87 Years of Wisdom

"I learn something new every day", this is a quote I grew up hearing often and then it was quickly followed by "I'm xx years old and I'm still learning!" My grandfather just turned 87 on Saturday and we all spent the day with him have a fantastic time. We heard stories for the millionth time, heard new tales and even laughed until we cried, sang until our throats were sore and ate until we thought we may slip into a food coma. It's not every day that we get to dine with a legend and yes, I truly think my grandfather is one.

9 Things About My Grandfather:
1.~ He ALWAYS has a Jalapeno in his pocket...ALWAYS.
2.~ He left home at the age of 12, so his family would have more food.
3. ~ He was headed for Minnesota on a freight train, when he was beat with a club out of a hay bale and kicked off the train in Chicago, that's how our family ended up here.
4. ~ He showed up as a guest to a friend's wedding, when a groomsman got sick, they grabbed him to accompany the extra girl...that ended up being my grandma.

5. ~ He is ALWAYS in a suit...ALWAYS...

6. ~ He can barely get in or out of his sportscar, but he is still driving around in one that he trades in every few years for another.

7.~ He packed lettuce, picked cotton, drove semis back and forth over the border, drove tractors for farmers and collected bottles for people making their own liquor in basements, all before he was 14.
8. ~ The only family photo he has with both of his parents and all his brothers and sisters was taken in his living room....with his mother in her coffin, dead.
9. ~ He is amazing. 

Enjoy every minute my friends!

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How to Prepare for your Disney Trip!

You're going to Disney!!! Congrats and be prepared for the trip of a lifetime. In order to make Disney affordable, we book a year in advance (in fact we book while we are still on Disney Property!!) and pay it off monthly. Doing this means our trip is SO FAR AWAY, but it also makes for some awesome things we can do as a countdown!! Disney sends you packets of information from booking all the way up to your trip, which is awesome when you have little ones! We love yelling DISNEY MAIL!!! Then everyone gathers and we open it all together. This is a fun way to count down to Disney, not the mundane 'what to pack' type of posts. You can find those anywhere and for us, packing is the least of our worries! LOL!

Once you book your trip, QUICKLY order the current DVD planning video. Yes, you have already booked your vacation, but this video is PERFECT for getting you all in the Disney mood and you can watch it often. It's important to arrange for Disney Mail to arrive at least once every 3 weeks or so, so that the countdown seems real. If a few things arrive at once, save some for another week to keep the suspense. Onve we get down to 2 months before we head out, I usually have enough for once a week DISNEY MAIL packages!

Head on over to Your Disney Side and create your own decal! Let your children each create themselves, so that it becomes a fun fun family activity and once again more Disney Mail to look forward to!

Get your guide book on! Many libraries carry these guide books, but we like to buy our own so that we can write in them, fold pages and constantly refer to them. We usually pick one up every month as a countdown to our trip. Many can be used year after year and others that are dated, we just cut out for our scrapbooks when we get back or hand them over to friends that are headed there next. Some of these books like Hidden Mickey's are AWESOME for bringing with you on vacation, because they will keep you and kids occupied while in lines and during down times. Order them online and you have more Disney mail arriving at your house. Start with planning guides far in advance and work your way towards dining guides when it's time to book your dining reservations (180 days). Work your way to Trivia, Engineering and specialty guides as you get closer and then be sure you have your Planning Guide ready and marked up to book your Fastpass + reservations (60 days).

Next, head on over to the WDW website and it's time to create your own park maps. Be sure to have your park guides with you so that you all can discuss rides and you can be sure that everyone meets the height requirements. This part is a lot of fun, we usually do this with dessert one evening around the dining room table. These usually arrive within 3-4 weeks but have sometimes arrived in 2 weeks, I guess it all depends on how much they have going on at that time!

Now it's time to head on over to EBAY and order your pin trading lanyards. No only are you saving money by doing this on Ebay and NOT at the parks, but you are adding to the fun of the trip. Disney sends awesome luggage tags with your Magical Express information, but if you don't need that many,  let the kids put those on the bottom of the lanyard and they will also have your cell phone # on them in case of a worst case scenario. Another option is to let your children put their spending money on a Disney gift card and put that on the bottom of the lanyard, that way it is always with them. Now it's time to begin buying a handful of pins for each lanyard. Keep these pins to hand out on weeks that you have no Disney Mail coming and don't do them all at once, it makes it more fun for them to add as they go.

When it comes to Disney Pins, why spend top dollar on ones your children are just going to trade anyway, especially when you don't want to influence what they trade for.  When buying from Ebay, be sure they are OFFICIAL Disney Trading pins ONLY! They will be marked on the back that way, you don't want cheap pins that the cast members will NOT trade for as it is. Pin trading keeps the kids engaged and having fun, without any additional monies being spent while in the parks. We usually then let the kids pick out one special non-tradeable pin in the parks. All the pins hit our shadow boxes at home once we get back from our trip.

Before you know it, it's time to go and THE DISNEY PACKAGE arrives. This is the one with your Magic Bands and you are now READY TO GO! Before these arrive, there are a few more things you can do to prepare for them! On Ebay, you can find a plethora of Bandits and Coverbands. These are things to decorate your Magic Band with. Let me inform you that if you WANT these items, to get them through Ebay and do not pay a lot for them. We lost so many bandits, I am glad I didn't pay full price for all of them. They pop off easily, so be sure to use E-6000 glue to glue them in place once you have sized the bands. This will go towards saving your sanity. The coverbands are a complete waste of money, the bands slide around non-stop and you can't always get a good connection with the wand when you are entering the park or using a fast pass. Of course, you are then holding up the line while you try and fish the band around. Disney claims that they can read through the material and for the most part they can but every now and then (usually with the longest line behind you), they don't. All of these fun little gadgets and do-dads help the time go by so much faster and add more levels of excitement that also lead you to save money when in the parks. You aren't spending on extras and your trivia guides give you something to do instead of wandering into the shops! We attempt to do Disney once a year and follow this plan as much as we can. Our break in our streak came when we bought the house and we had to put 2 years on hold and now we are preparing for a 3 week stint in Mexico next year and Europe the year after. 

While waiting for that last week to DRAG BY....head on over to your local drug store and pick up some glow in the dark polish, glitter polish, favorite color and then a base and topcoat. Now you are ready to decorate your magic bands! We kept it simple by just painting the mickey head (this does not affect how it works AT ALL) with glitter polish and then the entire thing in glow in the dark polish. This is awesome in the evening and even better in dark rides and shows. The kids loved this part the most. You will need around 4-5 coats to get the most out of the glow polish.

How true! I always hear about how people think their children are too old or too young for Disney but this is just not true. My kids have gone as young as 2 months old and I was still going with my parents through college! Disney has no age restrictions on Magic and that is exactly what a trip to Disney is!

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Happy Saturday!

Today was our Sams Club stock up day, you know the type...load up the top and bottom of the cart so high that you can't see and then have a minor coronary when the total rings up? The ones where you start out so great with boxes and organized packing but then eventually you run out of boxes and are just shoving stuff wherever it fits! This is our one weekend a month that we spend at home deep cleaning, working on another remodel on our list and shopping. 

Today was the start of winter project #1. We finished half of the attic when we bought the house for our daughter to use as a room, the other half remained unfinished. Today the old subflooring was torn up and a new one was put down along with running new electrical. This will be a project that will most likely last all winter but I am glad to get it started. This half of the attic will become a hang out room for the kids and their friends. It will house comfy chairs, bookshelves, a table, tv and game consoles along with board games, a minifridge and other odds and ends. 

Enjoy every single minute my friends!!

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Learning Games

Oh Happy Day! How are you doing today? The weekend was wonderful and the weather is right as it should be for Autumn. As I organize the classroom for a new tour post coming soon, I am finding so many things that I have yet to blog about but are already ready to move on to a new home. I have a small online resale shop that I sell items to locals and I know they are going to homes that will treasure them for the time being and then they too will pass them on. Even though most of the stuff I make is upcycled in some way, it still pains me to just toss it in the trash. Are you like that? Anyway, this was supposed to be Friday's post, but I got distracted by something else in the blogosphere, you know when you wish you could spin your own yarn like SouleMama or be as fashionable as TwoBirds or have the eye that the Goodwillista has or of course the shoe collection over at the Tote Trove...then you combine that with the emails that come to me wishing for similar traits...well I knew it was time to set people straight on the world of Bloggers, so that was FRIDAY and this is now Monday and my schedule is a mess as it should be Menu Plan Monday...which I will just have to reschedule for later today! Anyway...Above you will see the easiest playroom storage EVER that also looks so cute! Clear glass jars are perfect for small odds and ends that seem to always end up in the corners of the room!

Colors, Colors, Colors! This game was a simple one that the kids and I made up together with an old palette. I had them paint the palette in rainbow order, gather up some random color pegs and we raided our dice collection for one that was all about colors. Then I had them color blobs of color on cardstock flashcards and they were labeled. This can be played so many ways, that I hope it's a reminder of just what you can do when you look around your home! Learning toys do NOT have to be expensive and should not be limited to just 1 thing. I teach each subject to mastery and DO NOT only have 1 way of doing that. I figure if I change it up often, it will eventually catch on and be fun along the way!

Vacation is ALWAYS learning time, no matter where we go! My older 2 always have notebooks on them and are able to take notes on what is important or things that caught their eye. I hope that this is teaching them to keep their eyes always open and is giving them an eye for detail. My youngest is still in the wandering stage, which is quite alright and why I help him out with this worksheet. He knows what is on it and what to prepare for as we explore new places, but it does not require him to take notes. Get your own copy HERE! 

Clothespins! What can't you do with them? I always have several hundreds of these on hand, just like popsicle sticks, they are one of my go-to game makers. When flashcards lose their mates or their box begins to get warped, I know they need a new life NOT to see the end of their life. This simple game is a matching one that can be tossed in a pencil pouch and taken on the road. We are always waiting somewhere, are we not? Pulling out pouch games was how the children kept entertained!

Alphabet Soup was a longtime favorite and one the kids recently began playing again when I took it out to sell. They love the fun there is to the games, even if they already know and understand the material. This is all I ever want for my homeschool, to know that learning is fun. A bowl of magnetic alphabet uppercase letters and spoon are what draw the eye into the game. Use a dry erase marker on the recipe card and the kids are all set. The teacher/parent calls out a letter and the student/child must first circle it on the recipe card and then take a spoon full of soup out. They hunt for the matching uppercase letter through the soup and then continue on to the next letter and the next. This is great for learning letters and fine motor skills. Being as the letters are magnetic, they can also be used in many other ways! 

Isn't ^that the truth ^my friends? Remember to take the time to enjoy every minute!! We are off on a field trip of a firehouse!

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Why We Homeschool...

Lately I keep getting asked more and more as to why we went with and are sticking with our decision to homeschool. It seems that so many people consider it and then talk themselves out of doing it. I know this, because that was me 4 years ago. We kept waffling with out decision and then no matter how many times it seemed like the right path for us, we shook our heads and forged on. We thought we had found the right place for our children in a private school here in Rockford, IL but boy were we wrong. It was a good place that went downhill quickly. The small size of the school should have tipped us off from the get-go, but of course we just attributed that to the conservative aspect of the school. In my opinion, it ended up having too many qualities that reminded me of a bizarre cult. Oh how I wish that we had listened to what God was telling us and not have made the big mistake of sending our children to that school. The good that came out of it? I made an amazing friend, who also left the school and we homeschool together and I learned a very difficult lesson that I needed to learn. People are not all who they seem to be, until you do something that they are not in favour of.

When the lives of our children were finally threatened, in school of all places, we knew that this was God SMACKING us with a wake up call. It was time to make the move that we had been thinking about for so long. The good thing about thinking it over and over and over for 4 years? We were well prepared with what  we wanted to do and use to start with our children. We were able to being within a week of them leaving school and we were off and running. It's amazing how much falls into place when you are doing exactly what you finally feel is right for you and your family. 

Has it all been smooth sailing? Not at all, but we are learning as we go and loving and we learn. I've always been close to my children, but now I am closer. I get to see them finally grasp something that they struggle with. I get to see them learn new things and help one another. I get to be with them during these intimate moments that they normally share with a stranger. While a teacher may get to love her students by the end of the year because she gets to know so much about them, how well do students TRULY get to know a teacher? Nothing even close to a mother. They have already learned so much about me and I too about them. It's amazing to see every single day. 

It definitely would have been easier and less costly to enroll them in a public school or even another private school, but that was not the route we had in mind for so long. We chose to homeschool because it was a chance for me to step up and take on a new roll. It was an opportunity to take an active role in the lives of my children. I am the one choosing what they will learn and what we will focus on and for how long. I get to do all that with their help too. I follow their lead and together we are able to work on something that works just for us. We chose to homeschool because of the socialization aspect, when we saw children being physically and mentally hurt at an institution, I knew it was time to trust myself and put my children somewhere that I KNEW they would be safe. There is no teacher here to bully them, no struggling children here that hold back the rest of the class, there is no class bully here telling them that they will be killed, no distractions, just love and a true desire to learn.

Together we are learning that school doesn't have to be all about worksheets and sitting at your desk. It's games and music and movies. It's freedom to ask questions without fear, learning without really realizing it. There are no strict rules here but one: We Must Respect Each Other & Their Ideas. Our decision to homeschool was not a difficult one to make, I think what held us back was my fear. I feared I wasn't good enough for my children. Why? Have you SEEN, MET or even READ the stories about some of the teachers out there? I've met my fair share and while some were AMAZING and actually changed my life, there are some that I met recently that shouldn't even be teaching. When it came down to it, they had nothing that I didn't have and I even had something more; love. I love my children more than anything and I would never allow them to fail.

If homeschooling is something that you are considering but are afraid of doing, let me tell you this; take the leap and you will be glad you did. Test the waters over Summer Break, see how it works. I feared so much that they wouldn't see me as a teacher but as 'mom' and you know what? They see me as both. It's amazing how well they listen and get actively involved. They WANT to learn and that's all you really need. Trust that you can and you will. There is online support EVERYWHERE you go and if you need more, e-mail me, message me on facebook or even ask for my number and call me. I am more than willing to show you my classroom, share with you my experiences and help you through anything you may need. It was friends out there in the cyber world along with God, that helped me get to where I am today and I would love to pay it forward. 

It has only been 4.5 months for us but I look forward to the next 11 years with a sense of excitement for this new adventure. I welcome each new roadblock and am in awe of what I too am learning. It's definitely a rollercoaster ride full of ups and downs but I look forward to when the ride ends and all I am left with is a big smile on my face and so many memories!!

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Learning to Read and Loving It!

Happy Saturday Readers!! I love to read, even that is an understatement. Barnes & Noble is my heaven, I can seriously be there from open to close and just look at the covers, smell the pages and feel the written word in my hands. As a child I would be shooed outside to play and would spend the entire time under a tree reading. The books were often larger than I was and I would be so lost in the story that I would lose track of time. I was the kid at recess with a book and at lunch reading. I bring books to parties, read in the car and even while waiting in line at the bank. I have a Nook and yet still purchase books like crazy. My home is bursting with books and I have this innate desire to keep purchasing more. It's an addiction, but a good one. My daughter is the same way and it makes me smile! My son is getting there and the youngest is just learning. I know with my enthusiasm for reading, it rubs off on them, but my husband only reads a magazine hear or there every now and then and I have to make sure he doesn't influence them too much! Hahaha!! This post is all about how we work on falling in love with reading!

For my youngest that is still a beginning reader, I HIGHLY suggest the BOB books. I've spoken about them here before, but I wanted to let you know how great these are again. My son is on Set 3 of 5 and he really enjoys feeling as though he mastered something when he completes a book.

5-A-Day is still another thing that we enjoy doing together. On Monday we pick 5 books that we read throughout the day all week long. This helps familiarize my son with certain words as we reach each.word.slowly.

You will ALWAYS find Sight Word flashcards in my purse. This is so that no matter where we are, we can create a game of some sort with the cards and learn all while having fun! Here we are playing on an ice cream date!

I make up fun worksheets for him too, I took words used in the Bob Books and put them in a chart-type sheet. I then had him say each word, then spell it with alphabet stickers and finally say it again. This is an activity that he can also do on the go or while waiting somewhere. It's perfectly portable and fun to do.

Even if you do not have alphabet stickers, you can do the same thing with colored markers and as they spell it, have your child use a colored marker to trace each letter and then a crayon to color the box when mastered! Get your sheet HERE!

We keep the learning love going and even involve Daddy with a BOOK CLUB! We have a family book club that meets once a week. We have snacks and games and spend quiet unplugged time in the classroom chatting. It's so easy to do this, because we pick up multiple book copies at thrift stores! For less than .60 a book, it works out even cheaper to do this for all the books we buy than just buying 1 book new! The kids love Book Club day and the youngest cannot wait to join us when he is reading on his own and not having Mommy, Daddy or his siblings read the book to him!

Enjoy every minute my friend and keep smiling!!

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Wordless Wednesday....Moments I Love!

What Makes Me High On Life?

The little moments that stay with me forever, the minutes in life that make my heart smile.

The captured images that take me right back in time, to when I was a Princess who married her Prince in a real fairytale land!

My family inspires me today, tomorrow and always...

Have You Added Me Yet?

Twitter: @MichellesCharmW

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Right Now........

 Right Now, I Am...
Reading 3 new books that I picked up throughout last week. They have been on my Nook wishlist for a long time, but seeing them at tag sales and thrift stores for less than 1.00 each was just too good to pass up!!


Mind in the Making, Babyproofing Your Marriage and 365 Art & Craft Activities. I am eager to dive right in and hopefully finish them up by the end of the weekend. Everyone is always so amazed at how quickly I can read, but if you think about it realistically we spend A LOT of time in vehicles waiting, offices waiting, lines waiting... I always have a book or my nook handy and read whenever I can! When my kids are in Chinese class, I'm reading! Gymnastics? Reading! Waiting for school to let out? Reading!!!

I was lucky enough to find this fantastic basket this weekend and doesn't it just make the colors of the blocks pop?! Wish it wasn't the last one and that i could get my hands on more! I LOVE color!!!

~Michelle!~

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