Moms

The Ultimate Single Serve Hot Cocoa

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January is the perfect month to warm up with a cup of hot cocoa. Whether the ground outside is white or the wind is blowing in more cold air, nothing else will warm you from head to toe. Thankfully, I’ve found the ultimate single serve hot cocoa: Tootsie Roll Premium Hot Cocoa. I love trying new flavors of hot cocoa and my family loves it when they get in on the fun. So, when I was offered a chance to review the Tootsie Roll Hot Cocoa, I jumped right in. Tootsie Rolls have been around for a long time….since 1896! If people have loved Tootsie Rolls for that long, it’s about time someone created a Hot Cocoa that tastes like the famous candy. My children always loved the original Tootsie Roll flavored candy. My husband can’t stop eating them! So, we were thrilled with the delicious Tootsie Roll Hot Cocoa. And, these single-serve pods are the easiest way for us to all have a piping-hot cup whenever we want. The pods are easy to pop in to my K-cup single cup brewer. These work with Keurig machines and my no-name brand single cup brewer. It’s easy to just put the cup into the machine, add a cup of water, and wait just a few seconds for the hot cocoa to fill my mug. My son likes to put a large marshmallow in his mug before the hot cocoa fills. Then, the marshmallow starts to melt and give a sweet flavor on top of the already sweet cocoa. (He loves sweets) Two Rivers Coffee creates so many wonderful Hot Cocoa flavors. You can find them here. Whatever flavor you choose can be purchased in a 40-count package. They’re all compatible with Keurig 2.0 K-Cup brewers, but also work in other machines. Join me in trying the Tootsie Roll Hot Cocoa and warm up your insides on a freezing-cold day. @2020, copyright Lisa Ehrman

Celebrate It! Grab Bag: A Homeschool Mom’s Ally

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Disclosure: Affiliate link included. Full disclosure policy here. When you are a homeschool mom, who is going to understand exactly what you’re going through? Another homeschool mom, of course. I got involved in the Celebrate It! Grab Bag because I’m a retired homeschool mom and I love homeschooling. The group of over 40 homeschool creators have come together to share with you our very best! The Celebrate It! Grab Bag has over 70 Homeschool Digital Products that will make the holidays come alive for you and your children. We know how holidays throughout the year bring wonderful opportunities for learning and entertainment. When you get the Celebrate It! Grab Bag, you’re getting an organized Digital Library filled with fun learning resources that you can count on. No matter what the holiday, you’ll find a lesson, unit study, eBook, or other type of learning project to use with your children. Homeschooling can be tough, but we want to make your homeschool easier and more enjoyable. Instead of having to find or create your own holiday lessons, this Grab Bag will have you covered! These digital products can be used when you need them, and because they’re digital they can be used as often as you would like. We’re happy to support you and feel like we’re right beside you, cheering you on! I hope that 2021 will be a wonderful year for your family and that your homeschool will be blessed. Homeschooling is worth it! Just to offer you a little extra cheer, I’m giving away some cash! Enter below to win a $20 Paypal Cash Giveaway! Giveaway Rules: Entrants should be 18 years or older and have a Paypal account that can receive payments. Winner will be notified by email within 48 hours of giveaway’s end. Winner will then have 48 hours to claim the prize. If they fail to reply, a new winner will be chosen. No social media is in any way responsible for this giveaway. This Giveaway runs from Jan 4 – Jan 6 at 11:59 PM CT. There are only 5 entries, so it’s really quick to enter! a Rafflecopter giveaway Check out the amazing things you can grab! You’ll be glad that you did! $798.36 is the Total Value of the Grab Bag! You pay only $23.95 – That’s a savings of 97%! This Sale only lasts until 1/11/21 11:59PM ET Here is a list of the Homeschool Digital Products you can grab for only $23.95! Christmas Countdown Chain Bundle Christmas Around the World Research Worksheets Joy to the World Bundle Celebrate Christmas with a Traveling Dinner Christmas Thoughts & Prayers Journal eBook: 31 Days to Create a Simple Family Christmas Christmas in Shakespeare’s Medieval England Christmas in Dickens’ Victorian England Christmas Activity Binder The Story of Christmas: Reader & Activities Christmas Planner & Gift Giving Organizer Christmas ABC’s Handwriting Practice & Games Advent Bundle – Jesus: Prophecy Fulfilled Christmas Science Projects: 4 Favorite Activities Based on Children’s Books Do a Dot Christmas Activity Pack Christmas Countdown Advent Kit Jesus-Arrival of a King Lapbook A Christmas Adventure Winter Music Lessons for Holidays & Special Days online course Winter Holidays Symbols and Traditions Literacy and Math Fact Pack Winter Learning Pack History of Thanksgiving Printables Give Thanks Bundle The Ultimate Fall Homeschool Printable Bundle Thanksgiving Study Pack Thanksgiving Bundle Women’s History Coloring Book + Flashcards Women’s History Printable Activity Bundle Women’s History Bundle Women’s History Notebooking Set MATH to ART – The Dream by Marin Luther King Jr Black History Coloring Book Level B Black History Study Flashcards Birthday Learning Pack Magical Birthdays Collection Holy Week Fact Pack Grades PreK-1st Risen: Leader’s Guide Risen: Student Workbook Easter Activities: Keep Christ in Easter Valentine’s Day Fact Pack Christ-Centered Valentines + Scripture Copywok God’s Word in my Heart Copyword Keepsake for Mom and Love Coupons bundle Fruit of the Spirit Valentine’s Day Valentine’s Day Learning Pack St. Patrick’s Day Fact Pack St. Patrick’s Day Tracing and Coloring Book Patriotic Fact Pack Bundle {Includes Flag Day, Memorial Day and The Star Spangled Banner} History of Flags in America Coloring Book-Level B and C Veterans Day Guide, Lapbook, and Coloring Pages Salute Our Heroes Military Coloring Book Level A Patriotic Coloring Pages Fit For Fall Artsy Painted Pumpkin Corn Maze Unit Study Apple Bundle Fall on the Homestead Big Bundle! Fall Harvest Pack Christopher Columbus Fact Pack Writing Prompts About the History of Canada Cinco de Mayo Coloring Book Level B & Level C Race to the Oval Office Board Game Grant the Grouchy Groundhog: Consonant Blend Practice U.S. Presidents Bingo and Quiz Game, Vol. 1-3 Abraham Lincoln Copywork (Print and Cursive Versions) U.S. Presidents Write and Color Books Bundle Presidential Unit Study + Flash Cards Pearl Harbor Mini Quiz Pack Pearl Harbor Movie Study Declaration of Independence Terminology & Copywork (Print and Cursive versions) Dr. Seuss-Inspired Reading Fun Pack Chinese New Year Online Unit Study Reformation Day Activities Don’t wait to grab your Celebrate It! Grab Bag here at The Frugal Grandmom! This offer ends the 11th! Thank you for investing in your children! @2020, copyright Lisa Ehrman

How To Organize Homeschool Digital Resources

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homeschool mom

Disclosure: Affiliate link included. Homeschooling can get very expensive, but there are ways to do it cheaper. There are online resources that many of us have used, such as: Kahn Academy, Ambleside Online, or Easy Peasy. These have full curriculum, but it’s also fun to use a varied collection of lessons from all over the place. Using books from the library with online or printable lessons can allow you to customize the lesson plans based on the child’s interest or even specific holidays or seasons. If you love collecting unit studies, lap book plans, or random special occasion lessons, it can get really hard to keep track of them. Maybe you found a free printable on a homeschool blog that would be perfect for you to use with your children on Independence Day. But, when July comes you totally forget that you have it. So, it’s easy to miss out on good lesson opportunities if you’re not very organized. If these are digital products, then it’s just common sense that you should store and organize them in a digital format. If you print these out and file them in a filing cabinet, it would take up so much room. It also doesn’t allow for the fact of needing multiple copies of some of the pages if you have more than one child. My favorite way to organize files is to use Google Drive. It’s very easy to add files and folders. You can organize them very easily. If you have quite a few resources, you could have folders marked by the month. So, April’s folder might contain Easter printouts, April Fool’s activities, or Spring lessons. Or, you could organize files by grade level or: Elementary, Middle-School, Junior-High, and High School folders. Dropbox is another good way to organize and store homeschool digital products. They also let you upload files and share them. But, in order to store very much, you will need to pay for the account. I also don’t find it as easy to use as Google Drive. And, Google Drive is free. Trello is a wonderful file organizational website. With Trello, you create a team and that can be your family. You can store homeschool lessons and other digital files. These can be organized any way that you like. Sharing them with your “team” can allow you all to share things back and forth, digitally. There is a free version and a paid version, where you will get more features. Each year, when curriculum planning begins, just take a little time to browse through the folders to see what you have. This will help you to then plan for what you need and this will save time and money. I wish that I had a laptop with digital resources when I started homeschooling in the 80’s. Many bloggers offer free and low-cost homeschool resources that can be downloaded right to your computer. Make sure and take advantage of these great offers. It will make your life easier and your lessons more interesting. Everyone gets tired of textbooks every single day. We previously had a Teaser Bag and Pre-Bag sale for the Celebrate It! Grab Bag here at The Frugal Grandmom. If you love homeschool digital products, you’ll want to check out the January Grab Bag that is coming soon. Watch for my emails to let you know when it happens. @2020, copyright Lisa Ehrman

15 Ideas To Make New Year’s Eve Fun For Kids

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When 2020 ends and 2021 begins, I plan to celebrate! My New Year’s Eve celebrations are always designed around the family. That’s why I’ve always liked to find some fun things for the children to do before it got too late. They will enjoy ringing in the new year, even if they don’t stay awake that late. Here are a few fun ideas that you can use with your children to let them be a part of a New Year’s celebration! There are so many fun and frugal ways to have fun with your family. Board games, charades, Pictionary, fun movies, or anything that your family enjoys are great ideas. Remembering the good times of the past year and praying for God to bless the new one are all wonderful things to do as a family. Noise Maker Craft – Let children help to design this craft that will make a little noise. Balloon Clock Count-Down – Let children get in on the count-down with this fun and easy game. Jingle Noise Makers – Make these fun noise-makers with jingle bells. Coloring Pages – Printable New Year’s Eve coloring pages. New Year’s Crown – Print these and let the children decorate them. New Year’s Eve Tree – Undecorate the Christmas tree and let the children help to decorate with a New Year’s theme. Glow In the Dark Fun – Children always have fun with Glow Sticks. Word Search and Mazes – Print out these fun games that will keep kids busy. Resolution Videos – Great idea for the entire family. New Year’s Eve Dipped Pretzel Rods – Fun and easy snacks. Pigs in a Blanket – Traditional finger food. Snowball Cheese Ball – Cheeseball shaped like a snowman! New Year’s Eve Puppy Chow – White Chocolate Puppy Chow. Soft Pretzel Bites and Cheese Dip – Make these homemade treats that kids will love to dip! Lime Sherbet Party Punch – Very sweet! @2020, copyright Lisa Ehrman

Homeschooling in 2021

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Disclosure: Affiliate link included. How many of you will be homeschooling your children in the new year? How many of you are homeschooling because of the virus? Homeschooling was very popular before the pandemic and now many families are homeschooling due to the pandemic. Whatever reason you have for homeschooling, the responsibility is real. All parents want their children to learn well. As a retired homeschool mom, I understand all the pros and cons, the struggles, and the victories. I lived through the curriculum changes, the learning differences, and the horrors of teaching math. I have lived to make it to the other side and have good news for you. If you make it a top priority it will work! My three children are now adults and they turned out really well. They got into college and graduated with advanced degrees. They didn’t forget who they were, nor did they lose their faith. They got good jobs and married well. I was rewarded by becoming a grandmother…. wink.wink… I remember that there were times when I was in the midst of tough days and weeks that my inner strength would fade and I wanted to quit. How many times did I threaten to put them on a school bus? It’s funny, but a real part of being a homeschool mom. Most days were filled with great learning experiences, but we all go through days when a child is whining or they just can’t remember their multiplication facts. All of these things would happen to your child in a brick and mortar school, just like they happen in homeschool. The great thing about homeschooling is that you can be there to coach them through healthy responses to problems at home. Tough lessons can be learned without shame or bullying that might occur in schools. The love of learning is one of the most important goals in home education. Children can grow up and still enjoy learning. Many children who attend school will have trouble with a subject or a bad teacher and then start hating school. There are often many reasons that children grow to hate learning. As homeschool moms, another goal should be to make learning enjoyable. Learning can be fun, but it doesn’t all need to be. Learning should occur in a setting that is positive and moms can ‘draw the student into’ the lesson by using methods that entice each child to want to learn. By understanding how your child learns and what they’re interested in, the homeschool mom can customize each lesson. It sounds complicated, but gets very easy over time. Think of using the child’s senses in the learning experience. Using tools like: Graphic Organizers, Art, Music, or activity, will help each child learn in more than one way. Some children learn great by hearing where others learn by seeing. Learning styles can increase the child’s ability to learn at a mastery level. I studied a lot about how children learn in college and used that knowledge to individualize each of my children’s education. Many moms who are homeschooling because of the virus can help to supplement their child’s education at home by asking the teacher for ideas. With elementary students, moms can usually add to the lessons on their own. Adding some educational games, quizzes, flash-cards, or songs can help to reinforce lessons that might have gone over their heads on a zoom screen. Just some simple review can make all the difference. How has your homeschool been going this year? Do you have questions or need some help? I would be glad to answer any questions that you might have. Maybe something I learned the hard way could provide you with a little encouragement. @2020, copyright Lisa Ehrman

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