2nd Blogiversary AND Ultimate Blog Party 2012!

Who said Friday the 13^th was unlucky???! It’s both my 2^nd blogiversary and the start of the Ultimate Blog Party 2012!

Last year, I was 2 days late in joining the Ultimate Blog Party, but I’m one minute early and ready to go this year! I love the online friends I’ve made in the last two years, and I always look forward to making new friends. “Make new friends, but keep the old. One is silver, the other is gold” … so true!

Here’s some info about me and about my blog:

I’m Deb Chitwood, a Montessori educator/writer and mom of two grown children. I was a Montessori teacher and school owner before I homeschooled my kids through high school. My kids now both have college degrees and still have a love of learning (yay!).

My educational background is focused on Montessori education. I have my Montessori certification for teaching children ages 2½-5, and I’m also certified to teach two Montessori-based religious-education programs: Catechesis of the Good Shepherd and Godly Play. My bachelor’s degree has a concentration in Montessori Elementary and Early Childhood Education. I received my MA in Early Childhood Studies from England with my degree work and dissertation centered on Montessori education.

I’m also the author of a 1983 children’s book, The Magic Ring. Within the next few months, I’ll have an eBook coming out on Montessori at Home or School: How to Teach Grace and Courtesy.

At Living Montessori Now, I write about Montessori education, homeschooling, and parenting in general. I love sharing my experiences and encouraging parents and teachers. I also enjoy doing online research and love sharing links to great ideas and blogs I find during my research. You’ll find links to some of my most popular posts in the right sidebar and in my About Montessori page.

Here are some places you can find me online:

• Twitter as @DebChitwood, @RaisingSkaters, and @SpringSnowPub . Through @DebChitwood, I tweet and retweet blog posts, inspiration, and activities I find online. I also publish the Parent/Teacher Daily through Twitter.
• Living Montessori Now Facebook page (links to my posts and lots of posts from around the blogosphere along with a featured Free Printable of the Day). At the Raising Figure Skaters Facebook page, I share an inspirational Quote of the Day and lots of inspirational word art. At the Spring Snow Publications Facebook page, I share writing and blogging posts from some of the world’s top bloggers.
• RSS feed (my blog posts in a reader such as Google Reader)
• Pinterest (lots of Montessori-, holiday-, and theme-related boards)
• Google+ (new this year)
• Living Montessori Now Community where you’ll find all sorts of parenting and education ideas along with a weekly parent/teacher Pinterest pinning party and a Parent/Teacher StumbleUpon group. I also have a thread with all my featured free printables of the day in case you missed any!
• We Teach, including my We Teach Montessori group!
• And don’t forget to sign up for my newsletter in the right-hand sidebar to receive Karen Tyler’s AMS Montessori geography album and the Mom Bloggers Talk Montessori: Favorite Ideas and Activities eBook FREE along with a weekly newsletter containing a note from me with any important reminders and links to my posts from the week!

If you use Montessori materials but didn’t win a prize in my amazing blogiversary giveaway, Montessori Print Shop still has a gift for you! For my readers, Montessori Print Shop is giving a 20% off coupon code for any Montessori Print Shop materials you purchase during the next week! Here’s the code: LMN2BG41312. The coupon code expires at 11:59pm EST on Friday, April 20.

I have lots of online fun planned for the next few days! I’ll have some Montessori-inspired activities using free printables at PreK + K Sharing on Sunday, Montessori Monday activities and link-up on Monday, and a free printable counting book on Tuesday!

Please join me!
Share your favorite kids’ activities!  Link up Montessori-inspired lessons and activities at Montessori Monday! Link up kids’ activities of all types at the Weekly Kids Co-op and Earth Day activities of all types at the Earth Day Blog Hop!