This post contains affiliate links. I will be compensated for purchases made through those links at no additional cost to you. All views expressed are my own. Thank you for your support With everyone trying to social distance themselves and, in our case, with my husband working from home, everyday can feel like a Saturday. This makes it difficult to keep a routine or even remember what day it is. To help my kids out I decided to make them a daily chart that they can mark off everyday to help them keep track of their days and prevent us from going stir crazy inside. If you subscribe to our email list you can get this printable for free! Plus any of our other subscriber only printables. To use our chart I filled in ten things they should do everyday, not chores necessarily but good habits I’d like them to get into doing everyday, like making the bed, brushing teeth, and playing outside. Then I put the chart in sheet protectors and taped them up where the kids can reach them. Whenever they finish something they can use a whiteboard marker to 'x' off what they've done. My son was really excited about the chart when I gave it to him. We'll see how his excitement continues from this point on. One thing I like about the chart is the kids can choose the order they want to do everything. This will help build autonomy and help them to understand how to prioritize their time eventually. For instance, when my son found it was too early to be playing outside, he turned to the chart to find something else he could do until playing outside was an option. The chart also allows for the kids to feel a sense of accomplishment as they mark off each thing everyday. But the chart doesn’t have to just be for kids, I tried to design it in a way that it’s pretty enough to be used by adults too to track their habits/goals. I hope this will help you guys during this time. It’s good to keep a sense of normalcy when things are a bit off kilter in the world. We’re thinking and praying for you all. Remember if you want a copy of the chart, subscribe to our email list.
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When I wrote my last post on ways to read more in 2020, a common question/request I received was to share recommendations of what I read. I read ten books this month and started two more! My goal is to read two books a week and I feel blessed and happy to say I have exceeded my goal for January. I am especially excited to share the list of books I read with everyone.
The one catch is that some of my reads were Audible Originals. So you will have to have Audible to read them. I will separate those into their own list. And I do highly recommend Audible for many reasons, the originals are just part of that. I won't rank the books In any particular order but I will write a short blurb for each of what I thought about them. How to Read 10 Books in a Month
I think the reason I was able to read so much this month boils down to a few things;
Audible Originals
Books Available Everywhere
So have you read any of these books? What did you think? Let us know in the comments below!
If you liked this post you may also enjoy...
5 Timeless Book Series for Tweens
Friday Faves- Newbery Award Winners 16 Books for Your Reading List This Year
This post contains affiliate links. We will be compensated for purchases made through those links at no extra cost to you. All views expressed are our own.
Today I thought I’d do a What to Read Wednesday gift guide for tweens. And I also wanted to combine it with books that would take you back to your childhood. At least my childhood. These series are timeless classics that will just get better with age.
1. Babysitter’s Club. All about that entrepreneurial spirit and learning important life lessons, Babysitter’s Club will suck your tween into the story. The era may be different but the problems the girls in the books faced are still problems kids face today.
2.Harry Potter. Being a huge Harry Potter fan, how could I NOT mention it? The struggle to find where he fits in the world, starting a new school, making friends, choosing between right and wrong, dealing with grief, fighting a powerful wizard; Harry Potter is one of the most relatable characters in literature. The rereadability is off the charts too so this series will keep giving for life!
3. Goosebumps. I have already written a WTRW post on Goosebumps, which you can check out here. It will suffice me to say that there’s a reason these books are still around. Tweens will love the horror aspect while parents can feel happy it never gets gory just chilling.
4. Anne of Green Gables. Talk about relatability, although Anne grew up in the early 1900’s, her struggles with friends, boys, and family will be familiar to your young reader. She’s also a little over dramatic, a huge plus for me as a child as it gave me one of my favorite phrases of all time “I’m in the depths of despair.”
5. A Series of Unfortunate Events. I loved these books in Junior High. I even got my mom into reading them. The books follow the Baudelaire orphans through a series of unfortunate events while being “chased” by Count Olaf in order to steal their fortune. The kids use their talents and ingenuity to work together and get out of trouble, but things don’t always work out the way you plan. These books have a way of disappointing you without frustrating you at the same time. It’s all very delightful actually, you’ll want to keep reading because you have hope things will get better.
I hope you’ve enjoyed this stroll down memory lane with me. I love these books, and would still reread them all today. I hope you and your tween will enjoy them too. It isn't too late to add them to their Christmas list!
What book series did you enjoy when you were younger? What would you add to the list?
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For What to Read Wednesday this week I was thinking about family and Thanksgiving being tomorrow and Christmas soon to follow. It made me think of how much I love this time of year and how much I love my family. And not just my family that is with me on Earth right now, but my family that has passed on and the family to come in the future. I love knowing that we're all connected as a family. It reminded me of how sometimes when I write in my journal I think about the things I want my posterity to know about me, about our time, or just some truths I've learned in my life. Of course not every time I write is with them in mind because I definitely have gone on angry, unbecoming rants in my journals, or talked extensively about the mundane day-to-day of my life.
And one year I had a goal to write in my journal everyday and some of those entries are just "I'm tired." Though those two words were a pretty accurate portrayal of my life. But I digress. I have been writing in a journal since second grade. Not continuously everyday, or week, but I love writing in my journals and even more I love going back and reading my journals. It's fun to see what was important to me when I was eight or nine years old, what impacted me as a teenager, and what life lessons finally got pounded into my head as a college student. I truly love reading my own journals! I also enjoy reading journals of my ancestors or other people who lived before me. If you can't learn from the past you're doomed to repeat it, right? (This is probably why I also love non-fiction so much). So I thought I would encourage you to write In your journal more, or to get a journal and start writing because no matter where you are In life you have wisdom and personality to share with those who will come after you. I have gathered a list of journals and pens that I love and that will help you (I hope) to love journaling as much as I do. Or I think they're perfect gifts for anyone in your life too. A way of saying "I think you have something awesome to say." Journals
Journaling Pens
When it comes to writing in journals you definitely want to use a pen. Pencils fade immensely over time and then your memories and thoughts are lost. While any pen will work, I personally prefer a fine point pen and will recommend a few of my favorites here that won't break the bank.
I hope that you will consider taking up journaling even as a casual hobby. Would you like to hear more tips for journaling? Let us know in the comments below!
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Creators of Hot Cocoa Bombs! (copyrighted)
Author
Helen Reynolds: Mother of six children , grandmother to eleven! I love to cook, craft and create things and I especially love doing that with my family, So, when my lawyer daughter, Lindsey, my artist daughter, Madalynn, and I came up with the idea of Hot Cocoa Bombs, this blog was born. Then, one more daughter, with her technical and science skills, plus creativity has joined in to round us out! Read more about us here! Archives
July 2024
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