Shelly

Learning to Read in Four Weeks

This post is sponsored by Learning Dynamics. In exchange for an honest review I was given the program. All opinions are my own.

This past year was our first year doing home school. Our five year old was just under the cut off for kindergarten so I did a couple curriculum with her. Our main curriculum did not have a reading program so we used Learning Dynamics: Learning to Read in Four Weeks.

Learning Dynamics Reading Program

Because we were doing the other curriculum I did not push the Learning Dynamics so it took us longer than four weeks to learn to read. Knowing how shy my daughter was about reading out loud (she wouldn’t read to anyone other than me) I wanted to take it slow to not overwhelm her. That being said, she loved the program, loved the activities and learned to read in a couple months. I have no teaching background and it was relatively easy to use this program. The actual teaching portion was extremely easy to understand but I had trouble knowing which books to read and when once we started actually reading.

I’ve shared a review of Learning to Read in Four Weeks in the video below:

Learning to Read in Four Weeks

The program is simple and compact. I love that everything fits in one box that doesn’t take up a ton of shelf space. We knew we were only homeschooling for one year so I did not want to create a full school room. This curriculum was a great addition.

The program includes:

-Student Workbook
-Teacher Workbook
-Learning CD with Songs
-50+ Colorful books
-Flashcards
-Letter Rewards

There was very little prep work on my part as the teacher. I would read over the lesson plan that morning while getting together her other books for school that day. There were a couple days that there was an optional activity that I had to plan with supplies we had on hand.

Most days it was the same format where we would read the letter of the day, listen to the song that corresponded with that letter, color our workbooks, listen to the song a second time and eventually start reading the books.

She’s now able to read all of the books from the series and will pull them out sometimes to play school with her stuffed animals. The best way to learn is by teaching and Learning Dynamics was a great tool for both of us. Let me know what books you’ve loved reading recently with your kids!

If you’re just starting out with homeschooling or need help with organization I’ve done a video walk through you can check out here.

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Keeping Clear Skin Despite Hormones

This post has been sponsored by Cetaphil®. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

As a mom, you are the last person on your list of people to take care of. And a lot of the time, that means cleaning care. Through the crazy hormones that babies bring, keeping your skin under control is tough. Lots of trial and error went into regulating my clear skin during birth and the months to follow. Thankfully, I found Cetaphil® after my first pregnancy and it was consistent in keeping my skin in check by removing the bad oils and keeping the good.

keeping clearn skin despite hormones

I’m not strict about my pampering routine, but I do make sure to do a mask and my nails every couple weeks. It’s a fun thing to do with my 5-year-old now, so it’s win-win for both of us!

Self Care Must Haves

  1. Giant Headband
  2. Cetaphil® Daily Facial Cleanser
  3. Clay or Charcoal Mask
  4. Essential Oil Serum
  5. Nail Polish with Glitter

For my combination skin, I use Cetaphil Daily Facial Cleanser from Walmart in the morning when getting ready and at night before bed. Because their cleanser is designed for normal to oily skin, it cleans away the surface oils but retains my skin’s natural oils.

keeping clearn skin despite hormones
keeping clearn skin despite hormones

To try out the Cetaphil Daily Facial Cleanser or any other Cetaphil product, click here for $2 off your purchase.

Keeping Clear Skin Despite Hormones

For our self-care Saturdays, my daughter and I wash our faces with Cetaphil and warm water before patting it dry. We apply a mask liberally while making funny faces in the mirror. Cartoons are a must while we wait for the masks to dry as we paint our toes with bright pinks and purples and lots of glitter. I’m teaching her the art of multitasking at a very young age. We are now ready to take on the day with confidence in our skin and our toes!

keeping clearn skin despite hormones

As a high-schooler, I was recommended Cetaphil Daily Facial Cleanser for my combination skin. It worked wonders then, and it’s still my first choice for removing excess oil.

Now, it’s super easy to add Cetaphil Daily Facial Cleanser to my grocery pick-up when I order from Walmart Grocery. It’s pretty much the best invention ever for Moms with little kids. No more being “mean mom” and saying NO to everything they want to buy.

I’d love to hear what kind of ways you add self care into your routine. Is self cleaning low on your list with little ones, too? What do you do in the way of keeping your skin clear despite hormones? Do know that, as they get older, showering becomes more frequent again.

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Goldfish Swim School Review After 6 Months

**This post is sponsored by Goldfish Swim School, though all opinions are my own.

Goldfish Swim School Review- My five year old and one year old have been taking swim lessons at Goldfish Swim School for six months. I wanted to share our experience with swim lessons because they’ve been such a positive asset to our lives.

Goldfish Swim School practices Heart Health month February DIY Mama

Our five year old daughter has taken a few swim lessons off and on since she was about six months old. She has always been happy to swim and go under water but we worried about her safety if she were to ever fall in the deep end or a lake. Drowning can take seconds and we want to prepare our daughters to save themselves.

Sophia started out happy to play around at swim lessons but soon learned that she was actually learning how to swim and be confident in herself.
Goldfish Swim School said it perfectly:

By taking swimming lessons at Goldfish Swim School, kids learn even more skills that are important in school as well. Like what? Waiting for their turn, being patient, following directions, comprehension, listening to teachers, and even more!

Great Skills for School

Our daughter now knows that when she’s in swim lessons it’s a time to be patient, respectful of her teacher and other students and be a good listener. She has felt so proud each time she gets a ribbon showing she’s mastered a new skill. She hangs them on a cork board we have at home as little reminders of her swimming journey.

Goldfish-Baby-Swim-Lesson

We do the same for Lilly although she has no idea what’s going on most of the time! She has definitely improved from six months ago. She started at six months of age and was kind of just there. Now she’s happily kicking and paddling through the pool. She can listen to instructions when the teacher says to put the balls in the box! I will continue to keep Lilly in swim lessons each week until she’s (at least) mastered rolling over when she falls in. Consistency is key with swimming lessons because they can forget so quickly at this young age.

Goldfish Swim School Review

Overall, I give Goldfish Swim School an A+ on teaching my girls how to be confident in the water. We have been happy with all of the staff, the ease of switching around lesson times and the facilities are amazing. If you’re considering signing up for lessons, ask me any questions you might have! You can also check out the FAQ I’ve gotten here.

Goldfish Swim School has a Back-to-School Membership offer going on now through October 1st:

Offer includes:

6 months of swim lessons
4 casual lessons
Free family swim passes for 6 months
Goggles
Towel
Pricing: $529

Stop by the Goldfish Swim School front desk at Carmel or Fishers to learn more.

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How is My Baby One?

Lilly just turned one. Being a parent is full of bittersweet moments and realizing my last baby is no longer a baby is a tough one. With all the hustle and bustle of life, a second child’s milestones can easily be overlooked. I don’t want that to happen in our family and so I will always make a big deal out of them! Even if it is a small party with close friends and family, I always want my girls to feel loved.

Johnson's at Walgreens

When Sophia was little, she was always happy. Always smiling in photos and such a joy to take with me on adventures. When we were thinking about having another baby I very clearly remember thinking ‘we shouldn’t have another baby because they won’t be as good as Sophia.’

I know! But, that’s my pessimistic brain.

A bit over a year later and I laugh at that though. Lilly is every bit as happy as Sophia and is such a joy in our lives. The bond that she has with each of us is so heartwarming. I can already see the differences in relationships.

Her family

She knows that her sister will always be there for her when she falls down and will always make her laugh even when she wants to be sad. Her sister will always be there to share her treats and play with her outside.

She knows her Daddy will always be there for late night snuggles and movie watching. He will be there for her to climb over and twirl with. She knows he will be there to play music and read with.
He will be there for her.

She knows Mommy will be the one to give her kisses all over her face and tummy and toes. She’ll be there to sing her to sleep and have dance parties with. She’ll be there to bathe her, clothe her, feed her, teach her, hug her and all the other wonderful things that comes with being her mom.

I am so thankful we didn’t listen to my pessimistic brain. I can’t imagine life without Lilly and our adventures have just begun.

If you want to see how similar Lilly and Sophia were at age 1 go here.

A Super(hero) Back to School

This post has been sponsored by Marvel. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Superhero Back-to-School- Our daughter starts kindergarten in three weeks. I am a pool of tears already and can’t imagine what I’ll be like as she walks up the steps of the bus. One thing that keeps my nerves calm is knowing how confident she will be in school. SHE is my superhero.

Super(hero) back to school
Super(hero) back to school
Super(hero) back to school

Check out all the amazing Marvel Back-to-School products at Dollar General!

As a Mom, there is so much to worry about with your kids. Thankfully, my daughter’s ability to excel in school and buying school supplies are not of worry to me. As a kid, I remember going to pick out new school supplies with my Mom and coming home to lay it all out to show my Dad. Brand new boxes of crayons and colorful folders sprawled across the family room floor.

I was so excited to take our daughter back-to-school shopping at Dollar General and get everything we needed. It was so easy to find everything we needed from our supply list with the school supplies in one aisle. Of course, our daughter went straight for the Marvel superheroes! She’s never seen the movies but loves the comics and story lines of these men and women who save the world! Plus, Dollar General has an app for great coupons.

Girls Love Superheros, Too

In her eyes, she doesn’t want to be a doctor or lawyer when she grows up; she wants to be a superhero! We teach a lot of lessons from the Marvel superheroes she looks up to, like “always get back up” (Spider-Man) and “girls are strong” (Captain Marvel and Black Widow). When we saw how many different superhero products there were for such a great price at Dollar General, we kind of got it all.

Some of our favorite Marvel products at Dollar General:

-Spider-Man and Thor Lego sets
-Spider-Man T-shirt and mask
-Marvel coloring books, jumbo sticker books and travel stamp book
-Marvel backpack and lunch box

The Lego sets are her favorite so far, but she really loved being able to take the activity books on our road trip to Grandma’s house. She was even inspired to get her Dad a Spider-Man shirt for his birthday because she wanted to have a matching shirt with him. I love that the Marvel universe brings all of us together as a family.

WARNING: CHOKING HAZARD- Small parts will be generated. Not for children under 3 years.

If you enjoyed Superhero Back-to-School, here are my tips for a smooth back to school!

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