Dr. Seuss Printables {Repost}

Today, in honor of Dr. Seuss' birthday (March 2) I have three printable quotes. 

I've loved Dr. Seuss for as long as I can remember.  Who doesn't love Dr. Seuss?  I loved his books when I was little, I read his books all the time as a first grade teacher, and Dr. Seuss even helped me earn a partial scholarship during my college days.  There was a part on the scholarship application where you were asked to write a short essay on who you would choose to meet if you could meet anyone in the world (living or not). I chose Dr. Seuss.  I don't remember anything I wrote in my essay, but I remember being awfully glad I chose him.  Thanks, Dr. Seuss!

I love this quote because I have three little boys, and I often need reminded that they're people just like me.  They maybe smaller, but they're really no different than me. 

 They get frustrated- so do I.

They have bad days- so do I.

They get cranky sometimes- so do I.  

Every time I think of this quote, I remember I need to be a bit more patient and understanding.

I had a hard time picking just three of Dr. Seuss' quotes (there are so many great ones to choose from!), but these are a few of my favorites.  If you're interested in more of his quotes, you can click here.

Happy Birthday, Dr.Seuss!

Simply click on the image of each quote to print.  

Thanks for stopping by.  I hope you found a little something worth your time.

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Valentines for Goldilocks and the Three Bears {Fun Story for Valentine's Day}

This is my post I shared at Or So She Says last year during the month of February.  It's a simple story based on Goldilocks and the Three Bears.  I do it with my boys every year, and they don't ever seem to tire of it.

You simply read the story and cut out some hearts along the way.  At the end you have a great big valentine for Papa Bear, a medium-sized valentine for Mama Bear, and a small valentine for Baby Bear.   Click here to see my entire post.  I have a printable version of the story, and pictures of each step you'll need to do to cut out the hearts while reading the story.  So easy, and yet so surprising.  

This would be the perfect little activity to do at a class valentine party, or just at home with your own kids. 

Thanks so much for stopping by!  I hope you found a little something worth your time.

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Library Card Lanyard

I don't know about your family, but we LOVE our local library!  It's a great place to spend some time on a hot summer day.  My boys have become very thorough when it comes to picking out their books, so we can easily be there for an hour or more!

I have no complaints about our library trips (I really love them!), but I have become slightly frustrated with the whole "everyone keeping track of his own library card" issue.  My twins are old enough to have their own cards, and my four-year-old uses mine.  They are very particular about being in charge of their OWN cards, which I love!  I love how much they value their cards, and how it's teaching them to be responsible for their own things.  Well, they are little boys, and they are young, so needless to say, we've lost a few cards over our library-visiting years.  We also have a bit of a struggle when we get to the self check-out (a huge hit with my boys!).  They have to dig and dig to the bottom of their book-filled library bags to find the tiny little library card that can easily get lost in the pages of books.  I needed a library card solution!  

Then one day I stumbled upon my solution as I was walking down the office supply isle at Walmart.  I saw the clear plastic badge holders that are often attached to lanyards.  They were the perfect size, inexpensive, and we could stick the library cards inside them , hang them around my boys' necks, and have an easy-to-find, safe place for their cards. Happy day!

Like I said I found the clear badge holders in the office supply isle of Walmart, and they had lanyards (what I really wanted) but they were all out.  For the pictures, I ended up using one of my boy's Skylander dog tag chains.  It actually worked really well, and we do have three of them already, so we might stick with them. 

And, of course I had to make a cute label for the front of the card holder.  I made the label in PicMonkey, cut it out, then attached it to some scrapbook paper.  I then adhered it to the outside of the plastic badge holder.  I think I'll also put a layer of Mod Podge over the whole thing, so it's a bit more durable.  Then the library card can just be tucked inside the pocket, and you're good to go!  

I can't wait to put these to use next time we make a library run.  Last time we ended up at the library with only one of the three cards.  We had 48 books to check out, and only one child card, which meant 12 books could be checked out.  So, we left a big pile at the front desk, ran home to find the other two cards on the hallway floor, then returned to the library to check out the remaining books.  Hopefully our library card lanyards will help us avoid such adventures!

Thanks so much for stopping by!  I hope you found a little something worth your time.

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DIY Bookmarks

Are you a reader?  I would say I'm a bit of a forced reader.  I love reading, I taught reading to first graders for five years, I read constantly to my little boys, but when it comes time for me to read something for myself, I have to almost force myself to do it.  I have been trying to set aside a few minutes before bedtime to read.  It's been so nice, and I'm wondering why I don't do it more often. 

 I also enjoy reading more when I have a cute bookmark to use.  I'm the same way with writing.  I'll do it a lot more often when I have a cute notebook and pen.

These bookmarks were made with some scrapbook paper I had on hand.  This is the perfect scrap paper project, and they're really easy!  (BTW, I cut my scraps to measure 2"x 6" for my bookmarks.)  

Don't they look so cute poking out of the top of the book?  Speaking of cute bookmarks, check out Sarah's cute pom pom bookmarks over at Alderberry Hill.   I'm going to have to make some of those next.

I like to use an elastic ribbon for the top because it will stand up and not just flop to the side or back.

All the flowers on my bookmarks came from Martha Stewart.  I found them in the sticker section at Michaels.  I attached the little pearls in the middle of the flowers with hot glue.  I found them at Walmart, also in the sticker section. 

I stamped the word 'Read' on the bookmark with my alphabet stamp set (it's a bit hard to see on this navy blue one).  You could print right on your bookmark, or write it yourself if you don't have a stamp set.

I also Mod Podged the front and back of my bookmark before I  punched the hole, added the ribbon, or attached the flower.  It helps the bookmark be a bit more durable.  For more details on the how to of these bookmarks, you can click here. 

By the way, right now I'm reading Sarah's Quilt by Nancy E. Turner.  It's the second in a series of three.  I've really enjoyed this series so far, and would highly recommend them!

Thanks so much for stopping by!   I hope you found a little something worth your time. 

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Happy Is The Family…. {Reading Printable}

I love books!  Which is kind of funny because I don't consider myself an avid reader, but I love them just the same.  I love collecting them, reading with my boys, watching them learn to read, and simply enriching everyday life with books.

Click to Print

Someday when I have my dream home, I hope to have a small library of some kind.  I'm willing to sacrifice several rooms (formal dining rooms, living rooms, laundry room,...) to make it happen if I needed.  I love the idea of having a place to go, be peaceful, comfortable, and get lost in an amazing tale.  And this will be the quote I'll have in our library.  Isn't it sweet?  I love how President Kimball used the word companions in the quote.  And I know the happiness that I feel whenever I'm relishing the pages of a book by myself, or with my boys.  The perfect way to spend some time!

Here are a few good books we've been enjoying at our house lately.

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What good books have you been enjoying lately?

Thanks so much for stopping by!  I hope you found a little something worth your time.

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Garden Books for Kids {@ Or So She Says}

Happy Tuesday to you all!  We are finally experiencing some sunshine here in Utah.  It seems like the past few weeks have been nothing but cold, wind, clouds, and rain.  But that kind of weather just makes you appreciate the sunshine and warmth that much more!

Today I'm over at Or So She Says with a list of our favorite children's books for the garden.  Does summertime mean garden time at your house?  It sure does for us.  I look forward to it every year, and so do my boys.  I can't count the benefits of gardening together as a family.  They're countless!!  And I always love to build upon the activities we're doing with great books.  So, stop by and visit (click here to do so) to check out our list.

And just because I can't get enough of them, here's a few pictures of life in the garden.  Some of my most cherished memories comes from here!

Thanks so much for stopping by!  I hope you found a little something worth your time.

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Favorite Children's Easter Books

I think I've shared my favorite children's books for every holiday except Easter.  I don't have a huge Easter book collection, but enough to read during the weeks leading up to the holiday.  Some are new, and some are old, but all definitely worth checking out and adding to your Easter traditions.

The Night Before Easter

The Easter Egg

The Great Easter Egg Hunt

Happy Easter, Little Critter

The Golden Egg Book

Ollie's Easter Eggs

The Best Easter Eggs Ever!

Pete the Cat: Big Easter Adventure

Easter Bunny's On His Way

You can click on the links to find a summary of each book, pricing, and reviews.  I do love them all, but if I had to choose favorites, I'd have to go with The Golden Egg Book (I love old school books!) and The East Egg (Jan Brett's illustrations make any book a treasure!).

And because I like round numbers, and the collage only had 9 squares, I have one more to share.

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These are some of our favorites to read at our house.  I hope you'll give them a try if you haven't already.  And please pass along any of your favorite Easter titles that way may be missing.  Reading is such a fun way to add to the holiday atmosphere in your home, and get a bit of educational time in as well!

Thanks so much for stopping by! I hope you found a little something worth your time.

Linking up to these parties & Savvy Southern Style.