School Absent Note Template

I did the math... between my 4 kids (who are in PreK, 1st, 4th and 6th grades), I have about 38 more school years to go! It seems to me in that time they will each be absent at least 5 times a year, if not more. That means I will have to spend 190 hurried sleepless mornings scribbling absent notes for the attendance office. 

Okay, I know that my math logic is not great. 
I blame that on not having had common core in schools when I was a kid. ;)

Two weeks ago when my oldest son was out with a bad cold, I forgot about the note until we were in the drop-off loop at school. So, I grabbed the only paper available and quickly wrote him an excuse note. The paper happened to be a page from another kid's Thomas the Tank Engine coloring book. I added a sticker for good measure and sent him on his way.

Time for a better way!

I made up this basic form letter in Google Drive. I left a space to fill in the date and kid's name and my signature then printed out several copies which should get us through the remaining 5 months of school. I gave my 5 year old the task of cutting them in half (She's on scissor time-out since shes had some issues with misusing scissors to cut everything but paper inappropriate things). Now, my lovely notes are safely stored in the glovebox of the car, along with a mixed bag of other stuff (but no gloves, oddly enough).

Download School Absent Note Template (Google Drive)

Feel free to download and modify for your own school mornings when a note is the last thing on your mind!

Awesome Tool for Creating Easy Responsive Grid Layoutos

I found this awesome tool online while searching how to make a simple 4 column layout. I grabbbed the example code and css and had it done within 2 minutes. I LOVE shortcuts like this! :)

 Check it out: http://www.responsivegridsystem.com/

Berry Wonderful Scones!

Finally got around to making scones, which I have been wanting to do for a long time now. Fresh berries never last very long in our house -usually devoured within minutes. BUT they were on sale so I was able to stock up and there were some left over after we were done gobbling up them up.

 

Recipe I found was on AllRecipes.com that had great reviews and I modified it a little. It took me a few searches to find one that did not require sour cream or heavy cream or buttermilk - because I didn't want to go to the store this morning! So this one can be made with everything you have in-stock.

Ingredients

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 5 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup butter
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 cup milk
•  Approx 3/4 cup of fresh berries - we used blueberries and raspberries!

"These cookies you brought are terrible. They're too hard." "They're not cookies, they're scones." "More like stones." Zuri & Bertram from "Jessie" on Disney Channel

 Note: I added one extra tsp of baking power because of the above quote :)I wanted fluffy scones, not rocks.

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Lightly grease a baking sheet. I lined mine with tinfoil and greased that for a quicker cleanup.
2. In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Cut in butter.
3. Mix the egg and milk in a small bowl, and stir into flour mixture until moistened.
4. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface, and knead briefly. I added a little extra flour at this step as it was pretty sticky. 
5. Gently knead by hand into a large rectangle. Sprinkle fresh berries down the middle and fold both ends over so you have a long rectangle that is approximately 3 inches across.
6. Cut 12 generously sized triangles
7. Bake 15 minutes in the preheated oven, or until golden brown.

For spacing reasons, I actually did 6 per sheet because I was not sure how much they would expand. Worked out nicely

 

Glaze: Combine confectioner's sugar and a little bit of milk and 1 tsp of vanilla extract in a bowl. Brush with pastry brush - because it's fun and both you & your 3 year old will love to paint the scones! I didn't measure here, just add a little and add more if you need to!

First Weekend of Summer

I love...
cuddling on the couch with my 2 little ones reading magazines together
how rich I feel after going to the library
the awesome wooden playground down the street from our house
discovering nature with my kids
mowing the lawn
watching flowers grow & bloom from seeds planted
3-inch deep puddles of warm rain water (even though I protest when they run through with their socks and shoes on!
the first weekend of summer

So Many More Worlds to Explore

Even though Kepler is "on the shelf", the new information we have about our galaxy and the cosmos is just amazing. These conclusions from  Marcelo Gleiser blog post on NPR.org today:

Even if we are still like toddlers in our cosmic exploration, we can at least rejoice in what we have learned so far: that there are hundreds of billions of other planets in our galaxy alone (and their moons, making for trillions of other worlds); that the same plurality is true in hundreds of billions of other galaxies across space; that some of these planets will have properties similar to Earth; that life, if present in these worlds, will be very particular to each of them, dependent on the planet's detailed and unique history; and that, for this reason, we are unique in the Universe, a product of the Earth and its very unique history. 

Get the original article here

I Havent Used [Photoshop] in 90 Days

When it comes to graphic design, I must admit that I'm a lightweight. I've dabbled in Photoshop off and on since first being introduced to it. I am also in LOVE with the online editor I found from Pixlr. I first discovered it as a Chrome App, but constantly use it in Firefox. I find it's perfect for quick resizing and basic editing. So far for me the only drawback is the text tools are a little weak - the text entry box is small and cannot be resized. But for everything else, it's quick and easy!

Check It Out and tell me what you think!

It's Summer Time! (Safety First)

Last Day of School is tomorrow! We have lots of swimming planned this summer. Our new pool has a real deep end - 10ft with a diving board. That means being even more vigilant than ever.

My little ones, who are not yet strong swimmers still wear life jackets in the pool. I don't care if it's dorky - if you're not having 1 on 1 time learning to swim with mom, then you have to have the jacket on! It's 4 kids and only 1 mom so I have to play it safe.

Here's a great article on Slate about what REAL drowning looks like (not at all like in the movies!)

We have not done formal swim lesson, but I am working with each kid at their comfort level to teach them the basics - floating on your back, treading water, etc. Would welcome any tips from others in the comments.

Check out the video. Forward to your friends and have a safe and fun summer!

Drowning signs aren't like the movies: wivb.com

A Pep Talk From Kid President

GoDaddy Domains Promo Code Save 47%

Just registered (another) new awesome domain name today. 
Good stuff being built :)
Use my affiliate link http://x.co/kristenj
 
Save 47% using code: cjcfw47


 

Gratitude...

A little boy wanted to go fishing so, his grandpa came and picked him up one morning, took him to a store and bought him his very own fishing pole and some tackle and they spent the day fishing.

When grandpa dropped him off his mother asked him if he thanked his grandpa for the new fishing pole and for taking him fishing. The little boy didn’t say a word so, his mother asked him again. And still he stayed quiet.

She asked him the third time and demanded an answer. The little boy said when I thanked grandpa for the new fishing pole and for taking me fishing he said don’t mention it.

The Big Idea

Love this image

Are You Happy?

Borrowed from a friend's Facebook profile

An Awesome Gift for Teachers

OMG! Eeek! I Just 'discovered' Dallas Clayton's Awesome Books and all I can say is WOW.

This is now at the top of the Christmas list.

My kiddos (I) NEED this book in their (my)lives.

Also, we are definitely getting the Awesome Book of Thanks for the kid's teachers this year.

You can read both books online here http://veryawesomeworld.com/

An Awesome Book of Thanks! from Dallas Clayton on Vimeo.

If you haven't already read his blog, it's a must. There so much there that is inspiring, and truth, and simple, and beautiful.

Check it out: http://dallasclayton.com/

dallasclayton:

QUESTIONNAIRE

Have you already taken
the greatest photograph that you will ever take?
What does it look like?
 
Where do you keep it?
 
How do you know?

As an adult
have you run
top speed
naked through a field?

More than once?

Have you been inside every
room in your house today?

How about every closet?

How long since you’ve been in every closet?

Too long I bet.

There’s plenty to be learned in those closets.
Fields.
Wasted snapshots.

And you paid for them.

Get in there.

Root around.

 

Tool of the Day: MoneyPack and Paypal

We use Paypal all the time. 90% of our clients prefer to pay via Paypal and the money goes right to your pocket if you have the Paypal Debit card. We also constantly pay developers and freelancers this way. Recently we've been buying Greendot MoneyPack cards at RiteAid and Radio Shack to add money to the Paypal account and have even had a client pay us this way as well. There is a $4.95 fee to buy the card, but as far as I know, Paypal doesn't charge you a fee when the money hits your account, so if you're sending someone a big chunk of money, this is the way to go.

Today I saw this promotion where they'll give you $10 if you add funds using a MoneyPack card. This only applies to first time customers, so I'm out of luck, but maybe one of you can use it. You'll also be entered into a drawing to win $1000.

Get $10 Free

I don't get anything out of presenting this offer to you. Just good Karma.

Tool of The Day: MyJobChart.com

I have another cool website to share with you this week: MyJobChart.com

The boys and I have been using it to practice our morning and evening routines and get chores done over the summer. We love it and I'll tell you why in a minute.

Here's How It Works:

You (The Parent) create an account then add your children each with a picture and password. 

Next you add 'jobs' for the kids, which can be anything from daily routine basics to household chores to working on long term homework assignments or practicing lines for Drama. Then you get to assign how many points will be earned for completing each task. I love that you can set different values for different jobs. For example, making the bed is 5 points while emptying trash cans is 15.

There are preset jobs to choose from or you can create your own and even add your own little picture for each job. Decide when the task should be done, whether it's morning, afternoon, daily, weekly or only certain days. Assign the job to one or more kids and save it.

At first this seemed kind of daunting to add all the stuff I wanted to do, but I decided it was best for me and the kids to just add a few new jobs each week. As some things become habits, like brushing teeth in the morning or making your bed, I will probably reduce the points value or remove them all together.

THE FUN PART: Create cool prizes that your kids can buy with their points. When they have racked up enough points they can go to 'My Store' and buy one of the rewards.

My guys have earned things like trip to the park, family game night, extra story time, ice cream cones and the favorites: Nintendo DSIs and Mario, Luigi & Buzz Lightyear Piggy Banks (which I found on eBay for $1 each!).

I love that there is less whining about getting the chores done and they love logging on to check of their jobs and of course THE REWARDS!

Feeling like your work as mom needs more benefits? Make a child account for your inner-brat too :) And treat yourself to manicures, new shoes and Me-Time!

Oh! And It's FREE! Check It Out

Tool of The Day - MyLiveSignature.com

I recently created a signature for my email and have been using it in newsletters for the business too. I love it and have had several comments on it so thought I would share here.

I made the signature online here http://mylivesignature.com/mls_menu.php

While the site isn't too flashy, it offers a simple online tool where you just type your text, pick a font, size, pitch and color and then can save the image to your computer or grab the URL and use it in your email signatures. Also great for forum sigs and (duh!) blog posts. I guess I should add it to my blog too! They also have a feature where you can just draw your own, but that is probably best when you have a drawing pad.

Gorilla Vanilla

Jules' new favorite snack. He named it and even though it doesn't have Vanilla in it, I like the name :)

Gorilla Vanilla
1 cup Plain Yogurt
1 tblsp Maple syrup
1/2 cup Granola Cereal

Cascadian Farms has a Nut Free flavors!

Spoonfower - Say hello to new curtains!

I am looking for new curtains for my 2 double sliding glass doors in the living room. Right now they are brown. And I love brown, but they are plain, and tired and need some life.

I spent 20 minutes on ebay looking for affordable and chic curtain panels... ewww
I spend 30 minutes on JoAnns looking for contemporary and stylish fabric to make my own... barf

I went to etsy to search, got distracted and read about the featured artist who mentioned that she prints all her fabric designs using spoonflower.com (Enter gasp of discovery here)

You can make your own fabric? WOW

I am not that artistic. But fortunately so many others are and you can just buy their designs, which are chic, affordable, contemporary, stylish and just plain COOL

Check out some fun designs I found

















No, I havent decided yet. Now I have too many choices.

Tool Of The Day Introduction

Tool of the day is intended to be a regular post offering up some useful (digital) tool to make life easier, prettier, smarter or more fun. Most often they will be Free Tools, because I'm just that cheap ;)

Disclaimers:

• No promises to publish a tool of the day everyday
• Sometimes it may be a little on the tech/nerd side of life
• I may or may not have an association with the entity providing the tool, but I'll let you know when I do
• Suggestions are welcome

 First handy helpful tool coming tomorrow...

A new favorite: The Cereal Song

Remember this song?

Well, the band now has out a children's album and we love it. The Cereal song is definitely a new favorite.

The Vere Pipe Website  http://www.thevervepipe.com/family/

Had a chance to hear a fantastic interview with the band on Kid's Corner, a local Kids radio show on WXPN here in Philly which is also syndicated on their site http://www.kidscorner.org/ which also has a lot of great resources, music and activities for kiddos.