Dyslexic Spelling Resources

I have tried SO many things to help my son with spelling, he generally does fairly well with patterning but the lists the schools send out make absolutely no sense. They have mixes of blends and only 2-3 words for each on a single list of 15 words. It’s very jumbled and not helpful for him to see that pattern and learn the visual memory of these words. I kept searching for lists that would combine different sounds and word blends and FINALLY I found the most incredible resource. To make things better she has these for FREE! Huge shoutout to Carla Siravo who has put together so many incredible resources for families like ours.

These word fluency strips are exactly what we need to help with grouping and recognizing sound/letter combos so that he can naturally do this on his own with unfamiliar words. This is a small sampling of the fluency lists available, find more and so many other resources here

I am sharing this with all of you because I am forever grateful for her help and know for certain that there are many other parents out there looking for something like this to help their kiddos who are struggling.

Please see all of her other resources, they are incredible!

Her videos on Youtube are hilarious and my kid loves them.
Also find her here-
@carlasiravoauthor
Siravo Syllable Songs TikTok
IMSE Linktree
@IMSE_OG
CarlaSiravo Linktree

Continue reading “Dyslexic Spelling Resources”

Healthier Carb Substitutions

I love carbs. Any attempt to eat healthier has to involve some sort of carbs for me. I can go without for small amounts of time but as a realistic lifestyle change there’s no way I’m going to eliminate them completely. If you’re looking for keto diet or carb free alternatives these are not them. However, they are a healthier version of the plain bleached flour non-food carbs that we usually see on the shelves. Eating them sparingly seems like a fine approach in my book!

Continue reading “Healthier Carb Substitutions”

Homemade Vanilla Extract Homeschool Activity

Making homemade vanilla extract is an excellent homeschool activity. So much learning in one simple project and we get to enjoy the fruits of our labor after it’s marinated a while when they help me bake some goodies 🍪🥧🍰#winwin These also make great gifts for neighbors, coworkers, teachers, etc. You can keep them perpetually by topping them off with vodka as you use the extract.

🔢 Incorporated math while learning about measuring, portions and quantities, and fractions.

🔬🧬 Tons of science and chemistry learning about distillation and fermentation along with properties of food preservation.

🌎Exploring geography using two different vanilla beans from 2 of our continent units.

📝 Reflection and writing while we compared the size, shape, smell, and properties of both beans. Madagascar vanilla beans had less floral sweet notes than the Tahitian beans from Indonesia but were bigger and more oily.

Can’t wait to see how our extract turns out! 🤩

Update: After about 3 months they had turned a nice amber color, after a year and they’re still going strong!


Want to make your own? Here’s our Shopping list:

  • A decent vodka, we opted for Absolute, we got a large bottle since we used 7 oz per jar
  • Tahitian Vanilla Beans this is a pack of 10 which was easy to split into 2-3 beans per jar
  • Madagascar Vanilla Beans also a pack of 10
  • Swing top glass jars these are fabulous and reusable, would also make cute gifts, they also come with the little chalk labels

Unilateral Clubfoot Bracing

I felt the need to compose this because there is so little information out there for parents to find when it comes to bracing options with clubfoot treatment. If you’ve followed our Clubbie Adventures you know that we made the choice early on, prior to our daughters birth really, that we would use a unilateral brace after casting. While this seemed like the most logical decision for us it was NOT the easiest option to find information about, procure, or gain clinical insight into. It took some major digging and months and months of research to get answers to our questions. If I had only been able to access the information that we have now our journey could’ve been less stressful. For anyone out there considering a unilateral bracing option for their child I hope this information helps you weigh the options and have some clarity. Continue reading “Unilateral Clubfoot Bracing”

The Life of Homeschooling

Well there’s a post I never thought I’d be writing. I tell everyone that homeschooling was never part of my life plan, so I thought. I loved the idea of it in theory but it was one of those “oh good for them, I could never do that” type of things. Until I really had no choice. Thus ensued one of the craziest, challenging, and rewarding experiences of my life that my family will always remember…

Aug 5 2020

Well here you have it folks, my homeschool or more formally known as the dining room. It’s a work in progress as this impromptu idea finally takes hold. Rearranging the entire house to accommodate the desk workspace in the back room was a fun time. As well as digging up anything I could repurpose for this absolutely insane adventure. I have many reasons for making the agonizing decision to do this, it is NOT the path I ever wanted and I’d be lying to say I wasn’t angry at what I feel forced to do here. However, I’m hoping this “mustard seed” blooms larger than life and I’m crossing my fingers to keep a shred of my sanity in tact over the next 10 months. I feel an immense amount of pressure to do this right for the sake of my children’s futures and my perfectionism allows no room for grace for myself. 4 kids. 4 grades. I think I can. I know I can. #operationhomeschoolisback#hangingonfordearlife#dinnerpartieswillhavetowait

The best way to tell the story is to start at the end because it sums up the entirety of this experience and most notably that we survived. The long and short of it is that we decided to pull our kids out of the public school system after the epic disaster that is “remote learning” and homeschool them for the school year of 2020-2021. Our intention was to take it one day at a time with the goal of them returning to the public school system after the chaos of Covid19 had died down. I will detail our year in various posts but the takeaway is the finish line. For anyone considering this, here’s a peek into the last day of our year.

Continue reading “The Life of Homeschooling”

Design Trends 2021

Have I mentioned my design obsession? Oh yes, yes I have. As such I’m perpetually decorating or re-decorating or helping others decorate or re-decorate. Here are my insights into the big trends we will start seeing the next couple of years.


For the past 5-6 years we’ve seen a major boom in the industrial farmhouse vibe. Thanks to shows like Fixer Upper that gave this rustic yet modern style a name and a face the world hopped on the bandwagon hard. It’s cozy and inviting but new and fresh, it’s casual enough for every day families to embrace with the potential to elevate for those with a more traditional and crisp design style. While the farmhouse vibe isn’t going anywhere anytime soon I think we will start to see that married to some other more progressive yet vintage design ideas. Is that a thing? Progressive/vintage? Well that’s what I’m calling it.

Continue reading “Design Trends 2021”

What Doesn’t Kill You Makes You Stronger

While my Dad was sick I would often find myself singing this, if I heard it on the radio I’d tear up. I still do. It was a fitting ballad I guess as he was we were fighting and still remains true now that he’s gone.

What doesn’t kill you makes a fighter
Footsteps even lighter
Doesn’t mean I’m over cause you’re gone

I’m not sure it made me stronger. Maybe one day at the end of my journey on this earth I’ll look back and be able to answer that with more certainty. What it did do was change my entire perspective on life. Especially given the fact that I was young when he died, I was 27. Most 27 year olds were worrying about what bar they were going to that evening or which Tinder date they were going to meet up with. Others were stressing out about potty training or wedding planning. Continue reading “What Doesn’t Kill You Makes You Stronger”

WGU Nursing Program- An Inside Look

Are you considering Western Governors University for your nursing degree? If so, here’s some of my insight into the inner workings of coursework at WGU. This is my insider advice on tackling each assessment area and how to navigate the road of their RN to BSN and BSN to MSN program/s which I completed myself. You can read more about my journey here. Course by course tips for the BSN are here and for the MSN are here.
Continue reading “WGU Nursing Program- An Inside Look”

Arbonne Detox Week 2

Off we go to week 2 of my journey through the 30 Days to Healthy Living bootcamp!

I’m still working on healthy dinners that are low to no carb. This isn’t necessarily a requirement of the bootcamp but I’ve found that it is a good area of improvement needed in our lives. After all, this experience is about making a lifestyle change that sticks beyond bootcamp.

So far we’ve found some great recipes and have made or modified a few of our own. The main issue I’ve seen here is that the kids are not as happy with our meals as they usually are. Continue reading “Arbonne Detox Week 2”

Choosing a Clubfoot Doctor

I offer the following insight into choosing the RIGHT DOCTOR for clubfoot treatment. This is CRUCIAL. I had no idea how important this seemingly simple decision would be much like other parents out there. Please research and do your homework, take my advice below to make the right decision for your little one!

After the initial shock of the clubfoot diagnosis subsided and once we got the amnio and microarray testing back confirming that our baby was perfectly fine with just a special foot we moved to the next phase, choosing a doctor for her treatment after birth. Continue reading “Choosing a Clubfoot Doctor”