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How Lexington Law is Helping Me Recover My Credit

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I remember my Senior Year of high school like it was yesterday. The excitement and anticipation of what was to come was a total rush! At the time, every impressionable adult in my life urged me to go to college, despite being ‘undecided’ on a major. My guidance counselor urged me and my parents to take out student loans because, in her words, the return on the investment would be worth it. And interest rates were so low, right?! Well, that’s not exactly true. But even years after my college graduation, Lexington Law is helping recover my credit from student loan debt.

ABOUT LEXINGTON LAW

I’ve talked in great detail about my credit journey. Well, I’ve been a college graduate for nearly 14 years, and I am embarrassed by the amount of student loan debt still looming over me. Despite making monthly payments on all of my student loans, I could never seem to get ahead. Did you know that despite the ‘low interest rates’ your actual amount due over the principal will grow and grow and grow?! It’s honestly insane how much money I was throwing away towards interest.

How Lexington Law is Helping Me Recover My Credit

That’s where Lexington Law comes in. As a law firm, they have actual lawyers to drive the credit repair process and intervene as needed. They take questionable negative items, which are things in your credit history that could lower your score, and they challenge them.

How Lexington Law is Helping Me Recover My Credit

Lexington Law are trusted leaders in credit repair for a reason. They use a three-step process which is proven to help repair credit. The first step is to analyze your report to identify any questionable negatives impacting your score. The second step is to address these items by challenging them with creditors. And the third step is to accelerate by keeping the process going to get individual clients to their goals!

HOW TO GET STARTED

When you first call Lexington Law, a credit advisor will pull a TransUnion Summary Report and FICO Score for free. While it only shows the first 5 of your negative items, it’s enough to get an idea of where you stand credit-wise and how it’s impacting your current situation.

How Lexington Law is Helping Me Recover My Credit

From there, should you decide to use Lexington Laws services, you’ll be charged a one-time fee of $14.99 to pull all of your reports and histories. From there you’ll be charged a “First Work Fee”. This First Work Fee helps get your case started. Their advisors will start analyzing reports and start the credit repair process.

WHY IT’S IMPORTANT TO USE LEXINGTON LAW

As a young 17-year-old headed off to college, I had no idea how those massive student loans would haunt me for years to come. But calling Lexington Law has helped me go from feeling defeated to feeling hopeful. Now there’s a plan in place and I have trusted leaders on my side. And now I spend less time worrying, and more time with my family.

family

So call Lexington Law today and kickstart your credit repair journey. Because your credit is not written in stone!

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How Lexington Law is Helping Me Recover My Credit

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Making the most of Quarantine Halloween

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Twenty-twenty will forever go down as the worst phrase of our generation. As a mom of young kids, one of the worst things ever is knowing that my kids know that something is going on. I mean, my 7 year old and my 4 year old both keep saying “…when COVID-19 is over, can we….?” And it absolutely breaks my heart. But we’re all doing the absolute best that we can given the circumstances. So I have made it my personal mission to let my kids know that Covid doesn’t have to stop the fun. And that’s why I’m making the most of quarantine Halloween!

trick or treat

Trick-or-no-treat?

Our city is still very much on the fence regarding trick-or-treating. But I am not. Our neighborhood gets really busy — which we have always welcomed. But this year I am less than thrilled about the potential for kids coming and going and pushing around. With a heavy heart we decided against traditional trick-or-treating this year. And, honestly, I think that’s what’s best. My kids will have another Halloween and trick-or-treat. But, Covid is a wildcard. And I couldn’t live with myself if something happened.

So what should we do?!

There are so many ways to make the most of Halloween. Kids don’t really care about trick-or-treating. Heck! My kids usually only last 15 minutes! But they do love celebrations — and candy! So that’s what we will do.

Making the most of Quarantine Halloween

How we’re celebrating

We will still dress up. I will admit — I don’t like how much adults ‘love’ Halloween. I’ve always hated the idea of adult Halloween parties. But I will dress up this year for my kids. We will have a big at-home party! My kids and I will be setting up the most perfect candy charcuterie board for Halloween.

Making the most of Quarantine Halloween

What you need for a candy charcuterie board

Assorted candies
Small containers
Large cutting board or platter

Charcuterie Board

Candies may include:

Twizzlers
M&Ms
Candy Corn
Candy Pumpkins
Jelly Slugs
Halloween Pez
Bloody Bites
Spooky Lips Lollipops
Assorted snack size candies, wrapped or unwrapped

  1. Choose a board or serving dishes for the charcuterie board.
  2. Place loose ingredients (small candies, loose candies, etc.) into bowls or individual dishes. Place those bowls on the board or buffet first.
  3. Arrange other candies around the bowls.
  4. Add assorted tongs or Halloween decorations.

Tell me this…

How are you planning on making this the BEST Halloween ever for your kids?!

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9 Fun Things To Do With Your Kids at Home

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Whether by choice or by circumstance, staying at home with our kids is something that we’ve all been tasked with lately! At the beginning of this pandemic, I felt excited to finally get a chance to slow down and just ‘be’ with my kids. But two weeks turned into 6 months and we’re all getting a little tired of the humdrum of staying at home. If you’re out of ideas and need a refresh, I’ve got the perfect list for you! Here are 9 fun things to do with your kids at home!

Take a Virtual Museum Tour

Just because you’re stuck at home doesn’t mean you can’t experience art and culture! Services like Google Arts and Culture offer virtual museum tours! Your kids can enjoy artwork from all over the world in the comfort of your home. How cool is that?!

Try a card game!

A simple deck of cards can offer so much of happy hour spending with time is remarkable. There are nearly 40 different card games that can be played at home. A light and casual game of UNO or go-fish is a great way to keep busy, learn, and have fun!

Read a new book.

If your family is anything like mine, then you might find yourself with several bookshelves full of kids books. Sitting down to actually read eacho f them? That’s another story. Each day ask each of your kids to pick out a short story to read. Then pile up and got through each book in a cozy corner or on the couch. Their imaginations will lead them to incredible places! If you prefer, there options for digital downloads from your library or on the Kindle store!

Have a Lego building contest

LEGO is, by far, one of the top building games for kids. We have thousands of LEGOs on hand from our seven-year-old. But the great thing about LEGOs is that kids (and grownups!) of all ages can enjoy them.

Lego Building with kids

For this, pick a theme — like, “house,” “car,” or “airplane.” And set a timer. Everyone builds their own version of the theme and at the end you vote on who’s is the best!

Do a puzzle 

Puzzles are extremely useful for growing your kid’s mental health. This indoor fun activity offers a great way of learning and engaging. Plus, doing puzzles together will undoubtedly build problem solving and logic skills!

If you’re looking for a fun puzzle, I recommend heading to Puzzle Huddle. This business is minority owned and focused on including diversity in their puzzles. My son is obsessed with their “future engineer” puzzle.

Put together a dessert board

BYO S'mores

When we’re all stuck at home 24/7, meals can get boring. Whether you still have Summer weather or dipping into cooler temperatures, a s’mores board is always a good option. We put together a s’mores board with traditional offerings like graham crackers and marshmallows. But it also includes rolos, peanut butter cups, oreos, ritz crackers, and even strawberries! Everyone gets an option with indoor s’mores!

things to do with your kids at home

If you can’t make it outdoors for your s’mores, try wrapping them in foil and sticking them in the oven! The kids will still have a blast and will remember these moments forever.

things to do with your kids at home

Paint with your kids

Painting is so fun for everyone! Creating amazing art using vibrant colors is an awesome way to spend time with your kids. You can even try out some marshmallows, popcorns or slices of bread to try out food painting activities at home.  Check out these edible food paints for more ideas!

Make some homemade Play Dough

I used to be the kind of mom that was anti-play dough. It just seemed messy. And my naivete as a new mom meant that I hated the colors mixing. But I learned, fast, that you should throw your cares out the window! And always buy Play Dough when it’s on sale.

Play Dough Rainbow

So if you already have some, great! Everyone play together. But if you don’t, this is the perfect time to try making it yourself. Make bright colors, add in some sensory items, and play the day away. If you need a good homemade Play Dough recipe, head here.

Try a science experiment

Home-based science experiments like glitter slime and exploding volcanoes are so fun. But there are also loads of other experiments where you can try out of homemade supplies. Just hop on YouTube for hundreds of videos to try out kid-friendly science projects. What a great way to have fun with your kids while getting some STEM learning in, right?!

Tell me — what’s your favorite thing to do with your kids at home?!

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9 Fun Things To Do With Your Kids at Home
9 Fun Things To Do With Your Kids at Home

Five Ways to Ease Your Kids Into a School Routine

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The transition from summer to school is tough! It will be especially hard this year since we’ve been in this strange “stay at home” summer mode for so many months. To help with the transition, I’ve developed a list of five ways to ease your kids into a school routine.

Five Ways to Ease Your Kids Into a School Routine

Do Your School Supply Shopping Early

There is nothing worse than panic buying school supplies the day before school starts. The stores are packed, the supplies are picked over and the emotions are high. Trust me, you do not want to spend your final moments of summer with your kids in the school supply aisle the night before school starts. Shop for your school supplies early. It will help your kids start thinking about the upcoming year. 

Get Back into a Routine

Remember that bedtime routine that your kids had when school was in session? Yeah, it is time to bring that back. Make sure you start their normal bedtime routine at least a couple of weeks before school starts. You will also want to make sure you are setting an alarm in the morning. If your kids are like mine, their bedtime has gotten increasingly late all summer. I plan to gradually make them go to bed 15 minutes earlier than normal every few nights until they are back on their normal school routine. This will make the first week of school less jarring. 

Make Your Kids Get Dressed

My kids would stay in their PJs all day if I would let them, and honestly some days I do – it is summer after all. However, it is time for a reality check. After their alarm goes off, have your kids get dressed, brush their teeth, and eat breakfast. It will make that first week so much smoother if they’ve already established this rhythm. 

Five Ways to Ease Your Kids Into a School Routine

Do a Practice Run

A few days before school actually starts, do a practice run. Have your kids go to sleep the night before at the normal school night bedtime and set their alarm like it is an actual school day. Practice how you as a family will get out the door that morning. If you have a younger kid, you might be pleasantly surprised to see that they do not need as much help from you in the morning. See how long it takes to actually get out of the house and to school. This will help both you and your kids feel more prepared for the first day of school, especially if your kids are going to a new school.

Talk to Your Kids

Going back to school is stressful for both kids and parents. Make sure you talk to your kids and see if they have any concerns. Ask them what they thought went well last year and how you all can improve your school routine as a family. 

With a little planning and preparation, you can ease your kids into a school routine that will make the transition painless!

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Create an Effective Homeschooling Plan For Your Child

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Homeschooling has many benefits for both children and parents. The biggest of which is the opportunity to tailor-make an education specific to your child’s individual needs and interests, as well as your family’s beliefs and values. But how can you pull all of that together to create an effective homeschooling plan for your child?

Planning Makes (Almost) Perfect!

The first thing you need to do is to come up with a clear plan and set of goals for your homeschool year. It is here that one of the greatest aspects of homeschooling, flexibility, becomes one of the most difficult. Without a clear plan, you run the risk of creating a scattershot education that puts your child out of place with his or her peers. But with so much choice of styles, curriculum, and subject matter, where do you start?

Set Clear Goals

First of all, come up with a clear set of general goals. Think about why you wanted to homeschool your children in the first place, and what you want them to get out of the experience. What, generally, do you want your child’s education to encompass?

Homeschool Goals

Once you have answered these general questions for yourself, begin to split your child’s education into various subject areas. For each subject area, you want to come up with a timeline and set of goals. You should also take into account your child’s interests and what they want to learn this year.

Homeschooling allows you and your child to learn together, creating not only a valuable learning experience but strengthening family bonds. Taking the time to include your child’s interests in your planning means you will have a happy engaged learning as the homeschool year goes on.

The Curriculum

When planning a timeline, a standard public school curriculum for your child’s grade is a good place to start. While it is almost certainly true that one of the reasons you’ve selected to homeschool your child is to go beyond and outside this standard curriculum, you also want to make sure that your child does not fall behind his or her peers in a given subject area.

A standard curriculum also gives you an idea of what standard your child might be expected to meet at that age in school.

Look at the standard expectations for a given subject level and then work backwards: how do you want to achieve that level of knowledge by the end of the year? What are the targets for each week? By setting these targets you can establish a timeline and curriculum that allows for effective homeschooling.

You can then plan a scheme of work that leads you to these points or buy a pre-packaged curriculum that will meet your goals.

Find the joy

Of course, you should not overlook the joy of flexibility in homeschooling so you do not need to stick to a plan rigidly, but it is useful to have an outline or series of goal posts for the year.

Instead you can make a clear educational plan that allows for flexibility. Plan what your child is going to learn, but leave the “how they will learn it” some breathing room: as you begin the process of homeschooling you’ll learn how your child learns best, and can begin to incorporate this into the lessons. A clear educational plan is one of the most essential tools to effective homeschooling and will lead you comfortably through the school year and ensure your child’s learning is effective and meets the required levels.

Subscribe to my emails to receive a FREE Homeschool Planner Printable to help create an effective homeschooling plan!

Create an Effective Homeschooling Plan For Your Child

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Tips for Going On a Camping Trip with a Baby

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What’s more exciting than taking your toddler or baby on their first camping trip? It’s a great opportunity for the whole family to enjoy, have fun, and bond over a hot campfire and roast marshmallows. Camping also so happens to be one of the few ‘safe’ ways we can travel and explore right now. Whether you’ve just started camping, or you’re an expert, there are a few ways to make sure that everything runs smoothly. Here are my tried and true tips for going on a camping trip with a toddler or baby. Let’s make that camping trip with a baby a success!

Do Weather Research

When going on a camping trip with a toddler or baby, you need to be conscious about the weather. Young children are super vulnerable to weather conditions. It wouldn’t be fun to spend the camping trip huddled inside the tent. Doing some basic research will help you in the long run!

Do a Test Run

When you feel that you’re ready and everything has been prepared, do a camping test run in the backyard. That way you’ll be able to catch if there are any snags with the camping gear. It will also be a test run for your toddler or baby to spend the night in a tent.

Bring Familiar Toys

If your toddler or baby is uncomfortable, giving them with a familiar toy will make them happy and calm them down. Only take a couple of familiar and favorite things. By giving your child their favorite toy, you’ll be keeping them busy — and it will give you more time to prep the campsite!

Do Your Research on the Location

As any parent knows, kids (especially young ones) are naturally curious. So if they see wild berries, they might try to eat them. As soon as you get to the campsite, make sure to check for any harmful plants, like wild berries. If you do find any harmful plants, make sure to warn your toddler about them. In addition to warning them, you need to check up on what your toddler eats at all times. Especially if they have the tendency to wander off!

camping trip with toddler

Choose a Campsite With Lots of Activities 

Toddlers are filled with energy, so they need to be kept busy. If you only sit around the campsite all day, they’ll surely get bored quite fast- and naughty! When there are many activities at your campsite, your toddler will have a wonderful experience and they’ll definitely want to come back again the next year. It’s best to plan these activities in advance to avoid potential disagreements with family members once at the campsite.

Take a Mat for Crawlers

If you have a young child that’s still in the crawling stage, make it a priority to take a large enough mat for them. It will stop them from crawling in the dirt and potentially hurting their tiny hands. If you have a pack and play, that works as well!

kids withs mores

Take a Headlamp

To avoid your little one getting scared at night, and to keep them calm while you move around the campsite- take a headlamp with. A fun headlamp would also be fun for them, as well as aid in reducing the anxiety that the darkness may cause. 

Take Sunscreen and Bug Spray

You may be able to stand a sunburn, or a few mosquito bites- but your toddler or baby on the other hand may not. Especially if your child hasn’t had a sunburn or been bitten before. If they experience such a thing, it may cause them distress to a certain degree where they would end up avoiding camp. Young children are quite vulnerable to the sun’s rays, so take the necessary precautions like keeping your child in the shade. When you buy sunscreen and bug spray make sure that you buy the right ones- such as ones that are made with natural oils and don’t contain DEET.

Put the Electronics Away

Once you get to the campsite, put the electronics away. If you give your toddler or baby a cell phone or tablet to keep them busy, the whole purpose of going on a camping trip would be defeated. Only bring your camera along to snap photos during outdoors family time.

camping trip with baby

Pay Attention to Children Near the Campfire

It’s easy to assume that your child knows not to go near the campfire. But the truth is they don’t. If you’re not mindful of what your toddler or baby is doing when they’re by the campfire, don’t be surprised when you see them going straight for it! If you plan on having a fire, sit and tell your child that they can sit near it, but they remain seated in a designated spot. Of course, you still need to keep an eye on your child just the same.

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Tell me — what tips would you give to parents going camping with young children?!