Mom University for December: Wild Things: the Art of Nurturing Boys by Stephen James and David Thomas

If you are a mother of BOYS, this is the book I HIGHLY recommend. I love the way this book goes through each stage of a boys life and gives you tons of ideas in relating, teaching, training and guiding. Check out my short video as to why I think this book is so amazing!

If you are reading this by email, here is the video link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=11V30dGZJF4

Wild Things: the Art of Nurturing Boys by Stephen James and David Thomas

Merry Christmas 2013

Merry Christmas from the Knowlton Kids

 

 Be sure to point your children to Jesus this Christmas!

 

The Confident Mom Weekly Household Planner 2014...FREE! Plus a discount for the Supplement Kit!

I can't tell you how excited I am to announce that The Confident Mom Weekly Household Planner for 2014 is available for FREE!  This planner has really changed my life.  I have direction and focus.  I am always so pleased to see how easy it is to follow and I don't get overwhelmed, but feel accomplished and refreshed.  Susan takes great care to make a beautiful and functional planner for a busy mom like me!

If you’ve tried Susan’s planner before, there are two major changes for 2014 I think you should know about!
 

*The 2014 Weekly Household Planner is now FREE!
*It is customizable and includes TWO versions! "Blank" version is just that—a planner with blank areas under each day, allowing you to digitally add your tasks whatever they may be, making it uniquely yours. "Suggested tasks" version comes prefilled with tasks already assigned to each day. The work is already done for you! And it is also customizable, so you can add, remove, or edit any of the tasks listed.

Here’s a sample of the types of tasks you will find in the "suggested tasks" version:
 

*Plan/cook dinner
*Water indoor plants
*Vacuum under furniture
*Clean/wipe out silverware drawer
*Clean bathroom sinks/shine mirrors
*Wash car
*Pay bills due
*Pamper yourself
*Replace smoke detector batteries

You can further personalize the planner by digitally filling in any special weekly tasks or notes to remember. A fun or inspirational quote is featured each week to remind you about the joys, and sometimes humor, of family and motherhood. There’s even a chart to help you keep track of your daily water intake.

In addition, a Weekly Household Planner Supplement is available for only $6 to further increase organization in your household. The supplement includes helpful tools featuring customizable fill-in forms, allowing you to enter your information directly into each form. The supplement package includes:

*Master Family Planner to keep track of the entire family’s activities on a daily/weekly basis.

*Special Occasion Calendar/Gift Planner so you’ll always be prepared for the next birthday or special occasion.

*Holiday Gift Planner Worksheet to keep track of your holiday shopping list and purchases.

*Babysitter Information so your babysitter has all the important info that they need.  

*Quick Contacts to keep important contacts available for easy reference when you need them in a hurry as well as frequently used numbers.

*Family Emergency/Medical Information Form to keep medical and insurance info easy to find and share with those that need it.

*Website/App List for Kids so you can record websites/apps your kids are interested in.

*Website/App List for Me so you can record websites/apps you want to visit or buy.

*Account Keeper Sheet to keep track of online accounts, including usernames and passwords.

*Weekly Menu Planner/Shopping List so you arrive at the store prepared and don’t over-purchase.

*NEW in 2014—Let’s Plan a Party Form helps you keep track of party planning details such as guest list, menu, party favors, and activities.

*NEW in 2014—Bible Bookmarks provide suggested daily reading, enabling you to read the entire bible in a year.

  

 

To learn more about Susan’s popular and affordable 2014 Confident Mom Weekly Household Planner and the new Weekly Household Planner Supplement click HERE.  Every mom deserves the feeling of accomplishment and results that will be seen using this planner!

 

For TWO weeks if you order the Planner + Supplemental Kit you will get a $1 discount (off the Supplement).  That makes the grand total of $5 for 125 pages of organizing bliss!

Use Coupon Code: KIT1
(that is number 1)

Get The Confident Mom 2014 Weekly Household Planner + Supplemental Kit today!

 

 

          

Reading the Alphabet SALE!!

 

I am using Reading the Alphabet for our PreK Curriculum and I love it!!

If you have a child who knows their letters and sounds, but needs more confidence to grow their reading skills I would recommend this.

 

 

COUPON CODE: christmas2013

 

Get it December 1-3 only for $8!!

Click Here: Reading the Alphabet

Mom University for November: No More Perfect Moms by Jill Savage

 

Hi Moms-  I'm hope you don't mind...I'm PERFECT!  NOT!!!!

 

Oh, my goodness, I wish I was perfect, but there are no perfect moms.  We are not meant to be.

As I share in this short vlog, I struggle with perfectionism and why I know I can't be.

 

My 2 year old daughter makes a cameo appearance.
Shh!  We are in the bathroom potty training.

 

 

 

Check out these resources from Jill Savage:

Videos that go with the book

Discussion Guides

 

The Berenstain Bears Storybook Bible Deluxe Edition Book Review

My review:

The Berenstain Bears Storybook Bible Deluxe Edition is a perfect book for Berenstain Bears fans!  The storybook starts off with Papa Bear reading a book  his cubs insist is better than anything until Paper Bear comes up with a better plan.  He shares that the "Bible has all kinds of stories- exciting ones, nice ones, happy ones, even serious ones."  And so the cubs get to experience the Bible with their imaginations of what they thought the characters looked like (bears!).  Every story page has a short paragraph with colorful illustrations. This would be a perfect bedtime read or a delightful way for a young reader to listen and follow with the audio CD.  This is a wonderful way to introduce young  children to the Bible.

 

*I was given a complimentary copy for review from Zonderkidz.  All opinions are my own.*  

FROM ZONDERKIDZ:
The Berenstain Bears Storybook Bible Deluxe Edition by Jan and Mike Berenstain, brings to life 23 Old and New Testament stories in a spirited children's storybook Bible with classic Berenstain illustrations for kids ages 4-8.

Mom University- Become the Confident Mom You've Always Wanted to Be by Susan Heid (VLOG)

 

 

If there was one Mom blog that I highly recommend it would be The Confident Mom by Susan Heid.   Susan is a great encourager and motivator.  She is practical and polished.  I am amazed at her resources and wisdom.  Hear me talk about why this is an important book for all moms!

VLOG for Mom U- Please take 1 minute to hear what I have to say!

Bible Time including Bible stories, Memory Verses and Hymns!

I was hoping to share more posts of what I do, but I'm so busy doing that I don't have time to write posts!! 

Bible Time is very important to me and so it is the first thing that we do each day.  In fact, I start Bible Time at Breakfast.  I originally wanted to pray with my son from MOB Society Prayers (sign up for monthly newsletter to receive them)  when he gets up, but I'm having trouble coinciding my morning routine with his.  I will definitely try to do this when he gets older.  I do try to pray these prayers by myself for him each day.

So for Bible Time I use Calvary Curriculum (FREE).  On Mondays I read the Bible passage and explain the story using the curriculum guide.  On the rest of the days I read from Bible story books that I have.  Most of them have the story we are studying, but told in different ways.  Here are some of the Bibles I use:
*The Beginner's Bible
*Read With Me Bible
*The Story for Children
*The Preschooler's Bible
*The Jesus StoryBook Bible

I copy off the lesson as well as one of the activity sheets for the week, that we do later after breakfast.  Also, on the rest the days after Monday I start asking the questions that are on the curriculum guide.

After Breakfast we sit on the couch for Hymn Singing and Memory Verse time.

Each child has a memory verse that goes with the letter of the week they are studying and their level of learning.

Jessna's verses come from Songs for Saplings.
Shrade's verses come from Rock Star Preschool.
The verses they learn are songs!

We are also learning hymns which we sing daily as well as with daddy in the evenings during our family worship time.

Some of the hymns we are learning:
*America the Beautiful
*To God be the Glory
*Redeemed
*Oh, How I love Jesus
*Count Your Blessings
*The Solid Rock
*This is My Father's World

Here is my son singing Count Your Blessings

I usually just sing the first verse and chorus, but I can see how quickly they are picking up on the words.  I wish I could play the piano well enough to play along.  I guess I will have to practice (in all my spare time!).

And we end with prayer.  I have a little prayer book for children and we will start adding prayer requests for people we know or other things that are personal and relevant for my kids.

(Side note:  My heart is to reach my kids for Christ.  Sometimes they are so squirrely and silly that I think they are not paying attention, but I keep this daily habit and pray that God will open up their hearts and minds to what he wants them to learn.)

Keep learning and growing!!  Blessings, Shonda

Training Your Children in Home Economics by Angie Kauffman Ebook Sale!!

 

Training Your Children in Home Economics is a 44 page eBook, which is wonderful for families with multiple children, as there are reproducible progress sheets and simple shape sewing patterns.  You’ll be able to print as many of those sheets as you need for your immediate family.

Training Your Children in Home Economics addresses why learning Home Ec skills are important for children, as well as sections on skills in the following areas:

• Money Management
• Hospitality
• Simple Sewing Skills
• Gardening
• Meal Planning
• Meal Preparation
• Kitchen Safety
• Food Safety
• Microwave Safety
• Table Manners
• Laundry Skills

Also included in Training Your Children in Home Economics:

• Progress Form for Simple Sewing Skills (with Specific Skills Listed)
• Progress Form for Working on Assisting in the Kitchen (with Specific Skills Listed)
• Progress Form (Multiple Pages) for Building a Repertoire of Meals that Can Be Prepared Independently
• Meal Planning Page
• Progress Form for Beginning Laundry Skills
• Progress Form (two pages) for Laundry Skills (more advanced that “Beginning” section)
• Three Pages of Very Simple Reproducible Shapes for Sewing Felt Creations

Training Your Children in Home Economics would be the perfect base for a course in your homeschool (or to work on after school) on Home Economics!  Because the eBook doesn’t cover everything in the field of Home Economics, this allows you to add in other Home Economic Skills that you feel you would also like your children to learn or just add to the skills that are already worked on in the eBook.

Right now you get this ebook for 50% off with code: KitchenHopeless until October 25!

TRAINING YOUR CHILDREN IN HOME ECONOMICS

$4.99 but only $2.50 with discount

50% off with code: KitchenHopeless

Offer ends October 25

 

I'm looking forward to using this book with my kiddos!!

Mom University for September: A Gentle Answer by Christin Slade (little VLOG)

Hello Moms!! I'm so glad you are here for my first Mom U video. These are going to be short, but I really wanted to share a little of myself with you as I journey through motherhood. I have some great books to share this year. Here is the LIST.

This month I am sharing about A Gentle Answer.  Christin Slade wrote a series last October on her blog Joyful Mothering about being gentle with her children. I somehow missed part of the series and she didn't completely finish with it because it turned out to be a bigger project than she anticipated. However, she decided to write a free devotional ebook that she made available on Mother's Day.

I was so excited to read this book. I took all of August in my daily devotion time to read her little book. I learned so much about myself and what I want be like as a godly mother. 

Subscribe to Joyful Mothering to receive this FREE ebook.

Here are a few thoughts on my video that is only about a minute and half long.  Enjoy!

Next month: Become the Confident Mom You've Always Wanted to Be by Susan Heid

Bumper Wipe Clean Activities by Juliet David Book Review

Bumper Wipe Clean Activities is a 69 page spiral bound book with wipe off pages.  The book features activities for stories from the Bible in the Old and New Testament.  The colorful illustrations instantly grab a child's attention and the activities are simple and easy to follow as well as engaging and will keep young ones busy at home or on long car rides.  There is drawing, dot to dot, mazes, matching, tracing, same/different, hidden pictures and more.  These are easy for any child to do even if they do not read.  The child will enjoy doing the activities, wiping them off and doing them again!  And they will also learn Bible stories too.  This is a great little book to have on hand for extra practice or a fun time filler.

*I was given a complimentary copy of this book Kregel Publications for the purpose of this review. All opinions are my own.*

First Day of School 2013

Backpack gifts

First day lunch all packed and ready!  I like to be prepared!

Spiritual theme poster

Spider web we saw on our walk to the front door

Shrade's Daily Learning Notebook

School "buddies"

Jessna's first Brightly Beaming Resources Lesson

Our first day of school was a success. I see a BIG difference in my attitude and the way the kids play when I have plan. I'm not doing anything extra special, but I'm being a lot more intentional about how I organize the day. I got up and prepared all the meals for the day so I could easily pull out snacks and lunch at the right times. We decided to walk out the back door and in the front door to start our new school year. Shrade was really reluctant to homeschool, but on day 2 he got up and was ready to go. I don't feel like I'm doing much, but adding songs and stories, daily learning notebook, Language Lessons, arts/crafts/activities, a reading lesson in the afternoon and Jessna's special lesson in the morning, I think our day rounds out well. There is also lots of free time and of course I'm still changing Jessna's diaper. Overall, I enjoy this school routine without having to rush off to playdates or the park which we will still do, but not as often. Next week we add MOPS and my Zumba day. Friday will be library day and Monday I will never plan any outside activities. Shrade is doing Awana and we signed him up for a pre-soccer class as well as we hope to get him into swimming lessons. So that is our new year off to a good start!

How to Get Ahead With Real Food Make-Ahead Meals (e-course and ebook now available) with Heavenly Homemakers!!

Hi Everyone!  You know I'm a big fan of Heavenly Homemakers and I also love to make meals ahead of time.  But if you are like me and want to get really good at it, there is a new e-course and ebook available right now.  I'm planning on getting some friends together to make freezer meals happen for more than just myself!  How about you?  Check out these great resources provided by Heavenly Homemakers:

Get out your mixing bowls, Pyrex, and freezer bags!  The Let’s Do This! Getting Ahead in Your Real Food Kitchen eCourse and {Healthy} Make-Ahead Meals and Snacks eBook are now available for purchase!  Join me as together we get ahead and save time (and money) while we feed our families healthy, delicious food!

The Let’s Do This! eCourse answers your questions about Getting Ahead in Your Real Food Kitchen:

• I can’t even keep up – how am I supposed to get ahead?
• I don’t have freezer space for freezer cooking, how I can I make this work?
• Will this actually help me save money on food?
• Will this really save me time and energy?
• How can this work for me if I’m not an organized person?
• My family is picky.  Will this frozen food taste good?
• I want to get ahead, but I don’t even know where to start…

Even if you already have a pretty good idea of how to work ahead in the kitchen to prepare meals and snacks ahead of time to make life easier – I still believe you will benefit from these resources.  After all, you can never have too many healthy, make-ahead recipes!
The Let’s Do This! Getting Ahead in Your Real Food Kitchen eCourse includes five simple but detailed lessons:

1. Getting Ahead for the Day
2. Getting Ahead for the Week
3. Getting Ahead With Meals and Snacks
4. Getting Ahead During Spare Moments for Busy Moments
5. Using Your Make-Ahead Meals and Snacks

Within each lesson, you will be given loads of practical tips and information, online links, downloadable worksheets and planners, and plenty of down-to-earth encouragement.  Each lesson includes a brand new, exclusive recipe not found on my website or in any of my books.  (Sweet and Sour Meatballs, Creamy Salsa Enchilada Casserole – plus three more delicious recipes you’ll love!)  In addition, I’ve recorded short videos for each lesson so that you can watch me in action – getting ahead in my real food kitchen.

This Sour Cream Enchiladas (in Lesson Two of the Let’s Do This! eCourse)
recipe is SO easy to make, and has now become a family favorite.

This entire eCourse costs only $5 – total!  Your purchase will allow you unlimited, lifetime access to all of this information.  These lessons are online – or print them out if you prefer.  There is no limit to how many of you can take the eCourse, nor is there a time commitment.  Work through the lessons at your own pace, on your own time, in the middle of the night, while your kids are napping, in the morning, in the evening -  whenever works for you.

Purchase the Let’s Do This! Getting Ahead in Your Real Food Kitchen eCourse

$5.00

While the eCourse includes helpful information to help you get ahead in the kitchen, plus five great new Make-Ahead recipes, we couldn’t just stop there.  To go along with the Let’s Do This! eCourse, we put together an eBook filled with 33 more easy, healthy, real food recipes – all of which can be put together and set aside or frozen to be served when you need them.  We’ve got you covered through breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks.  Only a few of these recipes can be found on my website – most of them are brand new and only found in the {Healthy} Make-Ahead Meals and Snacks eBook!

Here are the recipes you’ll find in the {Healthy} Make-Ahead Meals and Snacks eBook:

All of these recipes have now become family favorites.  I love keeping the freezer and fridge well stocked with great, easy foods my family loves!
Here’s more exciting news:  Within the {Healthy} Make-Ahead Meals and Snacks eBook, you will find over $14 worth of savings on other products in our Heavenly Homemakers Shop.  The Bonus Section of the eBook includes additional free printables as well.  It’s too good a deal to pass up!

Purchase the {Healthy} Make-Ahead Meals and Snacks ebook

$5.00

Want them both?  We highly encourage it – as owning both the eCourse and the eBook will offer you a wealth of Getting Ahead in Your Real Food Kitchen information!  That’s why we’ve packaged them up and knocked a couple dollars of the price of the package.  And don’t forget the additional coupons worth $14 you’ll receive with the purchase!

Purchase both the {Healthy} Make-Ahead Meals and Snacks ebook and theLet’s Do This! Getting Ahead in Your Real Food Kitchen eCourse Package Deal

$8.00

Giving! Learn Your Letters Learn to Serve by Heavenly Homemakers

Learn Your Letters, Learn to Serve

from Heavenly Homemakers

 

How do you cultivate a heart of giving in your children?  One thing that I notice with my son is that he truly has a servant's heart.  He watches both his daddy and I because we also have hearts that love to give.  But it's not always the most natural thing for me.  I excited this year to learn more about giving by using Learn Your Letters, Learn to Serve.  I know that both the kids and I will really look for ways to give as we are given many ideas and opportunities this year.

Just last week we picked up a bag at church to fill for a needy family.  I took the kids shopping and we picked up more than what the bag could hold.  We had a lot of conversation about what we were buying and why we were buying it.  I hope to have many more conversations like this.

Nellie Edge Writing to Read Seminar + FREE resouces

I can't tell you how excited I was to be able to go the Nellie Edge Writing Seminar this summer!  I went to one a long time ago and it transformed my Kindergarten classroom into a joyful and educational learning environment.  Now as I'm planning to homeschool I want to bring back a lot of what I used as a K teacher to my home with my own kids. 

This seminar was called Writing to Read.  She shared TONS of ideas for getting kids to write.  She has been a Kindergarten teacher and mentor for many years and she knows what works and how to ignite passion in the lives of her students. 

Her ideas for teaching writing are creative, entertaining, fun and absolutely successful.  I know first hand that when I used her strategies in my classroom that my students blossomed into excited readers and writers. 

So this quarter I have an assignment to write 3 activities to earn credits for my teaching certificate.  I thought I would share them as I write them on my blog!

Here are my 3 ideas:
*How to use Nursery Rhymes to  develop language concepts and vocabulary, inspire movement and dramatic interpretation and build a foundation for concepts of print and guided reading instruction
*Animal Research Projects- building vocabulary, researching favorite animals and reporting by making books, posters, etc.
*Word matching and sentence building- encouraging drawing, making sentences, dictation, matching words and reading

I'm very excited to write these plans so I can use them as I teach my kids.

Here are few things that you will find on the Nellie Edge website for FREE:
*Free little books
*16 Essential Mother Goose Rhymes
*ABC Phonics information and free teacher ebook
*Read and Sing Book Club

Those are just a few of the amazing resources available at Nellie Edge.  Also, if you subscribe to the newsletter you get access to a FREE member resource center with lots of printables and articles.  And if you ever get a chance to go to her seminars you will understand how fascinating she is and the ways that she has helped children reach for their potential in loving and fun ways.  Looking forward to sharing more with you!

Spiritual Theme 2013-2014: Fruit of the Spirit

When I taught at a Christian school they had a Spiritual Theme every year.  I wish I had saved all that paperwork, but God will give me the ideas I need for my family.  I think the Spiritual Theme sounds familiar since I wanted to use it for our Summer Bible Reading Adventure that I never did.  Ooops!  I definitely did not plan well this past summer.  Forgive me!  However, I have a new and better plan!

So this year I would really like to learn and grow in the Fruit of the Spirit.  Notice, this is more for me, but I am the model for my children.  I am going to use many of the resources I mentioned for the Summer Bible Reading Adventure.  I will spend a month on each fruit.  There will be a theme verse with lessons and activities for the month.

Spiritual Theme 2013-2014: Fruit of the Spirit

from Galatians 5:22-23

September- LOVE

October- JOY

November- PEACE

December- PATIENCE

January- KINDNESS

February- GOODNESS

March- FAITHFULNESS

April- GENTLENESS

May- SELF-CONTROL

*Lesson Ideas:
iKids- Fruit of the Spirit Lesson ideas from iKidsonline
Especially for Tweens- Free Fruit of the Spirit Christian Study for Kids.
Ministry to Children has a great set of ideas for lessons including coloring sheets, games and music.

Source: ministry-to-children.com via Shonda on Pinterest

*Crafts:
Christian Preschool Printables have some great craft ideas, games, and mini-books.

*Devotional:
Raising Arrows has created a great devotional to use with young children.

Source: raisingarrows.net via Shonda on Pinterest

*Music:
Seeds Family Worship- The Fruit Song

*Podcast Program:
We like to listen to Karen and Kids on iTunes through podcasts. She has two episodes on the Fruit of the Spirit.

*Kids Character Chart:
Heavenly Homemakers has a cute little chart to use to teach the Fruit of the Spirit.

Click here to view more details



And a great resource just for MOMS is Parenting from the Overflow by Teri Lynne Underwood that goes through each of the Fruit of the Spirit.  I got this when it was free on Amazon (I always snag those deals!).

Mom University (Mom U)

Hi Milk N' Honey Friends!  I have been mulling this over for quite awhile.  I read numerous books about parenting and sometimes I just don't have time to write a review.  But I do want to share them with you in a more personal way.  That's when I thought of doing Mom University!  I plan to make videos and share these books with you by video!  Yikes, that means I have to dress up and put make up on too.  Ha!  I look forward to sharing with you what God has been speaking to me as I read these books.  I will do one a month starting in September.  And if I read more then I will share those too. 

Some of these books I have already reviewed on my blog, but I want to add my personal touch by video.  Here is the breakdown of the school year:

*September-A Gentle Answer by Christin Slade (from Joyful Mothering-subscribe to receive FREE ebook)

*October- Become the Confident Mom You've Always Wanted to Be by Susan Heid (The Confident Mom) (Kindle)

*November- No More Perfect Moms by Jill Savage

*December- Wild Things: the Art of Nurturing Boys by Stephen James and David Thomas

*January-The Passionate Mom by Susan Merrill

*February- Be the Mom by Tracey Eyster

*March- Mindset for Moms by Jamie Martin

*April- The Unwired Mom by Sarah Mae

*May- Parenting from the Overflow by Teri Lynne Underwood


Most of these books I have on Kindle or downloaded for FREE along the way.  Have you read any of these?  I can't wait to share them during my monthly Mom U!  Be sure to subscribe to my blog and also to my YouTube channel to get all the videos.  Thanks!

And I will also give you a sneak peak from a book I will be reading a chapter from each month from The Power of Moms- Deliberate Motherhood.