My Little "Bumble Collection"

When I was pregnant with my son, I stumbled upon a beautiful diaper bag at T.J. Maxx.  It was a little more than I would normally spend on a bag, but I absolutely had to have it!  The fabric was quality, and the pattern was unlike anything I had ever seen in the realm of diaper bags.  Who knew diaper bags could be more than pink, blue or Winnie the Pooh?  It was a defining moment for me, finally a diaper bag with style! 



Buttercup Bliss Kimberly Tote, My Spring/Summer diaper bag


After my purchase, I embarked on a search to find out more about my new Bumble Bag.  I found a website for Bumble Bags, and thus became my fetish with The Bumble Collection.  If you're like me, pricey diaper bags aren't in the picture.  However, to my delight The Bumble Collection recently announced a decrease in their prices by 40-50%!  Not only that, they are now available at Babies R Us at their new reduced prices.  Follow this link to see The Bumble Collection official annoucement. 

Since that first day discovering The Bumble Collection, I added two more bags to my little collection. 



This pretty Madeline Backpack works great as a multipurpose purse complete with diaper changing pad!



Kimbery Tote, My Autumn/Winter diaper bag

Go to The Bumble Collection to see the entire line of Bumble products.  You'll be glad you did!

Home Educating, The Well-Planned Day

I am fairly new to the world of Homeschooling.  Last year I started home educating my then 4-year-old daughter for preschool.  I used the year as a trial to see how homeschooling might work out for us.  Not to my surprise, the school year went very well and we enjoyed our experience. 

There are several reasons why my husband and I chose homeschooling for our children. 

1. We made the choice to be a one income family so I could stay home and raise our children.  For us, that includes educating the children at home. 

2. We want to instill Christian values and Godly character in our family.  Homeschooling is one way we can teach our children these things without distractions, and also learn about God and the Bible in school.

3.  There are certain things I prefer to teach my children about when appropriate rather than having someone else teach it to them.  I realize I can not protect my children from everything, but I can prepare them and teach them moral and Christ like ways to handle situations. 

4. As a home educating family, there are unlimited opportunities for learning throughout the day.

5. Although it is not required, I have bachelor's degree in education.  I enjoy teaching, and feel competent in educating my children.

One thing I found in my web search for homeschooling materials last year was a wonderful Home School Planner called The Well-Planned Day.  I purchased one at our area Homeschool Convention to use for the 2010-2011 school year. 



The Homeschool Planner can be purchased from the  Home Educating Family website.

The planner is pretty.  Although pretty is not required for functionality, it does make the planner fun to use and that for me is a must! 

There are two possible ways to use the planner:

1. You can write out what you plan to do each day for each subject and with each student. 

2. You can keep record of what you accomplished each day for each subject and with each student. 

So far in my use of this planner, it is a must have for any home educating family!  I will definitely purchase one next year when the 2011-2012 edition is printed.

The following description is from the Home Educating Family website. 

WELL-PLANNED DAY INCLUDES

Over 200 Full Color Pages

Available in an 8.5 X 11 Spiral Bound Printed Book or PDF Download

Full Year Planner: July 2010 - June 2011

Organize and Plan for up to 4 children in one convenient book.

Four Student Class Plans: Schedule each student's class assignments.

Four Student Time Schedules: Track each day by the hour.

Weekly Schedule: Organize your week with class assignments, weekly priorities, prayer requests, dinner menu, and notes.

Month at a Glance: Plan field trips, enrichment activities and books to read

Semester Attendance & Progress Reports

Perforated Report Cards

Menu Planning: Plan weekly meals and conveniently shop with perforated shopping lists.

Family Worship: Read through the Bible in a year.

Insightful homeschool articles and tips to inspire you throughout the year.

The cost of the planner is $24.95, but definitely worth it!  If you sign up for the E-Newsletter from the Home Educating Family website, they have periodic promotional deals on the planners.  Yes, I said planners.  They also have planners for students, both middle schoolers and high schoolers.  As well, sign up for a free sample issue of Home Educating Family magazine! 

Laugh Out Loud Quote of the Day!

It rarely matters what I make to eat, our girls usually find something on their plate which is unsatisfactory to their tastebuds.  I can almost guarantee complaints and/or refusals to eat, especially if the menu does not consist of chicken nuggets, macaroni & cheese and green beans.  The rule at our house: They must try one bite

or sometimes 3 if it's something I know they've eaten before.

Tonight's menu:  Round Steak with A1 steak marinade, red pepper and zucchini slices.  

Simple and easy, nothing fancy,

but it filled our tummies! 

As my husband and I were in the kitchen finishing the final touches on dinner, me well knowing there would be complaints about the red and green things on their plates, my 5-year-old daughter turns to us and says, "Mommy's food's always good... sometimes."  I had to laugh out loud!

As for the food, the flavor came out great, especially the zucchini.  The meat was rather chewy, especially for kids.  For the next time around, I would definitely choose a different cut of meat. 

For the record, my 5-year-old daughter loves meat, especially a good steak off the grill.  She has expensive taste I guess.  Good thing we buy our beef in bulk!  My 3-year-old daughter rarely eats much meat, especially beef.  It is quite a chore to get her to chew and swallow even one bite!  I have more luck feeding her beans or cheese.  As for my 18-month-old son, once I shredded the meat up into teeny tiny pieces he gobbled it up!  He's going to be my good eater!