Easter Playsilk Basket Giveaway from Sarah's Silks

A warm March welcome to Little Acorn Learning's newest Sponsor, Sarah's Silks!

I can't begin to tell you how special Sarah's Silks have been to my family and business all of these years. It still amazes me how something so very simple can bring so much joy to a child like these beautiful playsilks do.

Not only have they been so special for the children in my life, they are also such a beautiful way to decorate for the seasons. I've used them for our nature tables, to fill our Easter baskets, under a pretty bouquet of flowers on our dinner table and so many other ways.

Some flashback photos:

Their simplicity is what is so amazing about them. They inspire free, creative and independent play that sparks the imagination. A blue silk can be a river, a green can be the grass.. I've used a pretty yellow silk rolled up as the sun in many of  my circles when I was teaching at the Waldorf school. I can't begin to tell you how many forts have been built in my little school and Kindergarten class with play clips and silks.

That's why I am so extremely excited about today's giveaway. Sarah's Silks is generously offering to give one free Easter Playsilk Basket (a value of $100!) to a lucky Little Acorn winner!  And just for fun, we've decided to throw in our April Early Childhood Curriculum too (a $18.75 value)!

Here's what is included in the offer:

Simple Easter Basket
Green playsilk
Blue playsilk
Playsilk Wings/Cape
Hair Garland
Two Play Clips
Play Wand
April Early Childhood Curriculum

Here's how to enter (as simple as 1-2-3):  

1. Follow Little Acorn Learning and Sarah's Silks on Facebook and Instagram
2. Comment Here, on the Facebook Post or Instagram Post
3. Tag 3 Friends if you comment on FB or IG or share the link to this blog post with 3 friends

Commenters on all three formats will be pooled together and a winner will be randomly selected and announced on March 26, 2019. Only one chance per person so you can comment wherever you wish. 

Best of luck!  

Walk into Spring

Finally! This winter has dragged on for me for so many reasons -  the cold being one of them, of course. We would get a taste of warm weather and then a snowstorm, over and over again and it is really hard to handle when it is that freezing bitter cold that numbs you both physically and mentally.  I'm trying not to get too excited but today I went for a walk and was so happy to see flowers blooming all around my neighborhood. Can it really be Spring? 

I have not even thought about my garden this year. No plan, no seeds indoors.. nothing. And the dandelions are popping up along with other flowers which means the ground is ready to plant. I will have to direct sow my seeds this year and hope everything grows.

I've been walking and exercising a lot lately. In addition to spin class which I love, I recently got a FitBit and have been competing with some other (crazy) competitive people like myself.  And, I've been walking everywhere to try to win... around my dining room table ten times, around the neighborhood, at my children's sports practices - you name it.  I feel like Forrest Gump (minus the running part). Today Keira walked with me while Maia practiced lacrosse...

I love the little messages I get from Mother Earth when I walk and look closely.  Today this heart rock right in my path...

At the shore this pretty sand dollar:

Walking is good therapy. On the beach, I looked behind me to see my footsteps leading me to where I am. 

Then when I looked ahead of me there was untouched sand, ready for me to decide which footprints to leave on it. For now, I'll just take in the view and stand still.

The Winners of SPRING...

I just got home from SUCH a long day. One of my daughters was part of an Odyssey of the Mind team and today was the final competition. We have been working SO hard for months and while we didn't win this year, our town won BIG time and we are so very proud of all of our teammates.

It's been a lot of work. I volunteer a lot but this was honestly one of the biggest challenges/commitments I've ever had to face working with a young group toward a goal. It wasn't always easy but we really did great and I am so proud of our team.

The snow has finally stopped falling in Connecticut (on the first day of Spring) so I guess I can announce our giveaway winners now.  f your comment is listed below, please email us at info (at) littleacornlearning.com with your name and the fact that you won a FREE Spring Festivals E-Book and we will send it your way!

Oh... I should admit, I had a non-processed SLIP!  I've been so so good and I even brought all clean snacks for myself today along with a salad.  But, after hour 4 or 5 I caved and grabbed a handful of my daughter's Doritos as we were waiting at the competition.

AND.THEY.WERE.DELICIOUS!!!!

But, I'm back on track tomorrow. Progress, not perfection.  xoxo

Thank you all for participating and... HAPPY SPRING - wherever you are - (even if it's still snowing!)

 ashadele said...

I am a homeschooling mama of two adventurous little boys! We live in the Pacific Northwest in beautiful Coeur D'alene Idaho. We noticed today the first little blooms of flowers in our backyard. The boys have been busy building our gnomes little homes out of bark and pinecones. We are all ready for our little woodsy friends to come out and play!

 Anna Rose said...

I teach a Nature and Art Based Kindergarten in Saskatchewan, Canada. We've had unusually warm weather for the last few months, and were enjoying lots of puddles and mud right up until today - the first day of Spring - we got a bunch more snow. My class and I have been celebrating diversity - learning about Rainbows, and we decided to paint the snow. I diluted some tempra paint in squirt bottles, and we painted the snow all around our school yard, then some boulders, as well. When we came inside, I had set up a story called "The Rainbow and the Antelope" to share a creation myth introducing seeds (and how to plant them) - we planted popcorn to start in our indoor garden. 

 Diana Gozenput said...

It's my son's 3rd birthday, and I remember walking to the hospital in a tank top and shorts to deliver! Same day, 3 years later, it is snowing and beautifully cold!

 Sasha Sandenskog said...

Here in Sweden it is unusually warm and we have a distinct lack of snow - even the snowdrops are out! :)

 Finamoon said...

Did 1-3. 4. We live in Oregon. Our first day of Spring was rainy, but I still went and planted some Blueberry bushes :) We had a bit of sun now and then peaking through the clouds. I love that the buds are starting to bloom and the daffodils are out. My friend has this gorgeous flowering quince in his front yard and all the humming birds were out buzzing around it. It was lovely. My email is websurfergirl19 AT hotmail DOT com if I win. Thanks!

Day Three of Clean Eating and a Snowy Spring Giveaway!

Ok I'm on Day 3 of "clean eating" and I feel like I've eaten too much. Nothing I ate was processed which is great and no sugar at all but I did have potatoes tonight (my favorite - red potatoes with olive oil). They are clean but not low-carb. I actually think I've gained about 2 lbs since starting this. In either case, at least my food is pure and healthy.

At dinner the girls were asking me about a woman we know who was a child that survived the holocaust. She still has the numbers on her arm. I do not know her entire story but I do know that the story should never be forgotten. The girls are very curious and all three of them are at different ages so I have to be careful how I share things. We decided to read Anne Frank's Diary together a little every night and talk about it. As we read tonight, it amazed me to realize that this all happened when my own grandmother was nearly 30 years old and living her life here in America with no worries. Anne mentioned how her two uncles fled to North America because they were Jewish and the rules were getting so intense. My grandmother met my grandfather in New York and he also came here from Germany. We do not know the exact reasons why but I believe it was because he wanted to get away from the ugliness of what was happening over there.

Today is the first day of Spring and it did not feel like it one bit. My girls got dismissed early from school because of a snowstorm on its way. In order to try to bring Spring indoors, we made some new wool barrettes for the Little Acorn Learning Etsy Shop. I haven't added any to the shop yet as I hope to make a bunch first. They are 100% wool plant dyed felt and very sweet.

Then we enjoyed our first Spring day by putting on two layers of clothing, our snowpants, hats, gloves and boots and jumping around in the snowstorm!  Funny isn't it?

I promised something fun and free today so here it goes:

To celebrate the very first day of Spring, I will be giving away 5 FREE Spring Festival E-Books randomly!  

Here's how to enter to win:

1.  Like our Facebook Page

2. Join our Discussion Group

3. Sign up for Our Mailing List

4. Leave a comment letting us know a little bit about you and your family and where you live. What is the first day of Spring like where you live?

Good luck to you - check back here tomorrow night after 8 p.m. EST to see who won!

Happy Spring!

xoxo

Day Two of Clean Eating... And, Spring is Coming?

Ok... a few observations.  Eating "truly clean" requires a lot of work.  But, I absolutely love to cook.  So much.  And, I have a brand new kitchen so even washing the dishes (in my new farm sink!!!) is exciting. 

I could never do this much prep work each day if I worked outside of the house. I have such great respect for the many friends that I know who do work full time and take the weekends to pre-plan and prep their meals for the week.

Next... the food preparation has been a blessing.  It has slowed me down. I find that I am thinking a lot more as I cut, chop, mix and wash. I've come up with a few good ideas for my business and I've thought deeper about some things that have been weighing on my mind.  

Back in 2008, I started baking bread with my girls each Friday. 

We have since lost that disciplined routine, although I hope to bring it back... but one of the things I noticed back then was how the time involved in making the bread for the family must have, in itself, been a gift.  An excuse even... to just slow down. "Something as simple as baking was probably a time for mothers to slow down and go within. A time to process life."

I have trouble slowing down. I've realized it's not from lack of desire. I know the importance of it.  I've noticed lately that oftentimes other people in my life and society in general are putting the pressure on me to keep it moving. Faster. More. Produce.

I know how short life is. I am happy to produce but I'd also like to just enjoy and BE.

As much as we shouldn't need an excuse, having a reason such as baking, cooking for the family, exercising and more is definitely a gift in this fast paced world. At least you can say you are "doing" something, right?  Ugh - how horrible! 

When you commit to eating non-processed foods and cooking clean, you are filling up your days with more work. This I realize but I welcome it and the opportunity to slow things down a bit.

My girls love all different types of foods. I've tried to expose them to different things since they were young. We make cooking, trying new recipes and restaurants fun and so they are not afraid of different flavors and textures most of the time. I'm very thankful for that.  

I've also noticed that since I've gotten my beautiful new sink - I want to hand wash my dishes more.  I know, I know - this will die a quick death.  But for now, I've been washing and happy to do so.

Lastly, Facebook has really taken away from blogland.  I used to feel an obligation to post every birthday and milestone here and now I am content because I posted it on Facebook. My oldest daughter just had her 21st birthday and to say I am proud of her is an understatement. She is just simply amazing.

Which one of us is 21?

Tomorrow is the Spring Equinox.  I would love to offer something fun for all of you to celebrate.  We are expecting a snowstorm here in Connecticut so it's actually pretty funny that it will be the first day of Spring.  

Be sure to check back here tomorrow to see what I come up with.  You just may get something FREE.

xoxo