onalaska Virtual School (OVS) (6-12) www.ov-school.com

•  West Virginia

                    * West Virginia Virtual School (K-12) http://virtualschool.k12.wv.us/vschool (courses offered)

• Wisconsin 

                   * Wisconsin Virtual Academy (WIVA) (K-12)     http://www.k12.com/wiva/home

                   * Wisconsin Virtual Learning (WVL) (K-12)   http://www.wisconsinvl.net/

• Wyoming

                  * Wyoming Virtual Academy (K-12) http://www.k12.com/wyva/

 

 This list is not complete but I thought it may be beneficial to some. I will be adding more as I locate them. I know there are many more out there. If you are a part of one that is not included in my list, please feel free to contact me. Thank you:)

Snack times are suppose to be a fun time. A time to get nutrients and energy (ahhhhhh!) into our kids. It can be a time for kids to try new things and to be creative. Sometimes, snack time can just be plain boring. I think most parents want to make something quick, easy and nutritious. One way to do this is to put ingredients in front of your kiddos and let them create their own snack! I bought a handy e-book online that I thought I’d share with you:

Kids Fun Recipes

I would like to point out that all of the ideas in this e-book are not the most nutritious and others may not be that quick, lol. HOWEVER, there are so many snack ideas in it, I am sure you will find at least a few that you and/or your child/ren will love! (I know we did!) Geez, I sound like I’m trying to sell it instead of give it away lol!

WARNING: The section labeled as: “Gross but Fun Recipes” REALLY is stomach turning!

I will also be putting up some pictures/videos of some of these recipes that we have made on here. (The e-book does not contain pictures of all the items)

The e-book is pretty cool for ideas, but there are so many other foods that can be experimented with!

Here are some of our favorites:

In the E-book, the recipe calls for:

English Muffin Pizza

6 English muffins; split
6 oz Tomato paste or pizza sauce
Oregano
Garlic powder
Basil (optional)
Topping:
Soy cheese substitute
Mushrooms
Onions
Green peppers
Olives
Place English muffin halves on an ungreased baking sheet and spread each half with tomato paste. Sprinkle with oregano, basil and garlic powder. Arrange toppings; sprinkle with cheese substitute. Freeze two hours, or until firm. Wrap individually. Return to freezer. To heat, bake unwrapped at 450 F for 12 minutes.

When I set my kids up with the above recipe, I change it up a little bit. I have 100% whole wheat English Muffins OR 100% whole wheat (not “made with” whole wheat) bagels. I use pizza sauce, not tomato sauce. We DO NOT use the Oregano, Garlic Powder or Basil. We use a small amount of regular cheddar cheese or sometimes feta cheese.
For toppings we have used: peperoni, ham, pineapple, sausage, onions,peppers, mushrooms (lots of veggies)

We usually just make these and eat them right afterwards but have frozen them and they are really quick to make!

Kids Trail Mix

4 c Chex cereal
1/2 c Dried fruit bits
1/2 c Raisins
1/2 c Yogurt covered peanuts
1/2 c Reeces Pieces

Put into a large ziploc bag and shake to mix.

We also substitute the Chex with Cheerios and Kix. We don’t always put the Reeces in. Sometimes we put unsalted Pretzels (or salted) in too.

Ants on a Log:

celery

peanut butter

raisins

wash and cut a couple of stalks of celery into small “logs” (about 3″ long) fill with peanut butter and push the ants (raisins) into the peanut butter. ( a variation of this, which is not as healthy but still fun , is to let the kids also shake some sprinkles on them)

……………more to come!

Printables

by: C.Holding

I don’t know about everyone else out there, but I love checklists. Really! I love em’!

I try to be as organized as I can be. Life can be so crazy and unpredictable. That’s fine and dandy BUT any extra help I can get ~ I’m all for!

This is where printables sites come in for me. Chore charts, grocery lists (good at making/printing them ~ even better at forgetting them ) housework checklists, you name it, there are many websites out there that are dedicated to providing these wonderful tools.

When my eldest child was about 5, we made our own version of a chore chart. I was curious as to what chores other 5 year olds had. I went online and ended up at a free printables website. My daughter and I had fun printing out all kinds of different things. ( Definitly cost us something for paper and ink )

I grew up with chore charts that consisted of my Mom making a huge list of all the household work that needed done. When an item was finished for that day, we crossed it off. I HATED (and yes I know hate is a strong word haha) those lists. Now, a parent myself, I have brought those dreaded lists back. Well, kind of…my way is easier on the eyes and broken down so that they atleast they look a little fancier and organized on the printables!

These sites are not only great for checklists, homework worksheets, coloring pages…etc, but they are also good for giving ideas. I have printed out many, many helpful items. Maybe one day I will include some of my own original printables.

For now, here is a list of printables sites that I like, and hope that you will too!

WWW.PRINTABLECHECKLISTS.COM

This has free and paid printables. Good assortment

WWW.WEBMOMZ.COM

This site does not have tons of items but what they do have is pretty neat.

WWW.SIMPLYCHECKLISTS.COM

What happens when a couple of friends get a great idea and work their butts off? Simply checklists gets created and we get to print off some awesome stuff.. (Maybe I should make a commercial while I’m at it hehe:) )

WWW.ALLFREEPRINTABLES.COM

Pretty well organized and has some great stuff.

WWW.CHARTJUNGLE.COM

LOVE this site! Tons of great stuff from all different categories.

WWW.FREEPRINTABLEBEHAVIORCHARTS.COM

This is a handy site for parents/caregivers. It has some very usable printables but it is not just for behavior charts. There are a good assortment of checklists/charts. There are also parenting articles and tips.

I’m not the best at being “green” but I’m taking baby steps at getting there! Changing little habits can make a big impact in many parts of life. There are ways for even the little members of your family to participate (and have fun too) in living a “green” life. Take it one step at a time and before you know it, you will be so proud of your contributions to making our planet(and your family) a healthier one!

I will be adding many tips and pages , so check back often!

Do you love to cook? Yes? No? Either way, you are sure to find something that you like or atleast thats quick and easy to make! Recipes for health, special occasions, and for kids are on the way!

Do you have a recipe you would like to share? Send me a message!

Free Games Online for Kids
by: C.Holding

“I’m bored.” “There’s nothing to do!”
“Can I play a game, please?”

Sometimes, I wish I had the know how and the talent to design computer-based games for kids. Or just in general:) My 3 year old daughter LOVES to play games on the computer. My 12 year old isn’t as “into” it as she was when she was younger, but still enjoys playing games online every once in awhile.

I especially enjoy sites that incorporate learning into their games. Some of the sites need me to help navigate the entire time, while others are easy enough for the kids to do most of the gaming on their own. Though I have a great time playing the games with them, I also really like that their 15 minutes of learning fun also = my 15 minute break! (read: cleaning time ;} )

Here is a list of sites that our family (and friends) enjoy:

http://www.nick.com/games/

• This site can be really fun for your child, especially if your child watches Nickelodeon. He/She is bound to be excited to play games using some of their favorite characters
• We rate this site as a 7/10
• Beware the advertisements

www.fisher-price.com

• Make sure to click on Games & Activities – Online Games
• Ages:Infant-Preschool
• We LOVE this site!
• Offers more than games but the games are enough to keep us going back
• This site has some pretty basic games that are fun and engaging for the younger children

www.kidzworld.com/games

• Make sure to click Play Games
• I would say this is for older kids because my 3 year old doesn’t like it but my nephew did
• Beware this site does have games that include weapons and is not for everyone

www.candystand.com

• I was a bit confused at first because there is so much content but once you start clicking through you should find some interesting games
• My daughter really likes “Make-up Mania” which seemed pretty boring to me

www.scholastic.com/kids/stacks/games/

• This is another TOP site for us.
• GREAT for us:)
• If you buy books from Scholastic (usually from your childs’ school) your child might find a game that has characters from their favorite books!

www.Alfy.com

• I like how the games have ratings.
• We haven’t found a ton of games on here that we enjoy, but we still think its worth checking out
• Some interative learning games

www.pbskids.org

• We LOVE this site!
• Very engaging
• Fun way to learn through games

www.kibagames.com

• Pretty neat site
• Has games in different languages (My 3 year old LOVES a game that is in Chinese- Maybe she will learn to count in Chinese! How cool would that be?)
• There are alot of games
• Both my 12 year old and 3 year old like this site

www.PrimaryGames.com/games.htm

• I like how they list the games and show what kind (java, flash, download) it is.
• Have well known games
• You may not like to wait for the games that you can download

www.ecobuddies.com

• You can play for free or have a paid membership
• My children play for free so I can not vouch for the paid part but it looks cool
• There is a filtered chat feature if you feel comfortable with it
• Haven’t played at very much as it is a new find but could become the next favorite:)

www.apples4theteacher.com

• This site has ALOT of educational games.
• PreK-6th grade
• Pretty nifty site / Great concept
• I like how the games are sorted by subjects that the children playing are learning in
• I think they are still working to get this site more user friendly

www.kids.yahoo.com/games

• This is a GREAT site
• Very fun and engaging
• Elmo is even there:)

Please keep in mind that I did not go into great detail about these programs, but they made the list~ so they must be cool (to us atleast ;P )

One thing that I have found when you are looking for sites for kids, is to be cautious about what you click on. This might sound like a no-brainer but you would be surprised at what some people come up with for their domain names. If you do not look very carefully you could be typing in what looks like a VERY common site, and be off by one letter. That could lead you into a place you are definitely not looking for while searching for kids games.

If you know of other free game sites for kids that you think we should check out, please pass the name/link on. Thank you!

Weight Loss

by: C.Holding

This is a subject that is close to home for me, as well as many others! I use to be this tiny little thing and could eat whatever I wanted. Then I gained a bunch of weight. I did not realize how much weight I had gained until I saw a picture of myself from behind.

Going shopping was horrible! I knew I wasn’t a size 3. I knew I had gained some weight after kids. Maybe a size 9? Got pants in that size. Tried them. NOPE! 11? Too small! 12? Squeezed into them and was too depressed to buy them. I know some women look great as a size 12. I don’t think I was one of them. Sweat outfits and workout clothes became my new best friends. They were comfortable and who cared about the size? I never thought of myself as really caring about my weight until I saw that picture. Then I started noticing every little thing. Grrrrr.

Anyways, I wanted that extra weight off. BAD! I started searching everywhere. I think of myself as pretty smart~most of the time. I wanted to lose weight so bad that I think it really clouded my judgement. I have tried so many diets. Quick fixes that really didn’t fix anything because, I might have lost a couple of pounds, but gained it right back.

I know I sound so corny when I say this: One day, I decided I was not going to diet. I was just going to change my lifestyle. I am not someone who can eat something disgusting and stick to it so dieting definitly does not work for long term for me. I have lost 24 pounds so far and have kept it off. It has not been very long and I am not an expert of any kind, but I can say what I have been doing has worked better than anything else I have tried. I can also tell you that I FEEL so much better. I did not realize how much my knees and back were hurting me until I lost weight.

I am guilty of liking fast food and have not been able to cut it out of my life completely. I really don’t want to. Trying new things is wonderful. Making myself eat things that look different or even look gross is something new. Stepping outside my box, so to say.

In searching the web, there are so many great sites that offer tools to help lose weight. I will add some links to a few sites that I liked. A big thing I noticed was that I had to make myself get into new habits. It was so hard. Once about 2 weeks passed, it really wasn’t hard anymore. Something funny about this particular issue is that I found that after those couple weeks passed, I did still have cravings. I gave into the cravings and ended up finding I couldn’t stand the taste anymore on about 80% of the things I was addicted to. Yes, I said addicted. I was drinking about 3 2-liters of a well known soda a DAY. I was very addicted and that was one of the biggest challenges I had.

After much research, I did find some great tips, as stated above. The problem I had was that I found tidbits here and there. I am sure there are many wonderful sites out there, I was just hoping for a little more information all in one spot. Or, I guess, just my way! I hope to provide a bunch of useful information that I really hope will help others.

I think sample meal plans would be great! What about you? It was so hard for me to find healthy meal choices when it was all pretty new to me. Things I thought were healthy, ended up not being so healthy after all. Ofcourse, experiment, experiment, experiment!

I could probably talk for hours about this subject, but I will leave some for a later date! As always, if you have any questions or tips, please message me! Thank you

Come back often and look for all the new pages I plan to put up:)

by: C.Holding

I’ll admit it. I’m a worry wart. I try to be a positive person. Those negatives can really creep into my thought process though! It sure is annoying. Stress is a huge contributor to many health problems. Yet, I don’t think we will ever escape it. ( I know~ negative, negative!)

I fret about my children’s health. Try to be on top of the many appointments we have. Besides the sick worries, there are the developmental concerns. Then there is plain ol’ curiosity. All of his often leads me to searching. Books, newspapers, Internet, etc….

The “health” part of this website will be updated often with things that I think could be of help, for either concern or wonder.

If you have an area of interest that you would like to see added to this site, please message me or leave a comment. Thank you:)