Paperless Organization from Simplified Pantry

Once upon a time, in the land of make believe, there was a fair homeschool mama.  She had four lovely children, a well organized house and life.  She never missed an appointment or a birthday, and had it all together.

Ha! Ha! Well, at least the lovely children part is right! {smile} For some reason, I used to think that I was organized, not sure sure what gave me that idea, but I have hit reality.  As my children have multiplied and gotten older, it seems that for me, organization is more like a dream than a reality.  Until now.

Recently, I was given a much needed eBook called Paperless Organization, to review for the Molly Crew.  It was written by Mystie Winckler from Simplified Pantry, a homeschool mom of 5.

 

Paperless Organization, just as the name implies, has the goal to helping us harried homeschool mama's (well anyone really) to get organized. Minus stacks, piles and binders.

Right off the bat I felt like this was a product written for my stage of life.  Busy. Homeschooling. Busy. Somewhat disorganized.  Oh, and busy.  Mystie is herself in the trenches of raising kids, homeschooling and running a household.  She is a great source of organizational wisdom, especially since she is there herself. 

Ok, enough rambling.  Here's the nitty gritty of what Paperless Organization teaches you.  First, Mystie explains all of the wonderful benefits of having a homemaking binder.  To be honest, this was not really new information to me. I have liked the idea of a homemaking binder ever since I had heard of it.  I have actually tried to make them before, but I think I got buried in the whole idea of a binder for this and a binder for that.  But Mystie's idea of paperless binders sounded a like a dream come true.  Ahhh, organization at last!

Mystie gives detailed instructions on making a paperless home binder.  Her plan utilizes 3 online programs/ apps that are F-R-E-E!  You can get organized on your computer, pad, pod or phone.

One of the apps she uses is Evernote.  I frequently use Evernote, but I didn't realize what all I could be doing with it until reading Paperless Organization.  Basically, she shows you step by step how to turn Evernote into  personal home binder files.  This is the spot where you dump everything from your brain into - to do lists, curriculum plans, shopping lists, recipes, menu plans, clothing sizes, ideas to try, and chore charts, it all goes in Evernote.  She also suggests having a blogging binder for those that blog.

Mystie also shares how to set up Remember the Milk, a task management app, and Google Calendar and Mail.

Getting organized is not an over night thing, at least not for me, but I am on my way.  Thanks to this little eBook, I am in the process of transferring everything over from paper files to paperless files.  I really love all of her ideas with Evernote and Remember the Milk.  I have been the queen of spiral notebooks, but I am moving on to being paperless.  It just makes sense for many reasons.  Here's lookin forward to never losing a list again!

You can get a copy of Paperless Organization for yourself in either pdf or kindle format for just $3.99.  

Right now, Mystie is currently offering 30% off of any of her e-books!  To take advantage of this offer use the code TOS2013 when you checkout.

Mystie has also written two other eBooks that are worth checking out, Simplified Dinners and Simplified Dinners Gluten Free/Dairy Free.

The Molly Crew has reviewed all three of these books, you can read the reviews by clicking here. 

Feelin' Beeyoutiful! {Review}

A few years back I decided to start using all natural skin products.  I started researching a lot of the chemicals found in most skin care products and I was shocked! I had no idea how harmful these chemicals were to my body. 

Since educating myself about these yucky chemicals, I try to use all natural skin care products whenever possible.  When I heard that I was able to review for Beeyoutiful Skin Products I was very excited, I knew this makeup was right up my alley! 

Beeyoutiful is a company that sells bath & beauty products, essential oils, supplements and other health & wellness products.  Most recently, they have added mineral make up to their line of high quality products. 

All of their mineral makeup products are all natural, gluten free, 100% pure minerals!  No fillers, preservatives or chemicals, in other words NO YUCKY STUFF!

Beeyoutiful Skin offers many different shades of foundations, actually over 20 of them!  They also have several blush, eye/lip colors to choose from.  To make it easier for me to choose, Beeyoutiful sent me a few samples of their Mineral Foundation to ensure that I chose the right shade of foundation for my skin.  After trying a few different ones I decided on Ophelia. 

For this review I was sent the Ophelia Mineral Foundation, one eye shadow, as well as a sample of another shade.  When I received my Beeyoutiful package I was very excited once I opened my box! 
Not only did the make up come in very pretty packaging (I am a sucker for pretty packaging!), but it also came with an awesome foundation brush, a combo brush for eye and lip make up and a how to DVD. 

 

I felt that the Beeyoutiful makeup was very easy to use and felt great!  One of my favorite things about the mineral foundation is the barely there feeling.  The mineral foundation gives great coverage, and I don't feel like I have tons of make up on.  I felt that the foundation lasted very well through out the day.

 

I also really liked the eye colors that I received.  Not only did they work beeyoutifully {smile} as eye shadows, but they doubled great for lip color!  Using the combo brush dipped in a tiny bit of water or coconut oil and then into the eye color worked great on my lips!

I recommend Beeyoutiful products, I think that they work great, are long lasting and again NO YUCKY STUFF!

Currently, you can purchase the mineral foundations for $25.00 (20g), the eye shadows for $10.00, and the blush & bronzers for $16.00.  These are great prices for all natural makeup!  They also have several packages that you can choose from. 

 

 

Disclaimer: I received these makeup products at no charge to me in exchange for a fair and honest review.

 

Please take a peek at what others on the TOS Crew have to say about Beeyoutiful Skin Mineral Makeup!

Special Day for the Kids

Somewhere in my inbox a week or two ago I read a post about giving kids a special day each week.  Once I read this I knew I had to incorporate it into our world. 

This past week, I did just that.  On Monday morning I explained to the kids that they would each be getting a "Special Day," each week.  I then explained that they would have special privileges on that day.  Now brace yourselves for some of these privileges, I am warning you up front some of them are pretty lame.  They are however things that are important to my kids. : )

Here's the low down on their special privileges:

• Help Mom with dinner
• Sit next to Dad during dinner
• Be 1st - in the car, to get dessert, to whatever.  I told them they could also be 1st to go to sleep but they weren't real thrilled about that one.
• To go with Mom or Dad.  If one of us runs out somewhere and we decide to take a child with us then the child who's "Special Day" it is can come and can also choose one sibling to come along if they wish.
• I am debating on adding in that they can stay up from an extra 20-30 minutes to spend one on one time with Mom or Dad.  My thought is to play a quick game of Chutes & Ladders, Uno or just chat.

I imagine that we will add a few more things to this as we go along if this "Special Day" thing sticks.  We aren't the only family that try stuff for a week or two and then it's out the window, are we??

My desire is that two wonderful things will come out of the "Special Day."  First, I am hoping to add in some extra one on one time with Mom/Dad and the kids.  The other thought is that having a "Special Day" will alleviate the kids fussing over who gets to what e.v.e.r.y. s.i.n.g.l.e. d.a.y!!  Yes, I admit it, my kids fuss.

So far so good, each of our little people got their "Special Day" this week.  The kids really enjoyed being first, helping with dinner or making dinner and sitting next to their Daddy-o during dinner.  The only problem that I really had was explain to Little Bits that his "Special Day" did NOT last all week long. 

Do you do anything special like this with your kids?  I would love to hear your ideas!

TOS CREW: How to Have a H.E.A.R.T. for Your Kids by Rachael Carman

I am going to be honest, when I saw the review form for How to Have a H.E.A.R.T. for Your Kids by Rachael Carman, I did not sign up for it.  I really didn't think I needed to read this book.  BUT God, in all His wisdom must have felt that I needed it because I ended up being one of the reviewers.

The very day that I received the book I sat down to check it out, and 49 pages later I finally put it down.  It was around that time that I said "Thank you Lord for sending this book my way."  Even though I didn't think this was a book for me, it very much was!!  If time would have permitted I would have read the whole book right then and there. 

I had never heard of Rachael Carman before, but once I started reading her book I knew that I liked her.  She writes in such a way that really draws you in, like I said I didn't want to put the book down.  Besides this was some good stuff I was reading!  I was very impressed with her complete openness, how she shared her struggles and her true feelings.

It was a few weeks after I started Rachael's book that I learned who she was.  Rachael and her husband, Davis, are the family that purchased Apologia (you know, the science company that is now much more than a science company).  I learned this one afternoon while having lunch with Rachael and a few other wonderful ladies from Apologia.  I also learned about how Rachael had a tremendous heart for moms, especially those of the homeschooling variety. 

Ok, now back to the book.  H.E.A.R.T. is actually an acronym that stands for:

H - Have a Heart for the things of God
E - Enrich your marriage
A - Accept your kids
R - Release them to God
T - Teach them truth

I loved hearing Rachael's story and how she had NO plans of homeschooling her kids.  Several years, 7 kids and a homeschool resource company later, we see that it obviously was God's plan!  It really is an inspirational story.

Rachael is very honest about how she was excited to send her kids off on the yellow school bus, so she could have me time.  When that didn't work out she and her husband decided they would try homeschooling, but Rachael was adamant that it was only for one year.  Don't you just love how God's ways are not our ways.  : )
 
I just really felt that this book was a breath of fresh air for me.  It was something that I didn't even know I needed until I read it.  The Holy Spirit convicted me on several things and really just opened my eyes to some major areas that are lacking here at the LSG House.  
 
I especially loved the Accept your Kids and Release them to God chapters.  They were both very good and encouraging to me.  It was a joy to hear the wisdom that the Lord has given Rachael and that she is now passing on to other moms.
 
How to Have a H.E.A.R.T. would be a wonderful read for new moms as well as veterans, homeschoolers or not.  I think that no matter what season of motherhood you are in, you would appreciate the wisdom and encouragement that Rachael has to share. 
 
You can actually read a sample chapter of the book online before you buy it.
 
You can purchase a copy of the How to Have a H.E.A.R.T. book by Rachael Carman directly through Apologia for $13.00.

I received How to Have a H.E.A.R.T. free of charge for review purposes.  The opinions expressed here are mine and I was not compensated in any way from the TOS Crew or Apologia Press.

Children's Miracle Music

We were blessed with the opportunity to review Children's Miracle Music with our kids.  Children's Miracle Music is a wonderful new way to get chores done around the house.

As a momma of 4, sometimes I can feel like the maid in my home.  I expect my kids to help out with chores but no matter what chore chart we have used I am still constantly having to remind my kids to do this and do that.  It is very frustrating to repeat myself over and over.  Enter Children's Miracle Music and you have a whole new world!!  Really!

I explained to my kids that we were going to have certain areas in the homes where they will each do "Acts of Kindness" instead of chores!  One of the goals of Children's Miracle Music is for the children to take ownership in their area or "Act of Kindness" and keep up these areas out of love and kindness for others in the family.

Here is what I really like about Children's Miracle Music:

• It is SO easy!  You pop in a CD and your on your way to a clean home!  Depending on if you are doing the morning or evening CD determines what the CD directs you to do.  Like in the morning you make your bed, get dressed, eat breakfast, brush your teeth and do your act of kindness.  In the evening you do your act of kindness, get in your pj's, go to the bathroom, brush your teeth and say your prayers. 
• Chores have never been so fun!!  While you are doing your acts of kindness, brushing your teeth, getting dressed, etc you are doing it all to the tune of fun and upbeat music.  For instance, you get 1 song to brush your teeth and 3 songs to do your act of kindness.  It is amazing what you can accomplish in 3 songs!
• My evening act of kindness (yes, I play too!) is the kitchen and the music really helps everyone, even ME, to get things done.  It really puts a fast pace on getting things done around here which is great cause it gives us more time to PLAY!
• Did I mention the game board?!  Yep, there is a really neat game board that you can hang on the refrigerator or wall.  Everyone has their name on the board and each morning and evening the kids get to add points for each thing that they have done. 
• I am sure that you are wondering what the points are for.  Well, this is one of the best things about Children's Miracle Music kids earn points, not money, and the points get used to go on special dates with Mom and Dad.  Once the kids get 100 points then they have earned a date.  These can be as simple as playing games together one night or going out for ice cream.  I love how this builds parent/ child relationships. 
• Children's Miracle Music also helps build teamwork.  I took their suggestion and paired an older child with a younger child.  The older child helps the younger child with everything that they need to do from brushing teeth, making beds to doing their acts of kindness.

 We really love Children's Miracle Music and I totally recommend it!! 

Children's Miracle Music is available for $99.00 and includes:

• 4 CD's (2 for the morning and 2 for the evening)
• 1 Game Board with Dry Erase Marker
• 1 DVD - Secrets To A Transformational Family

 Please know that Children's Miracle Music was given to us free of charge for review purposes only.  I was not influenced by the free product or the company.  We liked Chilren's Miracle Music so much that I became an affiliate for them, so if you purchase through my site I will earn a small percentage back which would be a real blessing!

31 Days to Clean - Having a Martha House in a Mary Way, Book Giveaway!

I heard about this giveaway that I had to share with you all!  If you are anything like me, you probably LOVE to have a clean house, yet struggle to do so (sigh).  When I heard about the Free eBook, 31 Days to Clean - Having a Martha House the Mary Way, I was thinking, that sounds like a plan to me! 

I am excited to read this book, Sarah Mae, the books author, addresses the heart and helps with the why to keep our homes clean, verses the how.   Along with each days reading, she even gives a Martha and a Mary Challenge, which sounds very interesting!
 
The eBook is FREE ONLY for TODAY, so ya might wanna scoot on over and check it out.  After today the eBook will cost ya $4.95.

Saturday Solutions: Bible Reading Time

I am not sure if I have mentioned before how I get my Bible reading done or not, but I wanted to share.  I would love to say that I am 100% faithful in reading every single day ,but I am not.  I have, by God's Grace, gotten much better at making my reading/prayer time a priority, do do accomplish it on most days.

Here are the things that are working for me:

• First Thing - For me, reading first thing in the morning works best.  I feel like, if I don't get it done right away, then it is really hard for me to get to it at all.  Once I get up, I get a cup of coffee,  quickly scan my emails and then go to my reading.  My desire is to go to the Lord first, and ask for His wisdom and direction through the day.  If for some reason we are having an off morning I can make up my reading time at quiet/nap time.
• Have a Plan - I am more likely to follow through with something if I have a focus.  I have found that I REALLY love the M'Cheyne Bible Plan.  It gives you 4 chapters to read each day (2 with the family and 2 alone), 2 are from the Old Testament and 2 from the New and takes you through the whole Bible in 1 year if you keep up.  I just read through the beginning of the Bible with the kids for MFW's Bible, so for now I am just reading 3 chapters a day. 
• Utilize Technology - Most of the time I do my Bible reading right online, I just go right the M'Cheyne website and read from there.  There as several Bible reading programs out there that you can even have sent right to your email. 
• The Kids - I need to have quiet to read and process so I let the boys watch a cartoon, like The Cat in the Hat or Curious George while I read.  The girls, at this point ,are usually getting ready for school, doing their independent work or making breakfast.  They also have a private Bible reading time that they do, usually in the afternoon during quiet time, but I think I am going to be moving that to 1st thing in the morning too!
• Just do it - Even if I over sleep or am having a bad morning, I still try to at least read one chapter from the Bible.  Whether you follow a plan or not, whether it is in the morning or not, find a quiet time with the Lord.  You really need it, I know I do!  If you don't have a lot of time, read a Proverb or just pick a book of the Bible to start in and read a chapterer a day. 

My New Planner, The 2010 Schoolhouse Planner

It is almost that time again, time to get school rolling again.  Books ordered, supplies bought, school room ready.  The only thing I did have was a planner.  I had gone back and forth looking for a new planner for this coming school year, although nothing really fit the bill for my crew. I had finally decided that I was going to make my own UNTIL I was given the chance to review the 2010 Schoolhouse Planner from the Old Schoolhouse Magazine.  To sum it up, I think it is the Big Mac Daddy of School Planners! 

Once I downloaded my my planner I started going thru it and I just really couldn't believe it, it has EVERYTHING!  Literally! I was very impressed.  I was thrilled to be able to customize and print the pages that worked for us.  This planner was not only made for homeschoolers, it was made by homeschoolers.  It is not only for school but for the home.  All the things that a homeschooling mama needs to keep her house and school in order.  I love it! I love it ! I love it!  Ok, now that I got that out of my system here are some details...

To start with, on the schooling side of things, you get daily planning pages with customizable dates to adjust to YOUR schedule.  I really liked this idea since we don't school on Fridays I don't have to feel locked into someone else's schedule.  There are even several to choose from depending on the number of children you are schooling. 

There are week at a glance forms, quarterly planning forms, unit study tracking forms, and even forms for unschoolers.  They, I believe, have thought of EVERYONE!

The school planner includes many great extras like Bible reading schedules, and forms for curriculum information, goal setting, field trips, library books, science labs, grade keeping, instrument practice, extracurricular activities and TONS MORE.

Each month the planner has several great ideas that you can incorporate into your home/school like in September you can read about different back to School Traditions, in December you can try a Family Spa Night (doesn't that sound just dreamy after all of the holiday hustle and bustle.  Hold please while I go mark this on my calendar) or in May you can read about making your Nature Walks more successful.   I love learning new ideas that I can incorporate into our little home. 

The Schoolhouse Planner also includes several encouraging and how to articles to help us thru the school year.  Two of the articles that I really enjoyed were, Top Five Tips for Managing Your Homeschool While Managing Your Home by Malia Russell and Beating Burnout: Don’t Just Survive THRIVE! by Heidi St. John.

The household part of the planner is also full of goodies.   If you are a list maker or an organizer of any sort, this planner will definitely WOW ya! 

There is a calendar, a phone directory, chore charts (for you and the kids), to do lists, health records, car maintenance forms, birthday and anniversaries reminder list (Praise God, I really need one of these babies!), cleaning schedules, family schedules and budget records sheets.  Like I said EVERYTHING!

Every month you also get several new family friendly recipes to try out.  The ones I am looking forward to eating making are Taco Soup, Lentil Chili, Cranberry Pork Roast and Pumpkin Pie Dumpcake.  The planner also includes several grocery lists, weekly and monthly meal planners.  I don't think I could survive with out meal planning and the forms in the planner make it very simple to do.

For only $39.00 you get a fabulous planner that will help you to organize your homeschooling efforts and your home.  Well worth the price!  Almost all of this planner is reusable Year after Year.  All you have to do is print the pages that work for your family, you can stick them in a binder and your DONE!  You will be all set to keep up with homeschooling, your home and you even get to Keep Your Sanity!  Hard to imagine, I know!



I am a member of the TOS Homeschool Crew,and I have used this product for review purposes.  I was not otherwise compensated.

A Few of My Favorite Things: Blogger Mommies

Did I tell you all that I bought a new camera?!!  I am very excited, one of my new best friends (the UPS man or the FedEx lady) is supposed to drop it off to me TODAY!  Shhhh, did you hear that?  I think it was angels singing the halleluia chorus!

So, while you all are patiently waiting for me to get my act together over here I was thinking you all would like to visit some of my favorite Blogger Mommies .....

Raising Olives - Kimberly is a Christian Homeschool Mama of 10.  She has some great wisdom on Parenting, Homeschooling and Feeding your Family on a Budget.

Joyful Creation 2 Honor Him - Joyce is another Christan Homeschool Mama.  She clips a mean coupon and is great at organizing!

Smockity Frocks - I just love Connie, she is so funny!  She also homeschools more than a few children.  She taught me how to make homemade pie crust the easy way!  No more junk in a can!  Hey Connie, if you are reading this, the LSG family would love to come for dinner ANYTIME!

Heavenly Homemakers - Laura is truly an inspiration!  This woman cooks up a storm and I am sure she has an awesome freezer stash to show for it.  She has some awesome recipes, we especially L.O.V.E her Giant Breakfast cookies.

Raising Arrows- You will find more great ideas on homeschool a houseful and raising a large family.  I think the wisdom she gives about adopting a large family mentality is very good.  We do some of the things on her list such as color coding and the bath routine. 

My Blessed Home - This is a blog that I recently started following.  She has oodles of helpful organizational tips, homeschool how-to's and chore ideas to keep things running smoothly.


I hope that you enjoy visiting these ladies.  They are some of the staples in my google reader.

Saturday Solutions: Mason Jars

My plan was to tell you all about some of ways that I use mason jars around here, with lots and lots of pictures.  BUT, since I live with four young people my camera isn't always in good working order. 

Accidents happen, like last night when SOMEONE dropped my camera on the ground and BROKE it!!!  I am not naming names nor am I upset about this, cause accidents happen (sigh).  I am not even going to bother telling you all how I just can't seem to keep a camera in working order for any length of time (double sigh).  Do they make disposable digital cameras yet??  Any camera suggestions?  I am thinking, how can a person blog with out a camera?

Ok, now that I got that out of my system lets talk about mason jars.  I really do love them, what is there not to love right!!  Here are some of the ways that we use them round these parts, I may not live in the country but at least I can talk like I do.  LOL! 

Soap Dispensers - I recently turned my one and only blue mason jar into an adorable with hand soap dispenser, kinda like this one here... except I have a cute little raggedy piece of fabric tied around mine. 
It is sitting on my kitchen sink and it looks just adorable.

Food Storage - I love to store my oppy-meal (that is oatmeal for anyone that is 5 and under), popcorn kernels, brown rice, and pasta.  I also like to use it for my homemade colloidal silver and kombucha.

Craft Storage - Love to use them to hold, knitting needles, ribbon, beads, buttons, colored pencils and paint brushes.

Drinking Glasses - we have jelly jars, pint and quart sized jar that we drink from.  Actually, I talk a quart of water to bed with me every night, although I never quite finish it.  That might be a good thing otherwise I may not get much sleep. 

Lamp - Yes, I have a mason jar lamp that is filled with buttons.  It sits on my kitchen counter next to the one pile of junk that I allow myself to have.  I have strategically placed the lamp here in hopes that eyes will be drawn to the "cute and adorable lamp" and off of the junk pile.  See, I am one smart cookie! 
The lamp is just a quart sizes jar and a lamp attachment thingy that you can buy at Michaels, AC Moore or if you live out in the country I believe it is Hobby Lobby.  I tied a fat gingham ribbon around the top of the jar because it just needed somethin'.

Canning - Well, kinda.  I have only done this twice and it was appleauce.  I guess taht counts.  we go apple picking at this lovely orchard each fall and we always end up with way more apples then we could ever eat So we made applesauce, in a crockie pot and canned it.  It was yummy, I hope to do it again this year.

Candle Holders - You can stick a candle in the bottom tie some cute ribbon around your jar and call it a day OR you can take a quart sized jar and fill it with something (like right now I have sea shells and water, at Thanksgiving I do water and fresh cranberries or you can just use potpourri) then put a glass votive holder in the jar opening.  Now finish it off with a ribbon, raffita or berry ring around the jar.  These are great sitting on your kitchen counter, in a bathroom or sometimes I will line up three of them as a centerpiece.  Once you have the jars and votive holders you are all set for any occasion.

Really wish I had a camera to show you all a picture of these.  I will have to post a picture once I get a new camera.

Flowers - I would love to tell ya that I fill my mason jars with all the beautiful flowers from the flower garden that I have out back but that just isn't so.  I have concluded that this is just not the season in my life for that to be.  I do however make sure that ours trees are trimmed well enough for me to enjoy all the flowers in my neighbors garden. 
I occasionally put flowers of the store bought variety in mason jars.  Flowers in a mason jar just shout Spring Time!  And you know when your adorable little ones bring you weeds "flowers" from the yard, Mason Jar! 

I have our house decorated our home in a Primitive Country kinda Style (or like Bob Evans as The Hubs says) so anywhere or anyhow I can fit mason jars in here suits me just fine, like I said I love them.

There are a few ideas taht I have found and would like to try with mason jars:

Sewing Kit - A Mason Jar Sewing Kit.  You might wanna check it out, it is made by Martha Stewart so you know it is cute.

Canning - I would love to get into this but I think you need to have a successfully growing garden.  Well, Lord willing there will be next year. 

Gifts - I have never made the Mixes in a Jar, I think I might put some of these together to give out for the holiday.  I also wanna make some Applesauce Cakes in a Jar because they just really sound neat.

Mason jars are so veritile, you can really use them for so many things.  How do you use your mason jars?

Giveaway over at Reluctant Entertainer

The Reluctant Entertainer always has something great going on! She mades you wish you were invited for dinner!  Anyhow she has a great giveaway going on right now.  She is giving away 2 BOOKS to ONE Winner! 
The books are Miserly Moms: Living Well on Less in a Tough Economy and Healthy Meals for Less: Great-Tasting Simple Recipes Under $1 a Serving! both by Joni McCoy.

If you'd like to enter please visit her at the Reluctant Entertainer!