Gift Ideas for Teachers When You're E-Learning

 Whatever you call it: remote learning, e-learning, digital learning, etc...it is all the same.  Many students this year are e-learning due to either their parent's choice in an effort to keep them safe or the school having to go to remote learning because of rising Covid-19 cases.  

A common misconception is that teachers are doing nothing during e-learning.  The truth however, is that teachers are still working and probably harder than they had to when they were in the building!  Lesson videos have to be made, every student checked in with, paper packets made for students who don't have internet, assessments changed into digital format, classwork still needs graded, parents and students have constant questions, etc.

As we roll towards the winter holiday season, please don't forget your child's teacher.  Gift giving can be hard when you aren't going to SEE the person.  Ordinarily you could just tuck a gift in your child's backpack and send them on the bus.  But what do you do now when there's no way to get a gift to the teacher?

Here are some ideas for gifts you can give your child's teacher this Christmas that they will love and that honor the social distancing rules.

1. Target gift card. 

Is there a gift list that doesn't include a Target gift card? LOL  Everyone loves them. These can be very easily emailed to the teacher and I've always had luck with the recipients getting the email.  Bonus: There's no physical card to risk getting lost!

2. Teachers Pay Teachers gift card.  

This website allows teachers to get many things for free but there are also items that cost money.  Things are reasonably priced, many at $1-5.  Teachers can get extra games, activities, and lesson ideas from this site.  In fact, I don't know any teacher who doesn't use TpT at some point in the year.  A $5 gift card would go a long way and just like the Target cards, these are digital and simple to email.

3. Write a note telling them what you appreciate about them. 

Be specific: the funny video they sent your child when he was sick and they wanted to cheer him up?  How organized they have been through e-learning?  That they still found a way to honor your child's birthday while e-learning?  That they always have a smile on their face?  

Find some specifics and write them down.  Email it or write it by hand and snap a pic that you send.  This gift costs nothing but will mean the world to the teacher. Trust me.

4. Send their boss an email and CC the teacher.  

Let the principal know how much this teacher has done for the students.  It doesn't have to be long "Dear Principal Pat, I just wanted to say how much Jimmy has enjoyed being in Mrs. Great's class this year.  Even though we've had to distance learn, Mrs. Great has found ways to build a relationship with Jimmy.  He talks constantly about what book she is reading to them and is always eager to log in for his daily Zoom.  Signed, Parent."

Bonus tip: This is a nice way to acknowledge specials teachers too.  Gym, art, library, music---those teachers love your kids too!  

5. Coordinate some parents to create a book.

If you are able to contact the other parents, you could ask them to do #3 (write a little card/note about what they appreciate about the teacher) and snap a pic of their child with the card.  Parents will send you the photos and you can assemble them into a Google Slides presentation that you then share with the teacher.  The teacher will be able to print the pages and make themselves a book.  Alternatively you could make the book  yourself with an app like Shutterfly, though then you couldn't deliver the book to the teacher digitally.

The 4 Budget Categories You are Forgetting!

Ahhh, the b-word.  No, not that one.  Budgeting. It can sometimes feel tedious to budget for every dollar but really, no matter your income level or financial status, you need a budget!  Having a budget makes every dollar work harder for you.  

Obviously everyone knows that you have to list out your bills when you make a budget: rent/mortgage, gas, electricity, cell phone.

But there are 4 budget categories that you might be forgetting! Over the years, as my husband and I have written numerous budgets, some of these we forgot about too!  No fear, just be sure to add in these categories when planning your monthly finances.

1. Holidays

As Dave Ramsey says, Christmas is on December 25th every year.  It can't sneak up on you--we know it's coming! :) Likewise, my kids' birthdays, and our anniversary all fall on the same day every year.  Sure Easter and Thanksgiving kind of rotate around but... close enough.  

Make a list of who you buy for and about how much you want to spend. Add it all up, divide by 12 and then save that much every single month so that when the birthdays and holidays roll around, you aren't feeling pressured to go into debt.  

You can put the money in a cash envelope and keep it at home, make a separate sub account for it with your bank, or open an entirely different holiday savings account (many banks and credit unions offer accounts specifically for holiday savings!)  

Don't let this happen to you!

2. Car Maintenance

I saved up money from my teaching job and bought myself a gently used vehicle and was able to pay cash.  We don't have a car loan but we do have money taken out of every check and put in savings for our next vehicle.  However, cars need their oil changes, tires rotated, sometimes things break or need repaired.  

If your car needs a $200 repair to be functional, do you know how you'll pay for it?  Try to keep a bit of money set aside so you don't have to go into debt at the auto shop!

3. Unexpected Gifts

Yes, we plan for Christmas and birthdays (see #1 above).  But you know what happens sometimes?  You have the perfect amount budgeted for the holidays you will celebrate that year and then BAM 3 coworkers are pregnant and you need 3 baby shower gifts. A cousin gets married and you need a wedding gift.  Uncle Sal passes away and you need to send flowers. 

Be sure to have a bit of money stashed away for those unexpected gift needs that arise during the year.

4. Giving

Sadly, when you search "Budgets" on Pinterest or "budget categories", many of them have no line item for giving. Yet there is such a great need in our world. 

25% of children in OUR country, the United States, are food insecure.  As I write this we have a 14% unemployment rate.  The Covid19 pandemic has made people sick, forced businesses to change how they operate, and cost many people their lives or their jobs.  

The amount you choose to give regularly is up to you.  For our family, we follow the tithing guideline of a 10% minimum.  

You can give to your local church and/or many places that could benefit from your monthly donation. Here are just a few: 

• March of Dimes, 
• St. Jude Children's Hospital, 
• Special Olympics, 
• your local homeless shelter, 
• or a local domestic violence shelter.

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There you have the 4 budget categories you may have forgotten: holidays, car maintenance, unexpected gifts, and giving. Can you think of any others that often escape our minds when writing that first budget?  If so, leave a comment to let me know!

[Related: 7 Things We Don't Mind Spending Money On]

Self Care at Christmas

The hustle and bustle of Christmas can be wonderful. I love planning gifts for loved ones, seeing decorations up through town, and spending time with family.

However, I do NOT love the stress of making sure every gift is wrapped, that all the gifts we are taking with us actually make it to the car before we leave for the long-distance family, children with cabin fever who won't quit bickering, and constantly being surrounded by people.  This introvert needs a few minutes alone!

Chances are, this season has YOU in need of some self-care, too!  Read on for 9 easy ways to take care of yourself this month.

1. Get enough sleep.

I'm serious!  Quit staying up late for just one more thing.  Go to bed. (This is the hardest one for me to do!)

2. Play holiday music and drive around.

Alone. Or with the family if they can keep their act together. If not, the "family drive" will have to happen another time.  For self-care, play the music you like and drive through some neighborhoods to look at lights.  Bonus points if you bring hot chocolate to sip as you go!

3. Take a hot bath.

One of my favorite forms of self-care!  A nice hot bath with the door closed.  A few candles lit, bath salts, and maybe a book if I dare.  But, uh, good luck.

4. Order takeout.

Give yourself permission to grab takeout if you are overwhelmed.  Sure, it's not usually very healthy. But you know what? Gigantic amounts of stress aren't healthy either. Zip through the Arby's window and call it a day.  No one is judging you---we're all in line right behind you!  Save me some curly fries.

5. Tune in to your faith.

Attend your religious service, read from the Bible, pray, meditate.  

6. Flip through a magazine.

I love to read but we don't always have time for an entire book. If a whole book or chapter feels daunting to you this season, that is okay!  Sit back with a magazine and read an article or two. If you don't have any unread magazines at home, stop by your local library and give yourself a half hour to browse and read their magazine selection.  PLUS, the library is quiet.

7. Schedule a massage.

Many places offer half-hour massages or chair massages that can be quite affordable.  If possible, try to schedule one for yourself.  Or splurge for the entire hour or a mani/pedi!  If spending money on a massage isn't an option right now, try watching a YouTube video on self-massage techniques for the feet and hands and do your own massage!

8. Make your house smell great.

Stovetop simmers, candles, wax melts, or wall plug ins.  Choose a method and treat your senses to a pleasant smell.  Self-care should involve all of our senses: smell included!  Kohls had great wax melts called Caramel Toffee that they don't seem to have right now but they do have a candle version.  Any time of year, but especially fall/winter, I love to have deep cinnamony/caramely fragrances. My absolute favorite wax melt though is this one from Swan Creek. HOLY COW. 

Right now they are under $8 and well worth it!  I get compliments every time I have these melting in my house.  It's also a much larger package of wax melts than the standard ones you get for $3-5 at Target/Walmart.   

9. Get your endorphins flowing.

I'd like to think that running store to store for all the last minute things I forget counts as "running" but something tells me that my doctor would disagree. Exercise, even brief bits of it, can help release endorphins and make us feel better.  Try yoga in the morning, or a short walk on your lunch break. If you're into it, take a class at the gym or do some weight lifting.  Or just crank up some happy music and have a dance party with your family!

DIY Self-Care Gift Set (on a budget!)

Tis the season to be....stressed out! Fa la la la la, la la la la!

Self-care is the practice of taking care of one's self physically, mentally, and spiritually.  Like the old saying goes, "You can't pour from an empty cup."  I'm trying to be better at caring for myself in ways like getting to bed on time, getting semi-regular massages, staying connected with my faith, etc.

As a teacher, I happen to know that the rest of the staff at the school is just as busy as I am!  Though we all have different roles, everyone is giving it their all.  Sometimes we need encouraged to recharge.  Our family tries to do a gift to all of the office staff each year at Christmas.  This year's gift is a self-care kit.  

I've been gathering things for several months in preparation.  Not only is a self-care kit a great gift but you can also do it within a reasonable budget.

Here is the breakdown of what is in each kit (and what it cost):

• wax melts  These were from Kohl's and were $5 each.  I bought 6 but used Kohls Cash and a promo code.  Total cost: $0.
  
• face masks  These are also from Kohl's and were $3 each.  I bought 6 but like above, used Kohl's Cash and and a promo.  Total cost: $0.  Amazon has the Earth Therapeutics masks right now ($13 for 5 masks).  A fair price if you're out of Kohl's Cash!
  
• candles  These were from Kirkland's and I had paid $3 for an entire container of 20 candles. Total cost: $3.
• mini notebooks     These are from a recent trip to Dollar Tree. Total cost: $6.
  
• candy   I used 2 bags of Dove Promises and 1 bag of Hershey Kisses. I bought 3 packs from Dollar Tree and divided it up. Total cost: $3.
• magnets I only had 4 of these so the 4 office workers will get one but the 2 specials teachers will be out of luck (I don't think they'll mind).  These were list price $6 but on clearance at Barnes and Noble.  Total cost: $1.50.
  
• tea  It turns out that the sampler box of tea has easily gift-able packets inside. There are 5 flavors, so 5 packets. You can't open them up to further divide because the tea  bags themselves are not marked/labeled (learned that the hard way).  So again our office staff gets tea and the specials teachers will not.  Total cost: $2. 
• cellophane bags  These are from Dollar Tree. Total cost: $1
• ribbon I will add wide ribbon around each one before gifting them.  The ribbon will come from Dollar Tree. Total cost: $1.
• gift tag I used Canva to make a label with a little poem I wrote.  Canva has a free and a paid version. Of course I use the free one. ;)  If you're crafty you could make your own tag. Bottom line: the gift tag is free. Total cost: $0.
  

Grand Total: The kits have a value of $11.50 each but with sales and coupons I spent just $17.50 for all 6 self-care kits!  That means just $2.92 spent to give a gift worth over $11!  Not only did these turn out super affordable (less than the cost of a $5 gift card) but also they are promoting care and compassion to their recipients.  I can't wait to give these little self-care kits out next month!

Of course we are giving these to school staff but the little DIY kits also make great gifts for: teachers, tutors, coaches, Sunday School teachers, nurses, secret pals, moms group friends, neighbors, coworkers, and stylists!

Need an easy to follow/remember guide for making a self-care kit?  I've got you covered!  Check out the infographic below:

Amazon links may be affiliate links. See full disclosure here.

5 Things I am NOT Thankful For

There's much to be said for maintaining a positive outlook and counting your blessings. 

This is not one of those posts.
To be honest those facebook updates of "I'll post something I'm thankful for every single day during November!" drive me nuts.  "Today I'm thankful for my lovebug, husband, lover, best friend, kissy kissy kissy face xoxoxo. He is truly my rock. My everything. My heart. My soul."
GAG.

And this crap goes on for the. entire. month. Day after day of old friends and new buddies posting this gooey mush about their husband and kids. 

Then you get the days where they are really reaching to come up with something so it's a "Day 25. I'm thankful for shoelaces!" 
Wow. Deep stuff there. /sarcasm

This post is for you, fellow cynics of the world, struggling to get through this month of Thankfulness without throttling someone.

5 Things I am Not Thankful For

5. Kids handing me bugs.  I have awesome boys. But no, it is not "the thought that counts." I do not want to hold your bug/worm/spider/cicada/ant. It isn't a gift I want. Do not hand it to me.  No thank you.

4. Public Bathroom Toilet Paper.  Better than nothing, I guess?  But it should not take me half a roll to get enough for one use.  Side note: In college I found an out of the way one-seater bathroom that had CHARMIN toilet paper.  I always went to that one. Didn't tell a soul about it (I'm no fool).

3. Junk in my water.  True story: Went to eat dinner at Cracker Barrel, ordered a water.  Waitress brings water and there's something floating around in it.  No thank you. Not thankful for debris in my water.

2. Zits.  Weren't we supposed to have outgrown this by now?  NOT THANKFUL.

1. People deleting my dvr recordings.  Unnamed persons in this household have been caught hitting 'stop' when something comes on that I was going to record.  This leaves me with the first 26 minutes of a 2 hour movie.  Cut that out.  Not thankful.


What are you NOT thankful for today?  Leave your answers in the comments. This can be our own little safe haven away from the insanity that is facebook in November!

3 things I love about Swagbucks

Swagbucks is a website that you can join for free.  You go to their site, answer a daily poll, do a couple web searches, etc.

In doing so, you earn what are called "Swagbucks" that can then be redeemed for things.  I save my swagbucks and always get Amazon gift cards.  

Do you hear me?  A free gift card to Amazon! 

This week I'm cashing in my swagbucks for another $5 gift card to Amazon.  FREE IS GOOD.

Why do I love swagbucks?  Here are the top 3 reasons:

1. Swagbucks is easy to use.  I've joined other things before that required you spend $ before getting a percent back (ebates), or that had horribly hard to use sites.  If *I*, who has ran into other people's mailboxes and spent months thinking captcha was turned off for commenting, can master the swagbucks website, anyone can. 

what swagbucks look like on your screen

2. They have games.  I know, I know, your all still obsessed with Farmville or Candy Crush.  BUT, playing games on the swagbucks site has actually earned me swagbucks, so its like getting PAID to sit there and play a game.  That's how I justify "just 2 more minutes" in my mind. 

one of my favorite Swagbucks Games

3. Free. Stuff.  I mean, being easy to use and having games is one thing, but I wouldn't do it if there wasn't something in it for me.  I've heard of some people (Money Saving Mom maybe?) that bank their amazon gift cards and use it towards purchasing Christmas presents for their family members.  

  Use the $5 to splurge on a book for yourself, save up a few of the gift cards and buy something for a charity, there are lots of ways to use your free amazon gift cards from swagbucks!

*amazon is not the only gift card option. There are lots of other stores that you can get gift cards from, or you can choose the PayPal option.

If you want to go to swagbucks, you can join through my referral link right here. I get no cash for you joining, but I do earn some swagbucks.

Draw the Line Series: 10 Ways to Keep the Focus Clear with KIDS.

Today we are going to celebrate Christmas with my side of the immediate family. I'm really looking forward to the low-key fun, Dad's famous white-elephant style "freebie" game, and lunch from Bob Evans (none of us have to cook!).

In keeping with the Drawing the Line series, this post is about adding more of Jesus into holiday festivities. Today specifically deals with ideas for kids. Ten ways to keep the focus clear.

1. Have a nativity out. One that the kids are encouraged to play with. I found this one online and it is even made in the US! (No slave labor!)

2. Take your kids to an "Angel Tree." Around here, Walgreens has a tree with names of senior citizens on it. You can take a name and buy them a few gifts. Some of the people are homebound, some are in nursing homes. I took my oldest this year, it is our new Mom and Me tradition. We chose a name and I had him help pick the calendar and socks and candy that we bought.

3. Pack a shoebox.
Operation Christmas Child is such a neat charity, operating under Samaritan's Purse, OCC collects shoeboxes full of items for children and distributes them. Many children have never even receievd a gift before. You can include toothbrushes, toothpastes, small toys, books, school supplies, and so forth. Buy a plastic box ($1 at dollar stores) and add to it throughout the year. Before you know it, that box will be full! Details on how to pack a box are available on the OCC website.

4. Make a birthday cake for Jesus as part of your meal/dessert on Christmas.

5. Attend a Christmas Eve service at church or seek out a live nativity and go visit.

6. Read the story of Jesus' birth from a children's book. If your children are old enough to read, they can pass the book around and take turns each reading a page or two of the book. This is the book we read from when I was a kid, it is available on amazon for a penny!

7. Gingerbread Nativity. How cute is this set up that I found on pinterest?

Image by Katherine Marie Photography. (credit)

8. Dramatic play, Nativity theme. If your kids are the kind that like to dress up and play pretend, get some old fashioned looking clothes (robes, towels will work too) and a baby doll swaddled in a blanket, something to serve as the manger. Even some straw if you are brave! Let the kids act out the story.

9. Share the story with your children about the angel arriving to tell Mary that she was going to have a baby. Follow up with making angel cookies or angel food cake.

10. Footprint Craft. Another pinterest find! This is an adorable way to turn your kid's footprint into a manger scene. The picture shows it on a decorative plate but you could also just do it on paper and frame it, or do it on a tile and display on a tabletop easel. This would also be a great GIFT idea for aunts/uncles/grandparents.

What ideas do you have for kid-friendly activities that emphasize the heart of the holiday? I would love to hear them!

On a serious note--Christmas, Slavery, and Poverty (Drawing the Line Series)

Hands down the best blog entry I have read all week. Probably all year. I hadn't heard of Jen Hatmaker until today. You need to read her blog post about the Christmas Conundrum.

She writes about getting Christmas back to the baby in the manger. Less about commercialism and excess and more about celebrating the baby Jesus born in a lowly stable and yet he still managed to be the savior for the world.

Jen's family has been "doing" Santa for awhile and now are, well, not. She's very gracious in her post about how this isn't supposed to be a Santa War and if you want to give gifts from the fat guy, by all means, do it. But it isn't right for her family anymore and they are backing out.

For us, we don't do gifts from Santa. Never have. We talk about him being fictional and just for fun pretend but that the gifts come from mommy and daddy. That said, Santa is not banned in our home. The emphasis surely is not on him, but you'll have to pry my cold, dead hands away from the remote when the movie "Elf" is on.
Not ashamed either to admit that I like the Tim Allen "The Santa Clause" movies, and force my husband to suffer through them every year.


You may choose whatever works for your family. Some families I know of don't do Santa at all and don't you dare watch Elf in their house! Some families let Santa bring ONE gift to each child. Some families have Santa visit Grandma's house. Some leave cookies for the big guy and carrots for the reindeer.
Growing up, we always left cookies out....knowing full well they were for mom and dad. If my kids would like to continue that tradition, well I won't object.
Constant sugar consumption will be key to keeping my energy up for putting together something that comes with directions that you need a doctorate degree to decipher. Must. Keep. Stamina. *Our gifts and budget and how we handled that will be another post in this series.

Jen's post also talks about not purchasing items made from slave labor. Even my non-religious or non-Christian readers can agree here! We, as a society (Christians, Jews, Muslims, Agnostics, Athiests, rich and poor, Republican and Democrat), need to stop buying cheap crap made in countries that imprison their "workers." I'm sorry but paying some child a penny an hour to make my plastic kazoo is not okay.

And I'm not buying anymore plastic kazoos.

Where does poverty fit into all this?

Aside from the fact that many products we purchase were made by people IN poverty, most of us need look no further than our own neighborhood to see the hurting.
Why do Americans feel the need to spend $1,000 on Christmas gifts for their children when the kids next door don't have enough to eat? (Statistics show that 1 in 5 children don't have enough food).
Why do we buy $400 game systems when the elderly lady at church can not pay her electric bill? Is there something wrong with owning a fancy game system or state-of-the-art tv/ipad/kindle? Nope. But we should be willing to examine ourselves and draw the line somewhere.

Your line might be in a different spot than mine. And that's okay. It is just important that we DRAW A LINE. Consciously consider Christmas, poverty, slavery and then make an informed choice on where our family says "enough."

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Join me for a dialogue about drawing the line. This is the first post of several more to come during this season. I would love to hear where your family draws the line. Ideas for how to shop for gifts that aren't made by slaves. Ideas for charities that you contribute to. What ways do you celebrate Jesus during this time?

Remember, go check out Jen Hatmaker's post. She's way better at this than I.

linking to world vision's 12 blogs of Christmas;
http://blog.worldvision.org/conversations/12-blogs-of-christmas/">
a little knick knack

Happy Festivities!

My youngest has an ear infection from a place that rhymes with "bell."

They gave him Omnicef and he had an allergic reaction.

(I couldn't find any un-nasty photos of an
ear infection or rash. so here is a picture of a sad looking dog.)

Husband, a freak who is never ill, actually needs to see a doctor this week.

And in the midst of all this we have Thanksgiving, Black Friday, a baby shower to attend, and boy scout popcorn to deliver!

(this Target Commercial Lady is my Role Model)

SO. This will be my only post for this week. Happy Thanksgiving to my U.S. friends, and to my friends across the pond. . .nevermind. :)

If any of you shop for Black Friday, think of me! I'll be out in the wee hours hitting up Target!

(Not going for any big electronics.
The odds of me getting trampled
on my way to buy "The Big Bang Theory" season 1
for $12.99 are slim)

I'll be back next week with the updates from my Space Bag trial, visiting the Container Store, and a new quilt being planned!