Signs of Summer

No more coats or jackets on these hooks! Time to hang up the shades.

Workboxes Worked for Us

If you homeschool then it's very likely that you heard of workboxes.  They're all the rage!  I'd guess they peeked in popularity over this past school year and it seemed everywhere I looked for homeschool resources I saw info on workboxes. So of course I had to give them a try and I was really excited with the results!  Our workboxes are an adaptation of the original concept as we were limited by space.  Workboxes are supposed to be just that; boxes filled with the child's assignments.  The original system calls for 12 boxes per child so with 3 children that could take up quite a bit of room.  What I did instead was use folders placed in a plastic basket for each child.  I picked a different color for each one of the kids and labled the folders with their name and the activity numbers that each folder corresponds to. When it's time to begin our school work, each of the kids takes out the first folder from their basket and opens it up.  Each pocket of the folder holds a different worksheet, assignment, or activity.  Attached to the front of the pocket is a laminated number held in place with velcro.  As each pocket of work is completed, the child takes that number card off and attaches it to a velcro strip with their name.  When the strip is full, the work is done!  My oldest son is on the Autism Spectrum and each school day started with questions like..."What's first, Mom?"..."How many worksheets do I have to do?"..."What's after Spelling?"..."How much more work, Mom?"    Worboxes have been wonderful for him!   Now he can see exactly WHAT he has to do, HOW MUCH he has to do, and WHEN his work is finished.  I'm certain workboxes will be a big part of our school day in the upcoming school year!

Latest Artwork

Here is the latest painting I did for a child's bedroom. The sister of an old high school classmate found me on facebook and saw some of my work. She hired me to paint in her 3yo son's bedroom. With baby #2 on the way, she wanted big brother Jeffery to feel special, so we took his love of trains and turned it into a very personal space for him. My client had a bedspread from The Land of Nod that we used as inspiration. I altered the designs & color just a bit and transfered those train cars from the bedspread to the wall. She knew she wanted his name as part of the mural so I came up with this...



The space over the closet was perfect for this phrase my client wanted incorporated into the room... "Always remember... you are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think." To make it even more whimsical, I added a red plane pulling a banner.








And here's a better look at the plane...















...and the bed put back together complete with bedspread.







and now I have a serious itch to redo my own kid's rooms...stay tuned!