First, let me welcome you to my little corner of the web. 1+1+1=1 is a blog that began in 2007 and has grown beyond my wildest dreams! If you are brand new, chances are you are a bit overwhelmed and not sure where to start! I hope this post helps you navigate through the gobs of information available here.
About Our Family
The best place to learn more about our family is here on our website. You can read all about us, what we do, our faith beliefs, why we homeschool, why I blog, and more! You can also peek at our About Us page here on the blog too. Much of the info is the same.
As for me, the one who actually writes this blog, I don’t like writing about that portion as much as I like writing about the people I love, but I know I love to read about {and see a photo} the other women online whose blogs I visit, so here’s a bit about who I am. My name is Carisa ~ yes only 1 s. This is me…
{my good friend Jolanthe took this photo of me while at the Relevant Conference in Oct 2010}
I am a 36 year old mom to 3, who you will read all about here on my blog, but I am also a wife of
over 12 years to an amazing and Godly man {and also as beautifully imperfect as I am}. We have an interesting love story-in a nutshell we were engaged within 6 weeks and married within 11 months. When we left our suburban southern {typical American dream} life to become full time faith supported missionaries, we uprooted it all and replanted in the inner city within 6 months of hearing the initial call from the Lord. We move fast and it seems to be how God likes to do things with us. We seek the Lord together in all we do, both in things we partner on and in things we do individually. Although I write this blog, my husband is my accountability partner in all areas, I am so grateful for his support and wisdom as he guides me lovingly.
There is much more to who I am, but hopefully what you will see when you visit my blog is that God has given me things to share and I pray I am a good steward over what He has given me. This blog truly belongs to Him.
I use the same Avatar image for everything so it makes it easier for you 😉 This is the current “me” online…
My Children
I do keep their real names semi-private. I use blog names for them in print, but yes, occasionally you may see their names in a photo or hear them in one of my videos. It’s not a do or die thing for us-just something we try to be mindful of mostly so their names are not searchable online. Online we call them: Pac Man {oldest son}, Krash {middle son}, and Ladybug {youngest daughter}. If you click on their names you can read a bit more about them!
About the Name of the Blog
Read all about how the name 1+1+1=1 came to be here!
History of the Blog
Ever wonder how I began my online life? Start here with The History of 1+1+1=1 ~ Part 1. In that post you will find links to the posts that follow and share the rest of the history of the blog and my other sites!
Main Sections
Although it’s not always Christmas, I get asked often about gift recommendations, I recommend looking through these posts, and you can always glance at my School Tools collection.
I create many printables to share for free, here are several categories which are hosted on my website…
- Tot School…a HUGE part of my blog…focused on the younger crew, ages 3 and under
- Tot School Printables ~ A free A-Z printable set to use with tots!
- Tot Trays
- Tot Books & Tot Packs
- Raising Rock Stars Preschool…the preschool curriculum I developed
- Raising Rock Stars Kindergarten…the extension of the RRSPreschool curriculum
- You Can Read…the sight word program I developed
- Word Play…a collection of fun word play ideas for teaching kids to read
- YCR, RRSP, MO…understanding my paid section
- Members Only…this is a section where I offer PowerPoint shows
- Behind the Scenes…posts digging deeper into a specific area of my life
- Preschool Printables..printables I make for you to download for free
- Preschool Packs…similar to Tot Packs but with preschool/Kindergarten skills
- Raising Rock Stars…Our family Bible time
- Something Special…posts focused on our daily special activities {read the intro/schedule here}
- Out of the Zone…posts about 3rd grade and beyond {which it out of my early childhood comfort zone}
#1 Post
Ever wonder what the #1 MOST READ post is on my blog? It is…
Behind the Scenes ~ Tot School…Where Do I Begin?
Navigating Around the Blog
The best way to find what you are looking for is to use the top navigation bar…
When you hover your mouse over any of the topics, a drop down menu will appear. Here is an example from the Behind the Scenes section…
When All Else Fails…
My Other Sites
I do have a few other websites and blogs, it can get confusing, I know. I get confused and I write them all!
- 1+1+1=1 Website…this is where I host many printables and other extensions of the blog.
- 1+1+1=1 Reviews & Giveaways…I host all reviews and giveaways on a separate part of this blog. This is so people who are uninterested in that portion can easily ignore it! It is also easier to navigate around the review/giveaway page with it separate. I always share about giveaways here on the main blog, you just have to go to the other portion to actually read the review and enter!
- Totally Tots Blog…this is my team blog, which I lead with Jolanthe from Homeschool Creations and a team of writers.
- Totally Tots Website…this is an extension of the Totally Tots blog.
- Raising My Lil’ Ladybug…this is a blog that I began when my daughter was born. It has since died down for the most part, but there is tons of info on it {mostly about cloth diapering} and I do update it every now and then! Best thing to do is subscribe to it, that way you’d see if I randomly post to it!
- 1+1+1=1 on Facebook…our FB page is pretty active, I often post over there about things that aren’t worthy of an entire blog post! If you are on FB, I’d love for you to join us there!
- Pinterest…this is where I host the ideas I found around the web!
- Twitter {@1plus1plus1}
- Little Bits…this is a non-profit business that my moms runs to support our missionary work. I run the website/blog for her, but it is her business. ALL profits from orders come straight into our missionary account. You can follow the blog to see new products, and please pass it along to friends to help spread the word! She custom makes orders too, info is on the website for custom orders.
There are a few questions I get often! I do not mind answering questions for you, but I thought it would be helpful if I posted the information in one place so many could find the answers without having to wait to hear back from me via email or comment. Visit the General Blog FAQ here.
Getting in Touch with Me
I must be honest…email is a VERY hard thing for me to keep up with. It honestly breaks my heart to think that I leave anyone hanging. I know it must feel like I don’t care or that I am selfishly ignoring you. I promise-that is not the case. I simply just do not have the time to keep up with all of my email anymore. I read EVERY email and comment and reply to most of them. There are some that get filed in my “Need to Reply” folder and I get to them when I can {no rhyme or reason to which emails go there-mostly depends on when they come in and how busy I am at the moment}. I am sorry if you haven’t heard from me, if it is something very important, feel free to leave a comment on my Facebook page-I am usually better with that! See my email address and more info about contacting me here.
Want a Button?
I am honored to see any of my buttons on other blogs/sites. If you’d like to add any buttons to your site, I thank you in advance! You can find all of my available buttons and the html coding here on my website.
Interested in Sponsoring?
I do host ad space on my blog, along with providing reviews and giveaways {on a limited basis}. I have a media kit available to any business owners {large or small} who are interested. Please email me with a link to the business you are representing and I will get back to you ASAP! I only accept blog sponsors who are family friendly ;-).
The Bottom Line…
I am online because I feel God calling me to be here. YES, it takes up a lot of my time, and this is a decision I made along with my husband, who supports me fully. My goal is to honor God through this blog and my sites as I try my best to serve others by using any gifts and talents God has given me. At this season of life, blogging is a natural fit since I am home with my children and not feeling called in ministry outside of my home {which I did for years}. Will I always be here? I don’t know, but I do know I feel certain that God wants me here right now. It is my desire to let Christ shine through me…even as the sinful and imperfect person that I am. If you are a believer I welcome you. If you are not, I welcome you. If you want to know what I believe {in a nutshell ~ The Bible…all of it}, you can read more here, if you are seeking, I invite you to go here to a page we created on Totally Tots to help others with questions.
Thank you for visiting 1+1+1=1, I hope you enjoy your time here and that it helps you in some way!
Be sure to subscribe so you don’t miss a thing! You can also join me on Facebook or Twitter!
