Exactly one-half of 2016 is gone, and we're moving right along! Here's a sneak-peek of some of the fun day's we're celebrating in July! There's always a reason to #celebratetoday! 

I have learned that having a clear and concise mission statement can really help define your business, help you prioritize what's important, and even say no to things that don't fit what you're all about. With the help of The Society for Creative Founders (formerly Stationery Academy), I had crafted a mission statement I was happy with - mostly. There was a piece missing, and not until recently, was I able to really drill down and put into words what I want to do with this business of mine.

It's about so much more than getting you to buy my products and follow me on social media. I want you to see that any day can be a celebration. We can be happy for the small things, celebrate the obscure holidays, cherish the time with our children and family that seems to just go by so darn fast, and even plan out things that are going to make life better, make our lives easier, and to be ready for what's ahead.

So here it is, the new mission statement and direction for the Polkadot Paper Company!​

I am so excited about this because I feel like it captures all the pieces of what I want to share with you. You'll find lots of reasons to celebrate by following me on social media (Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram) and with the hashtag #pdpcelebrate. I am revamping Pinterest right now to reflect my mission. You'll find tons of ideas for celebrating every day, writing letters, beautiful typography, craft projects, recipes, memory keeping and more. And it's OH so organized! You'll love it!

I want to celebrate every day! I want to be intentional and plan for big things. I want to cherish my memories and the memories of my children, and I want you to join me!

Thanks for your support and for going on this journey with me!
-Paula

On this day in 1943, the patent paperwork for the ballpoint pen was filed, and today June 10th is observed as National Ballpoint Pen Day! 

I am personally a fan of the ballpoint pen, and I have many favorites. For some reason, I just prefer the rolling to a felt pen for my every day writing and list making. (I always have a list!) I especially like "fat" ballpoint pens with larger tips. 

Just for fun, I picked up a package of Bic Velocity Bold pens because I noticed it has a large 1.6mm tip.. and I must say I am loving them! Since it's the ballpoint pen's birthday, I thought it would be fun to do a giveaway too!

Enter to win this set of Bic pens and a set of my notecards by telling me in a comment your favorite type of pen. You can enter here and on Instagram for one additional entry. One name picked at random on Monday, June 13th will win both items shown below.

Contest open to residents of the United States, 13 years or older. 
One name chosen at random will be emailed and announced on social media Monday, June 13, 2016. 

Reading is an important part of all of our lives, and even more important during the long summer breaks. We've worked on year on making reading part of our routine and we definitely need to keep up with it now that school is out. This summer, I'm keeping track of screen time and holding my kids accountable for reading as part of that. We love all the fun Summer Reading Clubs we can be part of, but sometimes you forget all that you've read when you don't keep track.

I created this simple reading log so you or your children can keep track of all the things you've read. I think it makes a much bigger impact when you can actually SEE a goal or see progress that was made. Simply write in the title of each book your child reads. You can even include the date to keep track of how long each book took to read.

I've challenged my 9 year old son to do 100 days of reading this summer. A quick 20 minutes per day earns him a sticker on his chart for the day. When it's complete he'll earn something special. (We actually haven't determined what that is yet, but we're thinking on it.)

Click below to download this colorful book record to keep track of all your summer reading!

Happy reading! Share with @polkadotpapercompany on Instagram to show us your progress this summer! I'd love to see what your kids are reading!

Summer break is officially here! I know I personally feel like the school year just started, but apparently it's been 9 months! So here we are, faced with three months of what to do. Lately one of my biggest concerns has been the use of technology in my household. All. the. time. Not just the kids, but my husband and I too are guilty of constantly checking our phones and mindless surfing of nothing important for no real reason at all. I really want to make our time together more intentional and maybe not have such a feeling of months passing that feel like only days. 

I'm excited to try a couple new things at home and I wanted to share some free printables with you, so that maybe you can set some technology limits for you and your family as well and we can see together how our relationships change and we are more intentional with our time.

First, I have for you a "Family Time" printable. You can frame it, or print a bunch and hang them up! Fill in the time of day that you are deeming "Family Time." No electronics, no computers, tablets, phones, and maybe even no television! Our family time will be every night from 6-8pm. We can spend after dinner time and before bedtime together, enjoying each other's company. I'm sure some nights we will choose to watch a movie together, but so long as we're doing it together, I think it counts! I left this printable without a time so that you can write it in for what works best for your family. I hope you try this out, I'd love to hear how it goes! 

This next one I've thought long and hard about. I've been through the guilt of thinking "it's summer, just let it be summer" and then KNOWING that my kids thrive on structure and that I need to set some ground rules. Technology at our fingertips is new ground, and wasn't the case when I was a kid, so it didn't seem to be an issue. I want my kids to remember their summer, do productive activities, and not just waste it away on a tablet or computer. 

I'm pretty happy with what I came up with. Five simple tasks before earning a set amount of computer/tablet time. I did this with my elementary son in mind, I'm still not sure about my little one. I feel like I still have some Momma control in his case. Again, you can fill in the reward for computer time at the bottom of the sheet to suit your needs. I slid our sheet into a self-laminating pouch so that it can be used with a dry erase marker as a check list each day.

Here's what I decided was important to include:
-Get Ready for the Day. Getting dressed, brushing teeth, and eating breakfast. 

-Read 20 minutes. Reading, for even a short time is SO important. Every day of the summer. We even have a 100 days of reading goal chart for the summer! 

-Draw and Write. My child does not have the best dexterity and could really benefit from using those finger muscles. I didn't set a time here, but I plan on having a bin of drawing and writing activity books especially for this.

-Help Out. Teaching responsibility and expectations is important to me, so a simple prompt to ask a parent how you can help and doing a small job will go a long way. Some days, there may be no small jobs, so picking up three items and putting them away will do.

-Play. For 30 minutes (at least!). Legos, dolls, trains, ANYTHING. I want my kids to just play before settling down to their devices. 

I'm thinking all of these activities will take about an hour and a half to complete (if they're done with minimal complaining and fits!), which leaves PLENTY of time to enjoy those long summer days. I decided to give my son three hours of electronics time, and leave the time tracking usage to him so that he can practice a little time management. I'm hoping he will learn to use his time wisely and still have plenty of time for playing outside, swimming, and just doing nothing while enjoying being out of school.

I'm excited for the summer, and feeling a little more prepared with these printable. I hope you'll try them out and let me know how it's working for you and your family! I can already see us using these into the school year on weekends and holidays.