**thanks to the pr representative who sent complimentary items for review. I was not compensated for this post beyond those items. This is my experience and opinion. Others may have a different experience or view. 

Most kiddos have their favorite subject(s) in school. For my boy, it's history. He loves jumping into history books, visiting historical sites, and watching historical documentaries to learn more and more and more about what came before him. 

He's also going to start Middle School. (Someone hold me.) And would you know, the thing that made him excited about his class schedule was that his first hour is spent in history. My friends over at Workman Publishing heard about his love of history and sent us some books for him to enjoy.

Maybe you've seen the Big Fat Notebook series of books for Middle School students? They have books that cover history, science, math, and English. These books are crammed with facts and are also very captivating for the reader.

The style of the book is like one, big notebook. The font is large and the pages are colorful while also descriptive. It makes it a bit of an "easy read" but is also teaching a lot of information at the same time. These are wonderful references for Middle School students!

And if you're a parent who worries about bias, be it from a religious, political, or other world view, you can set those worries aside. The stories told in this book are strictly the facts of what happened. It's actually really refreshing. My son has enjoyed looking over World History and American History topics and sharing with us the things he's learning.

Now, let's chat a bit about Spy On History. My boy was also sent this book to enjoy. This got him excited in a different kind of way. This story invites him to participate and help crack the code to solve the mystery.

But he doesn't do this just by reading. No. He's armed with maps, tools, and hints along the way to help him out. And because he loves history, he takes this very seriously.

I love his love for history but I love finding helpful tools for him even more. Being able to get him books that will stimulate that love for all things history and add to his learning is a wonderful gift. And I'm picky, y'all. I want him to have books that are really geared toward his age and reading level without dumbing down the information or sharing it in a boring way. 

I guess my point is, there are A LOT of choices out there but I choose to stick with something I know will meet my kiddos where they are and encourage further learning. You'll find, like I did, Workman Publishing offers loads of books like this for all ages. 

Now to find a few things for my girls from Workman Publishing. What do you think you're kiddo(s) will enjoy? 

~Amy

A Few Book Picks For Middleschoolers From Workman Publishing (review)

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**thanks to the pr representative who sent complimentary items for review. I was not compensated for this post beyond those items. This is my experience and opinion. Others may have a different experience or view. 

I'm pretty sure it's fair to say that the least exciting part of "back to school" for the kiddos is homework.  Seriously. Sometimes I wish I could snap my fingers and have "homework hour" be over, already. But since I can't take it away (and I know it's beneficial for my kiddos' learning), I may as well add something to their working spaces that they will enjoy. 

Enter some adorable and fun pencil sharpeners. 

I have a boy and 2 girls. All 3 of my kiddos were so happy to see these Amazeko items show up on our doorstep. My girlies share a room and keep their ice cream truck sharpener on their desk and my son was really stoked to add the S.W.A.T. truck sharpener to his. 

These pencil sharpeners also feature lights and sounds. This makes pencil sharpening fun and makes the task of sitting down to get homework done a little less unpleasant. Check out the little clips below to see what I'm talking about. (PS: After we tried these out for the first time, my kiddos took to sharpening all their colored pencils and then sat down to color. Yep. I'll take in the sounds of sirens and ice cream trucks in exchange for having all 3 (not so) littles sitting down to color for an extended period of time. This is such a win!

The boxes come loaded with an Amazeko pencil and batteries for the sharpeners. You don't have to worry about any assembly. Just add batteries and send the kiddos on their way. 

There is a window on the back of each truck to make it easy to see when the sharpener should be emptied. Then when it's time to empty it, simply pull that back part off the truck and dump out the shavings.

My boy and 2 girls have been enjoying these sharpeners for a couple weeks now. They've since taken to doing more coloring and even writing out cards for friends and family. It's amazing how a small detail can inspire a lot more creativity, huh? We love these sharpeners and I'm sure your kiddos will too. 

Check out the link at the top of this post to go shopping and grab one for your back to school kiddo(s). 

~Amy

Amazeko Pencil Sharpeners Bring FUN To Homework Time (review)

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**thanks to the pr representative who sent complimentary items for review. I was not compensated for this post beyond those items. This is my experience and opinion. Others may have a different experience or view. 

Last school year was when I had finally decided to change up the way I was handling my family's schedule. My hubster and I share a calendar on our iPhones, but I needed somewhere I could tangibly see the day to day schedule. I bought a giant planner and filled it out as events, appointments, and all that jazz came up.

This year I was sent this oh, so adorable 17 month planner from PIPSTICKS+WORKMAN. When I say adorable, I'm not just talking about the cover (although that is especially cute). I'm also talking about the stickers (yes, stickers!) and sweet little details all throughout the planner.

Right after opening it, I saw this holographic bag that holds little sticky tabs and a blank card. It may also be able to hold a pen but I'm sure I'll be adding extra stickers to this soon. Also, did you see the tabs on the righthand side? I love the colors, making it easy to tell the difference between each section.

Before I got to the monthly calendar tabs, I found so many helpful detail pages. There is a list of popular holidays, places to write in your own notable dates, a page to write out goals for each month, blank note pages, and seasonal stickers to use all over the calendar and daily plans. There is just something about a planner made beautifully fun. I look forward to adding things to my planner (which makes my life a bit more organized).

Here's a peek at the monthly layout and my most favorite detail for ease of use. I already mentioned the colored tabs, making it easy to turn to the month needed. There is also a handy elastic cord that works as a marker for the month you would like to open up to. Following a view at the full month, there is a day to day break down with plenty of room to write in all the important details...or to add more stickers. :) 

Speaking of stickers, check out this amazing sticker book! 

OK. See? Rainbows, plants, AND alpacas? This sticker book speaks my love language, y'all. These will be so fun to add to postcards or notes or my planner. And you can call me childish if you want, but I think stickers are just fun. They really cheer me up. 

At the back of the sticker book, there are 6 postcards that will be fun to pop in the mail and surprise people with. Y'all, the colors and designs and details in all of this? They are soooo cute, and bright, and cheery. 

Finally, let's check out the most amazing little note pad. 

Yes, of course there are some stickers here, too. I love it!  This pad is something I'm going to use for my many (MANY) wandering thoughts. I get blog post ideas, or want to jot down my garden planting timeline, or have DIY projects I want to make sure I do, and so on. You get it, right? A creative mind is a terrible thing to waste and if I don't capture my ideas, I will have a hard time remembering them later. This pad is perfect to toss in my handbag for on-the-go or to set beside my planner at home so I can easily grab it and write things down there. 

Alright. It's your turn to find your perfect fit. Jump to the top of the post and click the link to start shopping. And, hey! If you're feeling generous, I wouldn't mind a few more stickers. ;) 

~Amy

Shop PIPSTICKS+WORKMAN For The Most Fun #BackToSchool Planners (review)

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Thanks to the company that sponsored this review. Items shown were sent in exchange for a review post. All opinions are my own. Others may have a different opinion or experience.

It's back to school time for the kiddos in our lives. I think one of the trickiest things to figure out is which way to go with packing lunches or what kind of after school snacks to have on hand. 

I know, I know. It's important to eat from that food pyramid, but I always leave room for something fun to eat. (And, hey! Fruit is in the description...totally works, right? lol)

We recently received a box full of something fun for my kiddos. And since we thought the snack was a fun one, we decided to enjoy it in a unique way. 

My kiddos sat down behind the lights and camera to take a taste test challenge. We had 10 flavor possibilities (the ones pictured above plus 3 sour flavors) and they each had a shot at guessing which flavor was which.

After the challenge was complete, my kiddos (and hubster ) enjoyed having a couple pieces here and there. (Ok, Ok..I was totally in on the snacking, too. ) Until one day we were officially out of HI-CHEW. It's a good thing this isn't hard to find at our local grocery store. I'm sure it will be requested for some time to come. 

Sidebar: You may notice A LOT of chewing (sped up, of course) in the video. This is one of the things I've heard about over and over. HI-CHEW is delicious and it is very chewy. Bonus? It takes longer to eat one piece and that means you really don't need more than one or two at a time. 

My favorite flavor of the 10 we were sent? Banana! I was surprised by this, myself, but I'm telling you it is good.

Watch our challenge and then head to the store to stock up your pantry with some HI-CHEW. It makes the perfect after school snack or would even be fun to tuck into lunch boxes as a bonus treat.

~Amy

HI-CHEW Fruit Chews - A Perfect Back To School Snack (review)

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Thanks to the company that sponsored this review. I was not compensated beyond the review item. All opinions are my own. Others may have a different opinion or experience.

The three words I'm sure none of us are quite ready to read yet..."Back To School". But. Like it or not, it's time to grab the supply lists and head to the stores for all the things. 

If you're anything like me, this is not something you particularly look forward too. I would much rather buy as much as I can online (at a good price) than go to every store imaginable. And while we're comparing notes, one of those things you need to buy would be shoes, right? 

Let me just give you one place to go for high quality shoes online. Yep. You can just add KidsShoes.com to your bookmarks right now and thank me later. 

My oldest boy looked through the back to school styles and decided on the Spotty Sport Fly style by KidsShoes themselves. 

Of course, like any new pair of shoes for a boy, he swears these make him run faster & jump higher than ever. :)  He likes the fit of them and says there's good cushioning in the shoe as well. Personally, I like the flexibility of the sole and the fact that the shoe is lightweight. It should keep up with his active play quite well.

My middle girl chose a most adorable shoe to keep up with her more athletic style. These are the Ollie Star shoes by Michael Kors in black and gold. 

What does she love about these shoes? Everything, really. She loves the colors, the metallic shine of the gold, and how her foot feels like its supported really well.

These shoes are priced well and the quality they're made with is outstanding. This is not one of those shoes that I worry about falling apart. If you've ever been lured into those cheap, "blinky" type shoes before then you'll know what I mean.

My youngest is a bit of a sparkler by personality. She likes girly things for sure. She's in love with bold colors and all things "glitter". She also likes being just like her big sister. 

She chose the Ollie Star shoe by Michael Kors in White and Silver. 

She literally squealed when she opened the shoe box and uncovered her shoes. She can't believe she has a pair of tennis shoes like this now and she is so grateful. At the same time, she's feeling very grown up.
She also likes the fit of the shoes. She says they feel like a hug on her feet...while they may also work as a mirror for her. (She seriously cracks me up).

I kinda wish I could find these shoes in my own size. I think they're adorable in a classic but edgy kind of way.

Check out that Big Sis, Little Sis flair! <3

 There are so many amazing shoes and designers packed on this website, just waiting to get you the perfect shoes for the little one(s) in your life. Head over there today to make your order & KidsShoes will also send you a few free back to school supplies.

They're including a folder, a notebook, a pencil bag, pencil, eraser, ruler, and pencil sharpener with each order while supplies last. (My girls are going to have to rock, paper, scissors it out for that notebook, I think. Ha!)

 Head over to KidsShoes.com and tell me what your shoe of choice is.

~Amy

KidsShoes.com Is Your One Stop Shop For #Backtoschool

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