Pollywog's Place Blog

Escaping Today’s Stress By Taking A Step Back In Time

Published on April 29, 2019June 18, 2026 by Susie @ Pollywog's Place Blog2 Comments

WARNING: This post may contain a picture overload as I did take quite a few pictures while we were out on our adventures!

Over the weekend we had been invited to attend a small festival at Camp Milton where they were going to be having a battle reenactment. The time period was the 1800s which just happened to fit in with our Kirby’s Kids Academic Adventures and the Little House On The Prairie Adventures we’ve been doing with our homeschool so of course, I said we’d go. Plus it was a chance to see one of our friendly square dancers in action as he is an avid participant at these events.

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May Is National Mental Health Month

Published on April 29, 2019June 18, 2026 by Susie @ Pollywog's Place Blog1 Comment

As many of you know, by reading the title of this post, May is National Mental Health Awareness Month. There are so many stigmas around mental health and mental illnesses that oftentimes people don’t seek out the services that they truly need when they need them. We watch loved ones sink into depression and self medicate to cope with their emotions because they may feel like they will look weak or fear being judged if they ask for help. In reality, it takes a lot of strength to admit that you need help with something. I have listed some hotline numbers at the end of the post if you, or someone you know, needs to speak to someone. You can also download a toolkit from the link above.

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Sign up Today! Raising Adventurous Eaters – 3-step solution even for picky kids

Published on April 28, 2019June 18, 2026 by Susie @ Pollywog's Place Blog1 Comment

Image by tookapic from Pixabay

Ah, dinner time.

That moment in the day where the whole family comes together, enjoys a nourishing meal, and takes a genuine interest in one another’s day…

(or maybe…not?)

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Google Home: The Ultimate Homeschool Helper

Published on April 27, 2019April 26, 2019 by Susie @ Pollywog's Place Blog3 Comments

We have often shared things that we love and use on a daily basis. We’ve been sharing about our Kirby’s Kids Academic Adventures as we read through the Little House on the Prairie stories. (More lessons to come soon, I promise.) We’ve also done our share of ‘free schooling’ and schooling-on-the-fly lately as life can often times get very crazy at the drop of the hat.

You know we’ve had our own share of struggles with special needs, speech issues, and learning disabilities too. We’ve shared a lot of the great programs we use like ABC Mouse, Mystery Science, Kids Cook Real Food, and Character Concepts, plus many great resources like NotebookPages.com, Skill Trek, UnitStudy.com, Kiwi Co, Green Kid Crafts, and Positive Parenting Solutions that have really helped us out with our homeschooling journey.

One of our favorite resources lately has been our Google Home device that we received last year through a product testing opportunity. This thing is AMAZING! Not only has it helped to relieve some of my stressors as I have been able to integrate our Cozi calendar into the system, look up recipes in a pinch but it has also helped out in so many other ways.

Google is a talking encyclopedia!

Mr. Joey (7) asks approximately 31,252,374 questions a day! I may be on the low side of that estimate though… lol. Mr. Jacob (5) asks at least half that many questions too. This means my mind is constantly in a whirlwind trying to remember how many teeth a timber has or how big a blue whale baby is when it’s born. They are so inquisitive and curious about everything which is where Google has helped out. Now they can just ask Google!

Since I have my Cozi calendar integrated into it, Google can even tell the kids what we are having for dinner. Okay, sometimes I do feel a little bit sorry for Google and tell the kids that Google needs a break.

Google is a speech therapist!

Not only has this feature helped the kids learn some amazing facts it has also helped them with some of their speech issues. Yep, that’s right. If they don’t say something correctly then Google doesn’t recognize it. This means they must slow down and practice speaking more clearly. Continue reading “Google Home: The Ultimate Homeschool Helper” →

Save Energy And Earn Money With OhmConnect

Published on April 26, 2019April 26, 2019 by Susie @ Pollywog's Place BlogLeave a comment

Have you heard of this site? I just learned about it today and it seems like such an amazing idea and with Earth day just passed this is one more way we can focus on helping out. It’s free to sign up and use and even if your utility company isn’t on their list, like mine, you can still earn money by helping to spread the word.

When I first read about it I really didn’t know what it was. I had been on Pinterest last night and you know how that goes… Well, this morning I got up early and went back to look over a few tabs I had left open on my laptop. The one for OhmConnect was one of the first that I decided to check out. (I’ve also done a little research to make sure this isn’t a scam and from what I’ve seen they aren’t and I’ll post links to some of the articles at the end of this post.)

Here’s a screenshot of just how easy it is:

They have a revolutionary way of helping us to avoid using ‘dirty’ energy and help us to maximize our ‘clean’ energy. Many families use these times to unplug and reconnect, what a great idea! Don’t just take my word for it, go ahead and check it out today!

And here’s those links I promised to other articles that talk about OhmConnect:

**This post does contain affiliate links to products and/or services that we use. We may earn a teensy weensy small commission (at NO EXTRA cost to you) if a purchase is made through these links. These links help to support our family, our blog, and our homeschooling mission. Thank you!