A Breakfast to Smile About . . .

Looking for a new and fun way to make waffles?  You can get this Animal Friends Waffle Maker here and your kids will love it!

They turn out so cute! I put any leftovers in a ziplock sandwich bag and give them to my kids after school as a snack, or the following day in their lunch as a bonus surprise.

Here is the recipe I use:

Ingredients ***

Dry 

1C organic all purpose flour

1T sugar

2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

Wet

1C organic milk

1 organic egg

1 tsp vegetable oil

Optional

Powdered sugar

Instructions ***

Put all of the dry ingredients into a medium sized bowl first, then put the wet ingredients on top and mix well with a fork.  Spray the waffle maker with spray butter or oil and cook.  I remove the waffles with a small rubber spatula (using anything metal may scratch the waffle maker).  Then dust with powdered sugar and serve.  

Basically a Free Math Tutor . . .

Have you heard of the app called Photomath?  Well, it is the bomb! Now that you know about it, you need to get it asap.

Photomath is a FREE mobile app that will read and solve mathematical problems by using your smartphone camera.  What is cool about this app is that it doesn't just give you the answers, it provides a step-by-step guide showing exactly how each of the problems are solved.

This is SO extremely helpful when helping your kids with math homework and prepping for tests.  I don't know about you, but it's been a while since I did a lot of math and this is like having a free tutor right at your fingertips!

The older my kids get the more difficult it's becoming to help them with their math, so we are loving this app at our house!  Just be careful that your kids don't use it to simply get the answers.

I always sit with my son and go over it with him and make sure he's understanding each step.  If you download this app, I'd love to know what you think!  Post a comment!

You're welcome!


-Karin XO

The Impact of Reading . . .

This shows WHY reading at least 20 minutes a day is SO important. Keep your kids reading over Christmas break, and show them this photo so that they can understand the WHY as well! 

It's incredible how important reading is.  My kids are amazing little readers, but when I found these stats on the impact of reading, I was amazed and inspired to make sure they are reading every day for 20 minutes.  

However, there are times that my kids will look at a book and get overwhelmed, so I love to take turns going back and forth reading pages with them.  That really takes the pressure off of having to read it all themselves, and it's great for them to hear you read because they hear you pause for commas and use enthusiasm, which helps them become better readers.  

I also incorporate silent reading time . . . set a timer and let everyone grab a book . . . including you!  It's a great example for kids to see their parents enjoying a good book of their own.  And often as busy parents, we don't have the time, or make the priority to read ourselves, and this will give you that time.  It's a win-win!

-Karin XO