latest on the blog
"The tradition of an old fashioned Sunday accomplishes more than just feeding us, it nurtures us."
- Chef John Besh-
Over a decade ago, back when I was working in Washington D.C., I started to find myself in a pattern that I grew to quickly dread. I found myself tired and exhausted from the week and then would give myself an "off day" on Saturday but then found that I was running around like a crazy woman after church and between Sunday night community meetings to get everything done that I needed to for the coming week. When I taught in D.C. I found myself staying up even later to prep and finish grading for early Monday morning. I often would go to bed on Sunday night worn out and tired, thinking to myself, "I need another day in the weekend."
As I kept thinking about my time and my weekends I remembered a story that my mom had told me about my grandfather's childhood days. My grandfather shared that his father insisted that Sunday's after church were to be kept simple and for the family and friendships. The whole day was to be centered on community.
As a girl who loves community and people I was drawn to this idea and theme and kept returning to it as I considered my weekends. So about 15 years ago I started to put into practice the concept that my Sunday's were going to be "old fashioned Sundays" that are simple and centered solely on community. As I fought for my health some of these ideas were tweaked a bit, but the concept of keeping things simply centered on community has only grown more precious.
My "old fashioned Sunday" truly consists of connecting with my community in a deeper way. Starting at 7am I disconnect from social media, email, and things I find distracting. I then connect on the phone with dear friends and have long heart-felt conversations as I sip tea, and spend many hours writing old fashioned letters to loved ones and to the soldiers that I have adopted through Adopt-a-Platoon. I get together with friends (either in-person or virtual face-timing), create artwork, go to church, go for hikes, plan precious moments of adventures and simply enjoy the moments in front of me with my loved ones.
I look ahead to the week, schedule in time that I want to face-time with precious friendships and make phone calls to friends that are far away. I look ahead at what is coming up in the month ahead, spend time planning gifts, creating, and thinking of ways to mark important special days and listen to music softly playing in the background. As my health returned, I started baking again for loved ones, preparing meals for my tribe, playing music, gathering around the table, and sharing laughter and our lives.
What I started to find was that by taking time to rest and invest in my community was a beautiful gift that started to erase the "worn out and tired" that used to exist. I know some of you are shaking your heads and thinking, well that sounds delightful, but I have so much responsibility that I could never do that. I get it. I really do. Most of my days (due to commitments, writing obligations, teaching, the blog, work, etc.) go 14-18 hours. I am not going to try and compare lives as we all have responsibilities, deadlines, demands, etc, but instead I hope that this will encourage you to carve out sometime for your own old fashioned rest and connection.
It also has made me truly look at what is important in my life and put the time and energy into those things and to say "no" very easily to the things that don't have a long-lasting legacy.
Recently, there have been a few places in my life that have become more full again and I found myself evaluating this time again. One of the ways that I have been recently challenged about this was in watching an old TV show, "Little Men". (It is available free on Amazon Prime- you can find it HERE... it's a bit slow, but adorable.) As I watched this show I was struck by the community and depth and challenged to really put down my phone, stop spending so much time scrolling through social media, and invest in the lives of those around me and who are in my community. It may seem like a strange connection, but watching this show was a gentle and beautiful reminder of the gift of the present. Something that I fought so hard for for the last decade and something I want to continue to treasure.
Sundays have also become a time of adventure- planning for the week of what my one new thing a day will be for each day... this has sparked a whole new love of looking at the week!
All of these things have brought a richness and depth to my life and I truly look forward to Sundays. This has created a haven living concept in deep ways for me. I think that for every person and family during different seasons this might look unique, but the concept of having an old fashioned Sunday is something that I hope to treasure forever. I shared at the beginning that Chef John Besh once said, "The tradition of an old fashioned Sunday accomplishes more than just feeding us, it nurtures us." I love this. I would love to know what ways you incorporate this idea into your lives! Please share in the comments below!
Here's to a beautiful and nurturing and refreshing day friends and contemplating how to spend wisely the minutes and days before us that we have. I hope that today is the start of an amazingly beautiful day for you!
Ever since I was a little girl I have struggled with motion sickness. Despite my love of traveling in all different forms, I was always the one who would ask for the air to be higher, the windows to be rolled down, the temperature to be cooler, and would practically camp out to stake out the seats that would allow me to easily see out. Motion sickness was definitely not a friend and over the years as I have continued to travel more and more I have found a few ways to help handle this to make it better. Here are four of my favorite tips on ways to handle motion sickness as you travel!
1. Take Control
If you are taking a road trip but are not driving, the place that you sit in the car can contribute to motion sickness. Studies have shown that drivers are less likely to get motion sickness than passengers simply because the brain is being focused on the commands to control and predict the motion of the car. If possible try driving when you have the opportunity to help with motion sickness.
Another way to take control if you are not driving is to try to sit in a seat as a passenger where you can look out front. Studies have shown that looking out onto the horizon gives the brain a greater sense of control than just looking at the whizzing scenery.
If you are unable to sit in one of these situations or are on a cruise or a train or a flight, try to open a vent up to help the air flow, start a conversation, or pick a point that is steady to focus on. On a flight consider choosing a seat over the wing which has been said to be the calmest area of an airplane.
If you are on a cruise consider choosing a stateroom at booking that will help prevent motion sickness. Studies have shown that on a ship those in rooms near the center of the ship are less likely to experience as much motion as those on the aft or front part of the ship.
2. Pressure Points
Different people think different things regarding the idea of pressure points and acupressure, but I have found pressure points to be helpful in different situations, including extreme motion sickness. For some people wearing the pressure point wristbands is incredibly helpful. THIS ONE is very popular with over 29,000 four star reviews, has helped me, and is less than $9! Click HERE to purchase it on Amazon! Simply slip it on and wear it on your travels! So easy! Traveling with a child - here is the child's version of the wristband- click HERE!
3. Make Wise Choices
On any trip really make sure that you are watching your consumption of the type of food, drink and alcohol levels that you consume before and during your trip. A lot of people don't feel good when they travel simply because they start to eat lots of foods (think heavy creams, spicy, or fat-rich foods) that they don't typically eat in their daily lives. Try to keep to your normal diet on your trip which will help your stomach stay less queasy over all and in general.
4. Ginger
I have talked SO much about Ginger here on the blog, but one of my most popular travel posts, 16 Unexpected Things to Bring on Every Cruise, (click HERE to read) remains my highest read post with hundreds of thousands of saves. From that post I hear the most from people about the suggestion of how ginger has helped them in their cruise travels and it honestly is great for all different types of travel. One suggestion I have for ginger is to take it before you start your trip - and then continue to take it throughout.
A lot of people use Dramamine (or the patch) for motion sickness for traveling which is a wonderful option, but ginger can be a great natural resource to help with nausea. You can read more about ginger and its health benefits by clicking HERE. I have mentioned this in several posts but I swear by THIS ginger here and it is LESS than $7! Seriously- SO awesome!! Click HERE!
Also, if you are wanting to use dramamine- did you know that there is now a non-drowsy version made with ginger? You can find it HERE!
I hope that you find these four tips helpful for handling motion sickness y'all! I know how difficult it can be and I hope that this post helps to ease this area so that you can enjoy your travels even more! Let me know if you have any questions! I am happy to answer! Looking for additional travel tips for road trips, cruising, or flying? Check out my travel page HERE!
Disclaimer: I am not a medical doctor and this post should not be taken as medical advice. Make sure to always consult with your doctor on all products suggested in this post and on this blog.
the guide to checking accounts word search // caravan sonnet shoppe on teachers pay teachers
March 10, 2025
Happy Monday friends! I am so excited to share with y'all an updated resource in the shop- the guide to checking accounts word search and answer key!
I created this word search specifically about Checking Accounts. I had searched for one specific to this and couldn't find one so I hope that this can help another teacher!
This 24 term word search worksheet printable features the topics and issues involved and coincides with the 5 STAR RATED Checking Accounts Powerpoint Unit Bundle (you can find it HERE!) that is available in the shoppe! Just looking for a basic checking account word search and don't need the unit bundle? This will also be a wonderful resource to introduce or use with this topic to your students!
This word search is created for easy instructional use, PDF version, and a convenient teacher answer key for quick correcting!
These pages are also particularly helpful for time fillers or sponge activities.
Whether you are using this for a time filler, a way to help students think about the names in new ways, a sponge activity, a substitute plan, or just looking for this era for history to come alive for your students, this resource will help bring creative engagement to your lectures!
This resource introduces a variety of 24 terms including:
* Checking Accounts
* The Silk Road
* Endorsement Line
* Joint Checking Account
* Student Checking Account
and more!
Document can be edited to fit the needs of your classroom! The cost of this word search is only a $1.00 (!!) each and they are a unique resource that you can use every year for your classroom needs.
Interested in Finding out More About the 5 STAR RATED Checking Accounts Powerpoint Unit Bundle? Click HERE!
Looking for all of the Personal Finance Word Searches? I created a bundle of all of the personal finance word searches that you can find HERE! Check out ALL of the Personal Finance Resources available in the shoppe HERE!
Thank you so much for all of your support of the shoppe! If you would like to check out the shoppe you can find it HERE! Thank you again friends! Happy Monday!
the guide to checking accounts // personal finance powerpoint with guided notes // caravan sonnet shoppe
March 8, 2025
Happy Saturday friends! I am so excited to share with y'all another updated and expanded resource now available in the caravan sonnet shoppe at teachers pay teachers! This is a resource for personal finance teachers at the high school or college level. This resource is all about teaching the guide to checking accounts.
Want to see a fun preview reel of this resource? Click HERE! And don't forget to like and save the reel! So fun!
This resource contains 9 Powerpoint Slides with colorful, animated, engaging, and educational sections on the guide to checking accounts! This resource also contains guided/scaffolded notes (more information below)!
This Powerpoint specifically explains a basic Understanding of checking accounts, different types of checking accounts, ways to access your checking accounts and more. This is truly a ALL in one checking account resource!
This Powerpoint Presentation contains practical and helpful information to help students understand the basic principals of checking accounts which is a national requirement for a financial literacy/personal finance class and also required by most state standards. It will also help you in your discussion of this topic!
This resource covers a variety of topics including:
*Checking Account Definition
* Ways to Access your Checking Account
* Different Types of Checking Accounts
This resource also comes with Guided/Scaffolded Notes come with three options:
(1) Fill in the Blank Notes (with answer key)
(2) One Slide a Page with Note Space Below
(3) Multiple Slides a Page with Mini Note Sections to the Right
The cost of the powerpoint is only $2.00 and can be used every year for your classroom needs!
If you would prefer to purchase this resource in a bundle you can find this resource in the following unit bundles:
This resource (like all of the financial resources in the shop) can be found in the Personal Finance Semester Bundle HERE!
Thank you so much for all of your support of the shoppe! If you would like to check out the shoppe you can find it HERE!
Thank you again so much for a wonderful first week of March in the shoppe! I am so thankful and blessed! This is truly an incredible blessing to see how many things are helping teachers and helping students!! If you haven't had a chance, would you take a moment to follow along and leave a review for your purchase? These reviews are a HUGE help to shop owners at TPT!
Thank you again for ALL of your support of my shoppe!
Happy Friday friends!! I hope that you have had a lovely and wonderful week! I am so grateful to spend time with each of you in this sweet space. This week has been filled with so many incredible moments that I can't wait to share more about in the upcoming days so today this Friday Favorites is just going to be simple and short...
If you would like to read posts the past week you can find them here:
*this post contains an exciting announcement about something new and sweet coming next week!*
I hope that you have a wonderful Friday and weekend friends! Thank you for making this such an incredible space to come to and connect with every single day. I am so blessed!!
Happy Thursday friends! In today's Thursday Health Thought post I am excited to talk more on the importance of detox baths! This was something that I did throughout my fight for my health and life with Advanced Late Stage Lyme Disease, Cancer, and other multiple illnesses that was exceptionally helpful and I have continued it to this day! You can read more about Lyme Detox bath specifically, HERE!
For a LONG time my life consisted of two detox baths a day to help in the role of healing. I did one every single morning and every single evening during my fight for my health. As I healed I lessoned these and now depending on the week, my commitments outside the home, and different times of year I do some approximately 4-6 times a week to help protect and support my health.
To be frank, I am not sure why I didn't start doing detox baths before November 2013. I used to take a relaxing bath once a week when I was teaching years ago, but I never really investigated the arena of detox baths until 2013 when a fellow Lymie suggested it. After several of my Lyme symptoms continued to flare and worsen and become debilitating, I was desperate to find relief and a friend suggested Epsom salt baths.
I researched a ton about it, talked with several other "Lymie friends", discussed it with a naturopath doctor, talked with my physician and medical team, and continued to research some more. After about 4 weeks of intense research I thought it was worth a try and could help me on this journey. Frankly I have never regretted it or looked back.
The benefits that I have found plus the benefits to my health and help in healing were priceless. For a long time I was asked if I really kept up with 2 a day detox baths and the answer was a definite YES. I did them every single day- even on holidays and when I traveled for treatment and continued to do them even when I didn't feel like it or I was exhausted from intense treatment. I did them on the morning of surgeries, on Christmas day, trips for the blog, on vacations, and even on my birthday. In the summers at the cabin where we do not have a tub, someone would drive me (when I was so sick and weak to drive) the two hours back and forth to the house each day to do the baths. There was literally no break. Consistency was a key to healing in general. If I was traveling somewhere where there was not a tub (for instance for the cruises) I would do a modified bath with a LONG shower and a foot detox bath. It wasn't the same, but it still helped keep up the detoxing every single day.
Today I don't stick that to strict of a schedule simply because I have healed and am now in a supporting role of health with my body. So for example, when I travel I don't do the foot detox baths anymore, but just get back into my normal routine when I get home. During the winter when more toxins seem to bring more sickness and because I am out living life, I do more than I do during the summer.
Today, to be frank, I sometimes do not feel like doing them. Honestly for a while I didn't even want to do them anymore because I was tired of "sick world things". But I have learned over time how vitally important it is to keep supporting your health- even at times you may not "feel like it". Detox baths are one easy and practical way for me to do this. I am on year twelve of doing this and it is a discipline that isn't really "fun". BUT, while I might not "feel" like doing them, or I am tired, or (the main reason) I often feel like doing something else that is more "fun", I have learned how important that this discipline is for my health and for the support of my body and I view it as a gift.
One of things that best things that a detox bath does is help my body remove unwanted toxins. Due to the fact that I do have the MTHFR gene my body struggles (more than the "normal person") to detoxify. Having added toxins is never good for your health but especially when you are recovering from an intense fight for your life, you do not need to carry additional toxins. These baths are a simple aid that I can use to help my support this detoxification process.
A second thing that a detox bath does is to help strengthen my immune system. When you are seriously ill detox baths can be a simple way of allowing you to absorb some things that you might not be able to otherwise do through your skin. Some of the products that you can use in your detox bath can help strengthen your immune system which can also be a wonderful help! I have found the same thing is true when I have returned to working outside the home after being homebound for nearly a decade. I am still wanting to protect and help my intensely fragile immune system.
Benefits of Epsom Salt Detox Baths
So as I mentioned before I take Epsom salt baths (as my base).There are so many benefits of Epsom salts which include:
(1) improving heart health
(2)reducing blood clots
(3) lowering blood pressure
(4) improving the body's ability to use insulin,
(5)reducing the incidence or severity of diabetes,
(6)Flush toxins and heavy metals from the cells
(7) easing muscle pain and helping the body to eliminate harmful substances,
(8)Improve nerve function by regulating electrolytes and more."
(All of this information was found on the Epsom Salt Council's website page.)
Type of Baths
I add to the Epsom salt baths a 1/3 of a cup of raw apple cider vinegar (you can read about the benefits of apple cider vinegar here), a 1/3 of a cup of Aloe Vera Juice, and then certain essential oils that I have researched and found to be helpful not only with my symptoms but also help in the healing process of after a fight with a serious illness like Lyme Disease. [I have also been known to add in additional kinds of Aloe Vera juice, probiotics, and even water from stems of greens].
There are so many different detox bath recipes that you can find online or in doing research. Kris Carr has created a detox bath recipe which you can find by clicking here. (Honestly I could list about a thousand so I would encourage you to talk with your physician and do lots of research!)
Temperature of the Bath
As far as the temperature goes I actually vary the temperature every day with every bath. It takes a crazy amount of planning but I take the time to really think through and map out my baths and their temperatures. There are a couple of reasons for this:
First, many people believe that very hot baths are the best at killing toxins. I believe that there is merit to this, but there is also research coming out of Japan (Kyoto Prefectural University) that states that there is some correlation between extreme hot baths and heart attacks. Due to this (and I don't think this can be stressed enough) it is VERY important to consult with a physician before beginning baths.
Second, I also vary the temperature because there is some research that states that taking a cold shower can actually improve your immune function. All of that to say it is best to consult with a physician to come up with a detox bath schedule that works best for you!
Negative Side Effects of Detox Baths
At the end of the day there are some negative side effects of detoxing (which again is why you want to consult a physician) and I would encourage you to go slow. Anyone who has done any type of detoxing knows what I mean. Unfortunately when I first started in 2013, while I researched so much, I didn't talk with a physician and jumped right into doing several different detoxifying things. I was sick as a dog for several weeks and it was awful and instead of helping me it ended up putting me farther back in my health journey. So definitely consult with a physician before doing anything.
When I started the research process again specifically on detox baths I did things more slowly (even with the amount of the ingredients that I use) and slowly starting adding different detoxifying methods in. At the beginning it felt that I was doing absolutely nothing, but now, years later I can't believe all that my body was doing and does to this day!
So take things slow... and especially if you are seriously ill take things even slower. Treat your body like the warrior that it is and honor it with taking things one step at a time. Drink lots of extra water and rest more. Detoxifying is a process and it is not a sprint so take your time and you will get there!
I would love to know if you take detox baths and what you put in yours! Do you find them helpful?
Looking to read more "Thursday Health Thoughts, The Benefits of Posts"? Click HERE for all of the posts in this series from over the years!
ALL of this information is only to be helpful and I can't stress how important it is to follow the path of a doctor in your detoxifying process. Detoxifying is a necessary part of healing but must be done under the care of a knowledgeable physician.
Happy Wednesday friends! If you missed my post yesterday, The Best of Caravan Sonnet Travel-2024 (you can read it HERE), I am catching up a bit from the beginning of the year on some long overdue travel posts! I hope that these inspired you in some way for your own adventures! And read to the bottom for an exciting announcement coming next week!
Today I am so excited to share what the top well loved and read travel posts of 2024 were with this community! If you haven't had a chance to read these posts then I hope this will provide you with some inspiration on this beautiful March morning!
I have loved seeing how this post remains in the top 5 read travel posts on my blog ever since I wrote it back in 2015! Each year I update the post with relevant information and it is hard to believe that it has been NINE years since I originally wrote it.
At the time I wrote it I was heading on my first New England and Canadian Cruise in the early fall and the weather in October varied. When I had researched for tips and I couldn't find any so it was a fun post to write and I love that it has been helpful to others!
My mom and I had the beautiful opportunity to take a different New England and Canada cruise with Holland America in the late summer of 2019 (you can read about it HERE) and this list came in handy when we were packing. No matter the time of year you may be traveling on a cruise through or to New England and Canada I hope you find this helpful!
You can find the post HERE!
When I went on my first river cruise in 2017/2018 I was a complete newbie! While I have done a lot of ocean cruising, I knew nothing about river cruising and searched to find the best packing lists so that I wouldn't forget anything.
I fell in love with River Cruising on our Rhine River Cruise with Viking Cruises seven years ago and can not wait for our river cruise with Viking in April. You can read all about our beautiful adventure on the Rhine River HERE! I can't wait to take y'all along on every part of that cruise! I love all cruising but if you haven't had a chance to do a river cruise, I can't recommend it enough!
This post is perfect if you are in this same position and are afraid of forgetting something- don't worry! This list will help remind you of 5 things not to forget in your planning!
You can read the article HERE!
One of the questions that I receive on a weekly basis is for packing tips and suggestions along with vacation tips! These are great questions and realistic needs as you plan to leave on a trip and before I went on my first Caribbean Cruise back in 2014 I spent a ton of time researching these answers.
Since that time ten years ago I have been so blessed to go on 6 additional cruises including a river cruise on the Rhine River (which I mention in #2 above) and am looking forward to some additional cruising adventures in the coming year! (As a side note if you ever want to see where I am heading next for travel you can find the information HERE!)
I share that to say that along the way there has been lots of different learning curves and so I hope that this list of 10 things to do before you leave on your Caribbean Cruise post will help you have a stress-free and fun-filled and memorable vacation!
I share that to say that along the way there has been lots of different learning curves and so I hope that this list of 10 things to do before you leave on your Caribbean Cruise post will help you have a stress-free and fun-filled and memorable vacation!
You can read this blog post HERE!
I originally wrote this blog post back in 2016 and also update it every single year. It remains one of the most read posts on this blog with several HUNDRED thousand reads and saves! Y'all. I am always humbled and shocked when something I have shared could help someone. I am so thankful that it is helpful!
The 16 unexpected but necessary things to bring on every cruise listed in this post will help you with any type of cruise you are going on at any time of the year. While a lot of packing tips and lists can be found on the internet that include the usual items you would think to bring (clothes, camera, passport/documents/toiletries/etc) I wanted to share a few things that you might forget and are unexpected but are must pack items. I hope you find it as helpful as other people have!
You can read this blog post HERE!
Back in August of last year I started a whole new type of travel posts and wrote this post on creative reuse shops. It has been a joy to explore this type of travel and the response has been AMAZING. It is always exciting to find something new and creative when you travel and I am loving all of the feedback! The map is constantly updated with new reviews so feel free to check it out and be inspired to check out these creative reuse shops!
You can find the article HERE!
Thank you so much for reading today friends! What have been your favorite travel posts you have read this year?
I am so looking forward to sharing so many fun and beautiful adventures this year. It is a BIG year of traveling for Caravan Sonnet and I am so excited to share with y'all some beautiful collaborations, tips, and ideas for your own travels that I hope will inspire you.
And stay tuned for an exciting announcement all about a new venture that will give back in a unique way- Postcards with mom is launching next Wednesday! I am SO excited to share more!!
Happy Wednesday friends! I hope you have a wonderful day!
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