Category: Susie’s Corner

Preparing for Daylight Savings Time

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It is almost that time of year again and when you have so many kiddos with so many unique needs then this is something that can cause complete CHOAS in your household… along with weather changes, moon changes, and just about any kind of unexpected changes.

‘Losing’ that hour of sleep can wreak havoc on your body and upset your circadian rhythm which isn’t good. Here in our house, it’s really not good because we have kiddos who don’t understand the concept of time change and they just get unbearable to be around.

This year we’ve been trying a little experiment to hopefully prepare us for the upcoming time change and maybe keep things under control around here… fingers are crossed.

We’ve been setting our alarms 15 minutes earlier every Sunday night for the past 2 weeks and getting in bed a tad earlier at night… with the idea that when Daylight Savings Time actually rolls around they won’t have so much trouble with the adjustment… fingers and toes crossed now!

The kids have been a little grumpy the first couple of days of the week with the earlier wake times but it doesn’t last long. We usually head outside first thing in the morning to feed up and that seems to chase the grumpies away… yay! It has been shown that getting some daylight early in your day can help with your circadian rhythm and we already know that fresh air can work wonders.

On the night before the actual change, we always set the clocks ahead to prepare for the next day. Sometimes we do it directly after dinner so they go to bed a little early without realizing what going on… lol.

I will also try to have a ‘light’ school schedule for that first week after the time change so kids can get outside to work those grumpies out or take some naps if they need to. We already have some good routines in place so hopefully, they will help to keep us going on the right track without too many interruptions in the next few weeks.

What are your favorite tips for preparing for Daylight Savings Time?

You can read more about how Daylight Savings Time affects your body and ways to adjust HERE and HERE.

Hubby Approved Surprise Salted Caramel Cupcakes

Published on by Susie @ Pollywog's Place Blog17 Comments

I’ve made this recipe several times now, the first time being at Sweet Shyanne’s 2nd birthday party, and people have not stopped talking about them!

Mr. Awesome has jumped on the keto/THM bandwagon and has been asking for these again and again… the kids beg for them as well so I guess I just need to start making a double batch of them. The first time I saw these cupcakes mentioned was in the Trim Healthy Table cookbook and I thought some silly thoughts about the ‘surprise’ ingredient but I’m so glad I decided to give them a try and I think you will be too!

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Why is trying to be a couch potato so hard for me?

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I’ve been slow with the updates this year but there’s good reason… several good reasons but we’ll only talk about one right now.

I think I have previously mentioned that I had somehow injured my shoulder but I really haven’t updated a lot more about it. Well, it started hurting a little over two years ago when I was spending my days at the hospital with Shyanne as she went through chemo. We had thought it was possibly a frozen shoulder as I did spend a lot of time sitting and holding her in my arms.

Well, it never got better with rest, shots, medication, or therapy so I eventually got a referral to a surgeon. After a couple of visits, we decided the best course of action was shoulder surgery. It was a couple of months between that decision and the actual surgery date so I got busy around here… really busy.

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No Chickens Allowed?

Published on by Susie @ Pollywog's Place Blog2 Comments

I’ve been a bit quiet lately as we’ve had a lot going on around here. Some good, some not so good, and some pretty sad things but we are still here and still keeping on.

**WARNING: this may be something of a ‘RANT’ so feel free to stop reading at any time. I also mention raising animals for human consumption so please STOP HERE if this is something you don’t agree with!

One major issue we’ve been dealing with is homeowner’s insurance which is required by our mortgage company. We’ve been told that many insurance companies have left our state so the number of carriers has been declining rapidly.

We have an older mobile home (1994) so that is another reason we are often given. It’s just been one thing after another and it’s definitely been a challenge to find someone who will insure our home. We had found a company and things were going along well until they did an inspection…

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Quick and Easy Life Skills Summer Camp (At Home)

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This time of year gets crazy around here, and sometimes I feel like I can’t sign up for one. more. thing! I did however just sign up for these workshops. I can fit them into our school schedule, as we are schooling year-round, to help keep things fun and interesting.

I’m all about the quick and easy. I also think that it might come in handy to have the kids be a little more independent around the house as I am scheduled to be out of commission for a bit toward the end of summer… more on that later.

That’s why I’m loving these 3 video workshops from #LifeSkillsNow summer camp. 

  • They’re available right NOW!
  • I don’t have to wait for anything on my calendar
  • They’re super short, about 10 minutes each
  • I don’t have to go anywhere!
  • Kids ages 5-18 are ALL covered! (When is the last time you saw something online that was a good fit for teens??)
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