google720f2659d3043361.html Love My Big Happy Family Whit, Whim, Wisdom & Wonder, A Family Lifestyle Blog

Aug 25

August 25, 2015

Homework Station

The Elements of a Great Homework Station

The elements of a great homework station: Location Free from Excessive Distractions Desk or Table with a Large Clear Working Surface Drawers or a Filing Cabinet/Box Table Lamp for Proper Illumination (not too dim or dark and not too bright) Comfortable Chair with Back Support Desktop Computer, Laptop or Tablet Printer and Copy Paper Pencil Sharpener Lined paper Dictionary Supply Caddy Containing: Pencils Erasers Pens Highlighters Markers Crayons Colored Pencils Stapler Scissors Tape Glue Stick

Posted in Happy, Healthy, Smart Kids! | By

Aug 24

August 24, 2015

15 Sounds Outside My Bedroom Window

On one of the first warm Spring days this year my husband opened our bedroom window about 3 inches. It’s now August and that window has remained open since that day. As I lay on my bed the other night listening to the sounds coming through that window, I reflected upon the fact that there had been many an evening that I had done that very thing. I made a mental list of the multitude of different sounds I’d heard…

Posted in Hearth and Home | By

Aug 20

August 20, 2015

10 Questions to Ask at Back to School Night

Back to school night is a great time to meet your child’s teacher and begin to establish good parent and teacher communication.  It’s important to get a feel for what the school year will be like and what will be expected of you and your child.  Here is a list of ten questions you should ask your child’s teacher at Back to School Night. What is a typical day in your classroom like? What can I do to help my…

Posted in Happy, Healthy, Smart Kids! | By

Aug 19

August 19, 2015

Aug 18

August 18, 2015

20 Classroom Donations

20 Classroom Donations Your Child’s Teacher Will Appreciate 

20 Classroom Donations Teachers really appreciate it when Parents donate supplies to their school classrooms. Often supplies at the school are limited or unavailable and teachers end up spending their own money to get the things they need to teach your kids.  Some of these things can end up being expensive and classes go through some of these supplies like crazy!  You can be a blessing to the teacher and a help to the students by donating some of these…

Posted in Happy, Healthy, Smart Kids! | By

Aug 17

August 17, 2015

Lips and Nails Selfies

Selfie Fun!!

Some people would never dare to take a selfie, let alone share one!  Someone might accuse them of being vain or self-centered!! But we don’t let the opinions of others control us or dictate what we do right? –  RIGHT! I don’t claim that these are beautiful photos, only that I had a great time taking them.  Selfies can be a lot of fun!  So go ahead and take some of your own and if you are a brave soul…

Posted in Healthy, Beautiful You! | By

Aug 13

August 13, 2015

Advocating for Your Special Needs Student

My philosophy is that we all have special needs.  Meaning that we are all unique individuals and each of us has a particular learning style and perform our best in an environment that is optimal for us personally.   Nonetheless, there is a typical environment and atmosphere in average schools and most individuals can function fairly well there.  Some children however do not.  These are the students our schools refer to as having “special needs.” As a parent you know…

Posted in Happy, Healthy, Smart Kids! | By

Aug 12

August 12, 2015

Aug 11

August 11, 2015

Choosing the Right School

Choosing the Right School for Your Child

Choosing the Right School for Your Child   Choosing the Right School for Your Child The task of choosing the right school for your children can be a daunting one for parents.  Faced with the serious responsibility of providing your child with the best possible education, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed.  The chart below lists many of the options along with some of the pros and cons and can help make your decision a little easier to make. Making Your…

Posted in Happy, Healthy, Smart Kids! | By

Aug 10

August 10, 2015

Do You Talk TO Your Child or AT Your Child?

One of my biggest pet peeves is when I hear a child talking to their parents and instead of listening to what their child is saying, they bark out orders.  The child asks “Dad, what is this?” and  dad snaps back, “That’s not yours!  Don’t touch that!” That is a prime example of talking at the child rather than to the child.  It would be perfectly acceptable to tell the child the object was something they weren’t allowed to touch, but…

Posted in Happy, Healthy, Smart Kids! | By

Aug 6

August 6, 2015

Is Your Child Mentally Prepared for Back to School?

I’ll never forget the day I delivered my youngest daughter Tarrin (Tara) to her second grade classroom.  We had planned and prepared for this day.  She was adorable in her new outfit!  Her shiny new backpack was packed with just purchased school supplies.  We’d talked about school starting every day for the last couple of weeks, we’d spent the previous evening making preparations and gotten into bed early, we’d gotten up early and had a good breakfast breakfast, we’d delivered her…

Posted in Happy, Healthy, Smart Kids! | By

Aug 5

August 5, 2015

Aug 4

August 4, 2015

Back to School Shopping

Back to School Shopping – In The Good Ol’ Days

Back to School Shopping in the Good Ol’ Days   Back to School Shopping – In the Good Ol’ Days! When I was a little girl school shopping was a grand adventure!  My oldest sister graduated from high school the year after I was born. But my next two sisters were 5 and 6 years older than me and so they were interested in finding just the right fashion to impress their friends.  That “grown-up” girl attitude made things especially…

Posted in Family and Relationships | By

Aug 3

August 3, 2015

Gardening With My Grandkids

My favorite place to spend time as a little girl was in our beautiful yard with my daddy. Our yard was exquisite with fruit trees and ornamental shrubs, lush green grass and colorful flowers of all kinds. I would listen as he talked with our neighbors over the back fence,  watch and learn as he did his gardening and we would have conversations about all kinds of things. Our yard was a gathering place for our family whether it was…

Posted in Happy, Healthy, Smart Kids!, Welcome to My Garden! | By

Aug 3

August 3, 2015