Linda @ Linda’s Lunacy

5 Fun, Educational Valentine’s Day Activities for Kids

February 8, 2017 by Linda @ Linda's Lunacy

*This post contains affiliate links

Valentines’s Day doesn’t have to be just about the candy for kids. Here are some fun activities to do with the kids that don’t involve eating lots of candy. They might eat some cookies that they make themselves, though!

5 Fun and Educational Valentine’s Day Activities for Kids

Conversation Heart Science Experiments – some fun experiments using those little candy hearts

Heart Attack – write nice comments about your kids on hearts and put them on their doors. Have the kids write comments on hearts for their siblings, too.

Set up a Valentine Station – put all the crafting supplies needed to make Valentine’s in one place so the kids can easily make their own. You can put everything on one desk, or put all the supplies in a bin that can be carried a table or desk when the kids want to create some fun Valentine’s Day art

Valentines Day math with free printable candy heart sorting chart.

Practice using fractions while baking cookies – Get the kids in the kitchen and make heart shaped cookies with them. Let them do as much of the measuring and mixing as they are able to. Measuring involves fractions, so it’s the perfect time to discuss them. Let the kids get creative decorating them.

Sharing the cookies they made with others is fun, too!

*Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. If you click the link, and make a purchase, I will receive a small commission.

What Do I Want my Second Act to Look Like?

January 30, 2017 by Linda @ Linda's Lunacy

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about what I want to do when I am finished homeschooling my children.

Our youngest is 16, with a couple of years of high school left to complete. Just having one student is so different from homeschooling all 6. I have a lot of time on my hands now. Time that I have been spending thinking.

What Do I Want my Second Act to Look Like?

My heart really is in volunteering and helping other people. Ii already volunteer a couple of hours a week. And I see myself spending a lot of time volunteering in several different places when my son graduates. I also see myself still being totally devoted to my family. I want to be available to my family for whatever they need. Help during an illness, help moving, etc., whatever they need.

Then there are the grandkids (hopefully, someday!). I want to be there in whatever capacity I am needed when my grandkids are on the way and are little. Hand holding, cooking, cleaning, babysitting, rocking those precious babies. I want to be the grandma that has sleepovers and bakes cookies with them, and attends all of their games/activities. I also want/need to earn some money, so I would continue working online with my own businesses.

Sounds like a full life doesn’t it?

But wait!

After my mother was in the hospital, something else has been on my heart and my mind. My mother was in the hospital for over 4 months, and she had to be on a ventilator. For the last 2 months of her hospitalization, she was in an amazing facility that had only people on ventilators. I got to witness first hand the work of a respiratory therapist. For the last 7 months or so, I have been thinking about becoming one. I would want to work in that facility. Which wouldn’t be a problem, I don’t think. The college I would go to for training puts students in this hospital for their clinical training. So I think getting a job there after I finish my training would be totally doable.

So this is my dilemma.

Do I want to go to school for 2.5 years, then work for several years? I will be 54 soon. I would be 56 almost 57 when I finished school. It is possible that I could work for 10 years after I finished school. I would really love to be a respiratory therapist in this hospital and make a difference in the lives of the people that my never get off a ventilator for the rest of their lives.

On the other hand…..can I really be as active in my family’s lives as I would like to be if I am going to school & working? What about volunteering? How would I fit in all the volunteering I would like to do if I am working? This ventilator facility is working on starting a volunteer program. I already asked to volunteer. So while it’s not an option right now, it will be later this year from what I have been told. I could make a difference in the quality of the patients lives by volunteering.

I am so conflicted! One day I know for sure what I want, and the next I don’t!

Ugggghhhh…..

Has anyone ever been through this? How did you ever decide what your second act would look like?

Homeschooling During a Crisis

January 20, 2017 by Linda @ Linda's Lunacy

When we have kids we think everything is going to be all sunshine, kittens, and rainbows. And most of the time it is. Then when we start homeschooling we think that the good times are going to continue. And most of the time they do.

But sometimes, things happen beyond our control. Jobs are lost, kids get diagnosed with diseases, Mom or Dad get really sick. Our worst nightmares sometimes come true.

That was the case for me, when in 2000, my then 5 year old son was diagnosed with leukemia. Want to talk about having the rug ripped out from underneath you! Your worst nightmare has been brought to the light of day. And come true.

Whatever your crisis is, whether you are looking for another job, or fighting hard for your child’s health or your own, it takes everything in you to fight. But wait! You homeschool! How can you wage war in this battle and still homeschool? I know I questioned myself. A lot. “How can I keep homeschooling with “this” going on?”

I’m here to say you can do. Because I did. And I’m no different from you.

Like in everything else, though, you can’t do it all. Something is going to have to give. Fancy meals will have to be traded for simple, homecooked meals, freezer meals, and sometimes take out. In depth unit studies, detailed science experiments, and lots of field trips will have to be traded for just the basics for a season. It can be done, though. Kids will be fine if they don’t do every experiment or go on every field trip possible.

You will have to set the priorities for your family. Meals, laundry, medical needs, and emotional needs of the children will likely be at the top of your list. Then you can fit in school work in between. Math will be a homeschool priority. You don’t want to get too far behind in math, as it takes too long to catch up. For elementary and middle school aged kids, every other subject can be covered by reading good books. Read aloud when you can, have whoever is watching the other kids while your at doctors appointments or in the hospital read to the kids. The kids can also read for themselves. High schoolers can take responsibility for their own schoolwork and do the majority of their work by themselves. Really. Yes, you are still involved. Picking the curriculum, helping them when they get stuck, correcting their work when needed. But they can do most of their daily work by themselves.

If you have to take off two weeks because of a hospitalization, the kids will be ok taking an extra two weeks off. Think about it. Over the course of 12 or 13 years of school, is an extra two weeks off going to make a difference? No, it’s not. Even if you take off a week or two several times a year, your kids will still be fine. They will quickly catch up. They will have learned much from reading. Their reading speed and comprehension levels will have increased. This will benefit them in their lessons when they are returned to.

My son received chemo treatments for over three years. During that time, we didn’t do any schoolwork to speak of on clinic days or when he was hospitalized. The remaining kids at home didn’t do any schoolwork on those days either. When my son was diagnosed, our children were 14, 12, 5-the one diagnosed, 3, 2, and almost 3 months old. When he finished treatments three years and three months later, they were 17, 15, 9, 8, 5 and 3. I have been there and done that.

My advice for homeschooling in a crisis is to pray. Then pray some more. Then set your priorities. Daily living, (meals, laundry, etc.), medical needs, (or job hunt, or whatever is needed for your crisis), the emotional needs of the kids. Then school. Relax. Cut your self and your children some slack. If you can barely concentrate on anything because of the overwhelming feelings caused by a crisis, how can your kids concentrate on schoolwork? Circle the wagons. Gather together as a family. Gain strength from each other. Your family can draw closer together and learn much together in a time of crisis. These life and family lessons will be of greater benefit to your children than another science experiment, workbook page, art project, or field trip will be.

You can deal with a crisis and keep homeschooling. I’m living proof.

Quick & Easy No Bake Granola Bars

January 12, 2017 by Linda @ Linda's Lunacy

*This post contains affiliate links

I have been using this recipe for several years now. I don’t even remember where I first got the recipe from. These Quick & Easy No Bake Granola Bars are a family favorite.

They are perfect for student athletes to take and eat after a game. My girls loved taking them when they played volleyball. They are a great anytime snack. We’ve even been known to eat them for breakfast!

Quick & Easy No Bake Granola Bars

1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup honey
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla

2 cups quick cook oatmeal
1 cup rice cereal

1/2 cup chocolate chips

Optional Add-In’s:

up to 1/2 cup of raisins, or other dried fruit
up to 1/2 cup chopped nuts

In a large pan, melt the butter with the honey, and brown sugar. Bring this mixture to a boil, and boil until the sugar dissolves, approximately 2 minutes.
Remove from heat, stir in vanilla, then stir in the remaining ingredients, except chocolate chips.

Press mixture into a 9 x 13 pan. Press chocolate chips into top.
Refrigerate until firm. Cut into desired size bars. Wrap individually in plastic wrap, or layer between waxed paper in an air tight container.

These will keep for a week. I think. They never last that long in my house! I have also frozen them, and that works well. Just thaw at room temp.

*This post contains affiliate links. If you click the link and make a purchase, I will receive a small commission.

In the Kitchen with Linda & Dinner Menu

January 2, 2017 by Linda @ Linda's Lunacy

I haven’t planned out a menu for several weeks. Getting ready for Christmas, helping my married daughter move out of state, and sickness, have prevented it. I haven’t even taken any food pictures! *gasp*

After checking the fridge, freezer, & pantry, I filled in each day’s dinner using the daily plan below. I already had all the week for this weeks dinners in the freezer. I have fresh lettuce & tomatoes for Taco night, along with potatoes & carrots for Friday, but the rest of the vegetables I will use this week are in the freezer, including greens beans that I froze myself last summer, and the potato wedges. I may used some canned vegetables in tonight’s soup. Or I may use frozen. I’ll see what I feel like using when I assemble the soup. lol I canned the homemade applesauce, so I just need to pull the jar out of the pantry.

Thankfully, it’s going to be an easy week in the kitchen!

Hopefully, I’ll have lots of pictures to share next week!

In the Kitchen with Linda & Dinner Menu

Now…. to answer the question that I get asked about a hundred times a day……….What’s For Dinner?

Saturday – quick & easy- New Years Eve – Pizza, Pizza Rolls, meatballs in bbq sauce, chips & Salsa, cookies, brownies

Sunday – soup & sandwich day – Get your own!

Monday – chicken or turkey – Homemade turkey soup – from our Christmas turkey, garlic bread

Tuesday – pizza/pasta – Spaghetti with meatballs, green beans

Wednesday – Taco Night- Tacos with all the fixin’s, Taco salad with multi-grain tortilla chips for some

Thursday – pork or venison – Venison Steaks, Potato Wedges, corn, homemade applesauce

Friday – venison – Roast with potatoes and carrots in the slow cooker

For more ideas, visit Menu Plan Monday

My Top 10 Favorite Kitchen Tips

December 26, 2016 by Linda @ Linda's Lunacy

It seems I am constantly in my kitchen. So I am always looking for kitchen time savers. Here are my

My Top 10 Favorite Kitchen Tips

Hang a calendar in the kitchen – makes it easier to plan ahead for events, great for writing menus on, and keeping track of how old leftovers are

Store your herbs, salt, etc. in a drawer next to the stove – it’s easy to grab what you need while cooking

Store your measuring cups in a bin – they won’t fall out of the cabinet every time you open the door

Store your measuring spoons standing up in a cup or round storage container – it’s easier to find the one you are looking for

Keep your most used recipes taped to the inside of an upper cabinet – they will always be there when you need them

Put plastic wrap over the keyboard of your computer when following a recipe online – you can scroll or click without getting food on your keyboard

Keep your cutting board from traveling across the counter while you are chopping by placing a damp dish towel under it

Meat is easier to slice if you put it in the freezer for 30 minutes first

Cool cookie sheets before putting more dough on to bake – the dough melts too quickly if placed on hot pans

When reheating foods in the microwave cover with a damp paper towel – it absorbs splatters, keeps food from drying out, and won’t melt & sag onto your food like plastic wrap

There Might Be a Groupon for That!

December 19, 2016 by Linda @ Linda's Lunacy

*This is a sponsored post. All opinions are mine.

Using coupons has become a way of life for me. I’ve been using paper coupons since before I got married, and I’ve been married for 35 years.

The way we shop has changed over the years. So the way we use coupons had to change, too. So much shopping is done online now. It can be hard, sometimes, to find coupons to use while shopping online.

Thanks to Groupon it’s easy find great coupons to use while shopping online!

Here are a couple of examples of online stores that are currently offering Groupon coupons:

Coldwater Creek features women’s clothing and accessories, as well as items for the home and gifts.

Shoes for Crews has slip-resistant footwear in many different styles for men and women. From athletic to clogs to work boots to dress shoes.

The Groupon website is easy to use, with a great search feature. After checking out the website, I’m sad to say that I have never used a Groupon before. I will definitely be checking for Groupons from now on!

Groupon is not just for shopping! You can find Groupons for events, restaurants, and experiences. Whatever you are planning on doing or the places you are going, check Groupon first. Whether you shop in person in the store, or shop online, there just might be a Groupon for that!

*Disclosure: *This is a sponsored post. All opinions are mine.

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