From My Inbox ~ Some GREAT Deals!

My inbox has been filling up with some great promotions from some companies I love.  I wanted to share these as well as answer a few common email inbox questions from readers {at the bottom}.

 

Little Passports

We recently ordered Little Passports and are excited for it to arrive!.  We got ours with a 10% coupon code but now they have a 20% coupon code available! 20% off code LPFF20 through Nov 16!  Great gift idea for your own kids or for other kids you buy for!

Little Passports

if you miss the 20% code, they also have a 10% off WORLD10 through Nov. 20



Tell Your Time

Long ago I read and loved Tell Your Time by Amy Andrews {who is now an IRL friend thanks to Relevant}  She has an amazing sale going on right now, $.99 with code: ONLY99.  You can buy the pdf version here on her site, or the Kindle version here on Amazon {no code needed for Amazon}!

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Pick and Draw

Awhile back we reviewed and loved Pick and Draw.  Rich Davis also has an adorable blog that shares how to draw lessons that we have used!  He has a holiday promo that is wonderful for gift giving!  Pay $10 for the first game you buy and then only $8 for each additional game you purchase!  We love this simple game and this company has a wonderful story and is very focused on sharing the message of Jesus!

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Here are a few recent email inbox questions I have received more than once…

About the Crayola Dry Erase Center…now that you have had it awhile, do the markers still wipe off.  I read on Amazon that they don’t.

YES, we still love it, but we ONLY use the Expo thin on it.  The markers that came with it were horrible from the start so we pitched those.  We have had NO problems with ours and use it every day.  I noticed recently that Target has a printable $5 coupon which makes the center only $10 if you can buy it at Target {I am not sure when this coupon expires}.  Amazon has 2 versions {they are the same, just come with different pages you don’t really need}.  The prices change form day to day for each version, usually anywhere from $10-15.

I am having trouble with black boxes on my files I download from your site.  I can’t get your files to load, print, etc. {many common problems are emailed weekly}.

This is the #1 question asked and I have a post all about solutions here in my FAQ section. The problem is “always” on the end of the user…I wish it was something I could easily fix, but I can’t.  Good ol’ technology.  If you are having any trouble loading or printing PDF files form my site or any other site, you should be able to find a solution in this post.  Be sure to see the added Facebook conversation link at the bottom of the list where readers shared what worked for them.


Have a wonderful weekend!

ps-yes, there are affiliate links included in this post, but you probably already knew that ;-) .

Tot School Roll Call Clarification & FAQ

I posted the Tot School Blog Roll Call yesterday and got an overwhelming response, woo hoo! I am excited that so many are participating and want to participate. I remember well when there were just a few of us!

I wanted to clear up some things about the purpose of the Tot School blog roll and what to do. There seem to be some common questions amongst readers who are wanting to be a part and join up. I thought I would write a post to clear some of those questions up.

What exactly is the Tot School Blog Roll?

  • It is a master list of all blogs who…
    • write specific Tot School posts on their own blogs.
    • provide a link back to Tot School {to the main page or the post itself} within each Tot School post.
    • link that post up to the Tot School weekly linky fairly regularly {and have already linked up 3 different times}.

I want to be included, what do I need to do?

  • All of the above, for at least 3 different weeks.
    • the weeks you link up do NOT need to be in a row, just 3 total.
    • this is to make sure you have plans of sticking around before I add you to the master list.

I don’t have 3 linked Tot School posts yet, but will soon, what should I do then?

  • Just comment or email me when you have 3 different weeks of linked posts and then I will add your blog to the master list-whenever that is.
    • I don’t always get to adding everyday, so you may email me, but I may not actually edit the list that day. It is on my long to-do list and I add once I gather a few new blogs. I promise I get to it as fast as I am able!
    • Be sure to give me the name of your blog AND the link to your blog. If you want your tot’s birth moth/year included, give me that also!

I linked up but you deleted my links, WHY?

  • because you didn’t follow one of the Linking up to Tot School guidelines, which we have to keep the surfing easy for moms involved. I created these guidelines simply for all of the jumping around we do so we can all easily jump from blog to blog when Tot School surfing. Here’s the basics…
    • Your post must be written clearly for Tot School {not just a good idea for tots}.
    • Your post must include a link back to Tot School within the POST {not just a button on the sidebar}. You can {but do not have to} include the Tot School button in your post-that’s up to you. A text link is totally fine. The purpose is so moms can easily jump back to the gathering after going to your blog!
    • You ARE allowed to link to us and other blog carnivals {just provide a link back for each one your are linking to}.

I am a brand new blogger and can’t even figure out __________ {insert common new blogger question here} ;-) , can you help me?

  • I would love to, but honestly I am probably not the best one to help you! I can give basic answers, but further than that, I must direct you to some of the wonderful blogs out there with the purpose of teaching these things! When I began, I had NO clue what a blog was or how to work within one, I just used the internet to search and search for tutorials for the things I needed help with. Here are a few of my favorites…
  • Here are a few non-tutorial blogs who also have some great posts with helpful info in them…
  • Need some more help with your blog, but more personalized help? I recommend hiring someone to help you out, Jolanthe has a very reasonable design service offering help…

I have a few more questions about Tot School that you haven’t answered…

Hopefully this info helps some! Sorry for any confusion for those of you who are new. I still am amazed with how much this little ol’ blog has grown! I have also heard that Disqus is acting up for some of you and you can’t get it to load for you to comment. If this ever happens, feel free to email me or you can leave a comment on 1+1+1=1’s Facebook Page. I check the FB page daily for the most part!

Behind the Scenes ~ FAQ {printing, finding things, & more}

Behind the Scenes Lately I have been getting emails asking similar questions many times. I realized it might be a good time to answer a few of these publicly in case there are others who have them too! I used to categorize these posts as “From My Inbox” but decided to just add them into Behind the Scenes. If you want to see old posts similar to this one with random FAQ you can see a gathering here.

Here are the questions I have received most frequently and their answers…

  • I can’t get my PDF documents to print right, the text is all smudged and things are just off?
    • You need to go online and install the most recent Adobe Reader update. This is the problem 99.9% of the time! It’s that simple!
    • If you are using a MAC-the problem is usually because you are using the standard Mac PDF viewer instead of Adobe, Make sure you have updated Adobe and that your downloaded files are opening in Adobe and not the Mac viewer and things should be fine!
    • Sometimes Google Chrome can be the problem. Try opening in Firefox or possibly IE and see if that helps. I personally use and love Firefox!
    • You can see a thread on my Facebook page here offering even more troubleshooting tips!
  • I can’t find the vocabulary cards {or easy reader, or handwriting letter sheets, etc.} I see in your posts, did you make these and if so where are they located?
    • Everything you see me post about for Raising Rock Stars Preschool in my Preschool blog posts is included in one big PDF download for each letter. You just go to each letter resource page and click on the graphic of the Bible verse sheet {see below} and the entire PDF packet will download. The handwriting sheets, vocabulary cards, and everything is included in that one file.

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  • Where are the links to the Raising Rock Stars Preschool lessons and are they free or just for Members?
    • They are FREE! I provide the base printable program for free and have no plans of changing that! In the Members Only section there are PowerPoint lessons and some additional printables {for example~ the review printables}, but the base program is free.
    • If you look on the main RRSP page and scroll down, you will see a blue box {see image below}. The links to the letters that are available for free are right there. Just click on the letter and you will be taken to the resource page for that letter.

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      I hope the answers to some of these FAQ will help someone!

      From My Inbox

      Here’s the latest batch of questions from my inbox!!! If you want to browse through past From My Inbox posts, you can find them all here!

      Where did you purchase the bookshelf that display the trays?

      • Target…they still have them I think! It’s a 9-square shelf.
      Do the trays stay out the whole day? And are they at the kid’s level ( for them to take at will) ? Or not?
      • The trays are in our schoolroom and available to Krash during “school time.” Although sometimes I am more slack and if he asks me later in the day if he can go do Tot School, I grin and say yes!!! I think everyone has to find out what works best for you, your home and your kids!
      How much involved during Tot School is Pac-Man? I read that sometimes he participates (more like a secondary player) and sometimes he’s off somewhere else (doing his own work, something else, etc.)
      • He would love to be involved the entire time, and sometimes this is a battle. I remind him almost daily that he is not in Tot School, and he has 2nd grade work to do! But, I do let him participate whenever I can…when he is caught up on his own work and having a lovely attitude. Mostly he is sitting at the school table doing his work while I am on the floor with Krash for about 30 minutes a day. The other times they are together or I am just with Pac Man.
      It’s hard to find the time to devote an hour to him (19 mo. tot) during school time…. How do you manage this in your case? Do you do tot school every day? I think you do now, but back when Krash was younger did you do it everyday or just a few days a week?
      • When K was younger (we began Tot School around age 22 mos), I did it just a few days per week. It was harder back then to find the time to devote to just him.
      • Now we do TS every day, and it has become a part of our routine, he is 3 1/2 now though so it is much easier, also with Pac Man being 7 1/2 that makes it easier too.
      • I will begin the TS journey again with Ladybug who is 6 1/2 months right now…stay tuned this spring to see me go through the process all over again with her!

      My first question is: what kind of things do you do with your youngest to work with her?

      • Ladybug is just 6 1/2 months and I do nothing (out of the ordinary baby stuff) to work with her and don’t plan to until she reaches about a year. Even then, it will just be intentional playtime with her, which is all Tot School is, especially at that young of an age. Ladybug soaks in so much just being around us all day long!


      Can you recommend a few options? I took a look at your Tot Trays and I feel a bit overwhelmed as I’m not very creative?

      How do you schedule in time to make these games? Do you set a goal to do one a week? How long does it normally take for each activity you create on average? I am just trying to figure out how much time I should schedule and trying not to overwhelm my self with great ideas!

      • I make things randomly. I like doing it, so it is not a burden for me. Sometimes I get on a big kick and make tons of stuff at once, sometimes I just make only what we need when we need it.

      Question…. where do you store all this stuff? Is your school in the basement or at the kitchen table…. I am really wondering how to begin and where to “set up”. :)

      • Our schoolroom is a small room off the back of our house. We live in a very old row-home in the city. I store almost everything in the schoolroom and we do school in there too. Sometimes we do use the kitchen table and the living room floor ;) .

      Do you still have Pac in the cyber charter school?

      • Yes, it continues to work for us. I get asked a lot about this and how we get Calvert for FREE ;) . You have to Google (I guess) to see if your state is one of the 13 or so that offer free cyber charter schooling. If your state is one of them, you then need to find a list of the specific cyber charter schools and then check each one out to see if it might work for you. The state I am in has several and I have heard bad things about some of them. The one we use is AWESOME (very flexible and supportive of how I do things with Pac Man). Basically cyber schools are NOT all created equal!!!
      • As for Krash, I am not sure what I am going to do for him. Pac Man enrolled for Pre K, and with Krash I am not sure at this point what I am going to do, although I am leaning towards enrolling him and then adapting the curriculum to fit his needs, like I did with Pac Man.

      Do you have a separate blog about the things you do with your older son? I love your ideas, but my son is closer in age to your older son.

      • No I do not, this is my only homeschooling blog. I write more about my tot because that is my area of “expertise” since I am actually educated as an early childhood-K teacher! I feel I have more to share in this area. I do write about Pac Man some, you can see all posts about him here.

      Anyway….I am struggling with organizing a set ‘calendar time’ for my kindergartner. I have limited space and honestly don’t want the huge obnoxious calendar I used as a ps teacher to be in my house. I have seriously thought about using a tri-fold foam project board for all our calendar stuff, but am just having trouble visualizing it and putting it all together. I’m very curious to see what you do for your calendar time. The biggest challenge I’m having is figuring out how my sons can see the date written each day. What do you do?

      • Ooooh I have your answer coming very soon! I have an entire homeschool calendar webpage that is almost done…videos, printables and all! I plan to post the link to the page in just a few days!!!

      My question is do you keep an inventory of all of your tot tools and supplies? I am trying to make some kind of inventory sheet that lists activities, games, and supplies I own that I can use in workboxes, etc. I find that I forget about things I have! I would love to hear how you do it, and if you have a sheet or something to share, I would love to have that, too!:)

      • I tried to do this and it was overwhelming for me so I stopped. I have a pretty good mind about the stuff we have and try to organize it well. I do *forget* about things sometimes though-it’s hard!

      If I missed your question, and haven’t replied to you in an email, please feel free to email me again! I try my best, but I am a scatter brain sometimes with too much going on!!! I hope these answers help those of you who sent the emails and anyone else who might have had the same ?s!

      Again, thanks to all of you who read here, and send me kind comments and emails, I really appreciate your thoughts and SO wish I had the time to reply to each and every one of you.

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      From My Inbox…

      Please forgive me if you have emailed me and not heard from me!!! I am truly sorry, and am trying to figure out how to balance it all. Blog growth is wonderful and I am so thankful, it is just relatively new to me and I am learning how to navigate my online life now that it is bigger. ;)

      I have an overflowing inbox and I so desperately want to give each one of you the detailed answers to your questions, I just do not have the time right now. Our family is really busy in ministry for about the next 2 weeks and I am working my tail off to get the new website up and running! I am saving the emails though and hope to get another From My Inbox post up soon.

      Thank you for reading and for being patient with me when I don’t reply. I promise I am not ignoring you…just searching for time!

      For now, if you haven’t yet, check out my previous From My Inbox posts, and also my Behind the Scenes posts…they often have the answers to the ?s many readers email me about!

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