For those homeschooling this year or my awesome teacher friends, I have LOVED using the printables from Productive Homeschooling. I have printed out blank pages for kids to draw things or to write out history sentences and things like that. You don't need a TON of worksheets to be successful at homeschooling, but sometimes it's nice to have something to add to your child's school portfolio!  #soprofessional  Click THIS LINK and get $25 off membership (it's SOOO worth it) and I benefit as well! #winwin PLEASE share with anyone you know that might need this resource this year!  ... read more

I'm a stationery junkie, and every chance I get, I buy pens and notebooks.  I can't help myself, but I've always been drawn to art supplies.  I wouldn't say I'm an artist - more of a doodler.  So a year ago, when I accidentally stumbled upon the concept of bullet journaling, and all of the beautiful pages they contain, I was intrigued. So what is a bullet journal? First off, if you like to know exactly what a bullet journal is, I'd recommend watching THIS video.  The creator of the bullet journal system, Ryder Carroll, not only shows you how to utilize it, but he also explains what it is.  If you'd prefer to hear my explanation, then keep reading. The way I'd explain it is that it's a planner, diary, sketchbook, and record keeper - all in one!  Different people use it for different ... read more

Not too long ago, when my husband and I started to get our financial act together, we realized we were spending a ridiculous amount of money on eating out. Wanna know how ridiculous? This is embarrassing... we were spending $400 a month on restaurants! We were having a budgeting crisis in the form of not doing it at all.  It was time to come up with a system. To solve our problem, we learned a trick taught by one of the most famous financial gurus in America, Mr. Dave Ramsey!  This little trick is simple.  It doesn't involve you going out and getting a second job or even selling some of your favorite toys.  All you have to do is change your money-spending behavior by paying only in cash.  Here is my step-by-step process to explain how to adopt this brilliantly elementary ... read more

Other than my honeymoon, I've never gone on a big, fancy trip with my hubby.  I love to travel and experience new things, especially with my BFF.  But we've just never been able to.  Well, four years ago, we were lucky to finally take a family trip together.  This post will explain how we scored a vacation for $99, but what I really want to stress is to work hard and research in order to save money on your next family vacation. Now before I get into how we were able to go on such a cheap trip, I need to write a little disclaimer.  I am not telling you my story to encourage you to go out and do this.  In fact, I would strongly encourage you NOT to.  However, if you decide to do something crazy like this, and you are up for the challenge, then by all means!  I will never do this ... read more

It is already February, people! Can you believe it? Man, January went by quick. I have been doing a lot of work on the blog and also behind the scenes, but this income report may be a bit of a let down.  Trust me, if it's disappointing to you, it's about 100 times more so for me. If you are curious how I did in my first four months of blogging, you can check out my first income report. It seems there are two major schools of thought concerning blogging as a way to earn an income.  One is that people don't really think blogging can bring in any kind of money, and that's it's just an outlet for people who like to write. Two, people believe you might be able to make some money (but probably not much), but they think it must be pretty easy because so many people do it.  They don't really ... read more

I love Valentine's Day!  Not because it's just another opportunity to get a gift from my sweetie, but because of all the cutesy decorations, school parties, and fun heart-shaped treats!  It's a chance for me to really love on my babies - more than normal!  I have been collecting ideas on my pinterest board for YEARS now, and I'm getting it all organized here to help those of you who need a little inspiration this February 14th! Candy Valentine Ideas Don't just resort to buying boxed valentines.  Instead, consider making some of your own for your kids, or even just for you to pass out to your friends, family, and/or coworkers! Non-Candy Valentine Ideas With all the goodies that kids get for Valentine's Day, it's kind of nice when they get little trinkets ... read more

Today, I'm so excited to welcome my first ever guest blogger!  Last Monday, I posted my New Year's resolutions, and I explained my goals for 2017.  Well, my friend Mercy has some great insight into the areas of diet and weight loss - her perspective is one you don't normally hear from the world of health and fitness.  If you are struggling to take any amount of weight off, consider a new approach.  So with that, please enjoy... ‘Tis the season for New Year’s Resolutions, right? Have you already abandoned yours? We are more than a couple weeks into the new year, after all. Lots of people make New Year’s Resolutions that revolve around losing weight. A few years ago, I lost 40 pounds over the course of about four months. I kept it off for a while, but then had three more babies. What ... read more