Keeping a watchful eye with a baby monitor

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We have three of our boys sharing a room. They love it but sometimes it can get a little rowdy. We keep an eye on them with the help of a baby video monitor. We have on camera set up in the baby’s room and one in the room with the big boys. We can switch back and forth between the two rooms to make sure everyone is doing well throughout the night.

With the aid of our baby monitor we can see if the boys need our help when they get up in the middle of the night. If we hear a crash we can investigate the sound without interrupting everyone while they sleep. Most of the time it’s just someone tossing and turning in their bed. But occasionally we’ve found a child that needs help finding the bathroom or is having a hard time going to sleep. I feel so much more comfortable with the boys sharing a room knowing that we have a baby monitor.

I can keep an eye on 1 sleeping child while I’m busy with the others.

best baby monitors

Diapers.com has some of the best baby monitors on the market today.  We have a monitor that has a two-way intercom. This feature is especially useful while trying to keep an active toddler in bed. We mounted our cameras to the wall opposite the boys beds to keep the wiring secure and to give us the best view of the room.

There are many different types of baby monitors so if you need help deciding on which monitor to buy check out this article: How to Choose the Best Baby Monitor.

baby monitor

GIVEAWAY
One lucky reader will win a $50 Diapers.com Gift Certificate. Use the Rafflecopter form below to enter the giveaway. Ends 11/6/16.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Giveaway ends on November 6, 2016. The winner to be chosen at random. Winner will be notified by email and has 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. See giveaway rules for more information.

This giveaway is a partnership with Nakturnal, with a prize of a gift certificate

Picking Pumpkins

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Every year we go to the NC Farmer’s Market to pick out our Halloween pumpkins.

This past Saturday we took the boys to pick out the pumpkins and to shop for some fall produce. We had a blast and the boys loved looking at all the pumpkins and gourds. We also got to mix and match different types of apples to try at home.

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Abel goes to the ER

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Last Wednesday Abel decided to give Joe and I a bit of a scare. While Joe was upstairs working and I was in the bathroom he got under the kitchen sink (which was child proofed) and drank some Mr. Clean (which is one of the only non-natural cleaners we owned and was in the very back of the cabinet). Thankfully Jude was there to take it away from him pretty quickly but it was evident that he did in fact drink the cleaner.

So after reading the bottle and giving him some water (what the label suggested) we call the pediatrician. They suggested we take him to the ER, which we did. He threw up a little and then seemed mostly fine after that but not without giving us a scare.

They watched him for a few hours in the ER and then the doctors gave him the all clear to go home.

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A New Season for Our Family

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About 4 months ago God starting making big changes in our life. I think both Joe and I had felt a shift in our world even before that but things really started to happen about 4, maybe 5, months ago.

After a long process on interviews and long phone calls Joe quit the job he had been working for 8 year and stepped out in faith to take a job with people he’d never met in person.

A few weeks ago he started working a job that is 100% remote, meaning he works from home or anywhere he has internet access. This past month he’s had to travel away from our family several times while he learns the processes of the new company. Travel won’t be a regular part of his work but this transition period requires it.

I’m excited to see what new journey this holds for our family but if I’m honest this transition period is hard. We’re trying to figure out a new rhythm to life and be flexible when things change without any notice. But it is all very exciting. We are growing and learning. We’re more intentional about how we spend our time and it seems as though God is preparing our hearts for more. I’m not sure what that “more” is but we are excited to find out.

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Photo Sep 30, 8 30 07 PM Photo Sep 30, 8 33 11 PM Photo Sep 30, 8 34 33 PM Photo Sep 30, 8 36 29 PM Photo Sep 30, 8 37 26 PM Photo Sep 30, 8 40 10 PM Pictures are from a recent family outing to the Raleigh Rose Garden.

Our Fall Field Trip

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A few weeks ago we took our first official field trip of the school year. Yes, we do occasional nature walks or trips to the local museums but they are all free and we don’t usually get a guided tour. So our trip to Vollmer Farm was our first official field trip of the school year. We went with a small group of homeschool families and got a small presentation about the farm, animals, butter and bees.

The kids had a great time meeting some new friends, learning and playing. Vollmer Farm has a “back 40” that is filled with fun places for the kids to play. It was rather hot the day we went and the kids were getting thirsty and hungry so we didn’t stay as long but they didn’t seem to mind.

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Magic Sketch Review + Giveaway

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My boys are always drawing or writing. They use a LOT of paper with all of their little doodles. I love to encourage their creativity but sometimes we need a different way to express our creativity, like the Magic Sketch.

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The Magic Sketch is a flexible, LCD screen that is transparent, allowing kids to trace with the provided stencils or from their own images!  Magic Sketch is from the makers of the hit product Boogie Board who are also the leaders in crystal display technology.

Kids can create all kinds of amazing art with the Magic Sketch and, unlike most tablets, the Magic Sketch is super kid proof!  They can drop it, toss it, even step on it — it won’t break!  It’s completely water resistant, so if they have a spill, just wipe it off and keep going!  With the advanced internal electronics, you can clear the screen with just the push of a button! The best part?  With the Free App you can save, edit, and share your child’s work!

My boys love playing with the Magic Sketch. They especially like tracing pictures and using the stamps. Now they can be little artists without any of the mess!

Each Magic Sketch retails for $29.95 and includes:

  • Magic Sketch
  • Protector Guard
  • 1 Roller
  • 3 Stamps
  • 20 Learning Stencils
  • 20 Games Stencils
  • 20 Art Stencils

GIVEAWAY
One lucky ready will win a Magic Sketch. Use the Rafflecopter form below to enter. Giveaway Ends 10/15/16.
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Giveaway ends on October 15, 2016. The winner to be chosen at random. Winner will be notified by email and has 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. See giveaway rules for more information.

The information, products, gift card, and giveaway have been provided to me by Magic Sketch. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Scouts

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Jude and Noah joined Cub Scouts a few months ago. Joe was a Boy Scout and ever since Jude learned about Boy Scouts he’s been begging to become scout. There are so many extra curricular activities that kids can participate in but we decided the benefits of scouting were the best for our boys.

Joe and his dad participated in the Boy Scouts and I know Joe really enjoyed the quality time he got to spend with his dad. He also formed some great lasting relationships with the other scouts, not to mention the important life skills.

Screen Shot 2016-09-23 at 7.28.10 AM ~Joe, the Eagle Scout~

The boys are really excited to earn badges, go camping and learn all of the fun outdoor skills they will learn in the Cub Scouts.

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There are days I want to quit

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This past weekend Joe took the oldest boys (Jude and Noah) camping with their Cub Scout Pack. I had 3 days with just 2 littles and I’m not going to lie, it was kind of awesome. The house was quiet and I was able to accomplish so many things during nap time/quiet time. I did miss my big boys but I also enjoyed the relaxed environment.

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As I was making myself lunch during quiet time I had a realization that this is what my life might look like if I sent the 2 older boys to school instead of homeschooling. It was pretty nice to think of all the things fun things I could do with the little boys and all the stuff I could accomplish on a personal level. The idea of public school didn’t seem so bad.

In all honesty, I never even considered homeschooling my children. We sort of just fell into it out of a place of despair. And I’ve always told Joe that we will just take it one year and one child at a time. I don’t see public school as a bad place and I would be fine sending the boys to public school. But at this point I still feel like homeschool is the best choice for our family. There are definitely days where I want to quit, it’s hard work. But I also really love the benefits of leading my boys each day through their learning and life. We have so many unique opportunities afforded to us because of our flexible schedule.

I like that with homeschool we can explore and study topics that are of interest to each child along with our base curriculum. We can adjust the intensity of our workload each day and can push the reset button on the day if needed. There are days when Abel is ripping all the books of the shelves while I help Jude with his math or Noah refuses to do his reading lesson or Simon gets frustrated that he can do all the stuff the big boys do yet. These hard days when I’d love to quit I have to remember, I want to teach my boys about perseverance and hard work and they learn through my example. My boys are thriving and most days our homeschool journey is wonderful. So on the tough days, the days I want to quit, I look back through my Instagram pictures, Facebook posts and blog posts and realize how blessed I am to have the opportunity to spend all day with my kid. It’s totally worth it and I actually kind of love it.