I love Dolphins

These all natural and organic child products were created out of concern that other "natural" and "organic" products still contained artificial ingredients. Dolphin Organics contains NO artificial ingredients!

They have 5 products to choose from...

    

*Baby Shampoo & Body    Wash

*Baby Bubble Bath

* Baby Lotion

*Hair Conditioner

*Travel Set

I love that the packaging is also made from recycled materials as well. If you are going for a lifestyle with only Natural and Organic ingredients, then Dolphin Organics is the way to go for your kids. I can't wait to try the shampoo/ body wash on my kids. Go to their website to do some shopping and enter code ECOBABY at checkout. You will receive 15% off your 1st order. That code is good until 11/30/11 so you have some time, but don't wait too long.

You can find them on:  Facebook & Twitter

Yay Mama!

I actually know what this says!

I've gone and done it now. I signed up for piano lessons! I thought it might be good for many reasons. I come from a long line of piano players in the family, but was never taught. I will have to scan a picture of my 99yr old great grandmother playing a piece. This must mean I have a musical gene in me somewhere just dying to come forth! Another reason, I'd like to add some music to our worship time at our bible study meetings. Last but not least, since I home school it would be nice if I'm able to at least read music so I can teach my kids something in that subject.
My 1st class went great and we moved through a lot of information quickly because my teacher said I was doing so well (it's that musical gene I tell ya). We even played a couple of duets. My first ever on a piano. Okay, on any instrument. She may have had to hit more keys than I did, but still a duet. This next Tueday should be even more fun! I am really enjoying this me time and learning a new skill.

School Days

This is our second week of homeschooling. Last year we did the whole virtual school thing which didn't work out for Alex. Just going on our own was the best decision God told me to make. I had been praying about what to do with Alex for his 3rd grade year. I knew I wasn't sending him to our school district's schools, and I knew I wasn't doing the virtual thing either. I was struggling to make a decision of buying homeschool curriculum books or even trying out a private school.

I was really excited about this private school. Contacted them, filled out scholarship forms, and everything I could do from my house. To be honest that one time, non-refundable application fee of $75 sure slowed me down and kept me waiting and putting off going to the office. Come on! $75 and you still might not get in...not something I really wanted to do, but I was still praying and waiting for God to speak. During the summer I was collecting cheap home school curriculum workbooks, teacher manuals, students texts, and the like. I stayed in prayer about it and God told me what I needed to do and everything was and is good.


One of my very good friends has a child in a private Christian school. Out of the blue one day she asks if I want her daughter's 3rd grade Abeka books. Her daughter just so happens to be one year ahead of my son. I'm telling you it was all the readers, student texts for certain subjects, and more. I was uber excited for the science student text because I already had the whole teacher set that I found at a thrifty bookstore last year. HELLOOOO! Was that not God telling me what I needed to do?!

Like I said earlier, this is our 2nd full week of homeschooling, and Alex has already learned his 0,1,2,3, & 5 times tables. The 0s, 1s, 2s, & 5s are super easy he tells me. We have been focusing on his 3 times tables. Last week he did his speed drill in 4 min with no mistakes and yesterday in only 2 MINUTES!! He is doing so well. God is helping me through it all and I am so grateful for our decision to homeschool.

My 30 Day Media Fast in June

I'm not forcing my family to participate, but surprisingly they are on board. When I explained to my 7 yr old, after requesting The Wiggles in the car, that we were not listening to The Wiggles for 30 days just "Jesus music" he understood. I explained my whole plan and he was OK with it. He added on, "Does that mean no video games?" I told him yes, and he said, "That's OK. It's only for a month." I'm glad it was so easy for him. I'm ok with them watching Veggie Tales and educational videos during this time, but no TV or Disney and other movies like that.


Day 1: Got on Facebook in the morning to announce I wouldn't be there for a month. I need to focus more on real life. No secular music, movies, TV, or Facebook. Yes, I am keeping up through phone and email, but that's it.

Day 2: Kids are up eating breakfast. Kids watched a Veggie Tales video and I am getting all the laundry done and put away. 1 more load to go! It's amazing how much I can get done without all those distractions around. Did a bible lesson with the kids about love. A friend loveth at all times in 1 Corin. to be exact. We did a craft with Jesus at the well. Alana and Zoey got to practice their cutting. My hubby came home and we spent the evening together in the backyard.

Day 3: Planted some more veggie and fruit seeds in the garden in hopes that they will be fruitful. Alex got out his Leap Pad and all the books. All of the kids are playing together and very intrigued by all this electronic fun. Finished up the laundry. Alex went to Karate and the girls are watching a Leap Frog video about ABCs. We already colored many pictures and read 5 books. Tonight when Alex and Daddy get home we will have Reese's topped sundaes. Can't wait :).

Day 4: Today is Alex's birthday and he is 8 now! Tonight we will celebrate with our bible study group. Went out to water the garden this morning and noticed something ate my cantaloupe plants :(. Not cool! Went to 2 libraries today to get involved in a couple reading programs and get some books. Had a friend and her children over for a few hours. I've noticed since we started this no tv thing that the kids aren't snacking as much all day and they actually eat the food I give them. No complaining too much and they're not constantly hungry. Could that be because they are so busy with their brains that they're not constantly seeing and thinking about food they see on tv? I dunno but I like it! Our groceries will sure last a lot longer at this rate!

Day 5: The kids ate breakfast and are playing with Alex's gifts he received last night. The girls are playing with those electronic hamsters because Alex got a new building that goes with them. Alex is playing with his new "laptop." They are busy, busy. I am listening to a Francine Rivers novel on cd. Already watered the garden for the day.

Day 6: CHURCH DAY & REST!

Day 7-30: I have been busy that I forgot all about updating my blog! Busy with the kids' summer reading programs, sewing, and the week long Bible Conference at church. God has been doing so much in our lives as a family without the distractions of TV and Facebook. Sometimes I want to see what is going on in everyone's life, but I just wait until I see them at church or I text/call them. I made both my girls a dress & bolero these last couple of weeks too. Of course they love them even though I think they could be better. Have another bridal shower to go to. The last of the Pinnick children will be getting married. Fun, fun, fun. Alex and Zoey are going to VBS at Eastside Assembly of God. Baby showers, bridal showers, birthday parties. They never end, but I love getting out of the house!

This fast was so necessary to get back on track. Media was taking precious family time away from us. Out of this experience I got my husband to realize how much money was being wasted on cable tv. We hardly ever watched it to begin with, but after this fast we never turned it back on except to see the weather forecast. That's $900 worth of savings for the year! Now that the new school year has started, we have classroom time, field trips, and nature walks around the neighborhood to focus on. I'll stick to catching up with my social media peeps after the hubby and kiddos are all tucked in.

The Journey of Learning

Being a home schooling parent has it's challenges. My oldest son is 8 years old and sometimes has a very short attention span. Anything that helps learning more fun is something I would look into. A Journey Through Learning seems to make it a lot more fun for the kids with their lapbooks.

"A lapbook is a FUN, HANDS-ON and CREATIVE way for your child to record information that he/she has learned about a certain subject. First, you create the folder part of your lapbook. This part is made from colored folders that are folded in a special way and glued together. Mini-booklets are then cut out, constructed and glued inside of the folders. Children write their information inside the fun mini-booklets. Beats boring worksheets hands down!"

 I must say that I am very interested in learning how to make these things! AJTL makes it easy! You can purchase the 60 Easy To Assemble Lapbook Templates (write-it-in) from their website! Might I add, at great prices too!

You have a chance to win one of your choice! Visit A Journey Through Learning website and enter today. There are only 7 hours left and many ways to enter!

Dr Scholl's For Her

I was so happy that I was picked to Bzz about "Dr. Scholl's For Her High Heel Insoles." I've been walking around in my heels since the mail came, and what a difference. My feet aren't aching yet and it's been a few hours. I can barely make it through church on Sundays! These insoles feature an ultra-soft gel arch that shifts the pressure off the balls of your feet. So if you love wearing heels 2" or higher then these would be great for you! They have massaging gel waves that offer soft cushioning, and they are invisible to others! Nobody but you will know you're wearing them. There is an adhesive at the bottom so you don't have to worry about them moving around in your shoe. They are super slim so they won't make your shoes tighter either. I wish I had an extra pair for one of you, but all I have to offer are $4.00 off coupons...woohoo!
I plan on trying these out for an all day affair to see how well they really work. I haven't had to stay on my feet all day. This will be updated in the near future :).