New product line coming soon: Kids Love Mail character letters

Children love to get mail. My 5 -year old enjoys checking the mail every day, always hoping there will be something in it for her. To actually receive a piece of mail addressed to her is a true joy and really makes her day. It's such a simple thing to send a letter but in our world of text messages, emails, and Face Book, it is quickly becoming a lost art. Yet children can learn so much from reading or composing a simple letter. It is an activity that boosts creativity, penmanship, proper grammar, and can be downright enjoyable. That is especially so if the letter the child is reading comes from a friend or pen-pal.

Thus an idea was born.

As a homeschooling mom of three, I appreciate any chance to squeeze in some educational activities into my children's day. I know the few times my children had pen-pals they were excited about it. Unfortunately pen pals don't always write back faithfully and before long, we find that all correspondence has stopped.

As a small business owner specializing in hand-crafted products, I am constantly aware that a hot selling craft may become tomorrow's least desired object once the general population learns how to copy the product for themselves. I have two Etsy crafts stores and most of my sales come from the same two items: lip balms and bottle cap jewelry. Most everyone I know in the teen/tween realm has learned to make caps already, so I anticipate that in a few years, this current fad will die out. I am always on the lookout for a new product, a new idea. Because we homeschool and live on one income, I try to find ways to be able to stay home in my God-given role and still be a little bit of a financial help-meet to my sweet husband.

As a Christian mom, I long for good role models for my children. Especially for my daughter who is growing up too fast in an age of often less-than-ideal Hollywood women to model herself after.

When all these ideas merged (and with some help and ideas from fellow WAHMs over on the www.bizymoms.com network), I decided I could try to meet all these goals with one new simple idea: a character letter writing service for children.

You've probably seen ads where you can send x amount of money and get a letter from Santa at the North Pole or a letter from the Tooth Fairy. This is a similar idea but so much more. I have spent a few sleepless nights developing a series of characters to interact with your children by mail through one-time letter sales or via a yearly subscription service.

Just to give you an overview of what is to come, I'll have two services geared towards different ages.

The first and most basic service will be seasonal monthly letters to children ages 4-8 or so. These will be from characters such as Santa and the Tooth Fairy, but also Patty the Leprechaun, Hug-a-Bug, Sally Sunshine, Lady Liberty, Bubbles the Clown, Frostina the Snow Princess, Hoppy the Bunny, and more. Each letter packet will include some sort of coloring sheet or activity page, the personalized letter to the child, and fillers such as a simple craft kit, stickers, balloons, notepads, pencils, etc. On the child's birthday there will be a special letter with a small gift enclosed. Children will be encouraged to write back or draw pictures to send to me (the character) which will be acknowledged in the next reply letter. This is an early start to reading and writing letters and hopefully will plant some seeds in young minds. When my children were little I bought a subscription to a company that sent an educational packet by mail. They so looked forward to getting that little packet in the mail. I would be delighted to find out my character letters were sparking the same kind of interest in another child.

As excited as I am about the younger letter service, my heart is thrilled over the idea I have for my older character letter service. At present I will only be marketing it towards tween and elementary girls. It will not only plant the seeds of letter writing but will also be a way I can encourage girls to be godly and be their best. I am calling it the BFF Club and I am looking into getting a graphic artist to draw out the 6 characters I have floating in my head.

Meet the characters:

Chloe-fun-loving, friendly, popular, a true friend who throws the best parties

Lily-a dreamer, artsy, crafty, creative, always has a vision and sees it through

Laurel-loves to read and is an excellent student but also makes time for hanging out and having fun

Star- a naturalist and animal lover, she likes to take care of God's world and all the living creatures in it

Adrienne-a fashionista and shop-a-holic, wants to be a fashion designer and live in Milan or Paris; she teaches girls how to be cute and trendy while dressing modestly

Alex-fitness and sports are where its at; she teaches girls to be healthy and fit and to glorify God with their bodies

My newsletter software will allow me to produce a nice letter from a different girl each month. The characters will share all sorts of things from tips on doing well in school to themed-party ideas to recipes and volunteer opportunities. There will also be a Bible verse to memorize each month and a section called "Hear it, Learn it, Live it" where girls learn to apply the memory verse to their lives. Another regular feature will be the "Be a Better Me" section where each character learns to work on an aspect of her life to be more godly. For example, Chloe is everyone's best friend, but sometimes she feels caught up in the other girl's squabbles. What does God's word say about being a friend? About being a peacemaker? As Chloe examines her own life and its problems, she will be able to give practical advice to other real girls like her who might be going through a similar experience. Short articles and graphics will hold girl's attention. There will also be links to safe websites where girls can learn and grow and receive free items.

On top of all this, each letter will include something fun--a small trinket or gift, a craft kit, a homemade beauty product safe for young skin, a jewelry item, etc. And on the child's birthday, parents can request a custom letter from the character of their choice written to the child, along with a birthday gift. The BFF Club is part character letter service, part pen pal service, part craft club, all rolled into a fun, Christian theme. It will available soon at www.whimsylanecreations.etsy.com so be sure to check it out.

I welcome your feedback and comments on this endeavor.

Blessings,

Lynn

craft classes

Mc Minnville:

Watch for postings from me about future craft classes for kids and adults...coming soon to Et Cetera on Main Street.

TOS Crew: my second time to be a mate

I am very excited to be chosen again to be on the TOS Homeschool Crew. This is the third year of the voyage and my second time around to try out wonderful free products. God provided this opportunity for me as a confirmation that, yes, I am to homeschool again this year. My husband has been physically ill for months and is now back at work. We are blessed to see him able to work again, but it has been a hard year emotionally and financially. We have had some very trying lessons to learn about God's provision and our own faith-walk. I know I spent more time on my knees this year than I have in a long time. I think God likes to remind us that this world is not our home and there is a much better place to look forward to. If we never had trials here, we wouldn't feel as though we need Him or Heaven. The trials are hard to go through and hard to understand but they keep us grounded in Him. My mother-in-law is a godly woman who says we can choose to become bitter or better after a trial. I am hoping we learn to be better.

My friend Angela likes to remind me of how diamonds are created through intense pressure and heat. Look how beautiful they become! How rare and of how much worth. How much more beautiful are we to our Lord after a period of refining by fire!

I pray blessings upon all moms and those who are going through a difficult leg of life's journey. But I especially pray and hold dear to my heart those who are committed to the cause of homeschooling and all the details it encompasses.

-Lynn

Etc! on Main Street

So excited to be approved to have my crafts and b&b goods sold in Etc! on Main Street in McMinnville. I am currently crafting, bagging, and tagging about 40 items to put in, from glass necklaces to soaps to lip balms. Hope to have all items in by the end of this week. Go by and visit if you get a chance. They are located across from the fire hall and have a lot of pretty things to sell. The painted plaques are adorable! Tell them Lynn sent you.

I also was invited to join my first Etsy team. I am still learning what it involves but hopefully it'll mean even more exposure.

Held a two-day promo at www.whimsylanecreations.etsy.com and racked up about 40 sales. One sale was for 20 caps! That's what I'm talking about. Thank the Lord for the blessings.

Nick is away at church camp in Florida while the littles and I pet-sit for the youth pastor and his wife (who are also on the trip to Florida). While on the trip Nick spent the first 24 hours with ice pick headaches and bad nose bleeds. Day two he thought he broke his toe. I wonder what today holds? Hopefully safe fun! Back home here it's been an experience taking care of the two tiny bundles of energy on top of my dog and her six pups, crabs, fish, frog, and two cats. Is this a zoo or what? I am thinking of charging admission. :)

In between all that and recent Easter fun, my new shop at www.whimsylanecreations.com is in the works. It will feature a drop-down menu that will make it much easier to order personalized items and give discounts than it is on Etsy. Plus it will be ultra-girly!

Take care until next post,

Lynn

My friend's blog is holding a give-away

GIVE AWAY!!!

You don't want to miss this! Jennifer, over at The Trendy Spot

http://www.thetrendyspot.blogspot.com/

is hosting a give-away this month for this adorable, hand-made cloth baby doll and a super-fab new key chain/mini change purse she just invented. Gotta get one of these ladies! If you are on-the- go but don't want to mess with lugging a purse, this is for you. This is Jennifer's take on her own creation:

"A fabulous new item! The other week we went to a concert at the Sommet Center. I didn't want to carry my purse for obvious reasons but since I was the driver, I needed my license, insurance card and of course I needed my cell and money. So, I drug my purse along with me. When I got home, I had an idea in my head and set out to create it. So, this is what I came up with... A small keychain/ID holder that has plenty of room for your debit/credit cards and money and a roomy pocket on the back for your cell phone!"

Go check her out and tell her Lynn sent ya. ;)

Sampler Village

Both my shops will have samples in the March and April Sampler Village boxes.

So go check it out and order your awesome sample box today!

www.SamplerVillage.com

Our "typical" school day, part 2

Note: We are night owls by nature, although since hubby got moved to day shift, we are trying hard to make the transition after 11 years. So first off you'll see that we sleep later than most people and wake up later. The getting in bed earlier and waking earlier...well, its not really working yet. Its just so hard to get past 11 years of staying up late. I find myself having more migraines in the last few weeks, especially on the weekends when I get up at 4 am to take hubby to work. Barring we don't have a migraine day or any place to be, and everything goes smoothly, this is usually what a typical day looks like for us.

8:30 am...Mom wakes and heads to computer. This is my time to work on listing items in my shop, catch up on Facebook, and emails.

9 am...kids wake up. They begin chores/showers while I finish my stuff.

10 am...we "clock in" (yes, I count our hours...I get lots of strange looks when I tell people I do this; apparently its viewed as sort of anal. lol But here's the thing: I get easily distracted. There is always some new website, or a book, or a craft calling my name. If I didn't keep up with our hours, I'd never get schooling done because I'd never leave the computer, and Nick wouldn't have any high school credits. )

We usually begin on the couch together doing devotions and prayer. We didn't always put Bible first and sometimes we still don't, but our day seems to flow better when we do. It sets the stage for the rest of our day. We're reading through the Bible in a year along with our church family. Ash is too little to really comprehend our daily reading, so she usually plays. I try to make sure she gets some little kid Bible stories in each week so she's not left out.

After Bible, we scatter. Nick goes to one computer to work on Switched on Schoolhouse for language, another Bible study on the NT, and history/govt. Adrian, meanwhile, is on the internet working at www.time4learning.com on his core subjects. This is when Ash and I cook lunch or squeeze in some pre-k stuff.

12 noon...lunch break and recess. Kids can go outside or play a video game. Sometimes we cut it short and start right back in school if we have an afternoon errand. Or we'll frequently eat while working if we have to leave early in the day. But if there is no place to be, we take the whole hour free. I love to be able to catch up on chores halfway through the day.

1 pm....back to work. Nick moves to internet for Learning Upgrade's Algebra online program or to the laptop to work on Tell Me More Spanish. I like to take this time to sit with Adrian and Ashleigh and do some Five in a Row. When Nick is done with computer work, he works from either his Artistic Pursuits art lessons, silent reading, or his Apologia Biology. When the FIAR lesson is done, Adrian catches up on random worksheets and Ashleigh plays or gets a little TV time.

If there is still time left to get our 4 hours in, we'll do some silent reading. If the kids will be good and read for thirty minutes of DEAR (Drop Everything and Read) time, I can sneak in some additional Bible study time or parenting books. This is when Nick is trying to get in some classics and books from his 9th grade reading list.

If we stick to our schedule we can be done by 3 pm. But often Nick's work takes longer or we'll get absorbed in our FIAR lesson and keep going past the 4 hours. We have been known to start as late as 11 am and end at 4 or 5 pm.

Late afternoons and evenings are for family time, church, youth group, 4-H clubs and sports. Generally the kids are in bed by 11 pm, while Dad and I finish up a rerun of Criminal Minds. I often stay up until 12 or 1, crafting new items to add to my Etsy shops. It's my only really quiet, 100% free time.

**Side note: I could sleep about 5 hours and be raring to go again but for some reason, Ashleigh still gets up every night to find me. She sleeps through the night only about once every 5 months, no kidding. I'm exhausted most days. We're not sure why she doesn't sleep solidly. Doesn't seem to matter what she eats or drinks, or how early or late we put her in bed or how busy she's been.

I try to dim the lights every night and settle in her with rocking, snuggling, and stories. Still she'll awaken about three hours after falling asleep. Sometimes this happens multiple times, and so I am up and down putting her back in bed. Then I get up at 4 am long enough to make sure Jarred is awake and see him off. I think this up- and- down sleep pattern is killing me slowly. I look forward to a day when I get a good 4-5 hours of SOLID, uninterrupted sleep. ;) Then maybe we can get up "on time" and be more "typical". lol

Today was a "not so typical" day. Long night last night; lots of ups and downs with Ash and Adrian , who has a bad sore throat and couldn't sleep well. Got behind on my Etsy store work this morning and my chores, and let kids way over sleep. Started with lunch first today because we were so hungry, then schooled from 12 noon until 4 pm without breaks.

As long as we get our four hours in, it really doesn't matter when or how. :) Again, the beauty of it all. I prefer to have a similar schedule every day but sometimes things get mixed up a bit and we just jump in head-first and make it work.

Well , there you have it. Hope you enjoy planning your homeschool day according to YOUR needs.

-Lynn