Been missing from here for far too long.
School is back and for an increased challenge this year I am virtual schooling my oldest 3 while trying to prevent the two boys from destroying the house around us.
I came to this decision after too many years of schools that tolerate bullying and punish victims. I finally had enough this last yearand pulled my kids out of a seriously overcrowded school system. This year the public school increased class size from the already bursting 35+ kids a class by another 3-5 students. (that is with NO student teachers or assistant teacher.. just one adult with 40 kids)
There have been a few hiccups. Like my oldest being enrolled in Elementary French rather than Middle school French. The experiences we have gotten from this are priceless already. Like Maxx joining Nadia for her music lesson as they chugged around the room like a train to learn the Tempo of music.
I look forward to many more enriching experiences this coming. I am also realistic enough to know that there will be days I want to lock myself in the bathroom with a a huge unhealthy bag of chocolate, a long novel and a nearly overflowing bath.
What do you do to reward yourself for surviving a trying day?
Thursday, August 30, 2012
Tuesday, August 7, 2012
National Purple Heart Day
August 7 is National Purple Heart Day
This day is in honor of all the brave men and women who have received the Purple Heart.
All Gave Some, Some Gave All.
The Purple Heart is awarded to Military Personnel for being wounded or killed in any action against an enemy ofthe United States or as a result of an act of any such enemy or opposing armed forces.
Thank you for all that you have done. I enjoy many liberties today due to your sacrifices.
Monday, August 6, 2012
5 kids and a messy parrot defeated! The Hoover TwinTank Steam Mop review
With 5 kids and a very messy parrot I always have a mess to clean in my house. One of those kids is a son who is potty training so you can only imagine the type of messes I have to clean. ::shudder:: Don't try! 5 kids in all his potty training messes are the least of my problems. From food fights, to oops I dropped the jelly jar in the middle of the kitchen, to just plain dirty little heathen foot prints across every inch their legs can reach. You can't forget a bird that shakes her head splattering fruit bits on everything or with her refusal to be potty trained as well, leaving worse things on my floor... .My floor was in a constant state of horrifying mess. The one thing I have been grateful for is that the majority of my floors are tiled. I still look back at the time we lived at our apartment that was carpet in EVERY room... even the bathroom ::shudder:: my kid's don't mix well with carpeting. Like shag carpeting and tree sap.
Then the condo we lived at that had wood floors in the main rooms. This is where I was first introduced to steam mops. Sadly it was as much work to steam with as regular mopping. In less than 3 months I killed one very popular brand one mop I will leave un-named. I'd rather not slander.. even if their product was disappointing along with their customer "dis"service.
When I was recently given the opportunity to test and review the Hoover Twin Tank Steam Mop, I was excited. The day it arrived I wanted to take a picture of it still in the box but my quick charge camera would have taken a whole 15 minutes to charge and my hands were itching to get to steaming.
It has two easy fill tanks that keep the specially formulated Hoover SteamPlus Cleaning Solution separate from the water, so you control the amount of solution used with a quick turn of the dial. No more waiting for the machine to build up steam either. It was ready to clean in less than 10 seconds at the push of button. There is even a steam ready LED light to alert you when it's time to clean. This Steam mop is perfect for busy moms like me! I have better things to do than wait around for my cleaning machine to be ready. The TwinTank Steam Mop comes equipped with a on-demand steam trigger, so you can boost your steam power where you need it. With a 30 foot power cord so I can clean farther without constantly swapping outlets it saves my sanity. The intelligently designed triangle mop head gets under my kitchen cabinets easily, against the baseboards and even around the toilet. There is nothing I do not love about this machine!!
The machine came with an 8oz bottle of Hoover 2X SteamPlus Cleaning Solution, 3 Microfiber Triangle Pads( so you always have one ready to clean with), Cooling Tray (to protect your floors during storage and cooling), and a Carpet Glider(to refresh carpets).
My personal experience with the Hoover TwinTank Steam Mop was amazing. When we moved into our house there were many old gum spots. I tried scraping but they were so old they didn't budge. With just a few seconds of steam shot from this amazing machine with the trigger activated steam, all the ancient gum was very tacky and easily cleaned. I was delighted to be able to steam clean the entire downstairs in less than 30 minutes. The only drawback was no need to kick my kids out of the house because it left the floor dry within minutes. Ok, that's not a real drawback, but it's the only one I could come up with.
To sum up.. If I hadn't gotten this as a review opportunity I would be begging my husband to buy it for me.
I received a sample of this product to facilitate my review, but my opinions are entirely my own.
Then the condo we lived at that had wood floors in the main rooms. This is where I was first introduced to steam mops. Sadly it was as much work to steam with as regular mopping. In less than 3 months I killed one very popular brand one mop I will leave un-named. I'd rather not slander.. even if their product was disappointing along with their customer "dis"service.
When I was recently given the opportunity to test and review the Hoover Twin Tank Steam Mop, I was excited. The day it arrived I wanted to take a picture of it still in the box but my quick charge camera would have taken a whole 15 minutes to charge and my hands were itching to get to steaming.
It has two easy fill tanks that keep the specially formulated Hoover SteamPlus Cleaning Solution separate from the water, so you control the amount of solution used with a quick turn of the dial. No more waiting for the machine to build up steam either. It was ready to clean in less than 10 seconds at the push of button. There is even a steam ready LED light to alert you when it's time to clean. This Steam mop is perfect for busy moms like me! I have better things to do than wait around for my cleaning machine to be ready. The TwinTank Steam Mop comes equipped with a on-demand steam trigger, so you can boost your steam power where you need it. With a 30 foot power cord so I can clean farther without constantly swapping outlets it saves my sanity. The intelligently designed triangle mop head gets under my kitchen cabinets easily, against the baseboards and even around the toilet. There is nothing I do not love about this machine!!
The machine came with an 8oz bottle of Hoover 2X SteamPlus Cleaning Solution, 3 Microfiber Triangle Pads( so you always have one ready to clean with), Cooling Tray (to protect your floors during storage and cooling), and a Carpet Glider(to refresh carpets).
My personal experience with the Hoover TwinTank Steam Mop was amazing. When we moved into our house there were many old gum spots. I tried scraping but they were so old they didn't budge. With just a few seconds of steam shot from this amazing machine with the trigger activated steam, all the ancient gum was very tacky and easily cleaned. I was delighted to be able to steam clean the entire downstairs in less than 30 minutes. The only drawback was no need to kick my kids out of the house because it left the floor dry within minutes. Ok, that's not a real drawback, but it's the only one I could come up with.
To sum up.. If I hadn't gotten this as a review opportunity I would be begging my husband to buy it for me.
I received a sample of this product to facilitate my review, but my opinions are entirely my own.
Sunday, August 5, 2012
K-5 Learning Review and Blogging Opportunity
With all 5 of my kids off for Summer break I was very grateful for the chance to review K-5 Learning. The oldest two have been using Summer to read through the Hunger Games. That leaves the 6 yr old in need of something educational to do. No TV Zombies allowed in this house.
K5 Learning is an online reading and math program for children kindergarten through 5th grade. This program is designed to be used at anytime from after-school, on the weekend, during the summertime to prevent summer brain drain or along side your homeschooling program. The early years are the key to your child's academics. Numerous studies have shown that children who do not excel in school by grade 3 are unlikely to excel later in school.
K5 Learning is designed to be a practical tool for busy families and it was perfect for my crazy family. Within the program there is a strong emphasis based on education not on games and entertainment. (not that it isn't fun.. my daughter had a blast and begged to "play" K5 every chance.) It was so easy to use even your 4 or 5 year old could work independently and at their own pace. (my 2 year old was begging and pleading.) With no downloads and 24/7 availability your child can access it anytime. There are no external links, advertisements or chat to keep your child's experience a safe one.
When your child starts the K5 the Math and Reading lessons are set by grade level default. To get the most of your experience it is highly recommended to take the online assessment in eight key math and reading skills. The data collected from the assessment is then used to customize the learning program to suit your child's skill individual skill set. There are over 3,000 online multimedia activities that are personalized to your child based on their assessment . No more worries that they aren't getting the lesson you select for them. The free online assessment helps to place your child at their appropriate skill level. My daughter was very strong in geometry but needed more work in phonics. Due to all lessons being catered to her skill level she was never bored from it being to easy or frustrated during a lesson that was too hard.
K5 Math is an award winning math program with over 1,200 research based online tutorials and activities. My daughter loved that the lesson used animated character in real world scenarios. It helped to build a connection between math and her own personal experiences. I was surprised to find out that my recent kindergarten graduate was actually at a 2nd grade math level.
K5 Math Facts helps your student develop instant recall of addition, subtraction, multiplication and division facts. Did you know that the average 5th grader only knows 32% of their multiplication tables! Instead of learning higher order math skills those students that don't know their math facts will spend their time on basic computations. Math Fact Matrix displays your student's progress on every single math facts. Mastery is obtained when the whole matrix is green. (great visual of accomplishment for your child to see) You can even adjust the time needed to enter the answer for those that are not as quick with the keys. My daughter enjoyed watching the matrix fill out with each pass through her facts.
K5 Reading program is comprised of over 1,500 online tutorials and activities. This award winning program is based on the instructional guidelines of the National Reading Panel as well as the best practices employed by teachers and reading specialists. The K5 Reading program is in use by thousands of US students from kindergarten to grade 5 covering 5 key curriculum skill areas: phonemic awareness, phonics, sight words, vocabulary and reading comprehension.
The reading lessons are all interactive and animated with fun "role model" characters. With each lesson broken into multiple 5 minute segments with an interactive tutorial, one or more practice segments and finally a quiz. These short study sessions keep the learning fast and fun. My daughter's reading went from a subject she struggled with and hated to a something she would beg to do more of.
K5 Spelling helps improve your child's language skills one word at a time. With immediate feedback on each word spelled. Correct spelling receives applause and misspellings receive hints on the way to correct their mistake. You child will always spell the word correctly before moving to the next. There is automatic word generation (from their 150,000 word database) based on your child's grade level, past quizzes and specific goals. Any words that were in the past they are repeated in future quizzes until spelled correctly multiple times. Unlike many websites K5 never displays a misspelled word to help imprint the proper spelling in their mind. Multiple clues to a word are given to help your child absorb the full meaning of the word before trying to spell it, from sound files, sample sentences, definitions and pictures.
It's not just about kid's learning there are great features for parents as well like the online progress reports and ability to set assignments for your child. Parents can access many online progress reports, quiz results, spelling words learned and progress made on math facts. Stay up to date on your child's progress and you can watch them excel. As a parent you can also choose from any of the K5 reading and math lessons to assign to your child, as well as spelling words to be studied. The assignment feature really helped boost my daughter's phonics, which she was struggling with initially because it is no longer taught in our local school district. I was able to assign more core lessons in phonics
K5 is available on a subscription basis for $199/year or $25/month with great discounts for siblings. Your subscription includes free assessments and unlimited use in each of the four K5 learning programs. You can also get a 14 day free trial!
Contact K5 yourself and get your child on the path to excel.
Website: http://www.k5learning.com
Blog: http://www.k5learning.com/blog
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/k5learning
Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/k5learning
Online reading and math enrichment program for kids - | K5 Learning Let them know I sent you!
I was given the opportunity to review this learning program free of charge for a 6 week free trial for my honest review about our experience with this learning program.
If you are blogger, you may want to contact K5 Learning open invitation to begin your own review opportunity. http://www.k5learning.com/review-k5
K5 Learning to the rescue!!
K5 Learning is an online reading and math program for children kindergarten through 5th grade. This program is designed to be used at anytime from after-school, on the weekend, during the summertime to prevent summer brain drain or along side your homeschooling program. The early years are the key to your child's academics. Numerous studies have shown that children who do not excel in school by grade 3 are unlikely to excel later in school.
K5 Learning is designed to be a practical tool for busy families and it was perfect for my crazy family. Within the program there is a strong emphasis based on education not on games and entertainment. (not that it isn't fun.. my daughter had a blast and begged to "play" K5 every chance.) It was so easy to use even your 4 or 5 year old could work independently and at their own pace. (my 2 year old was begging and pleading.) With no downloads and 24/7 availability your child can access it anytime. There are no external links, advertisements or chat to keep your child's experience a safe one.
When your child starts the K5 the Math and Reading lessons are set by grade level default. To get the most of your experience it is highly recommended to take the online assessment in eight key math and reading skills. The data collected from the assessment is then used to customize the learning program to suit your child's skill individual skill set. There are over 3,000 online multimedia activities that are personalized to your child based on their assessment . No more worries that they aren't getting the lesson you select for them. The free online assessment helps to place your child at their appropriate skill level. My daughter was very strong in geometry but needed more work in phonics. Due to all lessons being catered to her skill level she was never bored from it being to easy or frustrated during a lesson that was too hard.
K5 Math is an award winning math program with over 1,200 research based online tutorials and activities. My daughter loved that the lesson used animated character in real world scenarios. It helped to build a connection between math and her own personal experiences. I was surprised to find out that my recent kindergarten graduate was actually at a 2nd grade math level.
K5 Reading program is comprised of over 1,500 online tutorials and activities. This award winning program is based on the instructional guidelines of the National Reading Panel as well as the best practices employed by teachers and reading specialists. The K5 Reading program is in use by thousands of US students from kindergarten to grade 5 covering 5 key curriculum skill areas: phonemic awareness, phonics, sight words, vocabulary and reading comprehension.
The reading lessons are all interactive and animated with fun "role model" characters. With each lesson broken into multiple 5 minute segments with an interactive tutorial, one or more practice segments and finally a quiz. These short study sessions keep the learning fast and fun. My daughter's reading went from a subject she struggled with and hated to a something she would beg to do more of.
K5 Spelling helps improve your child's language skills one word at a time. With immediate feedback on each word spelled. Correct spelling receives applause and misspellings receive hints on the way to correct their mistake. You child will always spell the word correctly before moving to the next. There is automatic word generation (from their 150,000 word database) based on your child's grade level, past quizzes and specific goals. Any words that were in the past they are repeated in future quizzes until spelled correctly multiple times. Unlike many websites K5 never displays a misspelled word to help imprint the proper spelling in their mind. Multiple clues to a word are given to help your child absorb the full meaning of the word before trying to spell it, from sound files, sample sentences, definitions and pictures.
It's not just about kid's learning there are great features for parents as well like the online progress reports and ability to set assignments for your child. Parents can access many online progress reports, quiz results, spelling words learned and progress made on math facts. Stay up to date on your child's progress and you can watch them excel. As a parent you can also choose from any of the K5 reading and math lessons to assign to your child, as well as spelling words to be studied. The assignment feature really helped boost my daughter's phonics, which she was struggling with initially because it is no longer taught in our local school district. I was able to assign more core lessons in phonics
K5 is available on a subscription basis for $199/year or $25/month with great discounts for siblings. Your subscription includes free assessments and unlimited use in each of the four K5 learning programs. You can also get a 14 day free trial!
Contact K5 yourself and get your child on the path to excel.
Website: http://www.k5learning.com
Blog: http://www.k5learning.com/blog
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/k5learning
Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/k5learning
Online reading and math enrichment program for kids - | K5 Learning Let them know I sent you!
I was given the opportunity to review this learning program free of charge for a 6 week free trial for my honest review about our experience with this learning program.
If you are blogger, you may want to contact K5 Learning open invitation to begin your own review opportunity. http://www.k5learning.com/review-k5
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