Sell Your Blog Content and #Writing #Reprints Over and Over Using My Resource!

WHEW! It's finally in print! I started working on this puppy in 2009 before my 5th kidlet Samuel was born. I had been writing for some regional parenting magazines and compiled a bunch of the magazine info into one resource with tips. I got it onto an ebook platform and it sold pretty well for a while. I updated it annually and then kind of gave up in 2014.

Then Susan Maccarelli from Beyond Your Blog wrote me and wanted to do a podcast with me about it. She has an amazing site and amazing writers and bloggers who read her site and she knew they would want to know how to sell their work and GET PAID!

Microwave Cake in a Cup #CakeInACup

So for some reason I whipped out this recipe on Sunday. I have had this recipe since my stepmom Nancy emailed it to me in 2008. Two thousand eight, people. Yeah, I obviously like to let a recipe age before I use it.

Anyway, I threw together several of these since I had a zillion kids over like always and they were such a hit! I took a picture and put it on Facebook and a lot of you wanted the recipe so here you go!

Ingredients:

1 coffee mug
4 tablespoons flour (not self-rising)
4 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons baking cocoa
1 egg
3 tablespoons milk
3 tablespoons oil
3 tablespoons chocolate chips if desired
Small splash of vanilla

Add dry ingredients to mug and mix well. Add the egg and mix thoroughly. Pour in milk and oil and mix well. Add chocolate chips if using and vanilla and mix again. Put mug in microwave and cook 3 minutes at 1,000 watts. It will rise over the top of the mug so don't freak out. Let it cool a bit then dump it onto a plate. Enough to serve 2 people per mug.

Enjoy and share!

Tips for Driving in #Houston, #Texas

I was warned by several people about driving in Texas. And I remember being a kid and my parents would drive in Colorado and there were a lot of Texas drivers for some reason there and they mostly drove like idiots. So I was all prepared to get into some sort of traffic accident or something with someone who was not paying attention in Texas ...

And ...

How to Make a Summer #Homeschool Plan

It's no secret that I like to have fun with my family. If I had to put myself into a homeschool box, I would probably call myself a Hippie Homeschooler. I am not super-consistent or scheduled; we do have a routine but not a schedule. I am easily distracted and interrupted and say yes to too many side things. So in August of 2014 I decided I needed to do something with homeschooling so that I would be held more accountable so my kids would be more on track, and that's where virtual school came in.


This past year of virtual schooling has been great for me and for the kids, but I did put off their math and we are still scrambling do get caught up before state testing. To me, state testing and the three times per school year our facilitator has to come to our house to do testing are the trade-off for the benefits of virtual school: $45 per year per kid, high-quality Calvert curriculum, extra tutoring, field trips and more.

I'm seeing, though, that we need to go back and touch on some things that I didn't touch on when I was busy having babies and was deep into my wonderful life as a woman married to a man who travels. There were times when I felt like I was merely surviving and trying to be a good mom was #1 over being a good teacher. Things fell off the radar. I also got busy with doing things on the side to make money and am admitting that I spent too much time on those things and not enough on homeschooling.

But all that is going to change.

Phoning it in This Easter

I'm sitting here at my neighbor's house. My neighbor with the six fabulous kids and she has another on the way. She also homeschools. She is also Catholic. She is also married to a man who travels sometimes. They have had to move and move again and live out of a car traveling from place to place. They have lived the lives of missionaries and are getting to stay put now for a while.

I love my neighbor. She makes me not want to move to the country like we've been planning to do. I love this house right here but I really want to stay here this summer and spend more time with my neighbor and friend.

What does this have to do with Easter?