At-Home School Ramp Up

August 29, 2020 by Katie Wilson

95% of my thoughts lately have been about school and the education of our kids. If I am being honest, this has been at the forefront of my mind since last March as I know it has been for many families. We are very fortunate to have options this fall where many families do not. However, because we have options doesn’t mean that we haven’t agonized over them and will probably continue to do so for foreseeable future. These decisions are just hard for everyone involved and there are no easy answers.

In the spring we had two school aged children but now in the fall we have three which makes everything just a bit more stressful. It became very clear during e-learning in the spring that one of our kids were able to adapt better than the other and neither of them wanted their parents to be their teachers. As the school year starts next week we are going to send our kids to in-person school, for now ( I feel that most every decision sounds better with this after it because I know everything could change). We are bringing greater risk into our lives (which is scary) but have worked so hard to be cautious to get to this end point. Two of them will be in-person for a couple of hours every day while our oldest will be following a hybrid model of two days in-person and three days virtually. I am so grateful for our school and the community around it that has spent countless hours developing procedures to keep the staff and students safe. It’s going to be an adjustment but we are up for the challenge.

Despite all of our gratefulness there is still a lot of anxiety and a loss of a sense of control that washes over us daily about this decision. If you’re new here organizing and planning is often how I attempt to regain that sense of control. I know it’s really a false sense of control but it still makes me feel better! So with that being said, I am trying to mentally prepare myself for a time when all of our kids are back at home e-learning. Living in the Midwest with colder temps and a looming flu season I fully expect this to happen so I have been collecting loads of supplies (especially for our pre-schooler) to help prepare us for a time when the Wilson School for Wayward Children is fully back in session. Back in March I shared our Homeschool Cart so the new tools will be able to complement what we already had in the home. Read on for my TAKE on ramping up your school supplies at home!

Pre K + Kindergarten

1st Grade and Up

During the past six months there have also been a lot of great ideas shared across Instagram and my favorite accounts for ideas and encouragement are as follows: Days with Grey, ETST, The Workspace for Children, Busy Toddler and Jordan and Co. I love the idea of learning through creativity so aside from some flashcards that’s what we will be attempting to focus on this year. If you have found something that works well for your family, please share I’m always looking for new ideas!

Best of luck to all of you on this school year and stay healthy!

**Affiliate links are used in this post.

9 Steps to Hosting a Virtual Ice Cream Social

April 30, 2020 by Katie Wilson

I love to plan. Birthday parties, dinner menus, fun activities, school events, travel itineraries, outfits…you name it and I love to do it! I’m not the best at impromptu anything so if my children were to list my faults as a mother one fault would surely be that they don’t get to have friends over nearly enough. I try to remedy this with fun birthday parties and group activities…you know, anything that I can plan; preferably out of my house! Lately, weekly Google Meet or Zoom parties have become popular for the elementary school set…think trivia, dance parties or “minute to win it” games. With these in mind, I decided to take it a step further and create something memorable for our kids and some of their classmates. Read on for my TAKE on a Virtual Ice Cream Social!

9 Steps to Hosting a Virtual Ice Cream Social

Make a guest list
- My only criteria for our ice cream social was that all guests had to be local as we would be delivering supplies. However, classmates, family friends or relatives would all be appropriate!
Make a list of supplies
- This is based on preference but some ideas are: ice cream, ice cream cones, napkins, sprinkles, maraschino cherries etc…
Order non perishable supplies
- For our party I opted to order these fun ice cream dessert bowls and spoons for our friends. However if you wanted to order something a bit more gender neutral and cost effective (depending on your quantity needed) I love this paper polka dot set.
- I also ordered these kraft paper bags to put the party supplies in for each family but ice cream bags would be cute too!
Order perishable online via Instacart
- As we’re under a shelter at home order and doing our very best to only leave our house occasionally I ordered everything but the ice cream from Instacart. Think hot fudge, sprinkles, Reddi Whip etc… In standard Instacart fashion not all of the products are the brands I requested but they were able to fulfill the order!
Pre-order Ice Cream or Custard
- Part of my goal in devising this virtual ice cream social was to be able to support a local business. With that in mind I pre-ordered chocolate and vanilla pints of custard from a favorite local business, Scooter’s Frozen Custard. I did have to pick the pints up but the shop has an outdoor walk up window which made it extra quick and I could schedule pick up for the date we would be doing our delivery drop offs.
Make Invitations
- I made an invitation template and the kids got involved by adding some stickers and then we had homemade invites to attach to each bag.
Package + Delivery
- We picked up the custard and made an assembly line and packed up the supplies in each bag while in the back of our car and set out to deliver a surprise package to some friends. Deliveries were made a couple of days before the date of the social to ensure guests could attend.
Create a set of Questions to Center the Party
- A bunch of elementary kids and ice cream is sure to be raucous maybe even more so virtually. We came up with a bunch of questions and a game to at least focus some of the party. Of course, these questions are ice cream themed…What is your favorite flavor? What are your favorite toppings? What is the difference between ice cream and custard? The list goes on!
Set up Virtual Meeting + Share with Friends
- Use Google Meet or Zoom to send out a meeting link with friends to join at the confirmed time and have a blast!

If you wanted to add another layer to the party or do this for one of your kids birthdays’ there are also some great ice cream DIY crafts, craft kits and even a paint-your-own ice cream truck!

For me, one of the most challenging things about COVID-19 pandemic and sheltering in place is the uncertainty of it all and the inability to make plans and really have the opportunity to look forward to something. Planning and coordinating this virtual ice cream social was some of the most fun I’ve had in weeks. It was something that I knew would bring joy to other people and the kids were excited, engaged and I was motivated to put my energy towards something other than cooking and cleaning. Dropping these packages off at our friends home and seeing their surprised faces (from afar) was truly the cherry on top! Hope you love and can adapt this idea for friends and family in your lives! Stay safe and healthy my friends.

***Affiliate links are included in this post.

American Girl Benefit Sale

July 26, 2019 by Katie Wilson

This past weekend we traveled to Middleton, Wisconsin to attend the American Girl Benefit Sale. I’ve been a fan of American Girl since I was a kid and I’m so pleased that my oldest is into the brand as I don’t think there is a better mix of history and imaginative play out there. As for the sale it wasn’t technically my first as I partook in one 28 years ago when attendees slept overnight on the sidewalk to gain entrance! While the memories are priceless, thankfully, overnight camping is no longer required for sale entrance. I’m sharing all the details of our experience and some things that I wish I would have known beforehand below. Read on for my TAKE on the American Girl Benefit Sale!

What is it?

Every summer (typically in July) the Madison Children’s Museum hosts a two day American Girl Benefit Sale in a warehouse in Middleton, Wisconsin. The thousands of American Girl products at the sale are donated by American Girl (Mattel) and the items are typically either overstock or returns. All items are offered at a discount; generally between 30 -70% off with deeper discounts on some items the second day. The sale proceeds benefit the Madison Children’s Museum as well as the American Girl Fund and is almost entirely staffed by volunteers.

How to attend?

Tickets for the event can be procured through the Madison Children’s Museum. There are two days of the sale the General Sale (Saturday) and Markdown Day (Sunday) which offers some of the remaining products at a deeper discount. In order to get our Saturday tickets I participated in the Lottery Pre-Sale and purchased tickets for $8.00 each. Based on the lottery we were awarded tickets with a Noon time slot which was a little bit on the later end as we missed out on some product available earlier in the morning. If you don’t want to pay an ticket fee for the sale your best bet is to attend the General Admission portion of Sunday’s sale, which generally begins after 9am.

The most comprehensive details about tickets can be found here and I recommend signing up for the mailing list to stay notified of hotel blocks, events, sale details, lottery details and procedures as tickets do sell out.

What is at the sale?

Aside from the warehouse filled with dolls, books and accessories there was also a silent auction, raffle and vendors. The vendors mostly consist of booths selling clothes to fit the 18” dolls but there was also one food vendor who because of their monopoly was quite popular. I have to be honest, I didn’t expect to buy anything from the vendors but we ended up with three well crafted outfits. Elsa, Anna and Super Woman costumes have found a new home in our house.

The main event is, of course, the warehouse. The warehouse is filled with to the brim with product that volunteers have busy processing for almost an entire year. The mix of product changes every year but for the 2019 sale at least there was a large variety of dolls: Bitty Baby, Wellie Wishers, Truly Me, Girl of the Year and a handful of BeForever dolls. Some dolls had large quantities available whereas, others were quite limited. All were available at a discount, some steeper than others. There was also a large selection of books (all available for $2 each) and a handful of clothing, accessory and large voucher items. Examples of the large voucher items were: Melody’s bed, Kit’s Garden Shed and a spa chair. I wish there had been more clothing options and big ticket items but again, this changes every year and isn’t shared prior to the event. Regardless, there is a vast amount of items all of it in pristine condition.

What I wish I would have known?

Entrance times at the sale tend to be delayed. Be prepared especially as there is little shade and seating outside of the warehouse. We were set to enter at noon and didn’t get to enter until around 1pm. Timing updates are posted on Twitter and the Museum’s sale page but be warned that cell reception around and in the warehouse is not reliable.

The Silent Auction and Raffles are quite popular. The Silent Auction is especially a great way to score some clothing and accessories that are currently retired. I almost ended up spending a small fortune on Lea Clark but last minute decided to rescind my offer…my daughter loves Lea thanks to the movie Lea to the Rescue on Amazon Prime but it’s best I didn’t break the bank.

The weather can be extreme you will spend time outside either waiting to enter during your time slot or walking around and visiting vendors. Plan to bring snacks, water, rain gear and in extreme heat a portable water spray fan would be wonderful. I wish we would have had one.

If you get an email from Madison Children’s Museum about the ticket lottery, hotel blocks opening up or additional events like this years’ PJ Party - act fast! The sale is very popular and people do travel in for it so the blocks and the events sell out. For example, I waited to book tickets for Friday nights PJ Party at the museum and it sold out. Luckily, they opened up a second night and I was able to grab some quickly but that too sold out. My advice would be to act on these things and if you find out you can’t attend, there will most likely be someone who will want to purchase the tickets from you.

However, the number one thing I wish I would have known about is, The Mattel Toy Store! The toy store is located in Middleton next to the American Girl HQ and they also carry American Girl amongst other brands. I heard from a number of people that they were able to find quite a few accessories here as well as Maryellen’s Camper at half off! If you want to check this store out your best bet is to go Saturday morning (it’s relatively close to the warehouse) as they are closed on Sunday. This would have been a great time filler for us and I’m sorry we missed it.

Additional Insight…

There are shuttles to and from the sale from nearby hotels and parking lots. We were able to find street parking a short walk away and I would recommend this. It was then easy enough to drive up the car for pick up of our sale purchases. It would have been a hassle to take them on a bus.

There are a handful of social media accounts that you can follow to help you stay informed. The American Girl Benefit Sale Facebook page and the agbenefitsale_2019 Instagram account were the most helpful for me.

Additional events like the PJ Party at the Madison Children’s Museum are worth it! I’m not sure if they do these every year but it was a great way to see the museum and make some memories. Tickets for the kids were $30 and chaperones were $5 a piece. There were doll themed activities like a scavenger hunt, t-shirt decorating, bracelet making, button making etc… Plus snacks and the ability to explore the museum for 2.5 hours. All that plus a brand new Melody doll (included in the price of the child ticket) was really too good too pass up!

All in all, it was a really fun experience and if you love a good shopping “high” this sale may be for you. My oldest daughter loved it, she wants to come again next year and she said it felt like it was her birthday. She was definitely spoiled but when your birthday is six days before Christmas…it’s ok to have a little bit of Christmas in July too! Next year’s sale dates are already posted, so mark your calendar for July 18th and 19th 2020…maybe we’ll see you there!

Happy Place Chicago

July 22, 2018 by Katie Wilson

We had the most fun morning this past weekend! Do you want to know what we did? We went to Happy Place Chicago and the kids had the time of their lives! Happy Place is a a pop-up exhibit (similar to Color Factory and Museum of Ice Cream) with interactive installations that well...make you happy! I was lucky to come across the venue by chance a couple of weeks ago on my drive home from work and it's been on my summer activity wish list ever since. We had a change of plans this weekend so I was able to snag tickets and surprise the kids! Of course, we didn't know what we were getting into but the experience is almost like being in Willy Wonka's candy factory - each of the 13 rooms is full of surprises, colorful and larger-than-life. The exhibit is open through August 6th; run don't walk and as always, read on for my TAKE.

What to Know Before You Go

Tickets must be purchased in advance here
Parking is a bit of a pain but they have valet for $12
Kids under 4 are free (YAY) but no strollers allowed so bring a carrier for the babes
There are no bathrooms inside but they are available outside of the exhibit
The exhibit really is fun for kids and if you go on a weekend morning expect KIDS
You will have a timed entrance into the exhibit but our time there didn't feel rushed
The venue is an Instagrammers dream and staff is more than willing to take your photo
If your bring your DSLR make sure to charge the battery (ahem, yes my battery died)
Be warned that your sweet 6 year old will get a lot of exposure to older girls posing for photos and will leave the exhibit acting like a tween. True story.
Snacks like M&M's and Tootsie Pops are provided with your ticket cost
Food like rainbow grilled cheese and unicorn cotton candy are available for purchase
Like any museum exhibit there is a gift shop at the end of the experience (I regret not spending time here there were some fun curated goods!)

As soon as we left our kids were asking to go back next summer and while Happy Place is a traveling exhibit there are new interactive experiences like 29 Rooms coming to Chicago. I for one hope this trend continues because it's a great excuse to take a break from the mundane and get HAPPY! Fingers crossed that someday Color Factory or Museum of Ice Cream decide to pop up in Chicago too! What are you waiting for? Come on, get happy!

Summer Reading Project

July 14, 2018 by Katie Wilson

Our oldest is entering first grade in the fall and she isn't entirely confident in her reading capabilities. As a way to help build her confidence and improve her skills I've come up with a 12 week long Summer Reading Project. To be fair I'm not an educator so this project isn't based on anything other than practice, practice, practice. With that being said, I've already noticed a difference in her ability to sound words out and recognize sight words; so we're going to go with it. Read on for my TAKE on a Summer Reading Project for early readers.

My basic idea for the project was to create a reading journal but I wanted to also supplement the reading with additional skills like drawing and writing. My daughter selected 12 books (1 for each week) and in addition to focusing on reading her weekly selection she uses her notebook to draw 2 pictures, identify 10 vocabulary words and write 2-3 descriptive sentences about the story. We focus on reading the book everyday and split up the other items i.e. vocabulary and sentence writing throughout the week. Depending on the amount of activity during the day we vary our reading time (i.e. not at bedtime when she is exhausted) but try to spend 15-30 minutes focusing on it.

Once Lucy has mastered the book she reads it to her siblings and adds a star sticker to the cover of her notebook. There is a lot of repetition with this method and I do get concerned that she just memorizes her book of the week so a couple weeks after mastering a book I have her go back and read it before starting on a new book. While this project is a time commitment we've made it a priority this summer and I know it's helping when she says things like, "that word was easy." She loves books and I want her to love reading as much as I do and as a bonus it helps fill the time when her younger siblings are napping.

Project Materials

Five Star 1 Subject Notebook (Wide Ruled)
Colored Pencils
Alphabet Stickers
Star Stickers
I Can Read and Step Into Reading books (see below)

Summer Reading List

As an bonus incentive, we were at Barnes & Noble in late June and they have their own Summer Reading Journal program where kids in grades 1-6 can earn a free book (age-appropriate) if they record 8 books that they have read in this journal. The program runs through September 3rd and you better believe we will be brining in our journal to claim our book. I think it will be such a proud moment for Lucy!

Please feel free to share if you have any tips about teaching kids to read and Happy Summer Reading!

Strawberry Season

July 01, 2018 by Katie Wilson

Do your kids have a favorite fruit? All three of our kids love strawberries. Strawberry Season passes us by quickly in the Midwest (it run mid June - early July) and I wanted to make sure we took advantage of it this year. So we went strawberry picking! It was our first time and I have to say I think we will make it an annual tradition. Read on for my TAKE on where to pick strawberries and what to do with your bounty.

We went to the Thompson Strawberry Farm in Bristol, Wisconsin. It's a bit of a hike outside of Chicago (60 minutes) but a really easy drive. I love that the farm's website provides an update on picking conditions each morning. We went mid week to help avoid the crowds. The strawberries were beautiful. I could have spent hours picking (the best strawberries) are under the leaves but I was wearing Maggie in a carrier, trying to supervise the older two and failing miserably; so we lasted an hour. We were able to combine our baskets into one and then I purchased another pre-picked basket as I wanted to share the strawberry wealth with friends.

George and Lucy ate strawberries throughout the hour of picking and once I took Maggie out of her carrier she went after them hulls and all. I don't think the kids will ever forget the taste of those sweet juicy strawberries!

After stuffing our faces with strawberries for the better part of the week we still had a good amount leftover. Approximately, 4.5 cups to be exact and I wanted to do something with them before they went bad. My kids love the fruit leather strips at Trader Joe's and I always wanted to try making a healthier version. Previously, I'd been so intimidated by the time commitment and complexity of fruit leather recipes that I shied away but with the help of my husband I decided to face my fruit leather fears.

We had a low key Sunday on the horizon and a fridge full of ripe strawberries so on Saturday afternoon I took to my Pinterest account and started looking for homemade fruit leather recipes. We don't own a dehydrator so we planned to use our oven to make the leather and I found the perfect recipe from Baked by Rachel. The recipe is simple only three ingredients but it is nice to have a few key kitchen utensils to help make the baking process simpler. Baking Silpat Mats and an Offset Spatula would be on the top of my list.

We opted to strain the seeds from the blended mixture so this added about 15 minutes to the prep process. I would also advise to spread the strawberry mixture evenly across the silpat as it will affect how the fruit leather bakes. The recipe calls for a bake time of three hours but with our oven temp it ended up taking almost four. Next time I may set it at convection to see if that helps speed along the baking. I was shocked how easily the leather peeled off the silpats and was quickly able to be cut into strips and rolled onto wax paper.

Final verdict: The kids loved the fruit leather and I liked that we were able to use the rest of our berries. Fruit leather is easy but time consuming to make. Depending on how you cut the leather your yield may be a bit discouraging based on the time involvement. I think we will make fruit leather again but maybe not until our next strawberry picking adventure.

DIY Bored Jar

June 25, 2018 by Katie Wilson

We're not even two weeks into summer and I can't count the number of times I've heard the phrase, "I'm Bored." It may just be the most frustrating phrase on the planet and my six year old is quite fond of it. I can emphathize with her some of the time as she has to often hang around the house while her younger siblings nap. This summer I'm trying something new and I created a Bored Jar full of activity ideas for when your child comes to you with those dreaded words. Read on for my TAKE on a DIY Bored Jar.

Before putting the physical jar together I started thinking of activities to put in the jar - both inventive and practical. I came up with a list of 35 to start and will add more as the summer progresses but the kids will only be able to draw 1 activity per day. They may not like the idea they pull but it's going to be a game of chance and I'm sure a bit of a learning experience for all of us. Once the ideas were set it took less than an hour to put the jar together. I ordered this jar from Amazon, used these multi-colored alphabet stickers on the jar and then wrote the activity ideas on pieces of construction paper.

A Sample of Activity Ideas

Draw a map of our house
Set up an obstacle course in the backyard
Give our wagon a car wash
Plan our dinner meal for a night
Collect some rocks and paint designs on them
Write a thank you note to a friend or family member
Play Hide-n-Seek
Call a Grandparent
Tidy up your room
Build a Fort
Bake your Favorite Cookies
Create a Scavenger Hunt

This DIY Bored Jar is so easy to put together and will provide endless hours of ideas for those lazy summer afternoons. I'm always open to new activity ideas so if you and your kids have some favorites - please share! The jar has already generated quite a bit of excitement in our house so here's hoping that I hear those dreaded "I'm Bored" words a little bit less frequently this summer.

Audiobooks for Kids

June 22, 2018 by Katie Wilson

Since infancy our kids have spent a lot of time in the car traveling to see friends in relatives in the Midwest. Most days we walk around our Chicago neighborhood but they are in the car for a 4-5 hour round trip almost once a month with longer 12-14 hour drives a few times a year. For longer road trips the kids pack their own backpack of activities including their iPads. We allow for some screen time but my favorite way to pass the time (I promise it's not just me) is by listening to audiobooks. Audiobooks are perfect in many situations...not just that long road trip so enjoy my TAKE on our families' favorite lineup of audiobooks.

We primarily listen to audiobooks through Audible. Audible is Amazon's answer to audiobooks and they have the largest catalog of audiobooks in the world. It is a stand-alone membership based service but Amazon Prime members do have access to stream some books within the catalog. We have been using the service via their app for the last 18 months and our monthly Audible membership includes 1 book credit and exclusive member savings on additional audiobooks. You don't have to use your credit each month (you can bank up to 5) and I recommend using your credit for adult books which tend to cost more. Children's audiobooks are generally well priced and there are often sales. We have just started to listen to some chapter books and I'm so excited for longer attention spans so we can listen to books like Harry Potter and A Wrinkle In Time.

Audible does a great job of letting people try their service and books before committing. If interested there is a 30-day trial membership and before purchasing an audiobook Audible allows you to listen to a sample of the recording as the narrator's voice is an important piece of the audiobook selection process. A bad narration can completely ruin a treasured book so make sure to listen to the sample and/or check out the customer reviews. Better yet, let some of my recommendations remove the guess work - Happy Listening!

Family Favorites

The Gruffalo (narrated by Imelda Staunton)
The Gruffalo's Child (narrated by Imelda Staunton)
Tikki Tikki Tembo (narrated by Peter Thomas)
The Three Little Pigs (narrated by Fritz Weaver)
Strega Nona (narrated by Peter Hawkins)
Penny and Her Marble (narrated by Cynthia Nixon)
Matilda (narrated by Kate Winslet)
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (narrated by Douglas Hodge)
Ramona the Pest (narrated by Stockard Channing)
Ramona Quimby, Age 8 (narrated by Stockard Channing)

Adult Favorites

I know I titled this post Audiobooks for Kids but the truth is my husband and I use Audible quite a bit. It's perfect for our commuter lifestyle so I'm sharing some of our favorites too!

The Handmaid's Tale (narrated by Claire Danes)
Big Little Lies (narrated by Caroline Lee)
Little Fires Everywhere (narrated by Jennifer Lim)
Kitchen Confidential (narrated by Anthony Bourdain)
Moneyball (narrated by Scott Brick)