OUR DAILY HOMESCHOOL RHYTHM

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Before the pandemic, my children were attending a play-based early learning center a few times a week while I worked on my dissertation. When the lockdown hit in March of 2020 and their school closed, I felt compelled to recreate the structure they enjoyed so much in their classroom. The teacher kindly sent us their schedule and at first I attempted to stick to the timing of each activity. But with a third baby calling the shots, it became clear that a strict schedule couldn’t work for us. I wanted structure and the kids needed it too but it needed to be built around something other than time. I thought about activities we do everyday that were an integral part of our life: sharing meals, reading together, playing outside, resting, etc. and I centered our rhythm around those. It worked for us, it really worked. The kids picked up on it over time and it made life easier for all of us. Fast forward a few months later when I was deciding between homeschooling or virtual school, I realized there was just no way I could have my kids sit in front of a computer screen for 4 hours a day. It just wasn’t fair to them. Kids need time to play, explore, and move. I dived straight into homeschooling and never looked back.

And then I was confronted with how I would structure our homeschool days. After some deep reflection, research, and a bit of unlearning, I realized that homeschool did not have to look like traditional schooling. We didn’t need to sit down 6 hours hopping from reading to math to science every 30 minutes. Rather than adhering to a strict schedule for our homeschool days, we adapted the rhythm to give our children both the structure and flexibility they deserve. It did not happen overnight but over time they have internalized this natural flow to our daily and weekly routines (another post). Today I’m sharing a poster I designed that captures what our homeschool rhythm looks like. Feel free to implement this for your family or use this poster as a guide to build your own daily rhythm. You can download it below for free and print it to hang in your home.

DAILY RHYTHM POSTER FREE DOWNLOADDownload

P.S. If you found this post and the poster helpful, it would make me so happy if you shared it with your friends. I’d also love to hear any feedback in the comments below.

Mindful Eid Gift Guide For Kids

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Ramadan is more than halfway over and like us, many of you are probably thinking ahead to Eid (early Eid Mubarak!). While many people traditionally give Eid money to children, it seems more and more people are opting for physical gifts. Often these gifts can be a source of stress for parents as the accumulation of toys is daunting to deal with (speaking from experience here). On top of that, many toys are made cheaply to satisfy short term interests and end up being wasteful in the long run. What to do? That’s where this gift guide comes in!

The list and links you will find in this guide are for toys that are either eco-friendly (made from wood or recycled plastics), sustainably and ethically made, or for long term educational use. These are toys we have either purchased for Eid previously or are considering for Eid this year. I’ve tried to include diverse options and price points so I hope you’ll find something for you. After the list of toys, you will find sources for some fun DIY gift options as well as printable Eid envelopes if you’re going to go the cash route. I am also including a list of ideas for fun experiences you can do with your family on Eid. It should go without saying that Eid is not about gifting but rather a time of celebration with family so please don’t let this post make you feel overwhelmed. Lastly, I would like to point out that buying second-hand is the more sustainable option for our environment but I understand that it’s frowned upon in certain cultures as “cheap.” These toys are for those looking to purchase new toys but want more mindful, socially responsible options; they are definitely not the latest and greatest toy trends of 2019.

  1. Books are one of my favorite gift options for children because they open up a whole new world and encourage parent-child bonding time. Gifting books is extra special when you know the child’s interests and nothing is better than seeing a child’s face light up as they flip through a good book. Here are some wonderful book options:

2. Opinel Le Petit Chef– This knife and peeler equipment set for children aged 7-11 is an excellent gift for your favorite kitchen helper and offers the perfect opportunity to bond over meal prep as well as teach cooking safety early on.

3. Kiddie Woods Doctor Kit-This doctor’s kit is beautifully made and perfect for imaginative play. We bought this for our kids for Eid last year and they still love role playing doctor together. Needless to say it was a huge hit!

4. Kid’s Beginner Microscope– If you have a curious, budding scientist on your hands, this microscope is perfect for introducing STEM and encouraging exploration and learning.

5. PlanToys Assorted Fruits and Vegetables– These are the perfect addition to a play kitchen set or for a child that enjoys playing chef. I love this company because of their focus on sustainability and using reclaimed rubber woods. They have a large and wonderful selection of wooden toys for babies and toddlers and you can browse them all here.

6. Tegu Magnetic Blocks-Magnetic blocks are a great toy for encouraging creative play and supporting cognitive development. I love that Tegu blocks are made from durable solid wood and that the company cares about social impact by prioritizing “long term employee growth and development.”

7. ALEX Pretend Tin Tea Set-What child doesn’t love a good tea party? The set pictured is made of tin and I included it because it’s durable and withstands the clumsiness of toddlers but if you’re gifting an older, more responsible child then this porcelain set is a gorgeous and affordable option.

8. Green Toys Indoor Gardening Set– These planters with seeds make an excellent gift for the nature-loving child in your life. I love Green Toys because they are made from recycled plastics and they also have a huge selection of toys for children of all ages. You can browse them here.

9. Wishbone Design Studio 3-in-1 Bike-This is the priciest gift on this list but if you’ve been on the lookout for a toddler bike then this is a wonderful option. It’s made from sustainably-harvested wood, converts from a baby walker to a balance bike, and won Best Green Toy in 2011.

10. Cuddle + Kind Handknit Dolls– You can’t go wrong with a classic doll especially when it’s handmade from 100% cotton using sustainable, fair trade practices. My favorite part about this company is that it’s family-owned and the purchase of each doll provides 10 meals to children in need.

11. National Geographic Fossil Dig Kit– Another great STEM gift that is the perfect balance of learning and fun. I’m probably getting this for my son because he LOVES to “dig” for dinosaur bones in the yard and I love the hands-on learning it will offer. Not a dinosaur enthusiast? No worries! National Geographic has plenty of other hands-on learning kits here.

12. Sarah’s Play Silks– These play silks are not only beautiful but perfect for all sorts of open-ended play. I love this company because it’s family-owned, specializes in Waldorf inspired toys, and uses natural materials such as wood and silk.

13. HABA Bonita Garden– This beautifully painted stacking peg toy is perfect for younger toddlers and fosters creativity, fine motor skills, and hand-eye coordination. I love HABA because their wooden toys are made to last and are colored with non-toxic, water-based stains. The German company also has a diverse selection of other wooden toys and puzzles that you can browse through here.

Do-It-Yourself Gift Ideas

These are some simple, fun DIY gifts you can make together with your kids. I am considering making one of these to have on hand for young Eid visitors or to send as Eid favors for my children’s classes.

Printable Eid Money Envelopes

Giving the traditional Eid money is easier because it takes the stress out of gift giving and gives the parents the option to spend or invest as they see fit (college fund, much needed summer clothes, etc.) . If you go that route, we have you covered with some free and purchasable Eid envelope options.

Fun Eid Experiences

While we do usually get one simple gift for the kids, we believe the best gift (and most sustainable gift) is spending quality time together so we’re taking the guesswork out of your Eid planning by sharing some fun things you can do during these special days.

  • A trip to the zoo
  • A movie outing
  • A picnic, BBQ, or kite flying at the park
  • Strawberry picking (or whatever fruit is in season)
  • Mini-golf
  • Bowling
  • A family bike ride
  • A visit to a local museum
  • Go Paddle-boating or canoeing
  • Go out for ice cream
  • Take family pictures

We hope you’ve found this comprehensive gift guide helpful. If you do, we would greatly appreciate you sharing this post with family and friends across your favorite social media channels. If you have any questions or suggestions, feel free to leave them in the comments below and as always….

30 Mindful Ramadan Deeds: Printable List and Calendar Cards

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The month of Ramadan begins in just a few days and aside from decorating which I’ve written about in the past (see here and here), I’ve been trying to find ways to get the kids more involved in the spirit of Ramadan. Both of our children are at an age where they understand certain concepts such as “helping” and “being nice” so I wanted to take this month as an opportunity to practice mindfulness of their actions and reflect on the impact those actions can have on themselves (feeling good), on others ( the social impact of a helping hand), and on the environment (consequences of consumption and the destruction of nature). I’ve come across similar good deed countdowns for Christmas and Ramadan but found that many of them were geared towards older children so I tried making a list that was appropriate for children aged 2+. Obviously they won’t be able to do all of these on their own but that’s kind of the point; it’s a family activity.

Feel free to switch up the order of the cards and even alter the activity to fit your lifestyle and/or child’s level of understanding. I think you’ll get the most mileage out of these activities when you use them to spark conversation on why we do what we do (making beds=the importance of cleanliness, visiting a sick family member=caring for others in need, planting flowers=the earth as a trust we should care for, etc.) You get the point. If you do have a Ramadan advent calendar or are considering making one, just know that the document I’ve included can be adjusted during the printing process to fit the size of your calendar. Simply click on “layout” and select how many pages you’d like to print on a page. For my calendar with 3×3 inch pockets, I printed 16 pages on 1 page so that I could cut them out as cards about 2.5 x 2.5 inches in size. The only thing I would suggest is that you print them on sturdy card stock so that you can use them year after year.

30 Days of Mindful Deeds| Free PDF Downloads

30 Days of Mindful Deeds CardsDownload
30-days-of-mindful-deeds-listDownload

I think that about covers everything. If you found this post and the printables helpful, we would love it if you would share with your friends and/or provide feedback in the comments below. And if you do participate in our 30 days of Mindful Deeds, we would love it if you would share on your instagram stories or feed and tag us @thecozyhomechronicles. We will also be sharing in the hopes of inspiring others to try these activities because it really does take a village and together we can hopefully raise a kinder, more mindful generation.

Planning a trip to Disney World with Toddlers

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Last week we went to Walt Disney World for what will likely be our last vacation as a family of four before baby #3 arrives early this summer. Although we’ve vacationed with Disney on a cruise last year, this was our first experience with the parks and it was nothing short of magical. Now that we’ve recovered from the miles of walking and have settled back into a mostly screen-free, sugar-free routine with the kids, I thought it would be perfect to break down our 5-day trip and answer some of the frequently asked questions we received from those following along on Instagram. Planning a Disney trip can be overwhelming because there are so many attractions, dining options, and resorts to choose from so we hope that by sharing our itinerary and tips, we can make this process less intimidating and stressful for you. 

Our Stay

With resort options ranging from $100/night to $1,000/night (even more), choosing where to stay can really make or break a vacation budget. We stayed at the All-Star Movies Resort which had a 4.3 rating on Google and was on the lower end of the range for Disney resorts. It wasn’t anything fancy but it did the job and was definitely family friendly with a large food court, two swimming pools, a playground, jogging trail, and arcade. The kids enjoyed the themed statues from Toy Story and 101 Dalmations and we loved that there was on-site laundry so that we were able to return home with clean clothes in our luggage. 

The best part about staying at a Disney resort is that there is no need to rent a car (and car seat)s or worry about transportation. A Disney shuttle picks you up from the airport and drops you back to the airport at the end of your stay. On top of that, there are round the clock shuttles from the resort to all of the Disney parks. Not only does this translate into savings but the peace of mind that comes from not having to worry about strapping toddlers into a car, GPSing to the parks, and parking is priceless. We can’t stress that enough.

Attractions
In this next section, I’m sharing all the rides and shows we experienced at each of the parks. With me being pregnant and having two kids aged 2.5 and 3.5 meant we were limited with what rides we could go on so everything listed is friendly for all ages. A few weeks before our trip, we went through the map of each park and checked off potential rides and shows we would hit. Traveling with toddlers means you have to be very flexible and work around their needs so our itinerary served more as a guide rather than a strict schedule but we highly suggest you do the same before you travel as it takes much of the guesswork out of what comes next.

Disney’s Magic Kingdom
The Magic Carpets of Aladdin
Jungle Cruise
Peter Pan’s Flight
Dumbo the Flying Elephant
Mickey’s PhilharMagic Show
Mad Tea Party
Princess Fairytale Hall
Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin
Monsters, Inc. Laugh Floor
Disney Festival of Fantasy Parade
Happily Ever After Fireworks

Hollywood Studios
Disney Junior Dance Party
Alien Swirling Saucers (must be 32″)
Star Wars Launch Bay
Muppet Vision 3D
Beauty and the Beast-Live on Stage
Star Wars: Path of the Jedi

Disney’s Animal Kingdom
Na’vi River Journey
Festival of the Lion King
Kiliminjaro Safaris
UP! A Great Bird Adventure
Maharajah Jungle Trek
Rivers of Light
The Boneyard
Finding Nemo-The Musical

While these lists may seem small, our days were completely booked once you include ride wait times, bathroom breaks, nap time, and grabbing a bite to eat. We definitely felt Hollywood Studios had the least to offer and we were a bit disappointed with Toy Story Land after all the hype so we left in the afternoon and did not return. Instead we spent the evening at the resort pool and we are so glad we did! It was a nice way to wind down with the kiddos after two days of walking around the parks.

My Disney Experience
Disney has a free mobile app that we highly recommend you download. It is an invaluable tool for managing every aspect of your vacation from checking wait times on rides to securing FastPass+ and even ordering food. Mobile ordering was a lifesaver for us when the lines were long and the kids were fussy and wanted to eat. The app also had a map of each park with detailed information about rides and restaurant menus along with the option to map directions to the next attraction on our schedule.

FastPass+
This deserves it’s own section just to emphasize how important it is that you reserve your FastPasses as far in advance as possible. With your purchase of Disney park passes, you get to reserve 3 FastPasses per person per day as early as 30 days in advance (60 days if you’re staying at a Disney Resort). This allows you to skip the stand-by line wait time for your selected attraction as long as you arrive within the designated arrival window time. Although it was our first time attending the parks and we weren’t sure what was worth reserving, we did a pretty decent job with our selections. Here are the attractions we highly recommend securing a FastPass+ for after witnessing their very long wait times: Kiliminjaro Safaris and Festival of the Lion King at Animal Kingdom, Disney Junior Dance Party at Hollywood Studios, and Jungle Cruise, Peter Pan’s Flight, and Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin at Magic Kingdom.

Food
We tried to be as pragmatic and realistic as possible when it came to planning meals with kids. While we are major foodies and would have loved to experience some of Disney’s fancier restaurants, it was just not logistically possible to dress up mid-day and sit down with the kids for a long period of time. Before our trip, I scoured through the menus at each park and narrowed down a list of restaurants that were mostly quick service and had vegetarian/seafood options to accommodate our food restrictions (halal). To be fair, Disney does offer you the option of reserving table dinning ahead of time and selecting a halal (or kosher) meat option but let’s face it we all need to eat less meat and sticking to a dinning reservation was just not realistic for us.

Park snack food is not the healthiest and the cost can add up quickly so the smartest thing we did was Amazon Prime groceries from Whole Foods to our resort room on the first day. We ordered grapes, strawberries, bananas, tangerines, and baby carrots along with milk, cereal, bagels, and cream cheese. We had also packed with us non-perishable snacks like granola, puffs, fruit pouches, apple sauce, date bars, and “healthy” vegan fruit snacks. All of these ensured we had a nourishing breakfast and snacks for the kids as well as incentives for waiting in line patiently. Of course we still had to eat lunch and dinner outside so I’m including a list below of what we enjoyed and recommend at each of the parks. Although our kids ate mostly what we ate, my sister’s children were a little pickier and stuck with pizza so I’ve also included those places where we stopped to get a slice for the kids.

Magic Kingdom
Aloha Isle: Dole Whip soft serve and floats
Columbia Harbour House: Grilled salmon with rice and veggies, tuna sandwiches, fried shrimp and fish, and Harbour salad (minus the bacon)

Hollywood Studios
Fairfax Fare: Vegetarian Chili Rice Bowls
Catalina Eddie’s: Cheese pizza with milk and yogurt
Hollywood Scoops: Ice cream sundae, apple crisp a la mode, hand-scooped ice cream

Animal Kingdom
Pizzafari: Cheese pizza, milk, and Lion King cupcakes 
Harambe Market: Corn on the cob, Roasted vegetable bowl, Frozen flamingo drink
Yak & Yeti Restaurant: Ahi Tuna nachos (substituted shrimp for tuna), coconut shrimp, fried wontons, mango pie, Shanghai lemonade

Although we mostly ate breakfast in our room (courtesy of our Amazon Prime order), we did have breakfast at the resort on the first morning where the kids enjoyed a Mickey waffle while the adults had omelets with potatoes. We also had dinner at the resort one of the nights and opted for the build-your-own pasta which had vegan, vegetarian, and seafood options. Lastly, a Disney experience wouldn’t be complete without a Mickey pretzel and Mickey bars for the kids but the good news is you can find them at many stands throughout the parks.

Tips and Suggestions

  • Pack Reusable Water Bottles: Aside from the obvious environmental reasons to do this, plastic bottled water at the parks is expensive. It’s so much easier to have water on hand especially when thirst hits. Every morning, we would fill all three of our canteens at the resort food court with ice and cold water and would restock at water fountains around the park throughout the day. 
  • Take your own cutlery and straws: As a family that strives to reduce our negative environmental impact, I was really disheartened with the amount of waste that is produced at these parks. Thankfully, I remembered to pack my stainless steel straws and two sets of cutlery which meant I could refuse the single-use straws and utensils. It’s not a significant waste reducer but it’s better than nothing.
  • Don’t waste FastPass+ on shows: With the exception of The Festival of the Lion King, we regretted wasting FastPass+ on the other shows because the stand-by lines weren’t long at all. Plus, with toddlers, we didn’t mind sitting in the back because it was easier to sneak out when we were hit with the dreaded “I need to go potty.” Next time we would reserve FastPass+ for rides and take our chances on the shows since they have several viewings throughout the day. 
  • Consider doing two parks and spending one day to recoup at the resort: This advice really depends on what you want out of a vacation and while we loved everything we did; we did feel a little exhausted at the end of it because we pushed ourselves to hit as much as possible. Looking back and knowing what we know now, we would probably skip on Hollywood Studios and spend a day just relaxing at the resort. 
  • Pack Lightweight Ponchos & Stroller Rain Covers: It’s a given that you should check the weather forecast a few days before your trip and while we did, there were some unexpected showers that we wish we were prepared for. The rain came and went and it wasn’t hard to find shelter but our stroller did get stuck in the rain and I wish we had the foresight to come a little extra prepared. It doesn’t hurt.
  • Don’t forget sunscreen, sun hats, and sunglasses: This maybe more relevant if you’re traveling in the spring or summer but either way it’s important to bring sun protection especially if you’re spending the whole day at the park. We could definitely see the effects of the sun beating down on the kids and we were grateful we had sunscreen, protective gear, and plenty of water to keep them safe.
  • Travel with family or friends: Traveling with toddlers isn’t as bad as people make it out to be but it was super fun and helpful to have my sister and her family with us. Her kids are fairly close in age to ours and it was nice to have an extra pair of hands and eyes to rely on when the need arose. If my kids were acting up, a gentle reminder from their aunt went a long way and vice versa. 

I think we’ve covered a lot of ground in this post so I’ll wrap it up here. We hope that you’ll find our recommendations and reviews helpful for planning your very own Disney World vacation. If you have specific questions, feel free to leave them in the comments below and if you’ve planned a similar trip and have advice for other readers, we would love to hear from you as well. If you found this post informative, we would appreciate it if you would like it and share it with others. And as always,

Toddler Toys that Nurture Creativity and Imagination

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With such a large and diverse selection of toys out there, choosing toys for growing toddlers can be such a daunting task. We are huge fans of toys that nurture creativity and imagination through free play so when a reader asked us to share our favorite toys for our children, we thought it would be perfect for a post. I chose these specific toys because I find that they engage with important cognitive, physical, and social skills including but not limited to:

  • simple reasoning
  • spatial awareness
  • symbolic thinking
  • problem solving
  • pattern recognition
  • visual discrimination
  • depth perception
  • cause and effect
  • manipulation
  • muscle control, balance, and coordination
  • working memory
  • curiosity
  • self-expression
  • learning

Keep in mind that our kids are 2 and 3.5 years old so be sure to check the minimum age requirement on a toy before you make a purchase. Although we included links where to find these on Amazon, we recommend to check yard sales, local toy shops, and thrift stores because you never know what you might find! Many of the toys we have such as wooden blocks, cookware, and train sets we purchased from IKEA for a very reasonable price so if you live near one check there first.

MegaBloks

This was one of our children’s first toys and a huge hit even to this day. We build everything from trains and animals to houses and zoos. When the kids were younger, we also used playtime with blocks as an opportunity to explore concepts like colors and numbers.

megablocks

Magformers

This is a more recent investment as we wanted to expose our kids to more STEM activities. Not only do children learn about the physical properties of magnets through discovery, but the possibilities in connecting and constructing are endless.

magformers

Lincoln Logs

Although we don’t have these at home, we do play with these often at the local museum where we have a membership. It’s another excellent building activity and I love it because it engages with a variety of cognitive skills.

Puzzles

We highly recommend having a set of puzzles in your toy arsenal. There are so many kinds and they’re an excellent way to teach concepts through exploratory play; everything from animals to shapes, colors, and letters.

puzzles

Wooden Blocks

This may seem similar to the MegaBloks but these are made of wood and have a variety of different shapes. Building with them requires a different kind of skill set and I love how nicely they go with a wooden train building set.

Animal Figures

The kids love to take out the animals and let their imaginations run wild. The thing I love about these is you can incorporate them into activities with other toys such as building blocks or play-dough. Our kids get really engaged in activity time when we give them play-dough and animal/people figures.

Play Dough

Play dough is a staple in our household and for good reason. Shaping and manipulating dough engages a variety of fine motor skills and symbolic thinking as children use their imagination to transform the dough into something more complex. Our kids enjoy cutting out shapes, rolling out pizza, and sculpting their own unique “masterpieces.”

Kitchen Toys

We recently invested in a play kitchen but even without one the kids enjoyed playing with kitchen tools for the longest time. Add some play food into the mix and the kids will have a blast preparing all sorts of tasty pretend meals for you.

Chalkboard

Instead of a chalkboard, we DIYed a chalkboard wall but the concept is the same. Chalkboards offer hours of unlimited doodling fun. The best part? Unlike paper it’s reusable and the clean up is super simple.

Train Set

Believe it or not, building a working train track requires important problem solving skills. Although these will take time to learn, building a train track is so much fun. Add in animal/toy figures, blocks, or play dough and you can create complex cityscapes for even more fun and developmental learning.

There you have it! Ten of our favorite toys that foster creative and imaginative play. If you’re a parent of a toddler (or toddlers), we would love it if you shared some of your favorite toys in the comments below. And as always, if you found this post helpful please like and share.

Digital Mentorship: Screen-Time Strategies for Children

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Before we had our first child, we were super determined to delay screen time and technology use for as long as possible, forever even (okay realistically I was aiming for 4-5 years of age). I had seen first hand the negative effects of children having access to phones and tablets at a young age and I wanted nothing to do with it. And while we were mostly successful, we did come to have a change of heart…which is at the heart of this post. This post is not about the positive or negative effects of technology on children because there is plenty of literature already out there that you can read on this subject. Instead, this post wants to inspire dialogue about finding a balance, if there can be such a thing.

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Our son did not watch any TV for the first two years of his life (save the time he was on a nebulizer for an asthmatic cough and the only way he would sit down was with some baby songs chromecasted onto the television). I thought I would wait even longer until I came across the following article in The Atlantic entitled Parents: Reject Technology Shame. I’ve linked the full article for you to read yourself but the main gist is that there are three types of parents: 1) digital limiters, 2) digital enablers, and 3) digital mentors.  What stood out as most alarming in the article was this:

“In a survey that asked parents about where their kids get into trouble online, I found that among school-aged kids, children of limiters who are most likely to engage in problematic behavior: They’re twice as likely as the children of mentors to access porn, or to post rude or hostile comments online; they’re also three times as likely to go online and impersonate a classmate, peer, or adult.”

Reading it I thought, “well of course I want to be a mentor!” I mean, if technology is already a big part of our lives then doesn’t it make more sense to teach children how to use it responsibly rather than just saying no and letting them get into trouble on their own later on? For us it seemed like a no-brainer. Of course that didn’t mean we opened the floodgates on screen time and technology use. Also, while the article was inspiring in opening the conversation on digital mentorship, it didn’t offer much in the way of guidelines. A digital mentor was defined generally as those who  “take an active role in guiding their kids onto the Internet.” But internet is only one side of digital media use. And what does an “active guiding role” look like? I thought long and hard about this question and so I came up with 3 ways we can be a digital mentor to young children when it comes to screen-time.

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  1. Set parameters by being a good role model. Being a digital mentor doesn’t mean there aren’t ANY limits. Reflect on your own values and how technology fits in with them and you’ll likely arrive at the conclusion that technology has its time, place, and benefits. Now define what those are. Think that phones or tablets don’t belong on the dinner table? Make sure they’re not in sight when dinner time rolls around. Do you want screen-time/technology use to be an educational and wholesome experience? Choose programming that reflect those values. We find it helpful to think about how we use our technology in front our children and what they will learn from that.
  2. Be present and engaged. When I think of mentorship, I think of a guiding presence. Often times when parents allow screen time or technology use, it is as a reprieve so that the children can be preoccupied as adults get their stuff done. It doesn’t have to be that way. Try to plan screen time and technology use so that you are physically present and able to reinforce what they are learning and  get them to reflect on what they are experiencing. The research shows that it’s far more effective than just having your child sit and watch/play on their own.
  3. Opt for Ad-Free programming. If there’s anything that digital mentorship is all about, it’s about embracing technology to put yourself in the driver’s seat. If we are going to be totally honest then advertisements and commercials are major obstacles to that control. For that reason, try to stick to applications and programs that are free of advertisements as not only are many of them questionably appropriate but they instill an insatiable consumerist impulse at such a young age which is totally unnecessary.

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Living in a digital age presents many challenges and we are working to be better digital mentors each and every day. There’s no such thing as perfect and how we interact with technology will continue to evolve. These are just three simple ideas for how we approach technology use that we hope you’ll find helpful if you’re apprehensive about introducing technology and screen time to young children. How do you feel about technology and screen-time? If you have any ideas on how to be a good digital mentor, please share in the comments below. And as always, if you found this post helpful please follow us and share

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Family Finance: Why Amazon Prime?

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Hello friends. It’s me again, here with your second dose of family finance for the new year. In the first post, I covered the very basics of budgeting and how to go about calculating a realistic budget based on your expenses. In the next few posts, I  will be discussing how we save money shopping by using subscription services like Amazon Prime and Costco’s Executive Membership. Today’s post will be specifically about Amazon Prime, a service that we have used for years and are well acquainted with. I am aware that there are pros and cons to each service that we recommend and I will try my best to address these today and in the upcoming posts.

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What is Amazon Prime in a nutshell?
Amazon Prime is an online shopping subscription service for $99/year that gives you access to 2-day delivery guarantee on Prime items. On top of the free 2-day delivery (nothing is free, I am sure the accountants have it all calculated in your prime pricing) it also gives you access to Amazon Photo, Amazon Video, Twitch and other Amazon owned subsidiary services. What Amazon does is that it spares you (both time and money) from having to hop in your car and drive to a number of different stores to purchase the goods that you need; everything from clothing to food to office supplies to home tools and appliances. You name it and it’s most likely on Amazon.

prime pantry

Although we don’t have Amazon Fresh where we live in Michigan, I am hopeful that with their acquisition of Whole Foods it will soon become a reality. Amazon Fresh is a service that has a contractor buy groceries per your request and deliver it straight to your door in a matter of hours. Yes, we are moving towards the future we saw in WALL-E (if you haven’t seen WALL-E, do me a favor and watch it. It’s one of Pixar’s masterpieces). My wife is adamant that even with Amazon Fresh she will still prefer going to the local grocer or farmer’s market, I guess we will just have to see about that. Until we get Amazon Fresh, we are currently making the most of the Subscribe & Save feature of our membership.

Subscribe & Save
As homeowners and parents, we take advantage of Amazon’s Subscribe and Save feature to receive items that we use regularly at home on a monthly basis at a discounted rate. The way it works is that there are items on Amazon you can subscribe to (these could be anything from cleaning products to personal care products to snacks). If you subscribe to less than 5 items you get 5% off the price of those items at checkout and if you subscribe to 5 or more items, you get 15-20% off those items.

Screen Shot 2018-01-28 at 6.57.17 AMAlthough you only get one subscription box a month, you have the option of changing the delivery date and the contents of your box to fit your needs. On top of the discounts received, you can get an additional 5% off in the form of Amazon points to use towards future purchases if you pay with an Amazon Prime Rewards Visa Card. Below is an example of what our Subscribe & Save looks like. Notice how on the left there are 5 bars highlighted in orange. This means that since we have 5 or more items in our subscription box, we are eligible for the extra 15-20% off.

Screen Shot 2018-01-27 at 11.54.02 PMSample list:
Tom’s of Maine Toothpaste
Mrs. Meyers Hand Soap
ECOS Natural Dishwashing Liquid 
Peter Rabbit Organics Puree
Larabar Fruit and Nut Bar

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Amazon Prime Video
We don’t have cable because we don’t watch TV that often and we also HATE commercials with a passion. Amazon Video is a wonderful feature of our Amazon Prime membership (think like Netflix) with an extensive library that includes plenty of educational and family-friendly content for our Friday movie nights. If you decide on a Prime membership, Prime Video is automatically included but you can also sign up for Prime Video as a standalone service.

Screen Shot 2018-01-28 at 7.14.53 AM.pngAmazon Prime Pantry
The introduction of Prime Pantry allowed Amazon to expand its selection and offer thousands of items to Prime members that are cost prohibitive to ship for free individually. Since the items are smaller, individually shipping them isn’t an option, but if you fill a box worth of all your needs you can save substantially and also get Prime Pantry credit to use towards future Prime Pantry purchases. We don’t currently use this feature as we do most of our shopping at local grocery stores and Costco but it’s definitely something we are exploring because the pricing is competitive, it’s a real time saver once set up, and we can save an extra 5% by using our Amazon Prime Rewards credit card.

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Now you have an idea of what Amazon Prime is and how it works but the real question is: is it really worth it? What I have discussed up until this point, is just the surface of Amazon’s services. I haven’t even mentioned perks like your choice of a free kindle book every month or access to ad-free listening via Amazon Music or unlimited media storage through Amazon Photo. If I truly wanted to dissect each feature, this would turn into a VERY lengthy post so for the purposes of sticking to the topic, I will next address how a Prime membership can be an asset to managing your family’s finances and keeping to a budget.

Amazon Prime Memberships
In terms of types of Amazon Prime memberships, there are three different options: 1) Standard, 2) Family, and 3) Student. Below I’ve listed the three memberships along with links to their 30-day Free Trial if you’re interested in giving them a try. We currently have a standard membership but we suggest that if you’re a parent and you don’t cloth diaper that you sign up with Amazon Family as they offer discounts on many baby-related products including up to 20% off on  disposable diapers.

  1. Standard: Try Amazon Prime 30-Day Free Trial
  2. Family: Try Amazon Family 30-Day Free Trial 
  3. Student: Try Amazon Prime 50% Off For Students 

If you want to experience Amazon before diving into a membership or free trial and you’re either getting married or having a baby, I highly recommend you do your gift registry through Amazon. You get all the benefits of their customer service, everything delivered to your home,  and on top of it you get a coupon to purchase any remaining items off your list. If you have your baby registry with Amazon and you are a Prime member, however, you get additional perks including a $35 welcome box.

  1. Create a Amazon Wedding Registry
  2. Create a Amazon Baby Registry

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Why Amazon?
Okay, so Amazon Prime is awesome.  It saves you money by saving you time with its 2-day shipping, competitive pricing, and diverse selection of products. But you’re probably asking how does this translate in terms of numbers? To illustrate how the membership pays for itself, I’m going to share a few ways we save big using Amazon Prime.

Gifts.
Between holidays, birthdays, and just because, we do most of our gift shopping via Amazon Prime. I’m talking 50 gifts a year, at least (yeah, we are blessed with family and friends). If we were to pay 2-day shipping for even just 10 of those gifts, we would easily spend the $100 that our membership costs. Assuming shipping is around $10 (depending on box size and location this can vary from $7-$20+) on average (I just sent a small box to a city 30 minutes away and it was $8 for standard shipping), we save at least $400 a year not paying for shipping when we gift.

School books.
 If you’re a student like us, you know that the cost of books can add up FAST. Not only are Amazon’s book prices consistently low compared to other retailers but on shipping alone, we definitely save big with a Prime membership. Since we first started using Amazon we’ve had over 100 book orders, and while it would take entirely too much time to calculate how much we saved going with Amazon as opposed to our university’s Barnes and Nobles, we definitely saved at least $500 on just shipping alone. On top of that we were able to sell our books back via Amazon Marketplace for much more than we would have received from our university bookstore. The bottom line is if you’re a student then you should seriously consider getting Amazon Prime (the membership is only $50/year for students).

Household.
From dishwasher detergent to a router, we have saved a great deal over the years going with Amazon for our household needs. We have purchased a rug for the nursery, a projector for our home theater system, and even our bikes from Amazon. For all of these items we were able to do extensive comparisons of pricing, customer reviews, and warranties to ensure that we were getting the most bang for our buck. Just to give you an idea, one of the rugs we ordered was $100 more at places like Walmart  and Home Depot and the projector we purchased was $200 more at Best Buy.

Baby.
Amazon has a diverse selection of products that we would not have had access to if we went to our local baby stores, especially with our choice to cloth diaper. We were able to get a variety of quality cloth diapers for a fraction of the cost ($26 for 6 as opposed to $15-20 each) as well as significant discounts on products such as strollers, baby proofing essentials and bilingual toys and books.

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Is Amazon Prime guaranteed to save you money and lower your bills? Not necessarily  but it certainly can if you play your cards right. I like to think of Amazon as a tool or technology that can be used either for good or bad. Amazon Prime often gets a bad rap as an enabler of mismanagement because of its effortless accessibility and it’s not hard to see why. I do think, however, that if you have a busy lifestyle and if you spend regularly on some of the things I listed then you can definitely use Amazon Prime to your advantage when budgeting and saving money. If you took the steps I suggested in the first post to create a budget, the best way to know if Amazon is right for you is to do some research on your expenses and determine whether you can cut costs with a Prime membership. In the next post we will introduce the other players that compete with Amazon and why we use a combination of services instead of solely using Amazon Prime.

If you found this post helpful, we would appreciate it if you like and share it.  If you  are an Amazon Prime member and have something to add to the conversation or you’re considering Prime and have more specific questions about their services and pricing, feel free to comment/ask below. We always love hearing from our readers 🙂 And as always… signature3

 

 

5 Strategies and Resources for Keeping Toddlers Screen-Free

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Happy New Year friends! We hope all of you had a blessed holiday with your loved ones and we wish everyone peace, success, and happiness in 2018. Things are crazy busy here as we are preparing for a family vacation to Florida this weekend. I’ll be honest, between the kids being sick early last month and the holidays, they have seen far more screen time in December alone than they have in a year (we used to be strict about this but that’s for another post). And boy are we ready to detox and resume our screen-free daily routines once we get back. If reducing your child/children’s screen-time is one of your new year resolutions then you’re in luck because I have 5 simple strategies and a handful of fun resources to help get you on track for just that.

“Play is the beginning of knowledge.” -George Dorsey.

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  1. Identify what they like and stick with it. I know this may seem like common sense but living in this age of information overload, it can be difficult to filter through everything to decide what’s applicable and what’s not. Not everything that works for other children may work for yours and that’s okay. The best way to get to know your child is to try a range of different activities with them and see what keeps their short attention span occupied. Chances are you already have an idea without needing to do much investigating. My son is currently really into play dough, Mega Bloks, and dragons at the moment and is very active so if I’m going to get frustrated that he’s not sitting down for a coloring activity for more than 5 minutes, I can’t blame anyone but myself. It doesn’t mean that we don’t try other activities but for the sake of my schedule, I only do things like cooking or reading for school when my children are engaged with an activity for the long haul.
  2. Make a weekly activity plan. With all things in life, if you have an outline or plan of action then you’re more likely to follow through with it. If you are really committed to screen-free quality time then try investing 15-30 minutes on the weekend to brainstorming and arranging for activities during the week. You don’t have to be doing crazy chemistry lab experiments to make it fun. As you’ll come to see in the links I’m sharing below, it doesn’t take much to make children happy. I also want to add the disclaimer that an activity plan should be treated more like a guide rather than a strict schedule. It should be a way for you to think through your day and have activities on hand when you need them most.
  3. Talk it up. Sometimes for kids it’s less about the activity and more about the presentation. Maybe that’s just my experience with my kids but I feel they definitely pick up on my enthusiasm. I don’t have numbers to back up this claim but I find that my son is more engaged when I’ve talked about the activity beforehand. For example, if I were to ask him “prepare me something delicious to eat” while giving him his play kitchen tools, he would spend more time playing than if I were to just dump them on the floor and tell him, “here, play with this.”
  4. Limit accessibility and rotate activities to keep things interesting. In other words if you got it, don’t flaunt it. You will be surprised at what a huge difference it makes if you hide some toys away…because let’s face it, every parent is familiar with what happens when everything is accessible: toys strewn everywhere and bored, restless children. Not the funnest combination. Try taking some toys out of circulation and bringing them out in rotation when you sense boredom. Our MegaBloks, puzzles, and an array of large toy vehicles are stored way high up on a shelf and when I  bring them down, my son definitely relishes every moment.
  5. Don’t be afraid to make a mess. Okay maybe this is not what you want to hear but trust me. I’m not talking trash the house messy but more along the lines of confined chaos. There are plenty of activities that I’ll list below that allow children to really explore and be messy without you having a disaster on your hands. I don’t know what it is about messes but kids love making them and if they’re happy and occupied then you will be too 🙂

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With that being said, I’m sharing a list of fun activities that we have tried and enjoyed as well as some amazing resources that I turn to when planning out activities for the kids. I’m also linking our Pinterest board as I do pin fun toddler activities as I come across them for inspiration. I feel like I should state again that the point of this post isn’t that you must have scheduled activities in a curriculum sense but rather a collection of activities suitable for play. Children should be free to explore and play and the activities you choose should exemplify that philosophy.

“Do not keep children to their studies by compulsion but by play.” -Plato

Sensory and Fine Motor Activities

  1. Make homemade play dough and model/build/cut with cookie cutters
  2. Thread pipe cleaners through a colander or box with holes
  3. Freeze toys in water and do an ice excavation
  4. Make colorful squishy gel bags with glitter and beads
  5. Pom Pom Ball Color Sorting

“Messy” Activities

  1. Go dumpster diving for lost toys in a cardboard box
  2. Create a dry pasta/rice/lentil construction site
  3. Paint with shaving cream on a plastic bin lid
  4. Make a scoop and pour activity station with containers and random objects
  5. Pour flour and shredded coconut in a bin with small cars for a snowy ride

Physical Activities

  1. Set up a simple indoor obstacle course with everyday objects
  2. Have a color-themed scavenger hunt with this song
  3. Have an alphabet or number scavenger hunt
  4. Set up a bubble machine and chase after bubbles to pop them.
  5. Blow up balloons and play balloon tennis, volleyball, or soccer.

Imaginative Play

  1. Make a play boat from a cardboard box and pretend you’re fishing or escaping sharks
  2. Give children kitchen tools and utensils to play chef
  3. Play veterinarian or doctor with sick action figures and stuffed animals
  4. Build a tent from blankets and go pretend camping
  5. Host a pretend picnic or tea party for their toys

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These are just some of the MANY activities out there and there are plenty more waiting to be discovered or created by you to fit your child’s needs (Disclaimer: All the activities I’ve listed are intended to be done with adult supervision even if they don’t necessarily require your active participation). I hope this post is a good starting point for helping you feel less overwhelmed and more capable of keeping your children engaged and occupied without resorting to screens. To help me get organized and plan better (and help you do the same), I’ve created a weekly activity plan to fill out to help guide me through my days at home. The image below is just an example of how you can fill it out but you’ll want to do so according to your own daily rhythms and routines, interests and likes. I also included a column for time but I do not adhere to it strictly and you can completely ignore it all together if you want. The time column is more to remember fixed moments of the day such as snack time, lunch, and nap time. I want to also add that I think it’s very important to be flexible and not hold yourself to unreasonable and unattainable scheduling expectations because this isn’t school.

Weekly toddler planWeekly Activity Plan Free Download

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Once you have downloaded this blank activity guide, you can visit the links below to get started planning your days with your little one(s). While I’m no child psychologist or educator, I think that it’s good to have a balance of diverse activities; literacy, sensory/fine motor, physical activity, and imaginative play. The best part about designing your day is you get to customize activities that blend motor skills, creativity, and learning (science, math, language, etc.) in ways that are fun and appealing to your child. The last thing children need is to be lectured classroom-style. If there are specific concepts that you would like them to be learning then write them down in the “focus” section. This will help you be mindful of your learning goals so you can incorporate them up during activities and moments throughout your day. Alright, let’s get planning!

Resources for Activity Planning

  1.  Hands on As We Grow
  2. Busy Toddler
  3. Fun at Home With Kids
  4. The stay-at-home-mom survival guide
  5. Meri Cherry
  6. Toddler Approved
  7. Playtivities

If you liked this post and found it helpful, we would love it if you would share. For more related content, you can find us on Instagram where we share more of our day-to-day and Pinterest where we share our ideas and inspiration. If you have any thoughts or suggestions about this topic, feel free to leave a comment down below. And as always…

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DIY Upcycled Brown Paper Bag Gift Wrap

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It’s finally the holiday weekend and that means we are inching ever closer to the start of 2018. We recently hit our 2 year blogging anniversary earlier this month and we thought it would be nice to celebrate with a short reflection and a makeover of the first post that ever went up on this blog. Why? Because sometimes, in the nitty gritty of blogging we can find ourselves questioning it all and in our tunnel vision of self-pity and negativity, we forget how far we have come. Comparison isn’t so bad when you’re looking at yourself and everyone loves a good before and after so here is ours.

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As you can see clearly, our styling and photography has drastically improved in the last two years. Our first post was written in 2015 just a week before Christmas and right before I was about to dive into a week of hell taking my PhD qualifying examinations (a 7 day, 40+ page writing endeavor). Since that first post, we have connected with some wonderful bloggers, participated in two One Room Challenges, built a small but amazing community, and even wrote our first sponsored blog post.  There have been many times this year when we would feel frustrated with our engagement or turn-around time and even question what kind of blog we were aiming to be but looking back to our first post, I think the answer has always been there. DIYing is obviously something we are very passionate about as well as striving to live as simply and sustainably as possible and that’s exactly the commitment that our first post embodies. In this post, we will be sharing our revamped post with a little twist; using stencils to create beautiful gift wrap designs. For those of you who waited until last minute to wrap your gifts, you’ll want to hold off on that last minute Target run because this is such a simple way to add a personal touch to your gift wrapping and for next to no cost at all (depending on what your craft supply stash looks like). The wonderful thing about this gift-wrap is that it’s not just for Christmas; you can customize it to fit any holiday or occasion year round.

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Supplies
Brown paper bag
Scissors
Stencils
Metallic Paint Marker, paint pens, or sharpies
Twine
Embellishments such as eucalyptus, flowers, pine cones, etc..

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Directions

  1. Flatten your brown paper bag and cut down to the size you need.
  2. With a metallic paint pen, stencil in the blank side of the bag using the pattern of your choosing.
  3. Place your thoughtful gift inside and wrap nicely.
  4. Embellish with rustic twine, eucalyptus, pine cones, or holly.

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As you can see, I was going for a minimalist/bohemian look (surprise, surprise) with the copper and white pattern, twine, and eucalyptus accent. It’s almost too pretty to open!

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So what does 2018 hold for us? It’s been really hard to answer this question because life is pretty busy with two kids and graduate school on our plates. We do know that we love what we do and we love sharing it with you. We hope that we can continue growing; growing ourselves, our skills, and our blog and hopefully inspiring you all along the way. We can say for certain that we will definitely be sharing more DIY projects, simple family recipes, our simple living journey, and parenting adventures but whether we can keep up with our 50 blog posts/year productivity will remain to be seen. If there are topics you would like to see more of here on The Cozy Home Chronicles, please feel free to leave your suggestions in the comments below. And for those of you new bloggers, those considering starting blogs, or even veteran bloggers wondering “what’s the point?”, keep on dreaming and working towards those dreams with your eyes on the journey and not solely on the destination.

“Tell your heart that the fear of suffering is worse than the suffering itself. And that no heart has ever suffered when it goes in search of its dreams, because every second of the search is a second’s encounter with God and with eternity.”-Paulo Coehlo, The Alchemist

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Family Finance: A Simple Budget Overview

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Hello friends! Today’s post is going be different than the usual and it might even seem a little off topic because it’s about numbers (my favorite subject). As a financial analyst, budgeting is a subject near and dear to my heart and something I have been wanting to write about for a while now. While it doesn’t fit the usual cozy home posts of DIY projects and healthy recipes, it is something that is essential to the kind of lifestyle we write about. Sound budgeting not only reduces stress but it is absolutely necessary for eating healthy, saving for the future, and investing in quality experiences (just to name a few).

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Although life is busy with two kids and endless responsibilities, I try to make sure that my wife and I are on the same page when it comes to our finances. While talking about money sometimes gets a bad rap in certain cultures (it can be taken for stinginess or greed) the reality is that money is an important aspect of life that, when managed properly, can be a real source of strength for your family.  With the New Year just around the corner, I wanted to write a series of posts that would be helpful for those looking to review and improve their financial stability by acquainting them with some basic concepts, tools, and resources to budget better, save more, and stress less. In this first post, I will discuss a simple approach to budgeting that will involve choosing a methodology for budgeting and tracking that is comfortable and realistic for you and your lifestyle. Let’s get started!

Agenda

  • Choose a methodology for budgeting that is realistic
  • Find and maximize your budgeting strategy to free up time for other activities
  • Help you commit to a new financial awareness

1. Cash vs. Credit: Choose a spending system
There are many blogs and websites out there that tout the merits of using cash-only while vilifying credit cards as enablers of mismanagement. While there is some truth to this, there are many benefits to using credit cards especially when used alongside online budgeting platforms. I am a firm believer of using a hybrid system and as of right now we have an 80/20 split between credit and cash respectively. Choosing a system is important because it will dictate how you track your numbers.  For example, if you decide to use mostly credit like we do, along with an online budgeting platform, much of the work in terms of tracking numbers will be done for you automatically. Another benefit of using credit is being able to take advantage of cash-back or point bonus systems that many well-known credit card companies offer. While your budget will dictate to some extent what your spending system will look like, it’s important to envision how you’re comfortable spending so you can get into a rhythm that works for your lifestyle and fits into tracking and accountability.

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2. Written vs. Digital: Tracking your numbers
Aside from choosing a spending system, it’s also important to pick your preference when it comes to keeping track of your income and expenses. There are many budgeting apps and free online software’s such as Mint, YNAB, Google Sheets, and Microsoft Excel to name a few. I use Excel because I always have but if I didn’t have access to it then Google Sheets would be a more than capable replacement. If you can’t see yourself committing to updating a sheet every day or two on the computer then stick to good old pen and paper (you can find PDF expense trackers here). If you’re not into tracking at all then you might want to really consider an online system like MINT or YNAB. All you need to sign up is a valid e-mail address and the rest is simply adding your financial account information.  Mint is a free platform while YNAB is free for some people such as college students (more on their pricing structure here). The most important thing is that you choose a medium that is comfortable for you so that you can be consistent and disciplined.

Now that you have an idea of what kind of spending system you’d like and how you want to keep track of your numbers, let’s do a very basic run through of how to calculate a budget.

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3. Fixed vs. Variable Expenses: Determining your Budget

Fixed expenses: A fixed expense is one that you can’t change and tends to stay around the same dollar amount every month. Mortgage payments, apartment rent, and car lease payments are all examples of fixed expenses.

Variable expenses: A variable expense is something that changes from month to month based on different factors. Groceries, clothing, entertainment, and gifts would be examples of variable expenses because you decide how much to spend to some degree.

To determine your monthly budget, you will need to calculate your expenses (fixed + variable) and subtract them from your monthly income. I have provided a sample Excel  sheet template below for downloading to show you how this is done. As you can see, there are three sections: income, fixed expenses, and variable expenses. If you want to follow along using the custom budget template that I created, go ahead and start by inputting your  income first followed by your expenses. In this example, the income is $3500/month, total expenses are $2402, and there is a positive balance of $1098.

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You can adjust the expense categories to more accurately reflect your family’s lifestyle but I tried to include a diverse list of expenses to give you an idea of what to account for. If you’re totally clueless on what you’re spending on or even how much you spend on basic things like groceries, I suggest you try a 30-day trial period where you diligently track each and every expense. This will help acquaint you with your spending habits and allow you to identify practices that are not budget-friendly. For example, if your grocery expense is much higher than you’re comfortable with and you’d really like to be saving for say a post-graduation trip then you might want to adopt practices like meal planning and meal prepping to work alongside your budgeting approach. While you do want to be as accurate as possible when accounting for your spending, you don’t want to be too extreme to the point that you’re tracking every penny unless you are in a very tight situation. Once you’ve figured out you’re spending habits, created a budget, and have begun tracking your monthly expenses you are now able to do the fun part of analyzing your data and working towards saving and investing.

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Now with the basics down, it will be much easier for me to share some of my tips and tricks for saving monthly, planning trips, and investing in the future. I have a few posts planned out for this series already; one to cover college savings funds and another to cover the advantages of memberships like Amazon Prime and Costco. As I said early on in this post, finance is a subject that I am very passionate about so if there’s something you’d like to see covered in this series then please don’t hesitate to contact us either through email or by leaving a message in the comments below. We hope this post was the spark you needed to rethink your budget and saving strategies for 2018. As always, if you liked this post please follow us and share!

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