Another Homeschool year begins soon!

Name: Instant Pot Egg Bites
Total time: 5 min
Yield: 6 Bites
Cuisine: Breakfast
Ingredients: 3-4 eggs; 1 cup water; preferred mix-ins

Leave a comment July 26, 2019 Deanna Grace

This Summer is just flying by.. and another homeschool year begins soon!

I can’t believe it. Here we are almost at the end of July!

Are you ready? Where my homeschool moms at? I just realized my kids need things! haha I suppose I should choose what books or curriculum we will be using this year.

We’ve liked bookshark a lot. but this is the first year that I will officially have two students. So I’m a little anxious about how that will all work out. We love that it is literature based. And uses lots of great books by Usborne. and I love that it comes with everything! The teachers manuel is one large book that tells me what to do in each subject, each day. And there are math options and handwriting options to make it fit your student!

We have been using some of these Brainquest and literature work books for summer reminder/school prep. and the boys are liking them a lot!

Products from Amazon.com

‹ ›

Products from Amazon.com

‹ ›

For my own preperations, I am re-reading Teaching From Rest. by Sarah Mackenzie and I highly recommend it. And if you haven’t read her other book, Read a-loud Family, grab it!

I also love to attend a homeschool conference during the summer break. We have one not far from us. ( I leave today!!!) I’ll be staying with a few fellow mamas and soaking in the workshops. Most of the time, I get more out of it personally than for my little students. It’s a great way to fill up my heart to be prepared to shape these little learners. There is always awesome practical help too. Topics like ” What to do with littles when you are teaching the bigs” or ideas on organizing the school supplies etc. You can check out curriculum in person, talk to representatives from different book companies, etc.
I encourage anyone who is homeschooling, whether it’s your first year or twentieth. to find something like convection or conference. Even if it’s just to remind you, that you are not alone in this adventure!

And then in 2 weeks, we will be fitting in one last little summer getaway with the boys. I’m looking forward to some exploring and fun at the lake for a couple of days, before we dive into another school year!

So, How do you prepare for the school year? Are you also in disbelief that another homeschool year begins soon? Do you squeeze in one more trip to the beach? Are you a packrat like me, so you have to go through all your piles of supplies to even know what you have?

Follow me on Instagram, to see some of the Valley Home Educators Conference this weekend! www.instagram.com/Deannalove_and_Scribbles

I’ll leave you with our list of indoor summer activities for when it’s just too hot outside. It may help fill these last days before the school year.

5 favorite Indoor Summer Activities

5 favorite Indoor Summer Activities

Leave a comment July 4, 2019 Deanna Grace

For those days that are just to hot to be outside, we need Indoor Summer Activities!

My boys love to be outside and we usually spend a little time every day in the sunshine, but some days we need to be inside by 10 am, usually just for Mommy’s sanity! And the heat can be intense where we live!

So here are 5 favorite indoor summer activities:

indoor sand boxes.

The boys love these! My Mom gave William one years ago. These box lids latch and keep everything together. The boys spend a lot of time, building moutains, digging, driving their tractors through the sand, and using cookie cutters to make shapes in the sand.

If you’ve been around here a little bit, you probably know I don’t like messy play, as in, My boys will tell you, play dough is illegal in our house haha But, this sand is manageable for me.

It is a mess I can handle

Pretty easy to clean up! Just usually wipe the sand back into the boxes. And sweep what landed on the floor. It’s soooo much easier to clean up them playdough smooshed into everything!!! And don’t even mention slime!!! Lord bless you if you are a fun Mom that can enjoy all that!

This post contains affiliate links, I may receive a small comission if you shop through them. Thank you!

Products from Amazon.com

‹ ›

Products from Amazon.com

‹ ›

creative building with simple supplies is another favorite inside summer activity

With just a pile of popsicle sticks and clothespins, this activity is so inexpensive. yet it keeps my boys busy for a long time (and pretty quiet too!)

Products from Amazon.com

‹ ›

I feel like it is pretty healthy for our kids to have to look at simple supplies and come up with fun on their own. They should have a chance to be creative in their own way. It’s amazing what they come up with!

Workbook practice

We also do a very little bit of “school work”. Not enough to make it burdensome but just a little to help us not forget all we learned last year. And prep our in coming Kindergartner! I’m loving the Brain Quest books, the boys think they are fun! And I’m using summer time to introduce the boys to some of my favorite classic books!

Products from Amazon.com

‹ ›

Jumping around and balancing

These “rocks” are a big hit when we need to get our bodies moving! The boys can play with them indoors or out!

Products from Amazon.com

‹ ›

Nearly forgot to talk about our favorite activity around here.. winter or summer doesn’t matter. Legos will always be a top choice for my guys.

lego Block Building

William and I are working on this bigger project together but they also love the smaller sets, that they can build on their own.

And for the little ones just getting started with lego building, there are Junior sets that are a bit easier to put together!

Products from Amazon.com

‹ ›

I hope you’ve enjoyed this list of 5 favorite indoor summer activities! What are some of your favorite activities?

Need some recipe inspiration for these busy summer days? check out our recipes page!

I hope you are all enjoying the season,

Deanna Grace

Prepare For Busy VBS Mornings!

Leave a comment June 22, 2019 Deanna Grace

It’s summertime which means we will need to prepare for busy VBS mornings! Vacation Bible School (VBS) is one of our favorite ministries to be involved in. They are like summer day camps, usually held at churches for the local area kids! You usually don’t have to be a member of the church to join in the fun! I encourage you to look for a church offering one near you! It’s a blast! But if your family is like ours, you aren’t used to getting everyone ready and out the door so early every morning.

In just a couple of weeks, our two “big” boys will get to attend VBS at a church nearby (where we also participate in Awana club through the school year.) Then a month later we will all be going to VBS every day at our church where I will also be volunteering.

I know lots of families are used to running out of the house in the morning, during school days but for us homeschoolers, it’s a new challenge, for sure!
So, there are a few things we do, to help us

Prepare for Busy VBS Mornings

1. Prep Clothes

I lay out all of the boy’s clothes for the whole week! It may seem a little bit overboard BUT, there really isn’t much worse than not having enough clean clothes or someone not being able to find clean underwear, in the middle of a rushed morning!

tips for getting out of the house — I usually stack them up like this.. A pile for each day. And leave it here in our room, so I can easily grab what everyone needs each morning!

2. Prepare Lunches

Usually, VBS let’s out just in time for lunch. Especially for the week that I volunteer, getting everyone lunch is pretty ruff. So I prep lunches ahead of time for the boys and for me, so we can eat before we leave the church. This really helps keep the crankies at bay 🙂 and sometimes they even fall asleep in the car on the way home!!! One tip I’ve discovered is that if you put peanut butter on both pieces of bread then the jelly, it will help the bread to not get soggy! 🙂

3. Easy Dinners For Tired Days

I LOVE using my once a Month Freezer Meals for these days that everyone is just plain worn out! and rushing around for drop off and pick up means, I don’t have to stress about “What’s for dinner?” Here’s a link to how I use Once A Month Meals

Freezer Cooking Made Simple

4. Early Bedtimes for All

Everyone gets an early bedtime during VBS week. Even Mom!! Nothing is more hindering in efficiency, organization, temperaments, and everyone having a good time, like sleep deprivation! So, get everyone to be early and make sure you shut off the lights at a decent time too!

5. Pray Pray Pray

Pray it up, Mamas! The Lord Sees what we are striving to do with our kiddos. He cares about all of our troubles. Even the “small” things like getting our family out the door in one piece. And of course, Pray that all this preparation and effort provides for wonderful memories and lessons about Jesus for our kid’s hearts!

Freezer cooking in the summer - Loveandscribbles.com

Freezer Cooking for the Summer

Leave a comment May 21, 2019 Deanna Grace

It’s almost summer and around here that means we’ll be out at the BBQ a lot more often! But you better believe we will still be Freezer Cooking for the Summer!

Once A Month Meals is amazing! It’s easy to use and implement no matter your eating or cooking style! I normally use mostly Instant Pot recipes from my Once A Month Meals Membership (and we love them) But there are all kinds of recipes available. Stove, Oven, No Cook, Easy assembly, crockpot, griddle, and grill!!

For the Grill!! I cannot tell you how many times we have been sitting around and think, oh man, the weather will be perfect for bbqing tomorrow.. but we don’t have anything in the freezer or fridge to grill!

Freezer Cooking for the Summer to the rescue!

Switching To Mineral Makeup

Leave a comment May 9, 2019 Deanna Grace

I’m going to do it, I’m switching to Mineral Makeup! Not going to lie, I’m a little nervous and really hope I like it!
Have you ever tried switching to Mineral Makeup?

I’ve never been all that fussy about makeup, Didn’t even start wearing it until I was already an adult. But, I enjoy that it makes me feel pretty and put together and I’ve learned to have fun with things like eye shadows and lipstick!!

Young Living has quickly become a part of our life, in every aspect. And you’ll find products from Young Living in nearly every room in our home (in both cars too) And now, you’ll even find Young Living in my make up bag.

Switching To Mineral Makeup

So Why switch?

We really have been becoming more aware of the products and toxins we use in our daily lives. Swapping as many items with synthetic fragrances and other unknown ingredients out for more natural products.

What Makes Savvy Minerals from Young Living so great?

Instant Pot Egg Bites

Instant Pot Sweet Potatoes

Here’s how we make Instant Pot Sweet Potatoes

Cut up your Sweet Potatoes, If they aren’t gigantic ones like we’ve been getting lately, you can throw them in whole, just poke a few holes in them with a fork first. (and add a couple more minutes to the time.)

place 1 cup of water in the bottom of your Instant Pot insert. use the trivet and either just throw those potatoes in there or you can put them in a handy steam basket.

Place lid and make sure it is set to SEAL. Then press pressure cook (or manual) and adjust the time to 8 minutes.

Instant Pot Sweet Potatoes

Instant Pot Sweet Potatoes in just a few minutes! A great Side Dish for any meal!

Course

Instant Pot, side dishes

Cuisine

Instant pot

Keyword

instant pot, recipe

Prep Time

2 minutes

Cook Time

8 minutes

Passive Time

5 minutes

Servings

people

Ingredients

2 medium sweet potatoes
1 cup water
preferred seasonings I love it simple, butter, salt,and maybe a sprinkle of cheese!

Course

Instant Pot, side dishes

Cuisine

Instant pot

Keyword

instant pot, recipe

Prep Time

2 minutes

Cook Time

8 minutes

Passive Time

5 minutes

Servings

people

Ingredients

2 medium sweet potatoes
1 cup water
preferred seasonings I love it simple, butter, salt,and maybe a sprinkle of cheese!

Instructions

For perfectly consistently cooked Sweet Potatoes, I like to slice my them up before cooking. (you can totally throw them in whole after poking some holes in them if you want, just add 3-5 minutes cook time depending on size)
pour 1 cup of water into the insert of your Instant Pot. Then put the trivet in.
Now either place sweet potatoes right on top of the trivet OR use a steam basket (makes it easier to take out)
place lid and check that lever is switched to seal. press Pressure Cook (or Manual) and adjust the time to 8 minutes.
Naturally Release Pressure for 5 minutes or more. Then Release remainder of pressure. remove from the Instant Pot
Season to your liking and enjoy! ~ My favorite is simply, butter, pink salt, and a little mozzarella cheese.

Recipe Notes

~ Loveandscribbles.com

Share this Recipe

Instant Pot Butternut Squash Beef Stew

Really, this recipe is more like a starting place 🙂

I started this recipe with a “block” of frozen stew meat pieces. You can use fresh or frozen.

Dust it with a little flour and saute with some butter in your instant pot. When using thawed meat you can get a nice sear on the meat and it adds some extra flavor. But, even with the frozen this stew ended up being flavorful and tender!

Add a little oil (any you prefer) and add the onion, salt, and pepper. stir. Now just throw in the mushrooms, carrots, tomatoes, and butternut squash to the pot!

Pour in 2 cups of beef broth and all the seasonings!

Now it’s time to cook your Instant Pot Butternut Squash Beef Stew

Easy DIY Foaming Hand Soap

Leave a comment March 25, 2019 Deanna Grace

Today I am Making My Super Easy DIY Foaming Hand Soap!

It only takes a few minutes and a couple of ingredients!

If you’ve been around love and scribbles for a little while, you’ve probably noticed my focus has been on switching out the products we use around our home. Ditching the toxic, chemically laden products for natural, plant based ones, wherever we can!

This Easy DIY Foaming Hand Soap is exactly what we need to trade in the (who-knows-what) ingredients in what we use to wash our hands everyday!

Home Made Liquid Laundry Detergent

1 Comment January 23, 2019 Deanna Grace

I’ve never made my own home made liquid laundry detergent but, have always wanted to. I suppose I thought it involved a lot of steps and mess and just didn’t feel like tackling it, Until today!

And the only reason I even attempted to make home made liquid laundry detergent today, was because I found this awesome ingredients list and instructions that make it a whole lot easier than I ever thought it could be.

First let me tell you about some of the reasons why I want to have my own homemade liquid laundry detergent

Laundry detergent is one of the most toxic, chemically laden products in our homes.

The Think Dirty app lists most of them as 8 or 9 on their toxic ratings.
listing problematic ingredients such as

Fragrance – possible Carcinogen, possible allergic reactions
Sodium Borate (also known as Borax) – Respiratory and sin irritation.
Alcohol Ethoxy Sulfate – skin irritation.
Diethylene Glycol – pregnant women use with precaution. this is restricted for use in cosmetics in Canada and completely banned in other countries. * a note here to say this ingredient is in Tide!! Did you know that? I sure didn’t!!

The last store bought detergent I had been using had over 30 ingredients!! With other leading brands having as many as 45 different ingredients!!!!

Now let’s look at the ingredients I’m using to make my home made liquid laundry detergent.

Washing Soda, Arm & Hammer
Baking Soda
Thieves Laundry Soap – from Young Living
Thieves Household Cleaner – from Young Living
essential Oils (optional but so great!)
Water

And that’s it! Now, not only do I know what is in my home made laundry detergent, but It’s so easy to mix together!!

Continue reading to find out how to make it or you can watch this video ( I wasn’t going to post this video, I’ve never recorded a video with my kiddos “help” and it’s not the way I wanted it to be. but hopefully it helps you see how easy it is to make this! and maybe a peak into real life over here)