I’ve been a Staples shopper for awhile now. My primary purchase there is copy paper because I can get it for free or almost free with rebates. We go through so much of it between printing homeschool worksheets and the boys’ using it to draw on.  I usually have two or three reams (500 packs) of paper on hand.  So, when I was offered the chance to review a product Staples sells I accepted!

I received this printer free to review from Staples. This is an  HP Deskjet 3510 with wireless and ePrint cababilities and I received no further compensation. All opinions are mine.

Those hairy arms in the pictures are not mine! My sister’s family was over visiting and her husband helped me get this all set up in just minutes. He didn’t even need the instruction cd that came with it (he works in IT so he knows this kind of stuff better than me and my husband).

I do want to say though, we were already using an HP printer which “I” hooked up myself following directions so you do not have to work in IT to do this .

About the Pictures Above

Just coming out of the box the printer is secured down with blue tape and the cords, etc are in a box that sits inside the printer (see pic above).  

Matt hooked up both my printers to work wirelessly but only one is hooked up to the desktop computer.  It took a little time to wait for the wireless to connect to my Netbook so be patient if you’re doing the same. Now I can sit in the living room with my Netbook and print from the other room. Yay!

About HP Ink

Because I print a lot I buy the XL ink cartridges. They hold more ink and run about $25-30 I think (depending on where you buy). You only need one cartridge to print black and white and one color cartridge to print in color. So two cartridges total and they’re easy to replace. We been using a similar HP printer for the past year or so, so I’ve had experience with this. Ink came with the new printer (I think they are XL cartridges too). The ink quality is very good too.

Both my HP Deskjets use the same ink cartridges. Since I had the new ink in the new printer to review, I allowed my son to print out a few pages of something he’s been wanting to print, but  from our older HP. As you can see, those comic pages use a lot of ink, hence, he doesn’t get to do this regularly. You can also see the great HP ink quality on those pages! Our HP Deskjet 3050A is one we bought over a year ago.

You can see the variety of printers Staples sells here.

*Full disclosure: Staples provided me with the HP Printer for review. The thoughts and opinions expressed are strictly my own and no other compensation was received.

Encourage your kids to read this summer with FREE Kindle books from jokes to the classics. No Kindle? No problem! They are FREE apps available for a variety of devices.

I don’t own a Kindle but I do have the FREE Kindle for PC app on my desktop computer. Occasionally I download free Kindle books that I’m interested in owning. Here’s a list of FREE Kindle books I found today. Click on the book image if you’d like to get it from Amazon.

Parents, it’s a good idea for you to read any book first before you give it to your child. I’m not reviewing these books, I’m just sharing a list of many of the FREE books I found on Amazon today. These are linked with my affiliate links. That simply means if you click one of my links and make a purchase I may make a little bit of money down the road. But – obviously I won’t off of a free book .

Click on each book cover’s image below to access each book.

25 FREE Kindle books for Kids

Tongue Twisters for Kids

The Can’t See ‘em Museum: A Silly Rhyming Picture Book for Kids who like to Giggle

Rikki-Tikki-Tavi by Rudyard Kipling

Wolves- Incredible pictures and fun wolf facts for kids.

Coolest Chapter Books for Kids Sampler

Lily Lemon Blossom: Welcome to Lily’s Room

Fairy Tales Every Child Should Know

Insect Kingdom Series for Kids: Kiddies discover Ants Family

NO EXIT: The Apple Grove Gang Vol. 1

National Geographic Magazine

Children’s Bible Comic Book: Kings and Prophets

(Aesop’s Fables) Lessons from the Lion, the Ox and their Little Friends

Smart School-time Recipes for Healthy Kids and Adults

110 Ideas to Keep Kids Busy without Technology

Adorable Kittens & Cats: Help your child learn Sight Words.

Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson

Around the World in 80 Days by Jules Verne

Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe

The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain

Paradise Valley: The Daughters of Caleb Bender (Amish/Ohio setting) by Dale Cramer

A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens

Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea by Jules Verne

Journey to the Center of the Earth by Jules Verne

101 Elephant Jokes for Kids

The Mango Tree and Other Stories

*This post contains my Amazon affiliate links. See my disclosure for more info.

**Sharing at Homeschooling On the Cheap.

I’m looking forward to trying out these new Kidecal labels. Kidecal labels, I’m told, are durable, dishwasher safe, washing machine & dryer safe, and don’t damage surfaces.  I’m also told they stick to just about anything: water bottles, clothing books, toys sports gear, etc..

I don’t have mine yet, but I know which one I want. You can get “personalized labels” with names, monograms, phone and address too in a variety of designs, colors and shapes! I’ve been checking out the website and playing with the “personalizing” options.

In addition to personalized labels they have fun stickers and mustache stickers. They have chalkboard labels you can write on and they are safe for the dishwasher. I love that! You might be able to leave a love note on someone’s mug .

Use them to label for Daycare or Camp needs, kids’ cups, coffee mugs, backpacks, shoes, and on and on the list goes.

Kidecals is founded by a mother of two boys and you’ll find some really cool designs for boys too. I’m told these labels literally do not come off. Ever. I’m ready to give them a try!  But, I had to tell you about them first. Disclosure: For sharing Kidecals info with you on my blog, I will receive some for free to try myself. 

Oh, and shipping is ALWAYS FREE for Kidecals. See your discount below.

My Readers will save 15% off Kidecals using promo code: bestlabels at http://kidecals.com/

I haven’t tried them yet, but will after I receive mine, so you may want to watch this video below of parents talking about how they use Kidecals.

*This is not a paid post. I will receive some free Kidcals for sharing their info with you.

Our boys had the opportunity to join a new local Junior First Lego League in our area, actually the ONLY Junior First Lego League in our area I believe.

A family we are acquainted with within our homeschool group became certified to begin this group and there were a very limited number of openings.

There is a cost involved to help cover the cost of the kits- in our case it was $30 per child for this semester, I think the cost may vary from group to group possibly. The boys met twice a month for about three months.  I’ll share a link below to the official site so you can look for a Lego League in your area.

The 12 boys were broken into two groups by age, six kids in each group. They came up with names for their small group and each had a separate Lego kit they would work on as a team.

These pictures are from their presentation night. Each child had a little bit to say in the presentation in front of parents in addition to their displays and Lego models. As they get older they will likely have the chance to work with robotics in Lego League!

We did miss out on any official Lego League competitions since they happen in the winter and our new Jr. First Lego League started in the second semester of the school year. But there’s next year to look forward too   and we are planning to be involved again.

Last year we had our boys participate in the Pizza Hut Book-IT program. Kids in K-6th grade receive coupons for free Personal Pan Pizzas as a reading incentive reward. This program can also help homeschooling moms like me get motivated to come up with a specific reading challenge for each child. I just signed the boys up for next year. Go here to sign up too.

*Also, some Pizza Huts offer “kid’s eat free & make their own personal pan pizzas” certain nights. You can do this during the summer before your Book-ITS arrive .

Free summer bowling for kids through the AMF Summer Unplugged program! Kids can bowl up to two games per day, everyday free (shoe rental not included).  ALSO,  parents, you can purchase an AMF Summer Pass for just $34.95 and includes two games per day for you and up to three guests ages 16 and up.  Go here to sign up.

Find a listing of places offering FREE Summer Movie viewing here.

Summer 2013  Reward Challenges:

• Chuck E. Cheese - kids earn 10 Free Tokens for things like reading, doing chores, eating good etc..  You print off the calendar that applies to your child’s goals and bring it in to redeem. NOTE: See example here, bottom says food purchase is required and no more than one 10 free token redemption per child, per day is allowed.

• Scholastic – kids can earn digital rewards by tracking their reading time.  Schools can win as well. Looks like there are some prizes and a sweepstakes too.

•  Pottery Barn and Barnes & Noble also have reading programs this summer. Thanks to Centsible Family for sharing.

Stark County Library’s Summer Contests

• Summer Reading Challenge: Exercise Your Mind. Pledge to read one to 100 books this summer and win prizes for meeting the Challenge. Track your reading using the new online reading record. Go here for more info.

• Photo Contests:  June 3- July 27th, all Ages can enter original photos at one or more of the participating locations. Entry forms with rules, guidelines available here or at the library. Photos will be displayed at Photo Shows at the branches you select on the entry form. Pick up or read the Stark Scene for details here – and be sure to check out all the free programs happening at your favorite local Stark County library.

More on getting your kids to read: Book lists, chart ideas and Tips and some of the Book Series we use in our own home.

Today I was feeling so much better, I took the boys out for donuts for breakfast to celebrate! And we took some pictures.

I mentioned in this post that I thought I was pregnant.  I was having so many symptoms and was not feeling like myself. The lightheaded-weak- fatigue business was my biggest problem and by Monday I felt like I was dying or something. Something was wrong with me. I didn’t even feel like I should be driving to the doctor’s myself.

Well, my OBGYN appointment wasn’t until Tuesday but I could not wait. I called my family doc and got in that morning. Blood work was done and I was told to keep my OBGYN appointment.

Bloodwork came back normal and negative for pregnancy. After a talk with my OBGYN yesterday she told me hormones do these wacky things to us. Now – she thinks I’m fine and not needing any meds or further tests and today I’ve been pretty much 100% back to myself. I think that’s because my “cycle” is running its course and regulating my hormones correctly.

Boy- was the last week or so a strange ride!  Hormones are serious. They really can mess with a person. And speaking of hormones… Mother’s Day is Sunday!

Sometimes I feel like running my home is like running a small farm- I am a domestic-engineer – or it can feel like THIS looks. There’s always something to do – laundry, grocery shopping, meal planning, cooking, driving the kids somewhere, scheduling appointments, and on the list goes. Many moms work outside the home and many work from the home. Many homeschool their kids too. When you work at home and homeschool your kids, as I do, you’re with the kids almost 24/7. There are positive and negative side effects to all this closeness .

So dads, teach your children to be thankful for all that their mom’s do for them.

Seriously.

It might be a little awkward for us moms to tell the kids – “you really need to be thankful for all the things I’m doing for you”. Know what I mean?

And the example of you guys showing/demonstrating “thanks” will speak volumes to your children!  They may actually learn how to be thankful and what to be thankful for.

You know what they say?  More is caught than taught.

I Thessalonians 5:18 “In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.”

I’ve kept a secret from most people, until today:  I thought I was pregnant recently, though it was highly unlikely.

And it would have to happen after I got serious about making some changes to my eating so that I could lose some weight without really dieting. I was about a week or so into my changes and feeling better and seeing the needle on the scale begin to drop. And then this.

I promise not to be gross in this post, but I figured some of my mom-readers can identify or at least would be interested. I mean, afterall, I am 43 years old and had my tubes “fixed” 7 years ago so to not get pregnant again (due to pregnancy health risks for me and the babies I carried). I have a doctors appointment this Tuesday to see what’s going on.

Besides being “late” – and I’ve never been this “late” to my knowledge, unless I was pregnant.

I’ve had nausea, lots of lightheaded/faint-like feelings, fatigue, some headaches, brain-fog, been more irritable and the feeling that I had something growing inside me. I even went out and bought a few pairs of second-hand capris with a bit more room around the waist as my clothes were already bothering me too much to keep buttoned all the time.

Yes, I have had so many symptoms and wasn’t feeling “like me”. I felt… pregnant. And yes,  I know that these symptoms could point to things other than being pregnant.

And then “today” happened. Let’s just say… I’m probably not pregnant… at least not anymore? And, I started to feel more like “myself” – meaning “less pregnant”.

More than likely, I’m just premenopausal I suppose. And if it is, I’m sure this is just. the. beginning.

O. Joy.

Today I made my second appearance on the iShop Talk Radio show to talk about this year’s summer fun guide. Last year was my first appearance with them. Today Marc said I hold a special place in their hearts since I was their very first guest last year when their  show was brand new.  This year the guide is much fuller with not only my two cents on family-fun, but a host of other Ohio bloggers!

Grab the guide by subscribing here or by liking my Facebook pages @1000thingstodo and @halloffamemoms. The guide is free and includes some special discounts for Ohio family fun!

To celebrate my 2013 Ohio Family-Fun Summer Survival Guide

Fort Rapids Indoor Waterpark Resort is giving away

a ONE night stay in their Cisco Kids Rooms (comes with a bunk bed) and 4 waterpark passes!

Here’s a short video of one of our visits there.

If you’re interested in my past Fort Rapids resort reviews click the following links to check them out:  Oak Creek Canyon Villa (6 person room) review or the Bright Angel Point Grand Canyon (12 person suite).

Enter to win!

Just follow the Rafflecopter directions below. Winner will picked randomly and will be emailed. Be sure to check your spam box at that time.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

While spring has been struggling to get here weather-wise, I’ve been busy preparing for summer! I’m working on the final touches of my updated  2013 Ohio Family-fun Summer Survival Guide tonight and tomorrow in preparation for my appearance on the iShop Talk Radio show. It was such fun being on the radio!

Last year in July I was invited to be the very first guest of their NEW radio show to talk about my summer fun guide and that’s what I’m doing again on May 1st. The show plays on Wednesdays from 9-10am. I’m expecting to go live sometime around 9:30am- WHBC 1480. You can even listen live right from your computer’s internet here.

Well, let me tell you, I’ve been working on getting special deals for you this year. I haven’t been able to get as many as I’d like, but some Ohio family fun places have said YES to me and you’ll get the scoop when you download my FREE 2013 Ohio Family-Fun Summer Survival Guide.

In addition, Fort Rapids Indoor Waterpark Resort is helping me kick-off my 2013 Ohio family summer guide by giving away an overnight stay with waterpark passes to one of my readers!

The FREE guide will be available to my Facebook Page “likers” as well as my blog email/rss subscribers.  Subscribe FREE at this link.

If you are already a subscriber or “liker” once the guide it uploaded to those places you should be able to find it either at the bottom of my email updates or under “Just for Likers” on Facebook. My Facebook pages are… 1000thingstodo and Halloffamemoms.

This guide is set up so you can simply download it and click through the links to get the details on the things you’re interested in. If you want to print off the whole guide, you can. If you only want to print a page here and there, you can!

That’s not all. I’ll be introducing you to several other Ohio bloggers who offer Ohioans value in many ways from saving money on consignment clothing and coupons to telling you where the Ohio fun events are happening. Be sure to check them all out. But you’ll have to grab the guide to find out who they are .

I’m hosting Free Book Friday from New Leaf Publishing here at my blog this Friday, April 26th. The prize to be given away is one copy of the Big Book of Earth and Sky and if you have kids or are particularly interested in learning these things, you better take a look at it!

I did receive a free copy of the Big Book of Earth and Sky to keep and review as a Mom’s of Masterbooks Reviewer. All opinions are my own.

The Big Book of Earth and Sky is a 15 foot fold-out as you’ll see below and retails for $19.99. I included a video, but its not the best. Part of my video didn’t “take” and I didn’t realize it till I had everything put away. Add to that the fact that I’m a busy work at home, homeschooling mom- well, I’m not redoing the video.

I look forward to using this book in our homeschooling, though you definitely do not have to be a homeschooler to use it!

The part that didn’t record from my video was when I showed how I lined the “earth” part of the fold-out along the floor while lining the “sky” part up the wall (with a little tape). Kind of give you a 3d aspect of “earth and sky”. Click here if you can’t see my video.

Follow the Rafflecopter link below to enter for a chance to win! Winner will be picked by Master Books/New Leaf Publishing. I’m just hosting it on my blog this month .

a Rafflecopter giveaway

*I received a copy of this book to review and keep. Opinions are my own.