Back to (home)School: Where Do You Homeschool?

"Where in your house do you homeschool?"

I'm often asked this question by my non-homeschooling friends.  I understand their inquiry.  Most of my friends, like myself, were educated in the public school system.  We're used to brightly colored bulletin boards and inspirational posters on the wall, wood and metal desks lined up in rows, and a big green or black chalk board at the front of the room.  One must duplicate this setting in order to properly teach children, right?  Not at all!

Many homeschoolers do school on the kitchen table.  A friend of mine does most of her teaching with her kids seated comfortably on her large L-shaped couch in the living room.  On nice Spring/Fall days, we've done school in the playhouse in the backyard.  Since I have a preschooler at home, I've found that the best place for us to do school is in our playroom.  You don't need to spend a ton of money to have a special place to do school - ours was done on a budget and most items were purchased over time at Target or Ikea.  The room has sort of evolved over the years and now has a personality of its own.

My daughter can sit at the child-sized table (Ikea) and work while my son plays.  We'll probably have to upgrade it soon since she's almost too big for it.  When she's working on an assignment that doesn't require me, I can switch gears and teach my preschooler using manipulatives and puzzles that we keep in the room.  Another benefit to our playroom is that it is adjacent to the kitchen, where we do science experiments and arts and crafts.

This was the first couch my husband and I owned (Ikea still sells it if you just have to have one).  It's found its home in the playroom and is our 'reading couch'.  The alphabet cards on the wall are made by Eeboo.  I LOVE them!  And we actually use them.  They make several other designs as well.  Buy your own here.

All my books, files and school supplies used to sit on one of my kitchen counters.  It was a tight space, for sure.  Due to an incident involving my son putting all of our flash cards and school supplies in the fish tank, my husband agreed that it was time to get a TALL bookshelf (ours is from Target) to store our homeschool stuff in.  That's why there is so much stuff on the very top shelf, in case you were wondering :o)

I love this file box (also from Target).  It was only $14.99 and came with super cute file folders - score!  You can't teach school without cute file folders...well, maybe you can but it's just not quite as fun.  This is where I store worksheets, completed work, info, school materials receipts, etc.  'Educational' toys are stored on the bottom shelves so my son can reach them.

Storage, Sweet, Storage!  Yes, I even printed and laminated labels for the bins...I'm a dork, I know.  We got this storage system from Ikea when I was pregnant with my son.  In fact, my water broke and I went into labor shortly after sorting the toys into their bins (how's that Too Much Information!)  If you need to organize your toys, run to Ikea and get this.  It's inexpensive, sturdy and practical.  You'd pay several hundred dollars more for a similar system from Pottery Barn Kids. I'm not knocking PBK.  I love PBK.  But they can be $$pricey$$.  However, the art cable above the storage system was purchased on clearance from PBK.  It was marked down to $12 - a steal!

Easel.  $25 from Ikea.  Can't beat that.  We pull it out into the kitchen when it's time to paint.

Maps!  Another Eeboo design.  I purchased mine from Genius Babies.  We use the maps a lot.  The US map came with stickers so we could mark where Gram and Mimi and Poppy live.

Under the Mexican blanket is a plastic play structure that my daughter got for Christmas when she was a toddler.  It's a big hit when kids come over to play.  Right now, the blanket turns it into a 'house'.  We don't use this during school...unless you count my son hiding inside and peeking at me while I help my daughter with her math :o)  My daughter likes to stand inside it so she can get a better view of the maps and the 100 chart.

That's our homeschool/play room.  We love it.  It works for us.

A special thanks to my Hubby for letting me paint it robin egg blue, even though he can't stand that color on the wall :o)

Lucky Centerpiece

I wish I could say that I am going to make this for St. Patrick's Day tomorrow, but I'll be spending the day at the Houston Livestock & Rodeo Show.  But rest assured, we will all be wearing wear green.  Even though this little beauty will not grace my table this year, it was too cute to not share!  

Thanks, JesseKate Designs for posting this wonderfully sweet St. Patty's Day idea!

Image & Tutorial from JesseKate Designs

Not Feeling So Very Martha Lately...

I just realized today that I haven't been my creative, crafty, decorating self lately.  Honestly, I haven't even had time to consider such things.  In fact, I let Valentines Day fly by without getting my lovely Valentines decor out of the attic - GASP!  And with Easter just around the corner, I have yet to feel the urge to decorate with little bunnies and eggs.  What the heck is wrong with me?!?  Am I loosing my crafty edge?!

I feel lucky to find the time to keep the house clean, let alone decorate.  Our days are full of homeschool and lately, working out at the gym.  Yes, the Campbell's (hubby included) are trying to get fit.  Although, I have to admit that I'm quite happy right now - I'm doing what I love to do which is teaching my kids.  And they are actually learning, too!  I even realized that lil' Buddy knows half of his letters by sight just from watching me do school with Ella.

This week is Spring Break for public school, but school is still on for us.  However, this week is filled with fun field trips and working on Ella's science fair project.  We'll be taking a trip to the zoo and visiting the Houston Livestock & Rodeo Show - and tomorrow is my 8th wedding anniversary :o)  I may not find time to decorate this week, but my week will be filled with love, fun, laughter, occasional whining, frustrations, hugs, kisses and chaos - Life :o)

But I still want to decorate...I have a reputation to uphold!

I Heart Marshall's

Some people actually stay away from stores like TJ Maxx and Marshall's.  My BFF was afraid to go in because she didn't want to have to "dig" for what she was looking for (plus, let's face it - it just feels more 'special' at times to treat yourself to a full-priced item at Macy's).  However, our downward economy drove my reluctant friend to venture into a TJ Maxx and now she's a self-proclaimed "Maxxinista"!  And why shouldn't she be because those stores are awesome!  Why?  Because it's a little bit like a present - you don't know what you're going to get!  You may walk in one day and find a $298 BCBG dress for only $40, like I did.  The next day you might find a pair of Nine West flats marked down to 20 dollars.  Or, you could score some super cute home decor for super cheap.  Some days I go in and find nothing that interests me, but other days I score BIG TIME.  Like last week, for instance.

As my mom and I were walking up to Marshall's, I mentioned to her that I would be thrilled to find a set of high thread count, twin-sized sheets for my son's bed.  I'm ordering 'space' themed bedding from the Land of Nod, however, I did not want to pay $70 for their sheets since they were only 200 thread count.  I figured I'd settle for a set of plain, light blue sheets instead.  I wanted high-quality sheets for no more than 20 bucks...Mom looked at me like, "Yeah, right.  You'll never find that."  Well, I did!  I made my way down to the home section, turned onto the bedding isle and there they were - a set of 310 thread count, twin-sized 'space' sheets for $19.99, complete with space ships and planets in the same colors as the bedding I'm ordering!  It's as if God had been listening in on our conversation.  He knows I'm on a budget so I think He leads me to the deals :o)  I'll post a picture once I have all of his bedding in place.

Remember my Ode to a Tea Kettle?  Click that link if you didn't hear about the heart-wrenching loss of my beloved Martha Stewart tea kettle and my search for a green, vintage-style tea kettle to fill its spot.  I walked into Marshall's and was completely shocked and delighted to see the green Chantal tea kettle I had been considering.  The best part is that it was priced at $29.99 instead of $39.99 and I didn't have to pay shipping!  

The spot on my stove is no longer vacant and I'm enjoying having a tea kettle that whistles. 

It's as if God Himself had placed that green tea kettle there just for me!  Why would God care about a tea kettle???  I'm not sure, but I know He cares about me - in fact, He cares about every one of us.  I think He takes care of the little things in life at times to let us know that He cares about every aspect of our lives.  Perhaps I'm over-spiritualizing my Marshall's finds...or, perhaps I should remember the fact that God can use whatever He wants (say, a tea kettle and a set of sheets) to remind us that He's with us and that He's aware of even the smallest details of our lives.

Most Christmasy House on the Block

There are some people who are just born creative geniuses.  My mom's friend, Rhonda, is one of those people.  She sweats creativity and it shows in her gorgeous and unique house.  She is constantly decorating and redorating her house with garage sale finds and things that she creates herself from her flea market and bargain bin finds.

Rhonda begins decorating her house for Christmas on October 15th every year with her goal of being finished by the 31st.  Why start so early?  Her creative interior decorating is in high demand after Halloween so she wants to finish her house before decorating other people's homes for the holidays.  And luckily for us, we were invited to her holiday open house this evening.  Along with the eye candy, we were served chocolate cake, coffee and Christmas wassail - yum!

This Santa ornament is one of her garage sale finds - and it's handmade!  At Christmas time, Rhonda's house is never the same - each year is different from the one before and each room has a theme.  Candy canes were abundant this year.

Here's a close-up of the entry hall display.

Each wreath you see in the pictures was made handmade by Rhonda.  I told her I'd be curious to know how many round Christmas ball ornaments she had in her house.  I'm sure the number would be astounding.

One of my favorite rooms is her black and white dining room.  Even the painting above the handmade mantel was a thrift store find for only $10!

The kitchen sink area would actually inspire me to do the dishes with all the lovelies to look at while scrubbing away.

Another gorgeous display over another handmade mantel.  This is located in the sitting area just off of her black, white and lime green kitchen.  Only Rhonda could pull off a kitchen with that color scheme!

My favorite room in her house is the laundry room of all places.  The purses and jewelry set the theme.  I loathe doing laundry but I'd wash clothes all day in this room!  And believe it or not, the room is actually very functional for her.  The detergent is located in the white rectangle canister on the dryer and all of the jewelry and purses displayed are pieces that she wears and uses on a regular basis.  The room doubles as a place to store her accessories.

Here's a close-up of the pink lady in her laundry room.  I LOVE the pink vintage ornaments!

Purse collection + vintage pink wreath = Lovely.

This is another shot taken in the laundry room.  If you look closely, you can see Rhonda's reflection in the little mirror on the right hand side :o)

I just couldn't stop taking pictures - so much to see!

This silver tinsel tree greets her guests as they come and go from the house.  I go home from Rhonda's house inspired to craft and redecorate.  Because Rhonda is constantly changing the decor of her home, she holds frequent garage sales herself.  I'm a faithful returning customer as I always find something amazing to take home, including my lovely country french-style bar stools.

I hope Rhonda's home has given you as much creative inspiration as it has given me!

Easy Halloween Decorations

Why buy a bunch of Halloween decorations when it's so much fun to make your own?!  If you know me at all then you know that Fall is my favorite season of the year.  Here's what I've made so far. 

First up is my Halloween stacking box.  There's nothing stacked on it right now, but I hope to change that soon!  To make this, I purchased a plain cardboard box and a sheet of black and white harlequin patterned scrapbook paper and some glittered chip board letters at Hobby Lobby.  I painted the box orange and then added the vintage Halloween image and chip board letters after it dried.  Then I simply covered the lid in the scrapbook paper.

Next up is this Halloween wall hanging.  I had an old canvas that had been sitting in my garage for years and decided to finally do something with it.  I used more of the black and white scrapbook paper and some Halloween printed scrapbook paper that purchased last year to cover the canvas with.  I embellished with ribbon, buttons and more chip board letters and painted the blank edges black.  Added ribbon and then I was done!

This craft had a previous life before I got a hold of it.  My mom painted this wooden pumpkin to look like an actual pumpkin years ago.  Although I didn't mind my mom's artwork, I wanted to give the pumpkin an updated look.  I first painted the pumpkin black and then traced the shape of the pumpkin onto a sheet of damask patterned scrapbook paper.  Next, I cut out the pumpkin shape and decoupaged it to the wood.

These projects were simple enough that I was able to finish them in an hour.  Since I don't have as much time to craft as I would like, I get very excited when I can make a quick craft that I love!

Pug Portrait

After a long day, I wanted some mindless entertainment. So I created this portrait of my pug, Big Stuff, with a photograph that I took a few months ago.

Updating Kitchen Accessories

I must say that I love my kitchen. Even though my house is small, my kitchen is quite large with black granite countertops and tall cherry wood cabinets. However, I was beginning to get tired of some of the accessories in my kitchen. It was time for an update. It's amazing how just switching out a few things can liven up a room. And the best part is that I did not have to spend a ton of money to do it. When I got married seven years ago, the Fat Chef themed kitchen accessories (from Bed, Bath and Beyond) were what I chose for my kitchen. Now that everyone and their grandma has Fat Chef stuff in their kitchen, I'd like something different.

I found these two damask plates at Target and LOVED them! I bought these to replace the Fat Chef kitchen themed tiles that were hanging there before.



Another great buy that I got from Target is this Orla Kiery canister. However, I'm using it as a untensil holder instead. And, you guessed it, my old utensil holder had Fat Chefs on it :o) I first saw this canister about two months ago for $17 but I waited for it to go on clearance. Good things come to those who wait because I bought it for $8.98. On another note, you can find Orla Kiery dresses at Anthropologie.




And how fabulous is this Houston dish towel from Cat Studio?! They offer dish towels and other items that feature the 50 states and several cities and regions. You can order one for yourself online at Uncommon Goods. I was lucky enough to find one here in town at Memorial Antiques & Interiors - and it was on sale for only $14! The floral dishtowel was another great Target find.
The item that started the accessory redo is my Martha Stewart tea kettle from Macy's. I LOVE it! My sister has the same tea kettle in Martha's signature blue. My husband hates this kettle because it does not whistle when the water boils, but that's not enough to make me want to hide it away in a cabinet! It's just too pretty!


Remember my "tea" digital art from several weeks ago? Well I finally printed it and mounted it on a wooden tray that I found at Hobby Lobby. I covered the bottom of the tray with scrapbook paper and nailed a small canvas to the tray. I then painted the edges of the canvas red and used spray adhesive to mount the printed piece and voila! It's done!

The changes that I made were small but I think they helped make my kitchen a little more personalized than it was before. I'm not exactly sure how I would define my style - all I know is that I buy what I like! If it comes from Pottery Barn, Target or Anthropologie, then I'll most likely love it :o) And if it's a bargin, then I love it even more!

Big Boy Bedding

My little boy is 2-1/2 and still in his crib - which is more than fine with me! I like knowing that he can't roam the house while we're asleep at night. However, I've already got his "big boy bedding" picked out for when he's ready to move up to a Twin size bed. It's the All Solar Systems Go Bedding from The Land of Nod. I LOVE this bedding set! And it fits my son perfectly. He loves talking about the sun, moon and the Earth. If he's outside at night, the first thing he does is look for the moon. And, his favorite book is Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown (we read it EVERY night!). I showed this bedding to him and he loved it! He was pointing to the screen talking about Saturn and the Sun and the Earth.

Feeling Creative

There is a spot in my kitchen over the refrigerator that has been needing a piece of art for quite some time. I was feeling creative last night but I didn't have time to paint so I decided to create a "digital painting" in Photoshop instead. I plan to print this out on my home printer and frame it. My inspiration for this piece comes from an artist named Rodney White. You may not have heard of him before, however, his art is very popular and I have seen many of his prints in several home design catalogs - even Target is carrying some of his prints! I love the painting below titled "Nothing to Dream". My goal was to create an image similar in style to "Nothing to Dream" yet at the same time make it different enough to call it my own.

Niche

There is a large niche in the hallway in my house that has needed some TLC for a long time. We originally thought that we would just put a large painting in the space, but after realizing our need for storage (mainly for books), we decided to put shelves in the space instead. We talked about it for a long time, but the space sat empty. When Court asked me what I wanted for Christmas, I said I would like him to install the shelves. He made my Christmas wish come true! He purchased floating shelves at Home Depot and they were already cut, finished and painted. All he had to do was simply install them. This is a great (and inexpensive) way to add some storage and value to your home.

Halloween Potpouri

Who knew that potpouri could be so stinkin' cute? My friend Allison and her family came over for dinner and she gave this to me - I've never been so excited about potpouri in my life. In fact, I've never owned potpouri before now. She bought this at a little design shop called The Roost in Champions. I'll definitely be going there to check out their Christmas potpouri when it comes out.

Et Voila!

It's done. I finally finished a work of art. This is quite an accomplishment for me because it 's the first painting that I've completed since college. Jobs, hubby, housework, and the kids take up 99% of my time so I am very happy to have this done. The funny thing is that I only worked on it approx. 15 minutes at a time - I'd go out into the garage for a bit and and paint after the kids went to bed. Sure enough, 10 to 15 minutes later Court would poke his head in and say, "what are you doing?" or "come watch a movie with me" (it's really hard for me to turn him down - it's great that he actually likes to spend time with me). I'm not sure if this painting is "good" or not...I will always be my own worst critic. However, this project was more about the creative process than the final product. So in that sense, I think the painting is a success.

My Latest Project

I'm working on a new piece of art inspired by the flag puzzle that Court and I put together when we lived in New Orleans. I found the puzzle last week and it is really warped from being in the heat of the garage. But it's perfect for what I want to use it for. The piece will be a collage with mixed media (paper, oil paint, etc.). I bought my canvas and started on it last night. I hope to have it done over the next couple of weeks. I'll post the final product once it's complete. It's been a while since I have made something for myself so I'm really excited about this piece. Plus, I've been wanting to get my hands into some paint for a while now.