I wasn't raised in a "family over everything" environment.

 In fact, it is hard to say I was 'raised' at all. Not to discredit my mother because I love her dearly and I know that she did everything she was physically and mentally capable of for my brother and I, but I kind of just drifted through my adolescence without much guidance from family members. From the time I can remember, my family members have always stabbed each other in the back. My uncle even got my mom fired from a well paying job that probably would have changed where and how I grew up.

There was no sense of security in my house growing up. 

My mom was gone a lot. She worked all the time. We moved from one bad neighborhood to the next. 

 I don't ever remember there being 'family nights' or even getting to hang out with my mom one on one. I always yearned for family time. I was jealous of my friends that actually had that. I went through a bad case of depression and acted out because of it. Happy family times were far and few between but that was the norm for me. That is all I knew. Home never felt like a safe place for me. I went through a pretty bad situation and I believe it has caused me to suppress a lot of memories from my childhood. I'm thankful though, I can't imagine they're good memories.... 

My childhood had me on a fast track to go nowhere. I could very easily have become a product of my environment. Many of the people I grew up with are examples of that. 

I believe that Jordyn changed that. She literally saved my life.

There is something that happens when you become a mother. It's like a light switches on and all of a sudden you want to do everything possible to give that child the best life ever. 

For me, it was the burning desire to give her that family foundation that I never had. I didn't want her to grow up in the same situations I did. I didn't want her having the same twisted views about family that I did. I vowed to always be there and to celebrate the small things just as enthusiastically as the big things.

For me to become the best mother I could possibly be, I knew I had to let go of all of the hurt and anger that I held inside. It took a long time for me to come to terms with what I went through as a child and young adult but now that I have, i'm thankful for it. Those experiences and mistakes molded me into who I am today. It wasn't easy but I am now the happiest i've ever been. I'm living in the present and no longer dwelling in the past. My relationship is fulfilling and meaningful and I appreciate everything I have rather than focusing on what I don't have or what I think I need. 

Jordyn is a reflection of this happiness. There is not a day that goes by that I don't see it in her. It is definitely a sight for the eyes. Almost magic like. 

I've built a home and a life for her that she can be proud of. And I work everyday to protect and nourish this life. I'm very blessed to be able to have a work schedule that allows me to be home with her as much as I am. I'm also very thankful for the man in our lives who helps make this house a home. Our little family is everything to me and it has filled all the voids from my own childhood.  

I have no traditions or memories to pass down to Jordyn so we spend a lot of time creating new ones. We typically spend weeknights together as a family but I like to create memories with her one on one.
I never had a bond with my mother as a child, so I want to make sure that Jordyn and I can build a lasting bond by having mommy and daughter dates.
I want her to know that it's important to me so we set aside time for our dates and we never break them.

Here are just a few mommy/daughter things that we like to do:

*Movies
*board games
*video games.
*Crafting.

*farmers markets
*museums
*yoga
*Bake and cook together.

*bowling

*park

*scavenger hunts

*stargazing

*Get dressed up all fancy and go out to breakfast, lunch, or dinner. :)

 
*library
*ice cream
*donuts
*Starbucks

*read together
*play soccer
 *A stroll through the park and duck watching.

 

*Strolling and sight seeing different parts of the city.

*painting
*drawing
*coloring

*hiking

*picnics

*skating

*day as a tourist in our own city

Whatever we decide to do together, I make sure that I am present and in the moment. I'm not always on my phone, i'm not distracted when she's talking to me. I am hers. My attention is all on her. I want her to always know that no matter how small or big the conversation is, she always has my full attention.

Xo, Jeanice :)

White chocolate fruit dip.

We love fruit. 

But fruit with fruit dip?....heaven. 

This  dip is so ridiculously simple that you don't even need a recipe for it. It is one of those hard to mess up things. It's so simple and only has 3 ingredients but its soooo delicious. 

All you need is:

 Cream cheese.

Vanilla yogurt.

White chocolate pudding mix.

How much you need of each depends on how much you're making. I made this as a quick snack for Jordyn and I so I only used about 4 ounces of cream cheese,about 6 ounces of vanilla yogurt, and used 3 tablespoons of white chocolate pudding mix. 

What you do:

The cream cheese needs to be beaten so that it is soft and smooth. 

You can do this by hand or in with a hand mixer.

 Once the cream cheese is soft add in your yogurt and your pudding mix. 

The mixture will be gritty at first because the pudding mix needs time to dissolve, continue to mix until all creamy. 

refrigerate for 30 mins.

Serve with your favorite fruits!

Seriously, so simple and so yummy. 

Xo, Jeanice :)

Speak your mind, but don't be rude.

I raise my daughter to speak her mind, question the norm, and have her own opinions. 

To always stand by her beliefs even if it is unpopular. 

To stand up for what she believes is right.

To never placate someone that may not agree with her or offer any apologies for her views or opinions. 

They are her own and she is free to form and speak them. 

She is free to always voice her opinion and I am always open to hearffd Because I allow her to express herself so freely, our line of communication is wide open. 

She knows I will listen to her and respect her opinions no matter how small or big the topic may be.

As free as she is to form and voice her own opinions, she is NOT free to be rude when expressing them. 

I want her to have a sense of individuality without thinking that her views are better than anyone else's. I try to teach her that others are entitled to speak their mind just as I allow her to speak hers and that she should be open to hearing everyones views without being overly dismissive and rude about it.  

We have a zero tolerance policy for rudeness in our home. 

I have very few rules in my home but a big one is to always treat people how she wants to be treated and to always speak to the janitor at her school the same way she would speak to her principle. With respect.


Speaking your mind while still respecting others is a very easy thing to do but for some reason in this day and age, people think they're opinion is better than the next. They are dismissive of other points of views and resort to putting others down when they don't agree.

I'm teaching my daughter that speaking your mind and being rude do not need to go hand in hand so I
used this little toothpaste lesson to show Jordyn a visual of why she should be careful with the words she speaks.

I had her squeeze the toothpaste out of the tube

and then challenged her to put it back.

Barely anything will go back into the tube.
Much like your words and rude comments. Once they come out of your mouth, you cannot take them back.

There are studies that suggest that once someone hears an insult, it takes 30 compliments to cancel out that insult.
However, I don't believe that.

I teach my daughter that no matter how many times you try to compliment a person after you've insulted them, in the back of their mind they will remember your awful words.


People forgive, but rarely forget so have your opinion but don't be rude about it.

Xo, Jeanice :)

Bookshelf: Informational text

This past weeks bookshelf isn't filled with 'stories'. In fact it is filled with the opposite. 

Informational text is one of Jordyns favorite types of reading material. 

Our library trips almost always include taking home some sort of informational text. 

I love her thirst for knowledge and i'm always looking for ways to quench it. 

According to some studies there are lots of benefits to exposing young readers to informational texts.
There is an article about it on Scholastics.com you can read it HERE

Dollar stores and Targets dollar spot are great places to find informational textbooks for kids. I love finding them there because they are cheap enough to be able to buy them for her to always have to be able to look back and re-learn information. 

This weeks reads came from Dollar Tree. They are level 3 reader books so a lot of the words in the books are harder for young kids but we typically read informational texts together so it's not a problem. 

Science and nature are Jordyns favorite subjects so I picked her up a sea life, reptile, bug, and animal book along with a space book.

My main thing when choosing informational texts for Jordyn to read is that there is a great mixture of facts and bright colorful photos.

Studies also show that exposing children to informational text at an early age will aid in their development and love of reading when they reach 4th grade and beyond and are expected to read these types of texts.
Children exposed to informational text at early ages are more likely to be encouraged, excited, and knowledgable about what they are reading.

I suggest starting with books that interest your child. Make sure there is a great mixture of bright photos and information. Read it with them and show them you are excited to learn about the subject as well!

Do you expose your children to informational text yet?

Xo, Jeanice

Let's talk leave-in

I like to keep a super simple hair regimen. I'm talking 1-2-3. DONE.

 I actually like to keep a super simple regimen for everything. I spend maybe 30 mins max getting myself ready most days. That includes shower, makeup, and hair. 

I'm the same way with Jordyn. I like to keep her getting ready regimen as simple as possible as well. Our hair is what usually takes up most of the time, I can slap on makeup in 5 minutes and be done, but the hair takes time.

 I typically like to cut out any extra steps in our hair regimen that I feel aren't super important and while i've cut out a few things, one thing I absolutely cannot cut out is leave-in conditioner. 

I know there are some people who question the importance of a leave-in. Some people consider it an extra unnecessary step, so why would someone who loves cutting out extra steps insist on it? 

Because our hair NEEDS leave-in for the moisture, nourishment, and preventative aids it provides. 

 Luckily, Jordyn and I have almost identical hair textures and I find what works for me, works for her and vice versa.....I don't know what I would do if this weren't the case and I had to buy 2 different sets of products.
Lots of people use regular rinse out conditioner as a leave in and that is totally an option for some. For us, it doesn't work. Rinse out conditioners are designed to have products stick to the hair strands which leads to product build up. I've noticed that when i'm too lazy to do the leave-in step, that my hair turns white and flaky really fast when adding other products to it. Whether or not you need a leave-in conditioner is totally up to you. For us, it is a necessity.

These are some of our favorite leave-ins that work in both of our heads:

Curls Unleashed Leave-In conditioner by ORS  The smell of this product isn't my favorite but i'm willing to get passed it because I love love love how soft this makes our hair feel.It is infused with vitamin E, shea butter, coconut, and olive oil and is VERY moisturizing. I mainly reach for this leave-in when our hair hasn't been combed through in a while because it makes detangling a breeze. 

Dark and Lovely Anti-shrinkage slick slip leave-in  I can't speak for the anti-shrinkage properties of this product but I do love the slip and shine it gives. It is almost water-like. It's infused with mango oil and bamboo milk and smells delicious. I use this mostly when i'm refreshing our wash and go's because it isn't a thick white cream so I don't have to worry about having white product build-up showing throughout our hair. 

Miss Jessies Leave In Condish This is actually my FAVORITE leave-in. I would reach for it every single time if the price were lower.lol. The smell is very laundry fresh like, which can be a little weird for some but I like it. It has great slip and although it's super light weight, it packs a big punch. Our hair is always soft, shiny, manageable, and easy to detangle after using this product. 

Cantu shea butter leave in conditioning repair cream This is another favorite. It's made with pure shea butter plus other natural oils. It's super thick and very hydrating. I love it. My only problem is that it does not play very well with a lot of other products so I have to be careful with what products I use with it. 

Shea Moisture jamaican black castor oil leave in. This leave-in is great. I really love it. It does a great job of moisturizing and hydrating our hair. The slip is incredible. The shea butter and Jamaican black castor oil aid in moisturizing and promoting healthy hair growth. The only thing that stops me from reaching for it more often is the fact that the consistency is so runny. If it came in a tube and was the same consistency I would have no complaints. 

Aussie hair insurance leave in conditioner spray This spray is great. The smell is awesome and it is very affordable. It is a light weight spray and I usually use it as a quick refresher if i'm running low on time and just need a quick moisture fix. My hair looks/feels as if i've just washed it after using this product. 

Every hair type is different so remember what works for us may not work for you but the main thing to consider when choosing a leave- in is that a great leave-in can and should help eliminate frizz, boost curl definition, give shine and provide moisture. 

S'mores dip.

Jordyn and I had a lot to do today. Like, a ton of things to get done. So, being the responsible adult that I am of course I blew it all off and made s'mores dip instead. :)

This is one of those treats that should be illegal. How dare this be so easy and so delicious at the same time?! 

Of course you need all the regular fixins' for S'mores. Graham crackers, marshmallows, and chocolate. Instead of chocolate bars you want to use chocolate chips of your choice. We used milk chocolate. 

We preheated our oven to 450 degrees. While that was heating up we assembled our dip.

We sprayed our pie pan with non-stick cooking spray and then poured in the chocolate chips.

Top your chocolate chips with the marshmallows. 

We used jumbo ones but minis would work just as well. Seriously, you cannot mess this up. I mean, unless your child keeps eating the marshmallows like mine and you end up not having enough to fill in the gaps. Luckily, marshmallows expand a little when they cook so it turned out fine. 

Once the oven was ready we popped our dip in. Let it cook for 5-8 mins. Until the top is golden brown. You want to watch it carefully, it can go from golden brown to burnt to a crisp in just a few seconds. While its cooking we broke our graham crackers into pieces we could use for dipping. 

Isn't this a sight for hungry eyes?! It smells just as delicious as it looks. YUM!

We let it cool for a few minutes and then dug in.

This was totally worth blowing off our chores today. :)

Xo, Jeanice 

The floating orange: A lesson in being your whole self.

Jordyn and I were talking about starting second grade. She told me she's nervous but really excited. She's worried about whether her friends from last year will be in her class, she wonders who her teacher will be, she's worried about making new friends and wonders if she will encounter any bullies. I can't believe she's going to be in the second grade. Crazy. She's growing up so fast. 

Jordyn is a special spirit. I find that kids her age are either too advanced ( boys, cell phones, social media accounts, knowledge of things they shouldn't know about) or not mentally advanced enough to stimulate and interest her.  I love her spirit and never want her to feel like she needs to strip away herself to fit in, but I do understand that she is growing up and she's entering an age where "fitting in" is all most kids want to do. 

I do my best to encourage her to always be herself and pick friends that accept her for who she is.  I've stated before that she is a visual learner so this floating orange lesson was perfect for showing what happens when you strip away the pieces of yourself to fit in.

The orange with its full armor will float. It is it's whole self.

As I talked with Jordyn about what happens when you strip away even the tiniest pieces of yourself I peeled away pieces of the orange.  We talked about doing things you don't really want to do just to fit in. We talked about letting 'friends' boss you around. We talked about not standing up for what is right if a 'friend' is doing something wrong. We talked about being disobeient and lying just because others are. With each example I peeled away a piece of the orange. 

Each time I peeled away a piece I put it back into the water. The orange sunk lower and lower until eventually it was bare, with no armor, and sunk to the bottom. 

Always being true to yourself will hold you up and keep you afloat in a world meant to try and sink you.

All you need for this lesson is 2 oranges, water, and a bowl big enough for the oranges to be fully emerged. It's a super easy but very effective lesson that will stick with kids. 

Xo, Jeanice. 

simple Summer learning binder and FREE PRINTABLE!

Hey guys! Happy Friday! 

I received an email from a super sweet mama asking if I had tips on how to organize her daughters summer workbooks so that she actually does them. I figured I would just share that answer here. 

A large part of our learning is hands on in the summer. We do a lot of science experiments, visiting museums...stuff like that. Jordyn learns best when she's engaged in activity. It helps to figure out your childs learning style so that you can figure out what works best for them. 

Aside from hands on learning we do written work as well. I keep everything organized in a simple 3 ring binder.

I like to keep her written work simple, like I said, she's a hands on learner. 

 The inside of the binder is divided by day. I just used some washi tape to make it more colorful.

Everyday we have a new number and word of the day. I printed these off of Pinterest and I honestly cannot remember what link I got it from. *credit to original creator*

We do one page of each subject a day. I like to keep it well rounded so that she doesnt get tired of doing one subject over and over. I also like to correlate our science/world worksheets with little experiments or documentaries on Netflix that go along with whatever we are learning that day. 

In the back of the binder I have pocket folders that I keep extra printables or anything else. I really like to keep our binder simple. Otherwise she won't use it.

I get most of the worksheets I keep in her binder from workbooks that I have bought. The get ready for second grade book is from Costco but all other workbooks are from the Target dollar spot or Dollar Tree. 

That really is it. Very simple and to the point. That is just how we organize our worksheets. I'm curious to know how you all learn in the summer?

I create the cover of Jordyns binder and I also created a Free printable for you guys as well. Click HERE to print it.

Xo, Jeanice :)

Plan with me July 6th-12th

I don't know about you guys but over here we are VERY excited about the Minion movie coming out this Friday! So, this weeks theme is Minion of course. 

I printed all the minion images off of the internet and just cut them out. 

My meal plan this week is very simple. We strayed a little from our paleo diet but we are getting back into it. We aren't super strict paleo eaters, I like to make our meals a little more convenient but still maintain the core values of the paleo diet. 

My meal plan is short, sweet, and to the point this week. Just meats, fruits, and veggies. 

My main week plan is super packed. I have a lot i'm trying to get done this week.

The gymnast stickers were made my me. :) 

I love, love, love how this weeks spreads came out.

Is anyone else excited about the Minion movie? 

Xo, Jeanice

June family favorites!

Happy July! Can you believe how fast this year is flying by? 

June was a fun month for us. Lots of swimming, hanging out, and family time. 

Last month we discovered and used some pretty great products! Let me share them with you starting from top left!!

Baking pans from Dollar Tree I love to bake, but it's no secret that baking pans can get pretty pricey. I was at Dollar Tree grabbing some other things and cam across some pans. I didn't have high hopes for them but man, I love them!! They're holding up very well. 

Garnier Fructis sleek & shine Moroccan oil treatment. I originally purchased this oil to use on Jordyns hair when she has swim. I like to coat her hair with a silicone based oil to make it a little harder for her hair to soak up chlorine. I absolutely love the smell and feel of this oil and find myself using it on days when Jordyn doesn't even have swim. 

Nexcare waterproof bandages. These bandages have been little life savers. Jordyn hurts herself a lot, especially in gymnastics. She always has little cuts or scratches. I find that a lot of water proof don't really work very well. These stay on during swim, hand washing, and bath time. 

LaLa Mexican sour cream Ok, heres the story. It was Taco Tuesday, we were out of sour cream and Zeke had a coupon for this brand. With the coupon we were able to grab it for 87 cents! whoo! Truth is, I fell in love. Its a lot creamier than traditional sour cream that we would use and it has a better flavor. LOVE 

Cinnabon bakery inspired cinnamon rolls  For as long as I can remember when I grabbed a can of cinnamon rolls it always said " with Cinnabon icing" on it. I totally freaked out when I saw these because these not only have the icing but they also have the Cinnabon cinnamon spread stuff that is so ridiculously delicious. They're also HUGE! Like, double the size of the "giant" pillsbury cinnamon rolls I would buy so one could easily be split into two. The cook time on them says between 24-29 mins but I bake mine around the 20 min mark so that they aren't so well done. 

Lysol disinfecting wipes I usually buy the Clorox disinfecting wipes but accidentally grabbed these instead! So glad I did. These are actually better. A lot of times when I use the Clorox wipes they're very dry or rip very easily. The Lysol ones don't seem to have those problems.  

Glade Hello Spring fragrance I usually tend to stay away from seasonal scents. Most of them don't smell so good to me but this Hello Spring scent smells SO GOOD!! It's very light and pleasant, not too overbearing and makes our home smell soooo fresh.

Arm & Hammer plus OxiClean pet fresh odor eliminator   We don't have very much carpet in our home. The area rug in the living room, Jordyns room, and the office are the only spaces with carpet. We also have 2 large dogs and i'm big on scents. I hate when I feel like something stinks in the house so i'm always concerned with whether or not our house smells like dog. I love how this stuff smells. The scent lasts for a long time. The smell is very heavy so it may not be the best choice for someone with a sensitive nose. 

Carols Daughter Mimosa Hair Honey  In the summer time I leave Jordyns hair in protective styles but her scalp still gets really dry. I use this to "grease" her scalp with. Its very moisturizing and has a nice scent to it. It also provides a lot of shine to her hair. 

Cantu Beautfy Coconut curl cream This was a random "ooh let me try that" purchase but i'm so glad I did!! It's very thick, which I love. Very moisturizing, which I love. And, it has a great scent, which I love!! It works great with other products and it's also really affordable, I got it for around 6 dollars. 

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Amazon Fire TV stick. We recently cancelled our DirectTV. This past year with them was so terrible!! Half the time our satellites wouldn't connect and every time they "fixed" the problem, it was temporary. We were paying 130 dollars a month to not be able to even watch tv half of the month. We researched a lot about what our options were. We decided to go with a service called Sling TV, which costs about 20 dollars a month and if you pre-pay for 3 months you get a free Amazon Fire Stick. Now, I can't stand Sling TV which is just a live television app that you need the Fire Stick to access. It's very glitchy and freezes a lot so after these 3 months we are going to cancel. I love the Fire TV stick though! It's really easy to use and you can even download games! 

Dark and Lovely Slick Slip Leave-In This was another random purchase that I fell in love with. I was looking for a lighter leave in, not something super heavy and creamy that I could use on days when I wanted to refresh my wash and go but not cause a lot of buildup. This leave-in is awesome for that! It's not white like a lot of conditioners, it's got a clear color to it. It's a very light product but makes my hair feel very soft and hydrated. 

So those were Junes faves. I hope July is good to all of you!
What products did your family love or hate in June?

Xo, Jeanice :)