Have you seen the video below? It is so, so good! Just hit play.
Oh my goodness, the comments! How can you not smile?
A little intense. That’s crazy. A sick twisted joke. Almost cruel. No, that’s inhumane. Insane. No, nobody would do that for free.
For all you moms out there, thank you for all you do to make this planet a beautiful place. We are all in this together {but sometimes not in the picture}. xoxo
Homework. What is your story? No kid loves homework. I best most don’t like it, but can get it done quickly if they just sit down and crank it out. However, others find homework the most frustrating part of their day. Any child with a learning difficulty sees homework in a very different way. Struggle, anxiety, arguments, defeat. If you are in this space, I am so {SO} sorry. We have been there and I prefer not to go back. Big W was diagnosed with ADHD a little over two years ago. I look forward to writing about our journey with attention disorder when he wants to share it. It is his story, not mine.
I love to share ideas that have helped us. This year {grade 4}, Big W has used the app Dragon Dictation to complete his weekly writing homework. His greatest struggle is getting all of his wonderful ideas from his mind onto paper. His inability to focus late in the day made this process even more frustrating. Dragon Dictation is a very simple dictation app that records your voice and converts it to text. Like any voice recognition software, it isn’t perfect. Big W has found that speaking slowly and enunciating clearly gets him the best results. He can easily correct mistakes with the keyboard and also type additional text.
The quality of his writing has dramatically improved. He is eager to choose great words and descriptive language that he would ordinarily not use if he was physically writing. His voice shines through in his weekly writing assignments. It is the greatest thing since sliced bread as far as we are concerned. To turn in the final copy we can either email his teacher directly from the app or cut and paste from an email to a Word document.
If you have a child that might benefit from this app, I suggest just playing around with it first before using it for homework. Your child might find he doesn’t like it. Also, make sure to speak with your child’s teacher and let him or her know that you would to use this app for homework completion.
Good luck! Shoot me an email {denise@whereisjune.com} if you any questions. I am happy to help if I can!
This is an insanely late post for Valentine’s Day, but I can’t really apologize. If your house is like mine, most things are put off to the bitter end. Decorating Valentine vessels is no different! Little Man is to decorate a gift bag and Big W a traditional box. Both boys are still nuts for Minecraft and wanted themed containers instead of the traditional fare. {NO pink, red, hearts or arrows for them.} We used the forever, awesome Google image search and got creative. For Little Man, I used the heart cut-out frames in PicMonkey to edit his favorite images. They are now large hearts to take up a good portion of the front and back of the bag. Big W asked me for smaller images, so we simply inserted the images into a Word document and re-sized them. I also used the design feature in PicMonkey to create images for their names. Done and done in less than 30 minutes. Not perfect, but they certainly are unique. {And very blue!}
Big W also used Cool Blue Camo stickers from Pear Tree Greetings to jazz up his box. He has informed me that it isn’t done yet. The project that keeps on giving.
Do you have someone who still needs to decorate a box? There may be some of you out there needing to knock this project off the list. Maybe I can help? Instead of doing a tutorial on how to make these printables, I just decided to include them. It saves me time, but more importantly, it saves YOU time. It is crunch time. Now you just have to print, cut and paste! Your printer just became your best friend! They are yours if you want them!
Free printable documents to download:
Minecraft Horse Heart Printable
Minecraft Diamond Heart Printable
Images via:
small Minecraft Valentine cards//walking Steve//Steve on horseback//Minecraft sword and diamonds
{Cool Blue Camo Stickers c/o Pear Tree Greetings}
Not sure if you heard, but the Seattle Seahawks won Super Bowl XLVIII. Yep, it’s a pretty big deal around here. Our city has been riding high for weeks. First the anticipation leading up to the big game, then the absolute domination and victory, and finally the victory celebration! Big W and I had been planning to attend the Victory Parade even before the Hawks had won. Once Little Man heard it was during school hours, he was in too! I am going to give it to you straight. It was amazing to be there, but it wasn’t pretty. I did my best to set us up for success. I made a reservation for breakfast, we drove down early {8:15am), and got a great parking spot in a central garage. Good so far. With the parade scheduled to start at 11am- we headed out around 10 o’clock to find a spot to view the action. This is where things to a turn for the worse. My littlest guy was miserable. He had a headache and his nose was running like a faucet. It might also be good to add that he is a natural pessimist and is not a joiner. I was in trouble.
The odds quickly turned against us: 700,000+ people, the temp well-below freezing, a mom who is 60″ tall {in heels}, a parade that started 1 hour late, and a grumpy, sick kid.
This was our viewpoint. Not good.
The parade didn’t get to us until just before 1pm. The quote of the day came from Little Man. He looked me straight in the eye and said, “Mom, I think I might actually die.” We did get a glimpse of Marshawn Lynch throwing Skittles, Coach Carroll, and Russell Wilson holding the Lombardi Trophy. Here is a quick glimpse of our day:
My big guy was disappointed, to say the least, and we were frozen to the bone. Lucky for me, a few friends shared their awesome shots from the day. It’s almost like I was there.
Was it worth it? Yes! We were part of Seattle history. Was it fun? Meh. I am counting on a repeat Super Bowl win by our Seattle Seahawks. Next year, I will hunt down a friend who has access to a sweet balcony or great roof top view. Like anything in parenting, the first time you are just working out the kinks!
When was Little Man the happiest? Picking out candy after the parade and taking a selfie in the car. {Only a mother could love that face!}
Kids everywhere will soon be slipping small little envelopes into decorated boxes. Valentine’s Day. I love it! When Big W was in PreK he decided to get two sets of Valentine cards {one for the girls and one for the boys} and has done the same ever since. His theory: girls don’t like the same thing boys do. Wise beyond his years that one. In the past it was princesses and superheros. What else would it be? Now that they are older, and quite mature, it isn’t so cut and dry. He has out grown of most of the character Valentine cards, so this year we tried something a little different. We found Valentine’s Day Cards for kids, at Pear Tree Greetings, that we could personalize for the card exchange with his classmates. {Little Man jumped on board too!}
The boys each chose two different styles. One set for the girls. One set for the boys. I also ordered a darling photo strip Valentine to slip into the cards we send to our family. They were thrilled when they arrived at the doorstep. Next step? Figuring out what little item, treasure, or piece of candy to hand out with them. Oh, the pressure!
The envelopes are too small to send by US Mail, but you could easily slip the smaller envelope into a larger one and send these awesome greetings to anyone!
Our Valentine’s Day Cards c/o Pear Tree Greetings:
Photo Strip- Washi Tape Greeting
I love snow days! Call it wishful thinking {because we are in desperate need of snow in our mountains}, but I am ready for another one. We were lucky enough to get a day off due to snow just before our long winter break. Unfortunately, it all melted before lunch time! We are due another one. A massive snow fall, with multiple days off from school, would make me VERY happy. I thought it would be fun to put a Snow Day Survival Kit together just in case. Being prepared always makes for a much more enjoyable day.
After playing in the snow for hours, they eventually come in. Spending uninterrupted time together is a major perk to an unplanned day off. New activities go a long way for entertainment value. My kit includes: cookies-in-a-jar, hot cocoa and marshmallows, a deck of cards, a game to play together, and an old school movie.
Snow Day. Cookies required. The key is making it easy to bake them. Using a large Mason jar, I layered the dry ingredients for Best Ever: Chocolate Chip Cookies {directions and recipe after the jump}. Dump the jar in a bowl, mix with butter, eggs & vanilla, and you have homemade cookies. Since I plan to give a few kits as gifts, I also created colorful direction cards and labels to go on the jar.
Other kit essentials:
HOT COCOA: No snow day is complete without hot cocoa and marshmallows to warm up. Individual packets make it simple to make a quick cup.
DECK OF CARDS: Play go-fish, high/low, or rummy. How about a friendly game of poker using goldfish crackers to wager?
DRAW A SNOWMAN GAME{link after the jump}: It is a great way to add a bit of art and drawing to your day. Kids of all ages can play successfully. Bonus-you will have works of art to hang up!
OLD SCHOOL MOVIE: When you are exhausted and need to cuddle up- just pop in a classic movie you loved to watch as a kid. I picked Goonies because, well, it is just awesome.
Well, now I am set and ready! I know my boys would love a chance to miss school and sled all day instead. We are all hoping a major winter storm hits Western Washington REALLY soon!
Click through for cookie recipe, the Draw A Snowman Game, and resources:
I am always so impressed when my kids receive a thank you note from a friend just days after his party. I always think to myself, “Impressive.” Let’s be honest, we know that the child isn’t begging to write a note to each of his friends! His mother made it a priority and got them in mail. And I know that it is WORK! On the flip side, it is important to me that my boys understand the importance of expressing gratitude-whether it be in person or through the mail.
Little Man had a birthday last month and I was determined to send thank yous! He usually has little-to-no stamina {or interest} when it comes to “extra” work! This was going to be tricky. When I found this thank you card kit for kids there was hope!
Here are my tips for writing thank you notes with kids:
1. Keep it fun.
The awesome card kit came with 10 colored thank you cards and a ton of African-themed stickers. Little Man and I spent time at the kitchen table decorating the cards with monkeys, lions, plants, flowers and speech bubbles. This work was easy, we chatted, and there was little resistance!
2. Decrease frustration.
When children are little, writing multiple cards is very taxing. To decrease the frustration and fatigue, I scanned and printed the inside of one of the colorful cards. Little Man wrote a simple message. Then we scanned and printed enough copies of his message for each of the thank you cards. Next, we cut and pasted the message into the cards. He loved watching the papers come off the printer with his hand writing. {I also had him simply write his name on the envelope as the return address and I took care of the rest.}
3. Do a little at a time.
Writing, cutting, pasting, licking, writing. It takes time and isn’t super exciting. The best thing to do is to break the whole project into pieces. Just do a little at a time. We did the stickers and took a break. He wrote the message and we took a break. It actually took us the better part of an afternoon to complete the cards. There were a few moments of whining, but no tears. I will call that a success.
The cards are in the mail. They didn’t get there days after the party, but they got there just the same.
Little Man received Putty Creatures as a gift during the holiday season and it was instantly kid approved! A small tin of Thinking Putty {made with silicone-based inert non-toxic synthetic rubbber} can make any creature imaginable! The eyeballs were his favorite! Each tin comes with one set. Make your creature, push in some eyeballs, and call it awesome. When you are done creating- simply squish the putty back into the tin and put the lid on it until next time.
I loved that it was a gift he wanted to play with right away. It involved no screens, yet he was engaged and having fun. I think I am going to order a few of these and keep them on hand for birthday gifts. We are always looking for a unique present to take along to friends’ parties without breaking the bank. This is it. Putty Creatures, a pack of gum, and some candy in a clear goodie bag. Done and done.
Two weeks people, but I am not going to panic. Two weeks from today my kids will be officially on break, which means I need to be officially done with my prep work. What? With Thanksgiving being so late, it is virtually impossible for me to out run this massive snow ball we call “the most wonderful time of the year”.
A perfect example is our advent calender. I usually have it stocked and ready. All the doors full of treasures to be joyfully opened each morning. This year has been an epic failure. In year’s past, I have used the LEGO Advent Calender but when I went the day before Thanksgiving to buy them I found they were sold out! I know better than to wait until the last minute-this isn’t my first time at the rodeo. So now, I am scrambling to find items that fit inside our calendar. {As you can see I am totally screwed come tomorrow! Nothing is ready for the rest of the Advent season.} Since my children are little sneaks, they peeked in all the doors and wondered why the calendar wasn’t full. I quickly quipped in return that they cannot be trusted and I have all the items in hiding. I am pure evil! Nope , in reality, mommy couldn’t get it together this year! Looks like my poor planning will be their windfall. In the end, I am down to cash and chocolate.
I am pretty sure I shouldn’t be using the phrase “totally screwed” when writing a post about Advent. Oh, well. Off now to buy mini-chocolate Santas and gather all the $1 bills I can find in the house. Be merry and bright!
It is time. With December arriving at the end of the week, it is officially time to face the fact that holiday shopping is upon us. A few years ago, I simplified the shopping for my own boys. I give gifts in four categories: something they want, something they need, something to wear, and something to read. Santa still brings one special gift and usually helps me with at least one of the categories. My husband and I give each boy one present and they exchange gifts with each other. It sure has made gift giving more enjoyable. No frenzy. No need to get Christmas frantic. I thought it might be nice this year for them to complete their wishlists using these categories as a guide. I am sure there will be more than one thing under each heading and that is just fine! At least it will make them ponder a bit- instead of creating a long list of toys {and junk}.
Want to give this simple wish list a try with your family this year? All you need is this free downloadable template and a few minutes. Add some hot cocoa and candy cane and you are really going for it!
