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Dumbo Review + Free Printables | Mom Goes to the Movies

Well hello, movie-goers! This week I had the pleasure of attending the new Dumbo movie screening. I can’t wait to tell you all about it! Don’t worry, I’ll do my best to dance around any spoilers so you can enjoy the movie when you see it in theaters this weekend. 😉

Set of free printables and activities to go along with our Dumbo Movie Review

The Dumbo 2019 Movie is Unique… Yet Still the Same

I know, I know. What a vague thing to say, right? But it’s true. Many of the things that we remember about the original movie are still there. The story revolves around a baby elephant who is separated from his mommy. Thanks to his big ears and a magic feather, he has an almost magical ability to fly. The story takes place in a circus. You’ll see many other nods to the 1942 film if you’re paying attention. But this time Disney takes the story in a different direction.

Some 2019 Dumbo Easter Eggs: See if you can find Mr. stork, a not-so-boozy bubble bath, The “Casey Junior” song, the ear-wagging punk who mocks Dumbo, and pink elephants!

A Different Point of View

In the original film, the story unfolds through the interactions of a talking mouse and silent baby elephant. But you can’t really have a talking mouse in a live action movie, can you? Enter a science-enthusiast preteen girl and her spunky little brother. The children, Milly and Joe Farrier, befriend Dumbo and guide him in perfecting his flying abilities. Meanwhile their father, back from the war, is the adult who shamelessly stands up for the baby elephant’s best interests. We are so glad to see a strong father figure in a family movie! As Holt Farrier, Colin Farrell is devoted to both his children and animals. Could he be any more irresistible?

Grand Circus Entertainment

Everything that comes to mind when we think about the circus is wonderfully portrayed in the Dumbo 2019 movie. Big striped tent? Check. Lots of animals? Check. Bright, flashy costumes? Check. But unlike in the animated version, this time there is an extra special performer in the center ring. Eva Green graces the stage as the beautiful Collette, a spectacular aerial artist. At first I wasn’t sure if she was going to be a good guy or a bad guy. But by the end of the movie she had my heart.

Chasing Big Dreams

True to the style of many Disney movies, the characters in the 2019 Dumbo movie are spurred on by their biggest dreams. Baby Dumbo dreams of finding his mother. Young Milly Farrier dreams of becoming a scientist. Holt Farrier dreams of riding stallions like he did in the pre-war days. Will they all reach their goals? You’ll have to see the movie to find out.

What if I haven’t seen the original movie?

While it is a classic, you don’t have to have seen the original Dumbo movie to enjoy everything about this one. The story is complete as it is! There isn’t a bit of this movie that requires an understanding of the first one. However, if you have seen the animated movie from the 1940’s, you will definitely notice some of the familiar characters and scenes.

When I first heard the Disney 2019 movie lineup I couldn’t believe that Dumbo was coming back. I’ll be honest, when I first heard about the live-action remake of the classic movie, I was a bit hesitant about seeing it. However, Director Tim Burton gave us another movie full of excitement and deep emotions. The new Dumbo movie is so heartwarming, and sends many positive messages about what it is to be a true family, about animal rights, and about equality. I can’t wait to see it again.

Dumbo (2019)

Release Date: Friday, March 29, 2019

Running Time: 1 hour 52 minutes

Mom Goes to the Movies Recommends this movie for kids 7 and up due to exciting action and strong emotional scenes.

Check out these Free Dumbo Movie Printables and Activities

Click on an image to be taken to the printable pdf file!

Have you seen the new Dumbo movie yet? What was your favorite part?

Creating a Home where Learning is Fun

This post was sponsored by Amazon as part of an Ambassador Activation for Influence Central and all opinions expressed in my post are my own.

How do you keep kids interested in reading and growing their little minds? With all the rain that’s hit San Diego this winter, we have spent more time indoors than this mama would like. On the plus side, everyone has had plenty of chances to work on their literacy skills!

Did you know there is more to literacy than just reading? A literate child is one who reads and writes at grade level, but also has a strong vocabulary as well as listening and speaking skills. I know my girls’ teachers are doing a fantastic job at supporting all these skills. Still, there are ways to make learning fun at home that include our preschooler too! Our Echo Dot Kids Edition and Echo Show help a lot with creating a home where learning is fun.

Playing Games Together

With our Echo Dot Kids Edition and Echo Show we can play games that support listening skills while having fun as a family! With Amazon FreeTime, we have access to a variety of child-friendly features. Using the Parent Dashboard, I added some game skills to our Alexa app like the Silly Things skill and the Animal Game skill. These are so much fun to play! The silly things skill lets us act goofy and giggle at the silly things Alexa tells us to do. The Animal Game skill always amazes me. When we play this game, Alexa can guesses whatever animal we’re thinking of! She’s so smart.

Listening to our Favorite Stories Over and Over Again

Our family shares an Audible account, which we connected to our devices through the Alexa app. Now we can all enjoy listening to books together! My kids love to listen to books, then go read books on their own. The girls are beginning readers, so they often read their little decodable books from school out loud to their little brother. Our preschooler explores concepts of reading like holding the book right side up and reading books from left to right.

Staying on Track During Work Times

The skills in the Alexa app help us all stay on track when we need to. I’ll ask Alexa to play “Pink Noise” while the kids are working on homework. They don’t even realize it’s playing in the background, but I can see a difference in their focus! The kids all take turns when we need a timer set on the Echo Dot Kids Edition. Part of their homework requirements is to read for 15 minutes, but if we don’t set a timer they’ll keep reading indefinitely! Which is not a problem for me, but they do like to play with their toys after homework.

Wouldn’t you love an Echo Dot Kids Edition? Check out this awesome sweepstakes!

I-C will randomly select winners from all program entries and Amazon will facilitate fulfillment of the winning prizes of 10 Winners.

Stay connected! Check out Amazon Kids and Family on Facebook and Instagram.

Captain Marvel Movie Review

Where does a loving husband go on a date with his wife? Why, to the Captain Marvel Movie, of course! John and I had the fantastic opportunity to preview Captain Marvel a few days before its release. Oh my, is this movie entertaining!

Brie Larson is the Adorable and Kick-Butt Captain Marvel

Definitely my favorite thing about the Captain Marvel movie is Brie Larson. She is the epitome of girl power. Her flaming fists of fury easily take down enemy attackers. Taunts and insults don’t phase her one bit, as she fearlessly goes head-to-head with the most powerful forces in the universe.

90’s References Galore

You have to appreciate the accurate 90’s trends depicted throughout the Captain Marvel Movie. Brie Larson rocks it in her grunge-inspired outfit, complete with flannel tied around the waist! And keep your eyes (and ears) peeled for frequent payphone calls, pagers, CD-Roms, some Salt ‘N Peppa jams (among many other 90’s chart-toppers), and even a hat-tip to good ol’ Troll Dolls!

Continuing the Marvel Trend of Captivating Stories

For the true Marvel fan, Captain America does not disappoint. In this movie we get to see the personality behind S.H.I.E.L.D.’s leader, Fury. He is both tough and kind-hearted. Interestingly enough, he also has a soft spot for felines.

With the recent passing of Stan Lee, some fans worried that he wouldn’t make his usual cameo appearance in this movie. Rest assured, Marvel Studios worked their Disney magic and you will see Mr. Lee briefly in Captain Marvel.

I wonder if it’s any coincidence that Captain Marvel, a movie about a female superhero, hits theaters during Women’s History Month in March? In addition to the main character, we see other inspiring women in this movie. One in particular, Maria (Lashana Lynch), was an Air Force pilot in the early 90’s. Unfortunately, this was a time in U.S. history when women weren’t allowed to fly in combat. Her determination to get more air time is admirable. But, as a single mother, her devotion to her daughter keeps her from taking any unsafe risks.

Don’t miss seeing the Captain Marvel movie in theaters. You’ll want to stay in your seat until the very end of the credits, if you catch my drift. 😉

How the Echo Show Brings our Family Together

This post was sponsored by Amazon as part of an Ambassador Activation for Influence Central and all opinions expressed in my post are my own.

This winter we discovered how our Echo Dot Kids Edition can bring Christmas magic to our little ones. Today I want to tell you about our other Amazon device, the Echo Show. Every since we added this device to our home, I can’t help but be surprised at how the Echo Show brings our family together.

What is an Echo Show?

The Echo Show is one of Amazon’s smart home devices, part of the Alexa family. We use Amazon FreeTime on Alexa, which, first and foremost, has parental controls that help us keep our kids safe while using the device. We decided to turn off voice purchasing, and block explicit song lyrics with Amazon Music. Most of the time our kids ask Alexa to play the kid-friendly songs they’re already familiar with. Being able to set restrictions using the Parent Dashboard gives me peace of mind that they are enjoying a kid-centric Alexa experience on the Echo Dot Kids Edition and Echo Show. Amazon FreeTime also includes educational skills like Name that Animal. The Alexa app offers hundreds of more awesome skills focused specifically on children’s education! With Amazon FreeTime Unlimited, we can listen to over 1,000 kids books on Audible. We simply have to ask, “Alexa, read me Peter Pan.”

How We’re Coming Together with Our Echo Show

I can’t emphasize enough how every day we discover new and fun ways to interact with our Echo Show. And you know what the kids are NOT doing during that time? Zoning out in front of the TV! They’ve figured out some things that I didn’t even know Alexa could do, like take a selfie. Now our Echo Show displays a rotation of silly faces compliments of my little cuties! With our Echo Show we are also:

Baking chocolate chip cookies. “Alexa, show me a recipe for chocolate cookies.”

Having a dance party. “Alexa, play our family playlist.”

Learning about the world around us. “Alexa, show me the pyramids of Egypt.”

Finding out more about the recent Super Blood Wolf Moon. “Alexa, what’s happening with the moon tonight?”

Other Ways We Enjoy Alexa

One great things about Alexa is that she keeps us organized. We tell Alexa to set a 30 minute timer for the washer so we can keep our clothes moving through the laundromat quickly. Our kids love watching the last 10 seconds count down on the Echo Show! Now they set timers for everything they can think of, like teeth brushing, bath time, and homework time. Alexa also helps us by creating a list, setting reminders, and adding events to our calendar! Yes, all these things could be taken care of by myself or John, but we like that the kids are getting involved in the household. Plus, Alexa us just plain fun! She has a constant supply of jokes, and we have ours set up so that Jimmy Fallon delivers them to us.

Smart devices like the Echo Dot Kids Edition and the Echo Show can bring our family together. They also simplify our lives and help us stay organized. Check out Amazon Kids and Family on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter to see how families are incorporating these awesome devices into their home.

Creating Christmas Magic at Home

This post was sponsored by Amazon as part of an Ambassador Activation for Influence Central and all opinions expressed in my post are my own

Christmas is by far my favorite holiday. For me, it’s not so much about the shopping and gift giving as it is the opportunities to make lasting memories. The holiday season in our house is synonymous with love, kindness, and fun. This year my 3 youngest are right at that “visions of sugarplums dancing in their heads” age. It makes me feel like a kid to explore with them this season of joy, imagination, and creating Christmas magic.

Creating Christmas Magic with No-Fuss Decorating

You know what kids love? Glitter. Their daddy? Not so much. Thankfully, he is a good sport this time of year. John even goes so far as to help them with every sparkly, sticky gluey craft I come up with. In a few years my house will be empty and I’ll have a beautiful Christmas tree with matching decorations. For now I’m content to let the kids adorn our tree with their awkward crafts.

This year we have a new addition to the home, and she’s a tremendous helper at making spirits bright and filling our home with laughter. Meet our Echo Dot Kids Edition! The kids call our device “Alexa” (I bet you can guess why ;). At their age, music and singing play an important role in their development. Alexa sits in a central part of the house so the kids can call on her to play a Christmas carol, tell them how many days until Christmas, and even put in a call to Santa!

Creating Christmas Magic while Learning

Of course this teacher mama is going to incorporate learning activities with the holidays! We keep a collection of Christmas books that only makes an appearance this time of year. Some of them are the fun, pop-up kind. Others are more traditional, like Clement Clarke Moore’s Night Before Christmas. In her compact, kid-proof case, Alexa has a wealth of children’s stories on Audible. All you have to do is ask, “Alexa, tell me a Christmas story!” The Echo Dot Kids Edition comes with a year of FreeTime Unlimited, which includes over 300 Audible kids’ books, kid-friendly (and ad-free) radio stations and playlists, and Alexa skills that help kids learn without even knowing they’re doing it! When we get bored, we just ask Alexa to play a game. Little do my kids know, they’re working on Common Core listening skills while they play.

Creating Christmas Magic that’s Filled with Surprises

You know that feeling you get when you find out your favorite fast food place has a secret menu? That’s what it’s like living with Alexa. No kidding! We love asking her questions and trying to find ways to stump her. For example, I asked Alexa to tell me a Christmas fact. She told me how many gifts you would actually receive by the end of the “12 Days of Christmas”. But the best part was her closing sentence, “Gadzooks! I think I’d be happier with a few good books!” Haha! When I run out of things to ask Alexa, I visit the Amazon Kids and Family Facebook page for more inspiration.

As the oldest of 6 kids, I grew up in a home filled with Christmas traditions. Some of these have carried over to how I raise my own kids and others rest peacefully in my memories. I’m raising kids in a very tech-centric day and age, so it’s good to be familiar with trending devices like the Echo Dot Kids Edition. In ten years my kids may not remember the device, but they will remember the songs and stories that Alexa played for us that brought our family closer together.

This year Alexa has helped us write letters to Santa, played music so we could sing carols, and even found great Christmas cookie recipes for us! I rest at ease knowing that my kids are enjoying their device safely, thanks to the parent controls with FreeTime on Alexa. The Echo Dot Kids Edition’s kid-friendly case and 2-year worry-free guarantee make this device a no-brainer for me! Alexa and the Echo Dot Kids Edition are available on Amazon.

How Not to be a Stressed Out Mom

This post was sponsored by Neutrogena as part of an Influencer Activation for Influence Central and all opinions expressed in my post are my own.

As a working mom with 3 small children, I know how important it is to take some time for yourself! But, like many moms, I don’t always do what I know I should. Today I want to give you some tips to slow down, relax, and focus some attention on yourself.

How not to be a stressed out mom

Limit Screen Time

One of the biggest things you can do to lower feelings of anxiety and tension is to put down the phone down. Have you ever tracked how much screen time you use on a daily basis? Some smart phone apps can monitor your screen time, and you’d be surprised at how many hours a day are spent on the phone! Focusing on your phone causes your muscles to tense and your heart to race. Help your body relax by taking a break from the phone and focusing on something more soothing.

Get Moving!

Exercise is known to boost endorphins, lower stress, and increase energy levels. If making it to the gym is too time consuming, find a 15-minute activity you can do like walking in the neighborhood. I look forward to the walks I take and with my kids. They help me see the beautiful things around us, like these flowers! I think they are gardenias? Johnny and I stopped to smell these dewy buds early in the morning, and he said they made his nose wet. Isn’t nature funny like that?

Soak the Stress Away

I know, everyone says you should take a bath to lower stress. But it’s so true! I’ve noticed that my kids are so much calmer when they have a bath before bed instead of a shower. The same goes for us moms. A dip in warm suds is just the thing to soothe those tense muscles. Turn a bath into a spa-like experience with Neutrogena Rainbath! It makes my skin feel clean and conditioned without leaving behind a filmy residue. This bath and shower gel comes in 5 lovely scents: Renewing Pear & Green Tea, Rejuvenating Pomegranate, Replenishing Ocean Mist, and Restoring Fresh Plum.

Breathe in Calm, Breathe Out Stress

I love how a nice smell can totally change how I feel inside. I use this Neutrogena Rainbath both in the shower as a shower gel and in the bath. Some days it seems like a shower is my only time alone. These are the times when I need to be pampering myself with some Neutrogena Rainbath on my loofah. My favorite scent is the plum. When I use it, I think of fresh ripe fruit and strolls through the orchard. And even though it’s winter, the weather here in San Diego is still in the upper 80’s. Which means wearing shorts. Which also means shaving legs. Thankfully, my Neutrogena Rainbath can also be used as shaving gel! So I only have to buy one product for plenty of skin-smoothing bathing. Neutrogena Rainbath Restoring Fresh Plum

Grab your Neutrogena Rainbath at Walgreens or walgreens.com. Between now and November 4th, enter to win one of ten Neutrogena Rainbath bundles, which include one of each of the 5 Neutrogena Rainbath scents.

Neutrogena Rainbath Sweepstakes

I-C will randomly select winners from all program entries and RPR will facilitate fulfillment of the winning prizes of 10 winners.

Happy Birthday Kiwi Co.!

One of my favorite creative kids activities is having a birthday! Kiwi Co. is celebrating their birthday by offering a super deal to new subscribers.

Why Kiwi Co.?

We’ve been receiving Koala and Kiwi crates for a while now and the kids just LOVE them. The projects are awesome, and the time we spend together making the projects is priceless.

Via Kiwico.com

Via Kiwico.com

We have gotten some really amazing activities in our KiwiCo boxes. One time the girls got detective kits complete with “invisible ink” pens and paper and a special detective suitcase to hold all their super secret notes. Johnny got a Koala box all about rainbows, where he made an adorable fluffy cloud pillow and a tie-die looking rainbow print tote bag. The activities always come with an activity booklet, full of kid-friendly science information and puzzles. So the fun continues after building the craft in the kit!

The girls paint baleen whales that came in Emily’s crate while Johnny makes a “campfire”

We made Johnny’s camping kit shortly before our family’s summer camping trip. His pretend hot dog and marshmallows roasted over a little foam campfire. He was already a s’mores-making professional by the time we got to our campsite! And how cute is this little bear backpack? He wore it everywhere he went!

We first started getting KiwiCo boxes as a gift from the kids’ grandma. It is such a thoughtful way to give quality time and learning experiences to a family. John and I get to work one-on-one making the craft with a child. That individual attention our children receive as we create together is so special to them. We’re not only building a project, we’re building memories.

KiwiCo’s Birthday Promo

For just a few days only, KiwiCo is offering 3 free months when you sign up for a 12-month subscription. Just enter the code BDAY at checkout to access the special savings!

Use the link below to get your 3 free months. This is the best deal they have offered all year, so you’re going to want to jump on it!

Happy Birthday KiwiCo! with Promo Code BDAY

Sanity-Saving Tips for Busy Moms

When I first started blogging, I had newborn twins, a full-time job, and a 9-year-old with a packed extracurricular schedule. To say I was busy is an understatement! Since then, we added another bundle of joy to our family. I’ve learned a lot over the years about managing a growing family while working full time. With a little planning and these sanity-saving tips for busy moms, you’ll be more cool, calm, and collected when you’re out with your little ones.

Bring Snacks

Kids burn through a lot of energy. If you’ve seen mine, you know that they hardly ever sit still! If we’re planning on being gone for more than an hour or so, I always bring a little something for the kids to snack on. It doesn’t have to be a big gourmet meal. Most of the time a baggie of sliced fruit or some string cheese is enough to keep our energy up until we get home. For longer trips to the park, beach, or hanging on the sidelines of big brother’s soccer game, we strap a cooler to our wagon to keep our snacks chilly.

Busy Moms Pack Lightly

Even though it is a good idea to bring snacks and toys with you to keep the kids happy, you don’t want to bring so much stuff that it takes 2 trips to the car to unload it all. For us, gone are the days of stuffing everything under the stroller seat, although that was a great way to lug all our extra stuff around. Now we keep a wagon in the trunk of the car for trips when we’re bringing lots of stuff. This 3-in-1 Tailgater Wagon from Radio Flyer folds flat for easy storage in the back of the car.

Don’t Wear Yourself Out

When I get home, I do not want to be more exhausted than the kids are from a day of errands! As the mom, my job isn’t over once we’re home. That’s when the real work starts: making dinner, tidying up, putting away everything we brought with us in the car… So I don’t want to use up all my energy on the outing. We usually bring a backpack with water bottles and snacks on our short errands. When we need more storage we take our awesome wagon. Our 3-in-1 Tailgater Wagon™ has a cooler caddy to carry all our snacks and drinks. There are also 2 cup holders on the front to tote the kids’ water bottles, and a canopy to give them a shady place to sit. It’s so easy to pull, I had no trouble taking them to a lakeside picnic. And since everything was strapped to the wagon, I didn’t have my hands full juggling toys and drinks!

Ok, I know some of you are probably wondering, where did you get that awesome wagon and how can I get my hands on one? My suggestion is to find it at Walmart. We got ours for a very reasonable price, and it has the most bells and whistles available! I love how the side wall can zip transform to bench mode so it can fit all three little guys. They love riding to and from places in it!

Ever since the girls were born we’ve had several on-the-go days each week. With lacrosse meets and soccer games and church events, there is always somewhere we have to be, especially on the weekends! Busy moms, have you been there? Where your life is crazy busy and you are just amazed at how you handle it all? Hopefully these sanity-saving tips can encourage you, because I bet you’re probably doing them already. Hang in there, mama. You’re doing a great job!

How We’re Raising Literate Children

Now that the girls are in school, I have a lot more time with my 3-year-old, Johnny. He’s not in preschool yet, and I want him to be on track for kindergarten in a few years. Kindergarten is not at all the finger painting and nap-taking class that it was when I was little! These days, kids leave kindergarten already reading. My teacher training gave me some starting points for teaching little pre-readers. Hopefully these tips can inspire you to help your little one develop strong literacy skills.

Raising Literate Children

At Johnny’s age, reading stories is about much more than just the cute characters. Children can even learn social skills and develop empathy from listening to stories being read to them. In preschool and kindergarten, their little minds are also coming to grips with the world around them. One of the best gifts we can give our young children is exposure to books and text. This week we tried out the Mrs. Wordsmith program. I love that it makes it so easy for parents to raise literate children, by supplying monthly deliveries of colorfully designed, print-rich vocabulary building activities. Whether you choose to buy a curriculum like Mrs. Wordsmith or work with your child on your own, try these easy and fun ways to encourage reading skills.

Understanding Concepts about Print

Concepts about print is a fancy term for a simple skill. Basically, it’s knowing that “f” is a letter and “”funny” is a word. It’s knowing that you turn the pages of a book from right to left and read across a page from left to right, from the top of the page to the bottom. Parents can help their children develop concepts of print by reading stories with their child. For “homework”, try writing your child’s name and counting how many letters are in it. Or use magnetic letters to build your child’s name and words for familiar objects. If you choose to use Mrs. Wordsmith, you can use the picture cards in your monthly kit to identify letters and words. The kit’s Word of the Day Activity Book also has different things children do with words, like find the letters that appear in a word, tracing around the word, and drawing pictures to show what a word means.

“Reading” the Pictures

All good children’s books have pictures. Pictures help early readers figure out what’s happening in a story when they don’t fully understand the vocabulary. If I’m being honest, I get bored of reading the same story for the millionth time. But this actually helps children grow as readers. When the story is predictable (especially if they’ve heard it read a million times), they can use the pictures to retell it to you. Retelling is a hugely important skill in young readers. It gives children an opportunity to use the vocabulary from the story and shows that they understood it. After having heard the Mrs. Wordsmith stories a few times, Johnny was readily using words like “collaborate” as he summarized the story for me.

Asking and answering Questions

When you’re reading to your child, do you ask them questions? The questions don’t have to be deeply philosophical. While Johnny and I read our Mrs. Wordsmith stories, I ask him to look at the picture and tell me how the character is feeling and other simple questions about the plot. When in doubt, use the 5 W’s – who, what, where, why, when… and how 😉 . Encourage your child to make predictions about what might happen next. Connect it to their lives with, “How do you feel when that happens to you?” On each page of the Mrs. Wordsmith stories there is a question to ask your child. I asked Johnny how he knows he is hungry, and his adorable response was, “when I’m hungry, my tummy rumbles”. Awww….

Using Grown-Up Words

Vocabulary and reading go hand in hand. U.S Department of Education studies have shown that a child’s vocabulary in the early grades directly impacts his reading performance in the upper grades. I sometimes catch myself using babyish talk with my 3-year-old, but to truly give him an advantage in school it’s best to ditch the baby talk and use “grown-up words”. It’s funny, now that we’re working on a Mrs. Wordsmith word a day, I’ve been making an effort to use more sophisticated vocabulary than usual. I’m not sure how well that’s going for me, but Johnny has learned a lot. I was surprised to learn that he didn’t know the word starving. I was sure I used that word almost daily at lunch time!

Create Your Own Activities or Purchase a Workbook?

Parents, you absolutely have what it takes to teach your child early literacy skills. You can and should be reading with your child at home. Additionally, consider adding a reading activity kit like Mrs. Wordsmith. For $22.49, your child will get a monthly set that includes a picture book, workbook, a stand to display your word of the day, and sturdy vocabulary word cards. The products are research-based, helping you set a strong foundation for literacy as well as social and emotional development.

I’ve seen a lot of reading programs in my 12 years of teaching, and I find Mrs. Wordsmith to be high-quality and pretty comprehensive. Bright, colorful pictures bring the words and stories to life. The vocabulary words can be used in everyday conversation, and Johnny loves to sit at the table with me and “do his homework” in his workbook. 🙂

Click over to the website and read some of the testimonials. While you’re there, enjoy 10% off your first month with the code SimplySweetDays10.

Pin this for later so you don’t forget the tips and discount code!

Making Time for Family on Busy School Days

Now that the girls are back in school, our evenings can sometimes be hectic. Now in addition to the regular dinner/bath/bedtime routine, we have to fit in homework too. Some weeks it feels like, by the time Friday rolls around, we’ve hardly spent any time together. I’m finding simple ways to make time for family a priority on those busy after-school days.

Give Kids Your Attention When You’re Together

Making time for family can be hard for me as a full-time working mom. But I know that when I set my phone and laptop aside and just be present with my kids, we are all more joyful and relaxed. Our time together is even more enjoyable when we’re doing something we all love. The younger ones are always ready to go in the pool, color, or play with salt dough. My oldest is into playing card games. Whatever the activity, we always have fun because we’re doing it as a family.

Give Yourself a Break from Cooking

Cooking at home is great, but it is also incredibly time-consuming. Trust me, I’ve been working long days for the whole 15 years I’ve been a parent and I’ve tried every quick-cooking dinner idea there is. But you know what’s even faster? Not cooking! We don’t do it all the time, but every now and then we splurge on a dinner that Mom and Dad didn’t have to cook.

I’m currently loving Applebee’s Carside To Go. Last night, John had to work and I was just not in the mood to make dinner with cranky kids after a long day of school. I pulled up the Applebee’s app on my phone and quickly placed an order for pickup. We jumped in the car and it was ready by the time we got to the restaurant! There is an option for Carside, where you provide the make and model of your car when placing your order either online, over the phone, or on the app. When you park in the designated space an Applebee’s employee brings it right to you!

Remember, Family Comes First

Some of our best evenings have been the ones when we spontaneously threw aside the routines and spent quality time together. Our kids are little, so sometimes this means we forego the bath (gasp!) for a late afternoon dip in the pool or a walk around the lake. If we can manage to bring takeout along with us, we have even more time for adventure!

Make Memories on a School Night

There is so much value in giving kids your undivided attention and carving out special time together. The nest time you need a quick dinner option, use Applebee’s To Go. Type in the code 5off25 and get $5 off your online order of $25 or more. Then get outside or circle up around your favorite board game and make some memories. We don’t want our kids thinking we’re too busy for them, do we?

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Applebee’s. The opinions and text are all mine.

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