Friday Favorites

It's been a while since I've got a post up. I finally have a few favorites this week.




Found a new fun community activity for Peanut. She loved it.

Running: After being sick for 4 days and having no energy, my love for running has been pumped back up. I definitely have gone through many phases with my running but it seems that it is truly a part of me. Plus I'm a part of an awesome running community : Moms Run This Town. Check it out!!

Books: Although when are they not a favorite?!!

 

Lavendar Vanilla Lattes: I've only had one and the place is a bit of a drive away...so I'm hoping some franchise or local shop with pick up this idea. So yummy.

 

 

What are some of your favorites this week?

 

Linking up with Heather and Jill

                                 



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Keeping the Learning Going

With school getting out and summer plans upon us, I thought it be a good time to talk about some ways to keep learning going. Of course we hear our student's teachers encouraging our kids to keep reading, but is that all we can be doing.


1. Check your local library: Many library offer reading programs and incentives as well as fun events for your kiddos. Allow your student to choose ANY book, where they are picture books or chapter books you can read to them. The benefit of them not liking it is that you can always return it. Being hyper focused on reading level, allow them to experience a love of reading.

2. Community events: Many community events are free or have free activities. These can be especially beneficial especially if your community has a festival.

3. Trying new things: Believe it or not but experiencing new foods or activities continue to develop resilience and create new memories. It can be especially powerful when traveling to a new place.

4. Developing some themed activities: You don't have to create a massive curriculum or buy one, but you can easily come up with themed ideas. There are lots or resources and blogs available that offer themed weeks and we all know how AMAZING Pinterest is. I often will plan a month in advance and pin on my boards activities. You can see them here :  Little Learner

5. Family Game Night: Plan on having at least one 30 minute game night with each other. It can be puzzles, trivia, or board games. It's amazing all the things you learn from your children while being in a different environment.


These are just a few ideas to encourage growth with your littles. Enjoy those vacations.

Book Review: The Girl on The Train

What a wonderful read. I truly enjoyed it and can clearly see why it is so popular. I have been on the waitlist for this book for such a long time. And of course once I got it I was already consumed in reading other books. So naturally I put it off until I had three days left to read it. It was a challenge I was up for...and sure enough finished it with 2 hours to go (I used Library To Go on my Kindle).

(Image found on Bing)

I give just a quick summary, as I tend to overshare by nature. This is a great summer read or vacation book. It pulls you right in and Hawkins does a great job with character development, it keeps the pages turning. It is a story of a broken woman who, despite having no desire to fix her life, seems to be interested in fixing  others. She finds herself involved in a mystery that strikes close to home. Her identity get wrapped, twisted, and turned around by the end of the book.



Hope you enjoy this book. Let me know your thoughts on it. And if you've read it share your thoughts as well.

Clean and Fresh: HELLO Products

 HELLO Products

Being a part of the Influenster community, it allows me to review products. I've been fortunate enough to have tried some really fun products, but this one might just be my favorite. I've never heard about them before but HELLO products delivered a great first impression. I sampled the Mint Mojito Toothpaste, Pink Grapefruit Mint Toothpaste, Toothbrush, Sweetmint Breath Spray, and Pink Grapefruit Mint Breath Spray. They are a treat, as you can tell its not your average toothpaste flavors. Overall, these products are fresh, light, and clean. I had my husband try them as well, just to make sure I wasn't just liking them because of their newness. He agreed that they leave your mouth feeling clean and appreciated it, where as other brands coat your mouth with a sugary minty flavor that actually creates more bacteria.










































I really think that I will be purchasing this brand from now on. The also have a few other flavors. I hoping that floss will be next. They also have children's toothpaste that has fun flavors like Bubblegum, Green Apple, and Blue Raspberry. Check your local Target for these fun flavors and fresh breath.

Have you tried these amazing flavors?

Lilly Turns 3: A Trip to Neverland

We celebrated Lil's birthday and it was a wonderful experience. I typically plan the theme around January so that it gives me enough time to prep and prepare. Here was how this year's theme turned out. I love planning theme parties, I can really go wild with my imagination of how to incorporate things into an event. We decided after this year's party that I really need a classroom :).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 "Poor Nana."

 Captain Hook's Ring Toss

 

 

 Waiting for our friends and bumming a ride off of the dog.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Waiting to sing.

 

Everyone ended up in the pool.













Her favorite part was having everyone sing "Happy Birthday."

Last year's Veggietales theme

 

ABC's of Education

It's been a while since I've been able to get on the blog. I have been busying with birthdays and holidays. Tomorrow you will see more about Lil's birthday's party (Hint Hint "Poor Nana.").
















AP (Advanced Placement): Created by the College Board, these are classes in high school that allow students to qualify for college credit. Typically, student's must test well enough to get into these classes. They are college level, so the workload is must more challenging than typical non-AP classes.

IDEA (Individuals with Disabilities Education Act): Legislation that allows students with special needs to receive fair and equal education like those in mainstream education.

IB (International Baccalaureate)- Started in Switzerland and based on eight learner profiles (Inquirers, Knowledgeable, Thinkers, Communicators, Principled, Open-minded
Caring, Risk-takers, Balanced, Reflective). A program that incorporates learning and character development.

GAFE (Google Apps for Education): An approach to incorporating technology into the classroom.

LRE (Least Restrictive Environment): A part of IDEA, it requires that each student is placed in a learning environment that is least restrictive. Essentially it boils down to placing students with special needs in mainstream or special day classes. This legislation allows for each IEP to be individualized so that parent teacher teams can decide which classroom setting(s) are most beneficial to the individual with special needs.

NCLB (No Child Left Behind): A program implemented in 2001 by President Bush, an approach to making sure that all students were given an opportunity to achieve high standards. Schools were held accountable for their students' performance on state standardized tests by withholding funding from low performing schools.


PD (Professional Development): Teachers are required to continue their education through the method of acquiring professional development.



Let me know if you have any other vocabulary that is puzzling to you.

A Workout for Wednesday

Haven't done one of these in a while so I though now would be a great time. The weather sure is getting nicer so feel free to do this one outside or at a park while the kiddos are playing. You can do this 3-4 times if you feel so inclined :). Enjoy!

Let me know your thoughts on how you did and post it on Instagram with the hashtag #HurleysHotties