Mandi Ehman's Blog, page 68
January 13, 2014
Get Fit in 2014 with eBooks, Videos & Apps {BundleoftheWeek.com}
Make 2014 the year that you finally meet your health & fitness goals with this great collection of digital resources. With tips for healthy eating without the stress, exercise routines for your busy schedule, and more, this bundle will help you get fit in 2014!
And now you can choose between PDF or Kindle versions of the ebooks in each bundle. (Other digital products may be included in different formats, as noted in their descriptions.) Select your format at checkout!
This week only, you’ll get all 5 resources for almost 90% off plus special coupon codes on additional products from participating authors:
Thrive90 Fitness Program, Phase 1 by Dustin Riechmann and Tony DiLorenzo
Healthy Eating The Happy Gal Way by Jenny Layton
7-Minute Workout Challenge App by Fitness Guide Inc
Bodyweight Overload by Todd Kuslikis
The Sandbag Solution by Ben Hirshberg
Even if you’re not interested in this week’s bundle, be sure to sign up for the BundleoftheWeek.com weekly newsletter so you can be the first to know about the newest bundle:
Get Fit in 2014 with eBooks, Videos & Apps {BundleoftheWeek.com}
© 2010-2013 Purple Martin Press, LLC | All rights reserved

January 11, 2014
Giveaway: Honeywell MYEnergySmart Infrared Heater (ARV $229.99)
Like most of the country, we experienced record-breaking cold temperatures this past week, with wind chills well into the negative double-digit temps.
By Tuesday morning, our furnace was barely keeping up with the cold, running on auxiliary just to keep the temperature at 67 in the foyer (where the thermostat is) and significantly lower in our main living area.
Thankfully — and with impeccable timing! — our Honeywell MYEnergySmart Infrared Heater had just arrived for review on Monday afternoon, so we quickly unboxed it and set it up in the family room, setting the thermostat at a modest 67 degrees. It quickly became the most popular gathering place in our home, and despite the 20′ ceilings in this room,we’re all feeling significantly warmer. We even turned down our main thermostat further since this is the only room that we really need to keep warm during the day (we’re used to dressing in layers, but the baby hates to be cold, so we’ve been keeping it warmer for him.
Honeywell MYEnergySmart® Infrared Heater (HZ-980)
We’ve had our share of space heaters, but this one honestly puts the rest to shame! The heat spreads well, so you can feel the warm air without huddling right in front of it. In fact, I’m sitting about 6′ away from it on the couch as I write this, and I can feel the warm air blowing.
Features:
even, wall-to-wall heat, even in large rooms
premium quartz heating tubes have 20,000 hours of long life
overheating protection
4-way auto safety shutoff
cool touch housing and handle
touch screen controls
MyTemp personal settings and multiple timer settings for increased cost-efficiency
3 heat modes plus programmable thermostat
easy mobility with casters and handle
remote Control
Visit HoneywellHeatSavings.com for additional products, money-saving tips and a heater savings calculator.
Enter to Win
This week, Honeywell is giving one lucky Life Your Way reader a Honeywell MYEnergySmart® Infrared Heater (HZ-980)!
To enter, fill out the form below:
The giveaway ends at 11:59 p.m. ET on Friday, 1/17. The winner will be selected randomly and notified by email, and this post will be updated with their name as well. Unfortunately, due to the international laws governing sweepstakes and lotteries, we’re only able to offer these giveaways to U.S. residents 18 years and older.
Giveaway: Honeywell MYEnergySmart Infrared Heater (ARV $229.99)
© 2010-2013 Purple Martin Press, LLC | All rights reserved

Weekend Reading: January 11, 2014

source: Mandi Ehman
We started back to school this week, and it was the first week we’ve done our full school schedule since before Jackson was born (we did continue with what we call school-lite up until Christmas week, though). To say I was nervous about the transition would be an understatement, but it went surprisingly well.
That’s not to say that we didn’t have our share of meltdowns, miscommunications, hyper children and tired mom moments, but thanks to a change I made to my schedule, it was a successful week. You see, I committed to not working during our morning school hours and instead focusing on the girls and house stuff, and even though I wasn’t able to stick to that perfectly due to a few deadlines and fires, for the most part I did. Which meant I was able to answer questions, keep kids on track and redirect as needed without getting frustrated that they were interrupting my train of thought. I was also able to use this time for chores, leaving me the rest of the day for work.
Of course, all that hands-on homeschooling left my introverted self feeling pretty drained, so it wasn’t my most productive work week, but I’m hoping we’ll figure out a balance over time!
Here are some of my favorite posts from this week. As always, check out what I’m reading and what I’m pinning to see the other posts that make me stop and think (or, you know, drool…). You’ll find new posts all week long!
Homeschool {Learning for Life}
Raising Justice-Minded Kids | Inspired to Action
27 Multicultural Books For Kids | No Time For Flash Cards
6 ways to encourage creativity in your kids | The Art of Simple
Motherhood {Let Go of the Guilt}
Relational Repair for “The Difficult” | Jen Hatmaker
How to deal with comparisonitis | Simple Homeschool
Idols Of A Mom’s Heart | The Better Mom
Why I Felt Guilty About My Last Pregnancy (and Why I Don’t Anymore) | Carrots for Michaelmas
Food {On the Menu}
Almost 5 Ingredient Pizza Spaghetti Pie | PaleOMG
Quick Batter Yeast Rolls | Beauty & Bedlam
Have a great weekend!

Mandi Ehman is the blogger behind Life Your Way. She and her husband have four beautiful girls plus one baby boy on the way, and together, they live, work and homeschool on a little slice of heaven in wild, wonderful West Virginia. She loves coffee, chocolate, easy meals, beautiful things and minimalist spaces.
Weekend Reading: January 11, 2014
© 2010-2013 Purple Martin Press, LLC | All rights reserved



CommentsMy feedly content disappeared when we cleared cookies a couple ... by BethanyRelated StoriesWeekend Reading: January 4, 2014Weekend Reading: December 28, 2013Weekend Reading: December 21, 2013
January 10, 2014
Lemon Ginger Tisane {Tea}: Cough and Cold Relief
The following post is from Shaina of Food for My Family and Olmanson Photography:

source: Shaina Olmanson | Food for My Family
The temperature here is falling. I watch it on my phone while I sit curled under a wool afghan, my knees pulled up to my chest, my book in hand. It has nearly become a game, this casual refreshing of the home screen to see the drop from 0º F to -15º F and then lower.
Inside we nurse runny noses, rubbing the delicate skin raw over constant sniffling and blowing and dabbing. Earlier we baked a loaf of bread just as an excuse to turn the oven on.
The dead of winter. It always sounds so ominous, and then it’s here. My husband starts joking, too soon if you ask me, that it’s always winter and never Christmas as we stare out into the grey landscape that greets us each morning.
To help me get through the next few months, I’ve started to drink my daily water warm. While I enjoy black tea and spiced chai varieties, green tea with a bit of orange, there are times when it I just need a warm cup to hold under my face as I sniffle through my book. This is that tea.
Ginger is the perfect type of cold and cough fighting tea. It helps clear the sinuses and soothe sore throats, and the bit of honey at the end is an oft used cough remedy itself. It’s also a great digestive aid, known for soothing upset stomachs. Plus, it’s warm, and sometimes it’s simply having something warm to drink that really matters.
Lemon Ginger Tisane {Tea}: Cough and Cold Relief
Author: Shaina Olmanson | FoodforMyFamily.com
Recipe type: beverage
Serves: 2
Ingredients
2 tablespoons fresh ginger
2 cups water
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
½-1 tablespoon honey
2 thin slices of lemon for garnish
Instructions
Peel the ginger and slice it thinly. Add the ginger and two cups of water to a small saucepan or tea kettle and bring to a boil.
Turn the heat off, add lemon juice and allow the tea to steep for 15 minutes. Strain into heated cups. Stir in the desired amount of honey.
Garnish with lemon slices and serve immediately.
3.2.1255
Do you ever make your own teas or tisanes?


Shaina Olmanson is the home cook and photographer behind Food for My Family and the author of Desserts in Jars: 50 Sweet Treats that Shine. She is a contributor to Babble.com’s Family Kitchen Blog and the food channel on Lifetime Moms. Shaina can usually be found cooking, at the computer or behind the camera.
Lemon Ginger Tisane {Tea}: Cough and Cold Relief
© 2010-2013 Purple Martin Press, LLC | All rights reserved

January 9, 2014
Homeschool Planning Made Easy

source: Mandi Ehman
It’s ironic, really, considering I make to-do lists and schedules for fun, but planning has always been my Achilles’ heel as a homeschool mom.
I’ve tried a variety of different methods over the years, but even when I plan out assignments just one week at a time, something inevitably pops up and we get off track, which leaves me discouraged as I transfer unfinished assignments to the next week.
Last year, I finally admitted that taking the time to plan out our homeschool week down to the lesson and page number just wasn’t working for us. At that time, I moved to a checklist system instead.
I would make a simple list of what we needed to cover and add the page numbers after we finished them, reviewing it at the end of the week to make a plan for the next week.
But honestly, this still felt a bit tedious as I gathered various items from around the house for the week — books and notebooking pages and supplies for activities. I was spending several hours each weekend preparing for the next week…and we still weren’t sticking to the plan!
So this year I decided to plan in 6-week terms instead, and I think I’ve finally found the system that works best for us.
How It Works
Before each 6-week term, I prepare and gather the following:
Weekly checklists showing their general assignments for each day (see the example above)
Copies of the Spanish & Latin worksheets for the upcoming term
Classical Conversations notebooking pages
Books to go along with our CC memory work
I keep all of the worksheets in an expanding file folder so that I can just pull out the ones we need at the start of each week. The books for the full six weeks sit on a shelf in our main living area so that the girls can select and read the ones that interest them.
I also review our progress in math and language arts to make sure we’re on track.
The Benefits
Planning this way — without defining the specifics of what we’ll get done each day or week — gives us flexibility without leaving us wandering aimlessly. It allows us to take a day — or even a week — off without needing to replan our schedule. It takes away the stress of not getting done what we’d planned and allows us to work at our own speed without feeling like we’re falling behind.
This, combined with independent work and schooling year-round, truly give us the flexibility to take advantage of all of the benefits of homeschooling while also giving us enough structure to feel like we’re doing what needs to be done!
What does your homeschool planning process look like?

Mandi Ehman is the blogger behind Life Your Way. She and her husband have four beautiful girls plus one baby boy on the way, and together, they live, work and homeschool on a little slice of heaven in wild, wonderful West Virginia. She loves coffee, chocolate, easy meals, beautiful things and minimalist spaces.
Homeschool Planning Made Easy
© 2010-2013 Purple Martin Press, LLC | All rights reserved

January 8, 2014
One Word for 2014: Live

source: Mandi Ehman
I really love the idea of choosing one overarching word for each year rather than making detailed resolutions because it offers me a way to reevaluate and readjust throughout the year without feeling guilty over each little miss or failure.
In 2012, my word was authenticity, and I grew a lot that year in my willingness to set aside my pride and let people see the real me. The messy, imperfect me.
Last year I’d originally chosen “consistency” as my word, but it turns out that word doesn’t actually mean more consistent (ha!), so I changed my word to true…and it didn’t really stick. (I should have just kept my original word!) But it was also a year of transition for our family — with first trimester morning sickness, preparing for and welcoming a new baby — so it wasn’t an easy year for being consistent anyway.
When it comes to choosing my word, I tend to just open my mind to the possibilities and wait for my word to come to me. That sounds a lot more woo-wooey than I mean it, but just like my best ideas come to me when I’m not actively searching them out, I don’t want to try to force myself to choose a word that I don’t really mean, so I prefer to wait until inspiration hits.

source: Mandi Ehman
This year, the word that jumped into my mind and heart was live.
I want 2014 to be the year that I begin to truly live…
…intentionally.
…creatively.
…a life that reflects my values.
…for today instead of for tomorrow.
I’ve spent a lot of years working toward my goals, making sacrifices today for future benefits, and I think there’s a place for that. It is, after all, how our whole family is able to be home together and have the flexibility to travel, explore, etc.
The only thing is at some point that moves from a season to a lifestyle, and I don’t want it to be a characteristic of my life. The truth is that tomorrow isn’t guaranteed for any of us, so I don’t want to put off living — really living — for a day that may or may not come.

source: Mandi Ehman
This commitment to live in 2014 sounds pretty theoretical, but here is what it means for me practically:
Stopping to look the girls in the eyes when they talk to me. Not just sometimes, but every time.
Playing a game — Sylanders on the Wii or alternating rounds of Rumikub and Sequence Jr, for example — with the girls several times a week.
Being more spontaneous when invited to play dates or activities with other families. (This is a hard one for me because I like to plan and because most of our friends live 30-60 minutes away!)
Avoiding wasting time on the computer when I’m bored or tired.
Being intentional about regular coffee dates with my friends.
Enjoying my time with Jackson rather than falling into the habit of nursing him and then handing him off to someone else so I can “get things done.”
Closing the computer even when my to-do list hangs over my head because there’s always — always — more to be done.
Making time for one-on-one dates with the girls.
As I try to figure how to actually do this — there is the small matter of deadlines and bills to pay and all that jazz — I’m reading two brand new books this month: Hands Free Mama: A Guide to Putting Down the Phone, Burning the To-Do List, and Letting Go of Perfection to Grasp What Really Matters! by Rachel Macy Stafford and Say Goodbye to Survival Mode: 9 Simple Strategies to Stress Less, Sleep More, and Restore Your Passion for Life by Crystal Paine.
Besides having the world’s longest titles (ha!), both of these books speak to my desire to live in 2014. Rachel’s book is encouraging and inspiring while Crystal’s puts legs on the principles with practical tips for getting things done and still having time to enjoy life.
I also ordered one of Lisa Leonard’s one word bracelets so I can wear a reminder to live daily. I can’t wait for it to arrive!
What is your word for 2014?

Mandi Ehman is the blogger behind Life Your Way. She and her husband have four beautiful girls plus one baby boy on the way, and together, they live, work and homeschool on a little slice of heaven in wild, wonderful West Virginia. She loves coffee, chocolate, easy meals, beautiful things and minimalist spaces.
One Word for 2014: Live
© 2010-2013 Purple Martin Press, LLC | All rights reserved

January 6, 2014
7 Things to Do with Egg Cartons
The following post is from Katie of Kitchen Stewardship:

source: Kitchen Stewardship
Sometimes I quantify my life in steps taken, items moved in a day, and a category called “Things I Do That Normal People Don’t Bother With.”
In this category are things like rinsing out glass milk jars, hauling Styrofoam to the recycling plant, and saving plastic zipper bags that held items in the mail – they’re in a box in our linen closet to be ready to hold handmade soap, little toy pieces and coins that need to be sent to school.
Also on this list is the fact that we have a large stack of egg cartons on our coat closet shelf. I guess I don’t know what “normal people” do with their egg cartons – trash them? recycle them? – but I save them to take back to the farmer whenever possible.
Simply reusing is certainly my preferred end for an egg carton. I hope you can find somewhere that can reuse your egg cartons for actual eggs. I’ve even taken them back to a brick-and-mortar store before because I know that they deal directly with the farmers, and they said they’d make sure they got back to the farm. It’s worth asking!
If you can find in cardboard containers, you can often recycle them with paper products, and the clear plastic kind are also often recyclable (check your community’s guidelines). Before recycling, though, I always try to think of ways to repurpose products.
Whether you go through 3-4 dozen eggs in a week like my family can or not, you might wonder what other options there are for egg cartons. I’ve got seven ideas for you.
Paint Palettes

source: Kitchen Stewardship
Both Styrofoam and plastic egg cartons are easy to rinse out and keep kids’ paint colors separate, so the little artists can mix their own instead of gravity doing it for them.
You might ask at your local school to see if the elementary art teacher would be able to repurpose egg cartons (or any number of other household items). Please ask first, though, don’t just drop off *stuff* at your school’s office!
Homemade Mancala

source: Kitchen Stewardship
Grab some dry beans, marbles, or rocks from outside and make a homemade version of Mancala.
You’ll need 48 counters and two little receptacles of some kind for either end (I used repurposed butter covers in this photo).

source: Kitchen Stewardship
If you’re not familiar with the game, I found some online instructions for you at eHow and Instructables. It’s a good one for keeping your thinker sharp and playing with younger children, maybe 5 and up – the kind of game where parents aren’t feeling like their IQ is dropping (ahem, Candy Land) and the kiddos can still keep up.
Science Fair Projects

source: Kitchen Stewardship
Years back when I was still a third grade teacher I bought this demonstration of various rocks at a teacher fair. Any small items that need to be contained and labeled, especially if you can get them in groups of 12, would be perfect for this form of presentation.
The rocks are glued in with a ton of glue (or plaster or something), and then the labels go on the inside of the lid of the carton. Nothing has budged in ten years, so I’d say it would last through a science fair for sure!
Crafts

source: Eden Pictures via Flickr
I have no doubt the Internet is a vast resource of egg carton crafts, the caterpillar with pipe cleaner antennae being the classic that comes to my mind first. Here are just a few massive roundups:
Dragons, flowers, bulletin boards, and plenty of caterpillars from The Crafty Crow
Jewelry holder, flower garden and more from AHC Arts and Crafts
Quite an inspiring Pinterest board!
Counting Work

source: Kitchen Stewardship
I demonstrated this one when I shared free preschool activities from your kitchen, but it’s a very simple counting work for 2-4 year olds.
You provide the child with the exact number they’ll need to complete, either 0-5 or 0-11 or 1-12, and then they have a little bit of a self-check built in if they have any leftovers or run out.
Alphabet Storage
Nest two egg cartons with the 12 spots inside the lid of the other, and you’ve got a nearly perfect container for storing alphabet tiles, stamps, etc.

source: Kitchen Stewardship
Okay, so 24 isn’t exactly equal to the number of letters in the alphabet (26 if you’re not sure), but W/X and Y/Z hang out pretty well together at the end.
Then you can have your child build words in the second lid, like this:

source: Kitchen Stewardship
To store, just separate the two cartons and close the lids. Wrap a rubber band around them in case of a fall from a shelf, and keep all toddlers who like to dump things away.
Seed Starters

source: Simplify. Live. Love.
Don’t waste your money buying those biodegradable seed starting pots. Just use the cardboard egg cartons and/or shells and you’re off and running for spring gardening! See Michelle’s beautiful post on repurposed containers for starting seeds for more details.
What’s your favorite repurpose job for food packaging?

Katie Kimball is a mom of three who spends a ton of time in the kitchen making real food with whole ingredients and then blogs about her successes and failures at Kitchen Stewardship. She believes everything in life is a gift from God and should be taken care of wisely.
7 Things to Do with Egg Cartons
© 2010-2013 Purple Martin Press, LLC | All rights reserved

Kick Off 2014 with This Collection of eBooks {BundleoftheWeek.com}
BundleoftheWeek.com is back with all new bundles for 2014! And now you can choose between PDF, Kindle or ePUB versions of the ebooks in each bundle.
Make this year your best year yet with this collection of ebooks designed to encourage and equip you to live intentionally. With daily prompts to help you get organized and set goals plus encouragement to simplify, unplug and go green, this bundle is the perfect way to kick off the New Year!
This week only, get all 5 resources for 75% off:
100 Days of a New Year {2014} by Jennifer Tankersley
The 2014 Confident Mom Weekly Household Planner Plus Supplement Kit by Susan Heid
The Unwired Mom by Sarah Mae
Destination: Simple by Brooke McAlary
Accidentally Green by Hilary Kimes Bernstein
Even if you’re not interested in this week’s bundle, be sure to sign up for the BundleoftheWeek.com weekly newsletter so you can be the first to know about the latest bundle:
Kick Off 2014 with This Collection of eBooks {BundleoftheWeek.com}
© 2010-2013 Purple Martin Press, LLC | All rights reserved

January 4, 2014
Giveaway: $100 Mialisia Versastyle Jewelry Gift Certificate
I’ve told this story before, but several years ago, at just 28 years old, I was feeling beyond frumpy most of the time. One day my baby sister was over, and she was wearing a plain sweatshirt but looked, as usual, super cute. I commented on it, and without missing a beat, she said, “It’s the earrings!”
At that point, I’d pretty much fallen out of the habit of wearing any jewelry, but I realized that she was right — the earrings really did make her look put together rather than sloppy.
I decided to slowly begin building a collection of simple, versatile pieces — a few pairs of handmade earrings from Etsy, hand-stamped necklaces from small businesses in the U.S., and fair-trade bracelets from companies showcasing artisans around the world. These days, I occasionally forget to put on jewelry when leaving the house, but I even wear earrings most of the time at home because it makes such a big difference in the way I feel.
***
Back in December, Tia emailed me to introduce me to Mialisia Versastyle Jewelry, a brand new line of patent-pending jewelry that uses hooks rather than clasps. This ingenious design allows you to layer and mix pieces to create the look you want for any occasion with just a few pieces, offering versatility and value.
With the majority of pieces priced between $20-50, the prices truly are reasonable, especially when you consider that each piece can be worn in up to 12 different ways — as a bracelet or a necklace or a belt, etc., and combining two or more pieces offers an infinite number of looks. Just watch this video:
It’s no surprise that this line was created by a stay-at-home mother of four who understands the need for versatility and style at an affordable price. I love Tia’s description of the Versastyle concept from her first email: “So if you put one of the pieces and wear it as a necklace but decide it is getting in the way of feeding your new son, you can easily wrap it around your wrist, wear it as a belt, headband, or several other ways as a necklace.” Fun, right?
She sent me the Spun Sugar necklace so I could see how it works for myself, and I love it! I often wear it as a bracelet, and I even had someone stop and ask me about it while Sean and I were out on a rare date right before Christmas.
To learn more about the jewelry itself or the opportunity to become a Mialisia Designer and earn a commission for sharing the jewelry with others, be sure to visit Tia’s site.
Enter to Win
This week, Tia is giving one lucky Life Your Way reader a $100 credit toward the Mialisia products of your choice!
To enter, fill out the form below:
The giveaway ends at 11:59 p.m. ET on Friday, 1/10. The winner will be selected randomly and notified by email, and this post will be updated with their name as well. Unfortunately, due to the international laws governing sweepstakes and lotteries, we’re only able to offer these giveaways to U.S. residents 18 years and older.
Giveaway: $100 Mialisia Versastyle Jewelry Gift Certificate
© 2010-2013 Purple Martin Press, LLC | All rights reserved

Weekend Reading: January 4, 2014

source: Mandi Ehman
I can’t remember ever being quite this excited to welcome a new year. 2013 was a great year for our family, so I wasn’t anxious to turn the calendar page, but now that we’re here, 2014 feels like it’s full of good things just waiting to be discovered!
If you haven’t yet read my post about the new direction I’ll be taking Life Your Way this year, be sure to hop over there. You may also want to read my posts about what it means to live intentionally and creatively, since those pretty much sum up my desire for Life Your Way in the coming year. And can I just say that you all are fabulous? I’ve received so many encouraging comments, emails, direct messages, etc., and it’s definitely made me feel like I’m on the right track with these changes. So, thank you!
This coming week, we’ll be starting back to school, and I’m more than a little nervous. I was ready to jump back into work this week, but there’s no denying that it’s harder than I expected with a baby that nurses every 2.5 hours during the day and wants his mama most of the time. I’m working hard to cherish this stage and not get frustrated (and to recover quickly when I inevitably do end up overwhelmed!), but I’m just not sure how we’re going to add school in on top of work and the baby and our extracurricular and social activities. For now I’m just counting on it working out somehow and trying to take it one day at a time!
Here are some of my favorite posts from this week. As always, check out what I’m reading and what I’m pinning to see the other posts that make me stop and think (or, you know, drool…). You’ll find new posts all week long!
Life {Embrace the New Year}
How to Move Forward into the New Year… when you feel like you failed the last year | A Holy Experience
2014: Sing a new song | The Art of Simple
4 Lessons I Learned From Goal-Setting “Failure” in 2013 | Money Saving Mom
Tech {Putting Technology in Its Place}
Why I’m Getting A Divorce In 2014 | Jarrid Wilson
7 Important Reasons to Unplug and Find Space | Becoming Minimalist
Green {Natural Beauty}
Homemade Natural Translucent Powder | Great Oak Circle
5 Ways to Use Oil as Part of a Natural, Skincare Routine | Keeper of the Home
Homemade Lip Balm and Lip Gloss | Food for My Family
Have a great weekend!

Mandi Ehman is the blogger behind Life Your Way. She and her husband have four beautiful girls plus one baby boy on the way, and together, they live, work and homeschool on a little slice of heaven in wild, wonderful West Virginia. She loves coffee, chocolate, easy meals, beautiful things and minimalist spaces.
Weekend Reading: January 4, 2014
© 2010-2013 Purple Martin Press, LLC | All rights reserved


