Read. Write. Mom!

Be Mine Valentine’s Day Coloring Page Printable

Posted on January 26, 2015January 22, 2024 by Mandy

Celebrate the season of love with our adorable “Be Mine” Valentine’s Day coloring page! 💖🌈 Grab your favorite colored pencils, markers, or crayons, and let your creativity bloom. Whether you’re a kid or a kid at heart, this delightful coloring page will surely add a touch of sweetness to your day.

Be Mine Valentine’s Day Coloring Page

🖍️ How to Get Started:

Click the link below to download and print the “Be Mine” coloring page.
Gather your coloring supplies – the more colors, the merrier!
Find a cozy spot, put on your favorite tunes, and let the coloring magic begin.

If you have kids (or students), color pages are a fun way to enjoy a little creative time. I don’t use them very often in my library, but usually, around the holidays, I give them one to have a little fun in the lesson. They love them and constantly beg for more. I’m so excited to be able to offer you this free printable Valentine’s Day coloring page featuring a heart and the words “Be Mine.” Just click the image below to download or grab the printable here.

I may get my students to write the name of a book they absolutely love on this printable and then let them color it and display their creations in the library windows. Making a Valentine’s Day display for the library would be fun. This could also make some cute and easy Valentine’s for your little ones to color and give to friends and family. Looking for a heartfelt gift? Share the love by gifting your colored page to someone special. It’s a simple yet thoughtful gesture that will surely warm their heart.

Need some Valentine’s Day gifts and fun inspiration? Check out these picks!

Valentine’s Day Coloring Poster for Kids Large Valentine’s Day Coloring Tablecloth Giant Valentine’s Day Coloring Jumbo Love Wall Coloring Page for Big Coloring for Kids Adults Home Classroom Party Happy Valentine Day Color by number Coloring book for Adults: Heart Designs, Adorable Flowers, Love Pattern and Much More! Resholder 24 Pcs Valentine’s Day Paper Coloring Bags with Handle Color Your Own Candy Bags Classroom Gift Bag Valentine Monster DIY Craft Goody Bags for Kids Gift Exchange Party Favors Gift Wrapping Valentine Heart Charm Bracelet Craft Kit – Crafts for Kids and Fun Home Activities Fancy Nancy: Heart to Heart There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Rose! M2YL1DAO 24 Pack Valentines Coloring Book for Kids with 24 Stacking Crayons, Valentines Day Goodie Bag Stuffers Valentine’s Gift Party Favors Class Prizes Valentine Exchange Party Supplies

Let the creativity flow, and have a Happy Valentine’s Day filled with love and vibrant colors! 🌈💕

Check out my Valentine’s Day links here for more printables!

Celebrate Pets with Animal Themed Movies on Netflix #StreamTeam

Posted on January 25, 2015March 13, 2019 by Mandy

I’m a cat person. There’s nothing I love more than cuddling on the couch with our cats on a cold winter day. Clyde and Pearl keep me on my toes (literally, thanks to Clyde’s 4 AM feeding requests) and they bring so much fun and joy to our home.

When my son was old enough to watch movies, one of our very favorites was Milo and Otis. We watched this one over and over and I can still sing the theme song to the movie by heart! If you are a huge animal lover and looking for some great movies to watch, check out these titles available on Netflix.

For your little kids:

1. Pet Party
2. Clifford’s Puppy Days
3. Littlest Pet Shop
4. The Adventures of Milo and Otis
5. Snow Buddies
6. Sabrina, The Animated Series

For your big kids:

1. The Adventures of Puss in Boots
2. Annie
3. Step Dogs
4. Jumanji
5. Hachi: A Dog’s Tale
6. Air Bud
7. Monkey Trouble

For teens and parents:

1. Anchorman 2
2. Frasier
3. Family Guy
4. Friends
5. Red Dog
6. Wilfred

After you’ve watched some of these, let the fun times continue with a craft and recipe!

Puss in Boots Kitty Cat Bank

Hot Chocolate with Marsh-Meows

I already see a few of my favorite movies listed here! What is your favorite animal themed movie to watch?

I wrote this post as part of my participation as a member of the Netflix Stream Team. All opinions are my own.

Get Game Day Ready with LTD Commodities- Review & $50 Gift Card Giveaway

Posted on January 24, 2015January 10, 2016 by Mandy

It’s almost time for football’s biggest game day and LTD Commodities has everything you need to get game day ready! If your family is like ours and you gather with other family and friends to watch the big game, then you know that the food plays a big part in making this event so special.

Thanks to a review opportunity from LTD Commodities, our family will be game day ready with a few items from their new NFL collection. Each year we gather at my parent’s house to watch the game and cheer on our favorite teams. We wait until half-time to load up our plates with the amazing food everyone brings to share. I’m excited about this cute football field tray and football-shaped bowl from LTD Commodities that I will be taking. I can’t wait to load it up with some great appetizers!

Looking for some great ideas for food and beverages for the big event? Check out these super party ideas for football’s biggest game. There’s great recipes, party decor ideas, and much more!

GIVEAWAY

LTD Commodities has graciously offered a $50 gift voucher for one of my lucky readers! To enter for your chance to win, simply fill in the Rafflecopter form below. Giveaway ends Monday, February 2, 2015 at 12:00 AM CST. US ONLY. Void where prohibited. Winner must respond within 72 hours of winning email being sent or prize will be forfeited and another winner drawn.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

I was provided a gift voucher to choose items from LTD Commodities to facilitate this post. All opinions are my own.

Keep Medications Locked Away Safely with LOCKMED #Giveaway

Posted on January 12, 2015June 27, 2021 by Mandy

Keeping our medications away and out of reach from our son has always been a big priority in my house. He’s never expressed any interest in medicine and hates taking even a tiny does of cough syrup, but I would be fooling myself if I thought it might always be this way. I can certainly hope he never experiments with prescription drugs, but these statistics from the LOCKMED site are very alarming.

EVERY DAY, 3,300 MORE CHILDREN BEGIN EXPERIMENTING WITH PRESCRIPTION DRUGS.

Reference: Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. 2007a. A Day in the Life of American Adolescents: Substance Use Facts.

OVER 3 MILLION U.S. TEENS ABUSE PRESCRIPTION DRUGS.

Reference: Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. 2007, National Survey on Drug Use and Health: National Findings.

70% OF CHILDREN WHO ABUSE PRESCRIPTION DRUGS ADMIT TO GETTING THEM FROM FAMILY OR FRIENDS.

Reference: Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. 2006 National Survey on Drug Use and Health: National Findings.

Because my husband and I routinely use prescription medications, I gladly welcomed the opportunity to review this LOCKMED Small Combination Lockbox to see if this could be a solution to securing our medications safely. The box itself is very sturdy and shiny and holds up to approximately 12 medication bottles.

The box is easily portable, making it perfect for when we travel. LOCKMED offers several different products to lock away prescription medications, including this bag version.

Setting up the combination to lock the box was a breeze and I definitely feel better knowing that our medications are locked away not only from my son, but from potentially being discovered by anyone visiting our home as well. Additionally, if you know someone who routinely takes medication, these LOCKMED boxes would make great gifts (think grandparents!).

Please Note: These boxes are not indestructible and will not deter someone who is determined to break into it. It’s also not advised for storing emergency medications that need to be administered immediately.

GIVEAWAY

LOCKMED has generously offered a giveaway of a LOCKMED Travel Bag or small Lockbox (winner’s choice) to one of my readers. Fill out the Rafflecopter form below. Giveaway ends Monday, January 26, 2015 at 12:00 AM CST. US ONLY. Void where prohibited. Winner must respond within 72 hours of winning email being sent or prize will be forfeited and another winner drawn.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

I was provided a LOCKMED Lockbox to facilitate this post. All opinions are my own.

School Reading Fair Projects 2014

Posted on January 11, 2015August 9, 2024 by Mandy

December was a very busy month for me at work, so I am just now getting a chance to share a few of the school reading fair projects from this year. The participation this year was just super and the students and their parents really enjoyed working together to create some fabulous school reading fair projects that would entice anyone to want to read the books they chose for creating their projects. My students are kindergarten through second grade, so they do have to have a good bit of help from their parents, but the judges really do look for some evidence of student involvement.

Here are a few of those boards from this year’s reading fair:

SCHOOL READING FAIR PROJECTS

Brownie and Pearl See The Sights

The Mouse and the Lion

Whistle for Willie

Double Team

Pete The Cat- Pete’s Big Lunch

My Baby Blue Jays

Giraffe’s Can’t Dance

The Very Quiet Cricket– This project was SO cute and only used construction paper! I love the simplicity, and it turned out beautiful!

They knocked my socks off as usual, and the judges had difficulty choosing between them. The examples above are ideal for lower elementary grades.

Want to see more great reading fair projects? Start here! Also, follow me on Pinterest and never miss the latest reading fair news!

Happy 2015!

Posted on January 1, 2015January 10, 2016 by Mandy

It seems like I blinked and 2014 is gone! It’s been a good year for our little family. We rang in the new year exactly like we did last year…on the couch watching all of the New Year’s Eve shows on TV and trying to stay awake until midnight. My husband and I laugh every year about how differently we celebrate New Year’s Eve now compared to when we were much younger, but we agree that we love being at home with our son even more than being out on the town. Growing up and all that stuff.

My grandmother fixed the traditional New Year’s Day lunch. I forced myself to eat a bite of cabbage and gobbled up the rest. It was great to spend the afternoon with our extended family and visit with them after all of the busyness of Christmas.

Tomorrow we’re tackling our kitchen cabinets and our son’s room. I’ve been on a cleaning-out-the-clutter kick since the day after Christmas and it’s coming along nicely. My goal is to have each room clutter-free before I return to work on Monday. I’ve also got to take down the Christmas tree. I’ve always heard it was bad luck to leave it up after January 1. I sure hope not!

Per the usual start of the new year, I do have some lofty goals I’ve set and plan to share a few of them here as they start taking shape. I’m excited about one in particular that really isn’t terribly exciting or ground-breaking, but I’ve seen the light and I’m ready to do the work to make it happen!

Thank you for bearing with me through 2014. If you are a regular reader here, I know I didn’t post as frequently, and I really will do better this year. It felt good to take a step back and slow down a bit, but I miss my little corner of the world here and writing regularly. It’s an outlet I need.

Wishing you and yours a very Happy New Year!

Ring In the New Year with Netflix- Giveaway #StreamTeam

Posted on December 31, 2014January 10, 2016 by Mandy

One activity our family really enjoyed in 2014 was catching up on movies and shows we love through Netflix Streaming. Over the holidays we gorged ourselves on Christmas movies and really enjoyed the quality time we spent together doing so. One exciting new series that has come to Netflix for the kids is All Hail King Julien, and my son has already watched each of the first five episodes that have been released. I promise the theme song to the show will get even the adults up and dancing!

We’re all set with our All Hail King Julien New Year’s Eve party kit we received from Netflix to ring in a fun new year of even more quality family time watching our favorite movies and shows. King Julien is also hosting his very own kid-sized countdown special that you and your family can use to celebrate, no matter the time of day.

Looking for some fun New Year’s drinks the whole family can enjoy? Check out the recipes for a couple of awesome New Year’s Eve “Mocktails”.

GIVEAWAY

Want a full FREE year of Netflix Streaming for your family? I have a Netflix gift card to give away to TWO lucky winner! (Winner will receive one card each) Fill out the Rafflecopter form below. Giveaway ends Monday, January 12, 2015 at 12:00 AM CST. US ONLY. Void where prohibited. Winner must respond within 72 hours of winning email being sent or prize will be forfeited and another winner drawn.

a Rafflecopter giveaway
I wrote this post as part of my participation as a member of the Netflix Stream Team. All opinions are my own. Winner’s gift cards provided by Netflix.

Betty Crocker Holiday Gift Box Giveaway #GetYourBettyOn

Posted on December 8, 2014January 10, 2016 by Mandy

One of my favorite Christmas traditions while growing up was baking Christmas cookies and making candies with my mom. There were three specific old family recipes that we whipped up every year and we still do.

It’s a special time I look forward to spending with my mom and, although we try to include my son, more often than not he’s only interested in being our taste-tester!

This holiday season, Betty Crocker wants you to Get Your Betty On with your loved ones. They have generously offered me a gift box full of goodies to try out and one to give away to a lucky reader! What’s inside?

Kitchen tablet stand

Betty Crocker™ Mixing Spoon

Betty Crocker™ Oven Mitt

“Get Your Betty On” Apron

Gingerbread Cookie Cutter

Betty Crocker™ Sugar Cookie Mix

Betty Crocker™ Chocolate Chip Cookie Mix

Betty Crocker™ Whipped Vanilla Frosting

Betty Crocker™ Holiday Recipe Booklet 2014 – feat. The Top 10 Cookie Decorating Ideas of 2014

Also, be sure and check out the Kid’s Cookie Corner featuring Betty Crocker’s Top 10 cookies for kids and short, inspirational/how-to videos on each. Ready to enter?

TO ENTER:

Fill out the Rafflecopter form below. Giveaway ends Monday, December 15 at 12:00 AM CST. US ONLY. Void where prohibited. Winner must respond within 72 hours of winning email being sent or prize will be forfeited and another winner drawn.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

I received a holiday gift box pictured above in exchange for facilitating this post. All opinions are my own.