Refreshing Your Interior Decor: A Guide

Tips to Refresh Interior Decor

Interior Decor got you singing the blues? As a busy homeschool mom, life can become monotonous. Give your life a little boost just by refreshing your home's interior. There’s a difference between a house and a home, and one of the major differences is the personal touch that you’re able to add to it. This personal touch could be anything from a heart-warming family photo to a stuffed animal that you’ve had since you were a teenager that you put in your bedroom. From time to time, however, it can be a good idea to change up your interior and give it a new look. If you don’t have a decorating bone in your body, the thought alone might give you slight anxiety.

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On the other hand, perhaps you’re a pro at it and want a few ideas to give you the inspiration you need. Find ideas on refreshing your interior decor in this guide.

Decide What You Want to Change

Before you refresh your interior décor, you first need to think about what you want to chance. Refreshing means different things to different people, so for some, it may mean a complete transformation while for others, it could be a slight tweak. Take a look at your interior and make a note of the things that you don’t like, are tired of seeing, or need to be disposed of. A hint is to add color, texture, and pattern to give it a different feel. You can then think about where to start when you want to figure that out.

Deep Clean Your Home

Once you’ve decided exactly how you’re going to refresh your home, you can then start by giving it a deep clean. Whether you’re sticking with the same interior or decide to go for something slightly different, if your home is sparkling clean, it can make the changes you make look a lot better. There are a few specific areas to focus your cleaning on mentioned below.

Flooring

No matter what flooring you happen to have, it could do with a deep clean. Whether wood or tile, using the right cleaning products could help it look shiny and glossy. If you have carpet, on the other hand, consider a company like My Technicare as carpet is something that can be tougher to clean.

Windows

Often, when cleaning it’s easy to neglect the windows. However, cleaning it the right way could make the exterior of your house look significantly better. To clean your windows, try getting a good glass cleaner and a microfiber cloth. Before you spray the window, make sure you sweep away any dirt. When you spray the window, wipe one side of the glass horizontally and another vertically.

Furniture

Most people have at least a few pieces of furniture in their home. If you don’t want to end up replacing it in the near future, include this in your deep cleaning too. You can get sofas cleaned by a professional and dust other items with the right products.

Change the Paint

You’d be shocked at how much of a difference simply giving your home a touch up by painting it will make. You could decide to paint on your own or contract the job out to someone else. If you opt to paint yourself, try to avoid uneven painting, not prepping and using the wrong kind of paint.

Replace Worn Items

If you have a breathtaking sofa and it’s littered with throw pillows that are falling apart, it could dampen the entire look. For this reason, replace any items that no longer fit into your overall interior and replace them with new ones. You can usually get discounted items if you look in sales or clearances, so you don’t have to overspend to do this.

The interior of your home should be done up to your taste. If you use some of the above tips, you should find your house becomes your favorite place to be.

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Snow Day Activities

 5 Snow Day Activities to Keep Your Kids Entertained

Snow days are basically the best thing ever for kids. What’s not to love about a random day off from school? For parents, though, seeing their child’s school scroll by on the list of closures during the morning news isn’t always such an exciting experience. Having the kids home on short notice can be stressful for lots of reasons. For some parents, arranging childcare is a huge challenge. Even for stay-at-home parents, having the little ones home unexpectedly isn’t always easy. Don’t let the next snow day get you down. Prepare yourself by checking out these snow day activities to keep your kids entertained.

After a heavy snow, your kids will likely want to spend their morning sled riding or building snowmen. Once the chill sets in and they get tired of being outside, though, you can expect to listen to a chorus of “I’m bored” all afternoon. That is, unless you plan ahead and come up with some indoor activities in advance.

Activities for Snow Days

Bake Up Some Tasty Treats

Baking is always a fun way to warm up and pass the time when you are stuck indoors. Most kids love helping in the kitchen, and with proper supervision, baking is an activity that is fun (and rewarding) for kids of all ages.

There are all sorts of kid-friendly recipes for things like cookies, breads, cupcakes, etc. Pick out a few options and stock up on the supplies necessary to make them. Keep everything on hand and you’ll be prepared for the next snow day.

Baking with your kids is a great way to work on your holiday gift list, too. If a snow day falls prior to the holidays, spend the day making cookies and other goodies to share with your loved ones. The kids will have fun and you’ll get to check something off your holiday to-do list. Talk about a win-win!

Customize Clothing

Arts and crafts projects are the standard go-to when it comes to keeping kids entertained when they are stuck indoors. If you want to try something a bit different from the usual drawing, painting or stringing beads activities, though, consider stocking up on wholesale clothing. There are many ways to customize blank t-shirts and other apparel, and kids of all ages enjoy making their own wearable art.

Wholesale kids’ t-shirts are the perfect foundation for tie-dyeing, drawing, painting and much, much more. You can dye cotton t-shirts with food, use readily available dye kits, customize them with iron-on decals… The options are virtually endless.

Older tweens and teens can also use blank t-shirts and sweatshirts to make entirely new garments and accessories. They can transform t-shirts into purses, skirts, headbands and all sorts of other fun things. There are plenty of ways to give sweatshirts a makeover, too.

Build a Fort

Sometimes, the best activities are the tried and true classics. Chances are, you have your own happy memories of building a fort in your living room or bedroom when you were a kid. Why not help create those memories for your little ones, too?

You can keep things old school by building a fort by draping blankets over chairs and tables or making one out of a large cardboard box for a nostalgic feel. Or, if you want to be a bit more modern, there are now fort building kits that make things much easier. Whichever option you prefer, you and your kids will have a great time building and playing in a fort. You’ll also have a blast getting to see your little one’s imagination at work as they design their creation.

Read a Book Together

When the weather is cold and snowy and you are trapped indoors, you can escape to a place where the weather is a lot more pleasant (or simply doesn’t matter) by getting lost in a book. Consider picking up a few adventure books and tucking them away for the next snow day. Any genre works, but adventure books are great when you want to help your kids mentally escape for a little while.

Cuddle up on the couch with a soft, cozy blanket and read together. Put on your best performance to help your child feel like they are really in the story rather than just listening to it. You may find yourself getting lost in the book, too!

Have a Treasure Hunt

Keep a special toy or treat on hand to surprise your child with when they are home on a snow day. Hide it and then create clues that they need to follow in order to solve it. Riddles are great for older kids. For younger kids, each clue can be something simple, like a picture of where they need to go next.

Putting together this type of scavenger hunt does take a bit of time and planning. If you are running short on time, you can make it a simple game of “hot” and “cold” instead. Tell your child that you have hidden a surprise, and when they are getting closer to it, tell them that they’re getting “warmer.” Tell them they’re getting “colder” if they move farther away from it.

If you have older and younger kids, ask your older child to hide the prize and draw a map that their sibling will then use to find it. As you can tell, there are all sorts of ways to have an indoor treasure hunt. Get creative with it!

The Bottom Line

Keeping your kids entertained when they are stuck at home doesn’t have to be difficult. With a little bit of creativity, you can come up with all sorts of snow day activities that will pass the time and keep you from having to listen to whining, arguing, etc. Look at a snow day as an opportunity for making family memories instead of as a burden. Changing your perspective will make it way easier to have fun with these unexpected days off rather than dreading them.

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Visit Telescope Indiana: IU Link Observatory

Homeschool Science Field Trip: Visit the Link Telescope


If you are looking for something different to do in Indiana, visit the IU Link Observatory Telescope between Mooresville and Martinsville, Indiana. It's a one tank trip from most places in Indiana, and it makes a great homeschool science field trip. Psst... It's not just for homeschoolers and science junkies. Architects, historians, and gardeners will love it too! Keep reading to find out why.

The Link Observatory is a magnificent piece of architecture in a beautiful setting. It sits atop a hill adjacent to a Daffodil garden. Completed in 1939, for Dr. Goethe Link, the domed structure is made of local wood from the property. The dome swivels for a panoramic view of the night sky. Until the 1980's the observatory was used for astronomical research. However, as the the city lights of Indianapolis grew, it made star viewing increasingly difficult.

The adjacent Daffodil garden is the perfect setting for a family picnic, to catch up on reading, to walk your dog, or to paint the gorgeous landscape. The day we visited, an artist was painting a lovely watercolor painting of the dome.

And this happened in 2018, Indiana native, David Wolf, electrical engineer, medical doctor, and astronaut, joined the Link Observatory Space Science Institute staff as Chief Science Officer. Dr. Wolf works with the Institute on STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) educational programming, public engagement, and fundraising.

Link live events take place at area libraries. You can also invite them to do a program at your school, camp, or other event. Check the Link Telescope Event Calendar for activities at the observatory and within the surrounding communities. The Link Observatory is free to the public on the 1st Saturday of each month for night sky viewing and the 2nd Thursday of each month from 9:00 am until 3:00 pm for daytime tours of the telescope and facility.

We visited on a free Thursday. The docent was full of fun facts, science humor, and shared the interesting history of the observatory. It seems Mrs. Goethe planted and cultivated the Daffodils. There are several different species, still blooming after all of these years. 


Tips for your Visit:

Don't expect anyone to greet you at the door. Just walk in and head up the steps to see the telescope.

If you visit during the day, pack a picnic lunch. You can tour the facility in under 20 minutes, but be sure to let the guide share the telescope's history with you. We even got a demonstration of the dome pivoting around its track.

When you're done, head over to Martinsville to visit the Martinsville Candy Kitchen or the Martinsville Farmer's Market.



Recommended:

Indiana: Between Camby and Moorseville on State Rd. 67 visit the Dr. Who Store and Museum

For more one tank trips and family friendly vacation ideas follow us on Instagram or check out our  Things to Do on Vacation page.

Click here to find some cool kids telescopes.

Homeschooling Online: Cave Study Lesson

Cave Study Lesson for Homeschooling Grade 3, 4, 5, 6 and up.

Homeschooling Online: Cave Study Lesson.

Elementary Earth Science: Grades 3-6

Cave Study

Explore California Caverns

Optional Group Activity:

Watch The Cave of Forgotten Dreams (Netflix) Documentary Movie on the oldest human painted images known to man. This is a full-length, artsy, feature film.

PBS Secrets of the Dead: Caveman Cold Case (53 minutes)

Educational Technology Component

Do an internet search for the following terms. Define in your own words.

Karst

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________


Speleologist_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________


Spelunking__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Stalactites___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________


Stalagmites__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Paleontologist________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Mathematics Component

Cave Run Multiplication Game

Plot the following terms on the timeline:

Ice Age, Stone Age, Cretaceous, First Neanderthals

65,000,000 B.C. _____1,000,000 B.C. _____250,000 B.C. _____ 30,000 B.C. _____10,000 B.C. _____5000 B.C. _____2500 B.C. _____1000 A.D.  

Making Connections

When did the horse first appear in cave paintings?  What did the earliest ancestor of the horse resemble in size? When did this animal live? Plot it on the timeline.

Language Arts Component

The evolution of language: Proto-writing, Cave Art.  

Ancient History: The Alphabet

Write (Draw) a simple story describing how you acquired breakfast. What did you eat? Was it a feast or were you still hungry after you ate? Use cave painting symbols and make a key so others can interpret your work.

Science Component

List five things that inhabit caves today.

__________________________________________

__________________________________________

__________________________________________

__________________________________________

__________________________________________

__________________________________________

Watch this Video:  Bats  (BrainPop Paid Subscribers)

Field Trip Op: Learn about the Endangered Bats in Indiana at Sodalis Park.

Art Component

Cave Painting Craft

Butcher Paper Cave Wall Art

Science Fair

Build a science fair diorama.

Art History Just for Fun Online Games and Movies

Watch The Croods or Ice Age.

Hooda Cave Math Game

Recommended Reading:

Bats by Gail Gibbons *affiliate link

Science Project: Make a Cave Diorama 


Print this! Free Cave Lesson Printable

  
Copyright 2014 by Lora Langston, Kids Creative Chaos.

Beach Theme Pool Party Ideas for Teens and Tweens

Sweet Sixteen Pool Party Decorations and Ideas

Planning a pool party for a sweet 16? A beach themed pool party is a lot of fun! It can be difficult to plan a birthday party theme for teens and tweens. Even if you don't have a "real" pool you can have a pool party for a sweet 16 birthday party. Just get an inflatable pool (or two) and add lots of fun decorations and beach themed food. We love planning parties with The Oriental Trading; they are our go to spot for summer fun. They have the most fun decorations at the best prices. So, have the best pool party ever for teens or tweens with these pool party activities, food, and fun decorating ideas with a pink and green flamingo theme. Enjoy!

Best Family Summer Vacation Tips

How to Make This Summer One of the Best for Your Family 

The reality of life is that unless you have access to mass funds, you have to work for a living. This means that when you have a family, you’ve got to become a master at balancing work and life. For several families, this means making the most of summer vacations as this is when the kids get the most time off school. As a parent, you may wonder how you can ensure that your children feel your presence and enjoy being at home full-time during summer vacation. Here, you’ll find some tips on how you can make this summer one of the best yet for your family. 

This post contains Amazon Affiliate links.

Tips to Have the Best Summer Vacation

Be Present 

The first summer vacation tip for making this summer memorable for your family is to be fully present. This is hard to do in a digital age where people are constantly glued to their phones, tablets, and any other device they can find. Parenting meditation, which is when you focus on hearing, seeing, and understanding your kids can help you stay in each moment with your family and drown out the background noise. 

It also helps when you put your gadgets away while spending time with your kids. Remember, it’s all about them for that moment, so if possible, let everything else wait until later. 

Have Allocated Quality Time 

The next vacation tip is to focus on quality over quantity. It has often been said that it’s less about how much time you spend with your kids and more about the quality of the time that you spend. So ensure you allocate time that will be spent with your family and try to stick with it.

To spend more quality time with the kids, make the most of your everyday routine. This means inviting them to cook with you, making cleaning up fun and taking walks instead of the car. Also, making a conscious effort to eat at least one meal a day together could make a world of difference too. 

Go on Vacation 

If you can afford it, why not take your family on vacation this summer? Going on an adventure to a new place is one way to create unforgettable memories. Believe it or not, an affordable destination that everyone in your family may enjoy is Indonesia. It’s home to the famous Bali, and there are more than enough activities for you to do there as a family. They also have family-friendly villas in Seminyak that you should consider when you’re looking for accommodations. 

Plan Activities 

Instead of guessing your way through each day, why not plan your activities instead? Think about one or two fun things you can do with the kids every week so that you all have something to look forward to. It could be as simple as having a small family BBQ or planning a family and friends game’s night. 

This is also your chance to explore your city and go to museums, festivals or anything else you may find interesting. Think about creating something tangible with your kids, whether it’s a family tree, scrapbook, or painting. This will give you  memory to look back and smile about once it’s time to head back to school.

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