February 2018 Holidays {Free Printable}

I don't know  about you, but when i think of February i think of: Valentine's, chocolates, flowers, football, and Mardi Gras.

I definitely don't think about International Dog Biscuit Appreciation day (seriously what?!), but that's just one of the wacky holidays you will find of my list of February holidays.

However; Eat Ice Cream for breakfast day (yes, yes, yes!), national pizza day (love me some pizza!), and national drink wine day (cheers!) are some of the more pleasant holidays February has to offer.

So if you are looking for some wacky holidays or some really fun holidays to celebrate either way, there is something on my list for you.

Download it for yourself, HERE.

February Challenge {Diet & Exercise}

I was doing really well during my weight loss series week. I was doing 25,000 - 30,000 steps every single day that week! Then the next week i did really poorly with my diet and exercise. So, I've decided to really push myself this February.




Here's the diet portion of my February Challenge

        NO:

• Candy
• Cakes
• Chips
• White Bread
• Fast Food
• Chocolate
• Ice Cream
• Coffee

Those diet restrictions are what i stuck to last April when i lost a lot of weight, except the coffee part, that's something new i'm challenging myself on.

And the exercise portion of my February Challenge

Squats:

Day 1 - 10
Day 2 - 15
Day 3 - 20
Day 4 - 25
Day 5 - 30
Day 6 - Rest
Day 7 - 30
Day 8 - 35
Day 9 - 40
Day 10 - 45
Day 11 - 50
Day 12 - Rest
Day 13 - 50
Day 14 - 55
Day 15 - 60
Day 16 - 65
Day 17 - 70
Day 18 - Rest
Day 19 - 70
Day 20 - 75
Day 21 - 80
Day 22 - 85
Day 23 - 90
Day 24 - Rest
Day 25 - 90
Day 26 - 95
Day 27 - 100
Day 28 - 105

Squats are such a good and effective exercise.



I created it into a PDF for you to print out and hang it on your fridge or wherever you will look at it on a regular basis.

You can download it for free HERE

I hope you'll join me for this challenge. If you decide to join, let me know. I'd love for us to be able to encourage one another.

Groundhog Day Printables {Free}

Hi Guys!

Groundhog Day is almost here, so today i'm sharing some printables I've made for Groundhog Day. I hope you enjoy them.




Groundhog Day Printable Pack - Download it in my TpT Store or HERE

What's Included in my printable pack?

• Puzzle's
• Color to match
• Do-a-dot
• Math color by code
• Bingo
• Prediction page
• Sight word color by code
• and more!

Groundhog Day Bookmarks - Download it in my TpT Store or HERE




I've written a previous blog post on Groundhog day, where i share some of my favorite ways to celebrate the holiday. You can read that blog post HERE

*Note: Graphics provided by My Cute Graphics!*

Homeschool Updates

We are already more than half way through our homeschool school year, so i thought now would be a good time to give you all some updates on what's been going on with our homeschool.



Our homeschool room - Update #1

When we first started out our school year, our homeschool room was in our old living room. I wrote a blog post giving you all a tour of our school room, you can look back at that HERE.

Well, shortly into the school year, that homeschool room set up wasn't working for us anymore. So we moved our school room back to it's previous location.

Well, that still wasn't working for us, so we moved yet again.

Now we are in a new location (our old home office room) and so far i have to say i'm loving this set up.







The problem with the previous set ups were the baby was able to get a hold of everything. With this set up, the baby is outside of our school room and i'm still able to keep an eye on him. He is no longer distracting the kids by grabbing their school work.

Where we are at so far - Update #2

We are in our 23rd week , day 112.
Karina has already finished all of her handwriting book (this one was her second one so far this school year) and the boys are on their final week of vocabulary.

When will we be done - Update #3

As of right now, we are projected to be done with our school year on May 11th. That would be 37 weeks completed and a total of 183 days.

Entertaining Cruz (who is 3 years old) - Update #4

Entertaining a baby and a toddler is definitely one of the hardest things about homeschooling. Right now we are in a good rhythm, with the baby playing in the playroom until nap time while we do school work.

Cruz has the option to play with his baby brother in the playroom or join us in the school room. Lately he has been opting to join us, and when he does i give him these containers to play with.



They have all sorts of different stuff inside of them:

• Puzzles
• Magnets
• Counting Bears
• Playdough
• and more...

They seem to be doing the job of entertaining him while not distracting the other kids.

Spelling woes - Update #5

My kids are not naturally gifted with spelling. Although i love the Spelling-You-See curriculum, my boys have been needing something extra. I didn't want to purchase a brand new curriculum this far into the school year, so I've just been giving them a list of spelling words each week to master. So far it's going really well, and i believe by the time our school year is up they will be able to spell all the words on their grade level spelling list.



All About Reading - Update #6

My daughter, Karina, has been using the All About Reading curriculum, level 1, this year. I bought this curriculum when we first started homeschooling, yet i was never able to truly give it a shot with my boys. However, i must say i'm loving using it with my daughter. She is learning so much. I'm impressed with how quickly she is grasping reading.

What i am not liking - Update #7

Christian Heroes Then & Now books. I really wanted to like these books, and i did really enjoy the Nate Saint one. However most of these books have incredibly hard names/locations to pronounce. And the chapters are not quick, they seem to drone on. Most days when i am reading them aloud, to the boys, i find myself not paying attention to what I've just read.

That's all the stuff i can think of to update about right now. If you homeschool, let me know how your school year is going so far


*This post may contain affiliate links*

Tip Tuesday #1

Hi Guys!

I thought i would start this new weekly blog post where i share a new tip with you all on Tuesdays. The tips can be anything, from homeschooling, to fitness, to children, etc. So pretty much anything that i think would be a useful tip to share with you.





For my first Tip Tuesday, i'm sharing with you my newest favorite addition to my medicine cabinet.

As you all know, cold & flu season is among us. And this year it is hitting HARD. You can't turn on the news without hearing about another death thanks to the flu.

Now, although this product i'm going to share with you is AWESOME, i just have to state that it isn't going to completely eliminate your chances of getting the flu. Just had to put that in there.

Anyways, without further ado... I'd like to introduce you to Airborne Immune Boosting Gummies



You guys, these things are so incredible. I have to give you my story on why i love them so much.

Back around the middle of December, some of my children started to not feel so great. I had been out Christmas shopping, when i decided to run into Walgreen's for a few cold/flu items we were low on.

While looking around for some extra vitamins for my kids, i stumbled upon these bad boys. I decided to buy them for my husband & I (they are for ages 14 & up), so we wouldn't catch whatever bug the kids had.

My husband & I started taking them, and you guys we never got the really bad head cold my children had.

Then shortly after New Year's my kids got sick again. This one was worse; throwing up, diarrhea, coughing, sneezing, high fever. It was bad.

I was carrying my 1 year old down the stairs, hands full with him & a cup of coffee. He sneezed in my face. Literally sprayed yucky spit snot all over me, and guess what? I still didn't catch that illness!

And i'd like to thank that all to these amazing immune boosting gummies.

I really wish they made these for children. If you know of anything similar for children, let me know in the comments.   I found some for kids!! Hallelujah!!



Sadly i won't be able to use these for the 1 year old & 3 year old, but my 3 other kids are totally going to start taking these! Yay!!

So, to summarize for my Tip Tuesday #1, if you want to avoid catching all the crud that is going around during this time of the year, take these immune boosting gummies and you'll be amazed at how good you'll feel.



*This post may contain affiliate links*

Cleaning Schedule {Free Printable}

When was the last time i vacuumed? When was the last time i washed that bedding? When was the last time i cleaned that toilet? These are all questions i have asked myself.

I'm a busy mom of 5 kids.

I homeschool them.

I run my husband's small business.

I also have this little blog over here that i try to keep up with.

My plate is full.

So with cleaning & keeping up with the when was the last time i did this or that, is really hard to remember it all.

That's why i decided to create a cleaning schedule. Something that wasn't too complicated. One where i focus on a particular task each day.



Here is what my cleaning schedule looks like:

• Mop It Monday* - Mopping, vacuuming, etc. (everything that has to do with floors)
• Toilet Tuesday - Deep clean bathrooms (dust, toilets, mirrors, etc.)
• Wash It Wednesday - Wash all bedding.
• Throw It Away Thursday - Organize/declutter paperwork, etc. (toss junk mail, file paperwork, etc.)
• Fantastic Fridge Friday - Clean out fridge & pantry.

Monday - Friday i have a new specific cleaning goal. Of course some things aren't mentioned on the above list, like the everyday stuff (take out garbage, make beds, tidy up, do dishes).

I actually did research on how often you should clean before i came up with this list, and even Martha Stewart agrees with me when it comes to washing bedding, cleaning toilets, and vacuuming.



*Note: Just thought i would add in a little note here, that your high traffic areas probably will need vacuuming more than once a week. Also if you have small children you might have to mop your floors more than once a week as well.*

Since starting this new cleaning schedule, i feel like my house is cleaner. I also no longer have days where i'm like shoot i forgot to clean the toilet. Plus it's kind of a fun and easy schedule to remember.

You can download my cleaning schedule, for free, HERE!!

Weight Loss Series - Day 5 - Top 10 Favorite Recipes

Today's the last day in my weight loss series. I hope you have all enjoyed hearing about my favorite weight loss/fitness foods, tools, & websites.




For my last day i'm sharing my favorite recipes.




Peanut Butter Fruit Dip This stuff is so yummy! I love to treat myself to it with some grapes!



Sheet Pan Steak & Veggies  We just had this the other night for dinner! It was amazingly easy and so yummy!




Cauliflower Chowder This has been a favorite of mine for the last several years.



Peanut Butter Granola  Every time i make this i have to make 2 batches because my kids just gobble it up! The love to eat it like a cereal, with some almond milk.




Vanilla Chai Vegan Banana Pancakes Easy & yummy! The kids love it!




Black Bean Burgers - This is a great recipe if you are vegetarian or vegan! So yummy too! I'll be honest though, this recipe wasn't a big hit with my kids. Most of my kids prefer regular ground beef burgers. I however, love these burgers!!



Chipotle Chicken Quinoa Burrito Bowl My family isn't big on eating quinoa, so we substitute with rice. It's so good.




Chocolate Peanut Butter "Ice Cream" I make this almost every morning for my breakfast. I just use frozen bananas, unsweetened almond milk, and natural peanut butter. Sometimes i'll add in a scoop of cocoa powder. It really feels like you are eating ice cream (or in my case a milkshake because of the almond milk), but without the guilt.




Turkey Taco Burrito Bowls  My kids love turkey taco's, even more than original taco's with ground beef.





Sticky Sesame Cauliflower I tried this out last month, i was surprised at how good it tasted.



So that's it, those are my favorite recipes. What's your favorite healthy recipe?

That's also the end of my weight loss series, i really hope you enjoyed it as much as i did. I don't know about you, but just looking at all these recipes has made me hungry.

Weight Loss Series - Day 4 - Top 5 Favorite Websites

Hi Guys!

Day 4 of my weight loss series is here!




Today i'm sharing with you my top 5 favorite websites for weight loss.



1. Pinterest - Recipes, workouts, diet plans, you name it Pinterest has it!

2. YouTube - *If you click the link it will take you to Bikini Body Mommy's YouTube channel. I started taking the original bikini body mommy challenge back in November and it is such an effective workout.* YouTube has sooo many different free workouts available that require little to no equipment.

3. Diary of a Fit Mommy - She has lot's of helpful information. I enjoy looking through her blog.

4. Instagram - There are so many different fitness/weight loss people you can follow on Instagram.

5. Shape - Workouts, healthy eating, they have it all.

What's your favorite website to help with losing weight?

Weight Loss Series - Day 3 - Top 5 Favorite Tools

*This post may contain affiliate links*

Hi Guys!

I hope you are enjoying my weight loss series this week. I know for me, sharing with you all has really got me motivated again with losing weight. I've been kicking butt this week with my workouts and diet.

Anyways, for Day 3 today i'm sharing all my favorite tools/gadgets that have helped me with losing weight.

In no particular order...

1. Fitbit - There is probably no way i would have lost all the weight i have so far if it wasn't for my Fitbit. The hourly reminders to get up a move have been a great help.

2. Blender - I use my blender pretty much every day for making deliciously healthy smoothies.

3. Scale - Although most mornings i dread getting on the scale, i do need the scale to see how i'm progressing.

4. Weights - I have 5 pounds & 10 pounds weights that i use for working out with.

5. Meal Prep Containers - These are great for keeping portions under control.
What's your favorite tool/gadget for weight loss?

Weight Loss Series - Day 2 - Top 10 Favorite Foods

*This post may contain affiliate links.*

Hi Guys!

I'm back with day 2 in my weight loss series.



I hope you enjoyed hearing about my weight loss journey in yesterday's post.

Today i'm excited to be sharing with you my Top 10 Favorite Foods. These are all delicious foods, that helped me lose weight.



1. Peanut Butter - I love Adam's 100% Natural Peanut Butter. I wish i would have discovered it sooner. All it has in it is, peanuts and a little bit of salt.



2. Almond Milk - I love Almond Breeze Unsweetened Vanilla Almond Milk. I use it in all the smoothies i make.




3. Avocados - These are so delicious in salads, wrapped up in a tortilla, or made up into guacamole.



4. Coconut Oil - My favorites are Coconut Oil Spray and Kirkland Organic Coconut Oil. I use the spray for everything you would use PAM for, and i use the oil for a lot of baking.





5. Bananas - There are so many different ways to use them; plain, frozen, blended, pancakes, etc. The list goes on. Anyway you eat them, they are delicious and full of good vitamins.




6. Dark Chocolate - Chocolate that is actually good for you! Plus it's yummy! Win-Win!!




7. Eggs - Tons of protein and really easy to whip up.




8. Ranch Dressing - I love the original Ranch Lighthouse Dressing so much, but it's not the healthiest, so i was really excited that Lighthouse came out with OPA Ranch dressing. It's made with Greek Yogurt and so it's a lot better for you than the original.



9. Wheat Tortillas - These tortillas are so good, and with only 70 calories per serving you can feel good about eating them.



10. Beans - Black beans and pinto beans are my favorite beans.



Bonus #11. - Green Tea w/ Mint - This stuff is so tasty, and it really helps when i'm craving something not so great (like a fancy coffee drink from the overpriced coffee shop down the street).



What are some of your favorite foods for weight loss?