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This has been such a weird time of adjustment. When school was in session, we had a morning routine down pat and it was usually pretty smooth. Now, we are all sleeping in later (except Caleb), and our routine is definitely not streamlined. While I haven't been utilizing a strict schedule with the kids, we have a pretty loose list of what we do on a daily basis. I have wavered back and forth between letting Caleb just be and play all day and giving him a few structured activities. In the end, I realized he likes to learn and he thrives with just a little bit of structure, so we are doing some instructional learning in the mornings. The rest of the day is pretty loose. But there are three things I want him to do each morning - Brush his teeth, make his bed, and get dressed. So I made this little chart for him to check off, and I'm keeping it with his instructional items. 
 Download and print, it's that easy. If you have access to a laminating machine, laminate it and use dry-erase markers so you can reuse it!
Hope that helps! xoxo, Jenise  The Walt Disney Studios announced today that Disney and Pixar’s ONWARD will be available to buy digitally and on Movies Anywhere beginning Friday March 20 at 5:00pm PST/ 8:00pm EST and on Disney+ on April 3rd in the U.S. The film premiered in theaters on March 6th and earned rave reviews from audiences, including a 95% Verified Audience Score on RottenTomatoes. With cinemas currently impacted by closures due to the global health crisis, Disney will offer the film ahead of schedule to purchase on digital platforms in the U.S. beginning today at 5:00pm PST /8:00pm EST for $19.99. “While we’re looking forward to audiences enjoying our films on the big screen again soon, given the current circumstances, we are pleased to release this fun, adventurous film to digital platforms early for audiences to enjoy from the comfort of their homes,” said Dan Scanlon (Director, “Onward”) and Kori Rae (Producer, “Onward”). In ONWARD, teenage elf brothers Ian and Barley Lightfoot (voices of Tom Holland and Chris Pratt) get an unexpected opportunity to spend one more day with their late dad, embarking on an extraordinary quest aboard Barley’s epic van Guinevere. Like any good quest, their journey is filled with magic spells, cryptic maps, impossible obstacles and unimaginable discoveries. But when the boys’ fearless mom Laurel (voice of Julia Louis-Dreyfus) realizes her sons are missing, she teams up with a part-lion, part-bat, part-scorpion, former warrior – aka The Manticore (voice of Octavia Spencer) – and heads off to find them. Perilous curses aside, this one magical day could mean more than any of them ever dreamed. If you decide to watch it with your kids, I'm adding some PDF activity files you can print out and do with them! Download them by clicking the file below.
xoxo,
Jenise One of the things we have been doing much more frequently than we used to is going outside for walks. It's been one of the nicest parts of our day getting to get out of the house together and walk around the neighborhood. There are so many neighbors out and about, and it's been really nice to see the neighborhood with so much life in it. Last week, I shared a neighborhood scavenger hunt that someone sent me. A lot of you asked for it, and I forwarded it to a few of you. I couldn't find where it was from to give the original creator credit, but I ended up making my own so I could share it with you. I also created an indoor scavenger hunt, for those of you who can't go outdoors because of weather or because of where you live. Make sure you download the PDF files so you can print them in good quality, and tag me if you do them! 
xoxo, Jenise
 We have all been thrust into a totally unexpected new normal, and for many of us, that now involves school-aged children at home with us 24/7. While many of our schools are sending out work and assignments, some of us are looking for things to do with kids who have not yet received assignments or who are on spring break already. In addition, some of us have to be able to work remotely while our children are hanging off of our arms or we need to be able to entertain them while we get said work done. At our house, I have been taking it easy. Things like brushing our teeth are non-negotiable, but hands-on learning time varies depending on how we are feeling from day to day. Here, I’m sharing a list of all the resources I come across. I’ll continue to update this as often as I can!
I'll also be sharing my plans for the day over on Instagram, in case you need ideas or would like to follow along. I mentioned in the Nicklaus post that when I was teaching I was very much an in-the-moment teacher and often times I didn't cover what was in my lesson plans every single day, but I think if I go day by day, we will be okay! You can find all my updates here: https://www.instagram.com/s/aGlnaGxpZ2h0OjE3ODYwNzQzMzYxNzYzNjk1?igshid=d1h2kedjcfcw&story_media_id=2265379181940435116 xoxo, Jenise Have something you think I should add? E-mail me!
Okay, so we’re about to get super personal here. Like on another level personal. If you’re a dude, you might want to quit here. Unless you have a keen interest in menstrual cycles or you - for whatever strange reason - want to pitch a menstrual cup to a lady in your life, I’d suggest you skip this blog post altogether. You’ve been warned.  If you made it past the disclaimer, yay! Let’s talk menstrual cups! First of all, what is it? A menstrual cup is an alternative to a tampon. It’s reusable, worn inside the vagina, and it collects flow rather than absorbing it. They come in tons of shapes and sizes to fit every wearer, and they are made from silicone. They are safe, and I have found a menstrual cup to be a much more comfortable way to manage my flow. You can watch here for more information. I started using a cup in 2016. (I checked my Amazon orders to confirm this date, btw) I remember being really apprehensive, and thinking this would never work for me. After having Caleb, I had heavy, uncomfortable periods and was constantly having to change my pads or tampons. But I figured that a cup was worth a shot. After all, I was buying into the promise of not having to spend more money on pads and tampons on a monthly basis, and that a cup could hold as much as 2-4 tampons worth of menstrual flow. The first two cycles came with a definite learning curve. I wore pads as backup, I leaked a couple of times, and I almost gave up. But that third cycle? On a trip to the beach I realized I could spend all the time I wanted in the beach or the pool and not have to worry about running out to a bathroom to change a tampon immediately after getting out of the water. I had zero leaks my third cycle using it, and I was sold. I wear it to exercise, to swim, while traveling, etc. Last summer, we spent a week at the beach, and of course, my period arrived earlier than expected. I had forgotten my cup at home (I usually throw it in my bag anytime we travel, regardless of whether my period is expected or not), and I had to buy tampons. First of all, organic tampons are super expensive. Also, having to change a tampon every couple of hours, or every time you come out of the water at the pool or beach sucks.  Anyway, I’m no expert, and I’m definitely not in the medical field, so I cannot give you medical advice or facts. But there are a few reasons why I have found a menstrual cup to be life-changing.
Okay, so now that you know entirely way too much about me, I hope that you’ll consider making the switch (or at least trying it out!). An amazing resource is putacupinit.com. You can take a quiz there to see which cup might be your best fit, as well as read up on FAQ, and additional resources regarding menstrual cups. For reference, this is the one I use: https://amzn.to/2VKq5HK I hope this all helps! Xoxo, Jenise  |
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