*NEW* Feature Friday and Mega Swagbucks Day!

Okay - so today I want to start something new on each of my blogs.  I am going to pick a few people that have left comments recently and share their blogs with you!  :)  A little linky love for the sweeties that have visited me lately!  So if you want to get in on this - leave some comment love some time!
First up is Ponn from American Muslim Mom.  Let me just say that if you have not visited her - you are missing out!  She is a woman with vast knowledge on a variety of subjects. I attended a Mom Spark Media chat last night and she shared so many tips with us. (Saving that for another post - be on the lookout!) 
Next up is JDaniel4's Mom.  She has a little guy and they are always on an educational journey!  I love how she works in such fun activities throughout the week for JDaniel4.
Last for this week is Amber from Living at the Whitehead's Zoo.  You have to check out this post - you will no doubt get some good laughs!
I'll be back again next week with quite a few more.  I have oodles of comments to respond to from the SITS comment hour the other night.  I'll be sure to share some of those next week!
**Just a reminder that today is Mega Swagbucks Day!  Every Friday you have even more chances of winning BIG swagbucks!  I have only been doing this for a month (and 2 days) and I already earned enough for a $5 gift card to Amazon and am halfway to my second one!  I'm still getting the hang of everything you can do - but most of my swagbucks have come from just searching the web which I do anyway!  :)  If you haven't jumped on board - nows the time to get started!  I'm thinking of saving up all my prizes and using them for Christmas shopping this year - wouldn't that be great?  :)

As always - thank so much for stopping by!  :)

2 brothers. 2 friends. Life is good.

I just had to share this fabulous moment that I had with my middle son last night.  I immediately scooped up my phone and had to type it in so I wouldn't miss any of it!  (Silly mommy blogger!)

We are laying in the bed talking about different people.  Danny starts to name off a few boys. He says,  "Kingston." I say, "Yes - thats your brother." He says "Thomas."  I say, "He is your friend."  He says,  "Like gabriel is my friend?"  "Yes" I say, "and whos your other brother?"  He says, "Robert is my brother."  And then he says "I have 2 brothers and 2 friends."

Lately he has just been throwing numbers out there.  I love it!  He just blurted out a few weeks ago and counted from 1 to 10.  He is always saying things like "The 3 of us are going to do this" or "All 5 of us will do that."  He has become very good at looking at a group of items and being able to quickly tell me how many are there.

Now this may not seem like anything super for a 3 1/2 year old.  I don't know.  I don't really get into what kids should be doing at what time.  I focused on that for about a year and then learned that it wasn't worth the stress it was giving me!  So honestly I'm not really sure what he is 'supposed to know' by now.  I calm my fears by noticing that he is continuing to learn and grow.  As long as he is expanding his knowledge - I am happy!

Maybe this comes from all the information I've read on unschooling.  I feel confident that even though we aren't sitting down every day to do some sort of 'school' - my kids are still learning.  I do try really hard to take notice and use any opportunity I can to point out 'educational concepts'. We are constantly counting and reciting letters and even adding up the toys.  For fun one day we sat down and went over a toy that is for doing times tables.  We recited each one all the way up to 10x10!  Now I know he's not going to memorize those right now - but he was interested so I went with it!

I think the most important thing it to take advantage of the fun opportunities that there are for learning.  We just have to remember that education is not only books and papers but can really be achieved in so many other ways!

Do you have moments when you see your kids do something and you think "Now where did they learn that?"  I'd love to hear about them!

It's Five Question Friday!

I thought I'd join in and have a little fun today!  

1. Have you ever testified in court? For what?

Nope. Only time I ever went to court was to get a divorce.

2. Do you still have your wedding dress?

Nope.  Just dropped it in a donation box last summer.  I got tired of moving it around and finding a place in the closet to hang it! It was from my first marriage and I don't have any girls - so really no need to hang on to it.  

3. Is there a special place you like to go when you're happy, sad, stressed, etc.?

My ideal day for happiness would be by the beach reading a good book. But in reality - when I'm having a rough day - I try to hide in the bathroom!  It's the only door with a lock on it!!

4. If you have kids, do they sleep with you? If you don't have kids...will you let your kids sleep with you when/if you have them?

Ooohhh.... touchy subject for some.  Don't bash me please.  I'm a co-sleeper.  I have 2 boys and we have a special set-up in our room so they can sleep with us.  We have 2 queen size mattresses pushed together so that we can all 4 sleep comfortably!  Of course - usually its me and the boys on one bed and hubs spread out on the other.  :)  I really enjoy our bedtime - the snuggling and such.  Especially now that they are a bit older (3.5 and 2) we really have some of our best conversation after we lay down! 

5. Do you watch late night TV?

Well - I watch TV late at night but not really 'late night' TV.  Usually at night some sort of sports is on and in the bedroom is always Nick at Nite.  I go to sleep with George Lopez or The Nanny usually!  :)

Thanks for stopping by!  I'm looking forward to doing a little blog hopping today!  If you leave me a comment - I promise to visit your blog.  Might not be today but I WILL get to it this weekend!  :)

Have a great weekend! 

Want to grow your business? How about Biz Bootcamp?

Click on image to learn more.

Just wanted to share this information with y'all.  I am taking this class starting next week and I can't wait!  If you have a small business - this may be a great kick in the pants for you!   We are going to learn about using social media to market your business and much more.  There will be group coaching activities and daily prompts for the weekdays.  I think this is a going to be a great opportunity for learning and getting some feedback from my peers! 
If you are at all interested - hurry and check it out!  Registration ends on Monday March 14th because Biz Bootcamp starts on March 16th!
Hope you are having a great weekend!  :)

Let's talk... college!

When I think of college - I still think of myself!  I'm one of those people that just has a love of learning! I am all about studying and figuring out something new!  It just energizes me when I am taking a class and learning new things!  I will tell you that I don't have a degree in anything because I just like to learn about everything!  But I have taken college classes online and on campus off and on for the 10 or so years I've been out of high school! My favorite by far has been online learning.  I love that I can take classes from the comfort of my own home.  Those commercials that say you can study in your pajamas - I love those!  :)  I think distance learning is great for adults as well as children - especially those that have been homeschooled and are used to working on their own.  Online programs do require a great deal of self-motivation and determination but they are certainly a favorable alternative to sitting in class and taking notes for someone like me!

Now when it comes to my children - my biggest push is for them to get a good education.  You can make it in life without a lot of things but by the time they are ready to get into the workforce I believe lots of jobs will be requiring some type of college education.  Because I am so fond of online learning - I will certainly encourage them to visit that as an option. I think it depends on the person.  Some people need to go to class and hear the lecture from the teacher and some can just read the material and be good to go.  The ultimate choice will be up to the boys as far as getting a college education but I feel like an online degree will be comparable to a degree earned on a college campus.

No matter their choice I just want to make sure that my children are as prepared as possible to be productive adults.


I am participating in the Homeschool and Online College Campaign organized by American Muslim Mom. I received compensation to facilitate this post. However, the views and opinions are my own.