Angies2Angels

Giveaway at Freely Educate!

2011-08-20T22:29:00.000-05:00

There is a giveaway at Freely Educate blog! It is for ALL ABOUT SPELLING curriculum! I want to win this for another family that is homeschooling and I think they would love it. I have it myself already! So go check out the blog at Freely Educate and maybe you will win.... well maybe you will see me win! lol

First Week of School 2011-2012

2011-08-15T19:32:00.000-05:00

We made SMORES! Every year on our first day of school I try to plan something memorable for the girls to make or do! This year we made our own SMORES and ICEE'S! I am very pleased with our school year so far! Our first week went very smoothly! God has blessed us so much!

School is almost back in session!

2011-07-31T14:46:00.002-05:00

Getting ready to start a new school year!!! I can't believe my kids are 8 and 10 now! Where has the time gone! We are planning a great school year! We are using Saxon math (I love this math)! For history we are starting The Story of the World! I am excited to do this! We are using Apologia Flying Creatures of the fifth day for Science!! Language Arts and Spelling are combined this year with Learning Language Arts Through Literature! So we are planning a fun learning year this year!

Our First Day of School 2010-2011

2010-08-12T18:28:00.004-05:00

Madison (Age 7)

We started our new school year on Tuesday, August 10th! We are using Galloping the Globe as part of our school work and we made passports for the girls to show all the places we are visiting! These are the passport photo's we put in the passports!

Hannah (age 9)

We made smoothies to celebrate the first day of school!

Getting Back on Track

2010-07-27T09:30:00.002-05:00

I hope to get back on track really soon!!! We are trying to get our school things all together to start school in a couple weeks! It seems that we are always busy with something! Hopefully I can start blogging soon!

Just an update

2009-12-08T22:29:00.002-06:00

I had not posted anything about our family lately so thought I would write a little post! We are preparing for Christmas with the girls. They are so excited and can not wait for it to be Christmas. They have enjoyed every part of getting ready. Putting up the tree, hanging lights outside with their Daddy and making ornaments. I wish we could just do Christmas fun things all month long, but feel that the girls need the extra school work as well so we are fitting the fun in and trying to keep on track with our school work. We may not do all subjects every day, but we are trying to do most of it. Today I was sick so they did fun stuff instead of regular school and they were happy to do that. They painted a few pictures and played some computer games and such. I am starting to feel some better so hopefully tomorrow it will be back to regular school work. I would like to take the week before our break and just do Christmas things, like a lapbook and making cookies and watching Christmas movies and such. So hopefully I can get all that planned out.

I was blessed by my church family with a laptop! My old one was having some keyboard issues, which is why I had slacked off on blogging. When I type on it, it adds extra letters and symbols to my typing so it makes for a time consuming job. The new one is great and I love it so much! I still have to add a couple programs to it that I use for my church work. I am so blessed with a great church that I love so much! The Best Pastor and Wife ever! Thank you Jesus for blessing me with them!

Anyway, enough rambling about my life. Maybe now I can update and add some pictures real soon! Keep checking back you never know what you will find on my blog. I love sharing about giveaways and such so I do that often and as you seen in the previous post that sometimes I win! lol So check back. God Bless You all and enjoy this holiday season! Remember Jesus is the Reason for the Season!

Win a copy of Tales of the Heartily

2009-11-09T09:16:00.002-06:00

You can win a copy at Quiverfull Family blog! The contest ends on Nov. 12th so go and enter today! She has lots of ways to get entries to read the post and make your entries!

Currclick Sale through Nov. 19th

2009-11-04T15:28:00.001-06:00

Plants Lapbook Review

2009-11-02T20:29:00.002-06:00

If you are looking for a detailed supplement to your plants lessons this is a lapbook for you. My kids love to make lapbooks and it enhances what we are learning about. What is better than hands on activities to helps with learning and is also fun? With 25 different activities to do you will love it. If you have young children you can pick and choose the activities to fit them. Lapbooks are fun and educational and this one is no different than any lapbooks from Hands of a Child. Also don't worry if you need a little refresher course yourself, with the guide you will learn all over again. I encourage you to try this lapbook if you are learning about plants it is filled with great things! If you would like to buy this lapbook go to Currclick and order a copy!

Win a CD from Teaching Heart Mom

2009-10-04T21:16:00.003-05:00

Win a free CD from Teaching Heart Mom! Go here to find out how to win.

Giveaway at Skip To My Lou

2009-09-15T15:13:00.002-05:00

Sewing with kids

Giveaway at Skip To My Lou!

I WON!

2009-09-03T14:33:00.004-05:00

I just found out that I won something at the Homeschool Open House!

Pirates!

2009-08-26T17:30:00.003-05:00

We made a Pirate Lapbook the first week of school and I had gotten these goodies at Dollar Tree to go with the lapbook learning!

Homeschool FUN!

2009-08-26T16:53:00.003-05:00

One of our homeschool days! Kinda behind on posting some of our first homeschool days pictures for this year!

E- Homeschooling Freebie at Old Schoolhouse Magazine!

2009-08-12T21:46:00.003-05:00

Go here for the free download!

Our School Plans for 2009-2010

2009-08-07T19:54:00.004-05:00

2009-2010 School Year

We will be starting our new school year officially on Monday and I actually think my kids are excited! Mind you learning for us really never ends, we just disguise it as fun! This summer I have been amazed at how many times my kids have initiated the learning! Whether it was playing school or writing letters to friends or just plain reading books they have been learning all summer long! I have been a very proud Mom! Anyway our plans for this school year are as follows!

My oldest Daughter
3 rd grade this year
For 5 subjects she will be using Switched on Schoolhouse
We will also try to do some art and lapbooking along side for fun and to break the routine a bit.

My youngest daughter
1st grade this year
For Math, Phonics and Handwriting she will be using Horizon's
We will do lots of playing games and lapbooks too!
Also we are going to use Hooked on Phonics to learn to read this year! She is very excited about learning to read!

So that is our plans for this school year! Pray for us that we stick to the plans and accomplish what we need to get done!

Introducing our first grandchild!!!

2009-07-25T12:32:00.003-05:00

Baby Morriah and her Daddy!

Proud Papaw Terry with Baby Morriah!

She was born on July 21, 2009
weight: 7lb's 13 oz
19 1/2 inches long

Molly's Money-Saving Digest coming in August!

2009-07-16T09:45:00.003-05:00

Molly's Money-Saving Digest
(August issue)

I had the chance to read the upcoming Molly's Money-Saving Digest for August! It will be released soon so you can get your copy!

I was anticipating trying one of the digest since her first one was released in January. So I had a chance to read the August issue and I also get to tell you what I thought! So that is great!

Well, I loved it! I can see myself buying these! They are only $4.95 and issue and they are jam packed full of great money-saving tips and ideas to use with your family!

The August issue is based on the theme of "Organization"! I need that so badly and couldn't wait to hear ideas for it! I wasn't disappointed! Now, I must say that most of the tips for how to start your process of cleaning closets and the garage are not new to me, seeing it all in black and white is a motivator to begin! lol There were little nuggets of information that I had never thought of before too! Since I am a visual learner the added pictures make this even a better help to me!

Now, I must say this issue is not just how to clean out your closet, garage and kitchen! lol Also your recipes and your mail! lol Oh and also a whole lot more!!! She also shares with us how to conquer all those excuses for not throwing things out! Like so and so gave this to me! lol and a lot more! This is so helpful, as I am a pack rat and I think I am turning my kids into pack rats as well!

Molly also shares with us many recipes for Make Ahead Mixes from Marmee as well! You know like the kind you buy in the store! Cookie mixes, biscuit mixes, muffin mixes and a lot more! You can save money by making these yourself! You can have these on hand for anytime you need something quick! So, what are you waiting for try Molly's Money-Saving Digest today! Go here for more information! The August issue will be released soon, and you can get the July now!

Publish Post

Mom MY Ride! lol

2009-07-08T11:07:00.002-05:00

Coming Soon!

2009-07-07T21:56:00.003-05:00

Our granddaughter will be here soon! Carletta is doing so good!
We can't wait to see little Moriah!

We did request that she wait till we get back from a short trip we
are taking this weekend! lol
She isn't due till the end of the month, but you never know!

A great visit with cousins!

2009-06-29T10:23:00.003-05:00

Cousins! We had a visit with my cousins from Ohio!
The girls had such a great time!

At the bowling alley! Mona with my Daddy!

My cousins Debbie and Mona!

Heather (Bean) with Hannah and Madison!

Hannah's 8th birthday!

2009-06-29T10:13:00.004-05:00

Wow! I can't believe that she is 8!!!
We had a real simple celebration this year!
Just cake and ice cream with the family!

Hannah wearing her new outfit she picked out for her birthday!
She wanted clothes this year instead of toys! :) Wow she is growing up! lol

Of course we had to have noise makers! lol
Madison enjoyed those soooo much!

Camp Yadah 2009

2009-06-15T14:38:00.002-05:00

Our girls all dressed up!!

The whole crew!!

Just another reminder to why I homeschool my kids!

2009-06-01T11:18:00.002-05:00

Check out this article.... Mandatory "gay" day for K-5 students!

Not that I really needed another reminder! And some may say this is California, but I have heard of this subject being taught right here in my area!! I don't teach my kids at home just for this reason, I have lots of reasons! My biggest one is that I want to be with my children and them to learn my values not the school systems values! Anyway I wanted to share this article with anyone who is interested! Just click the link to it above!

Mamaw and Lemons!

2009-05-31T18:11:00.005-05:00

My girls and I go to the nursing home every Friday to visit with Mamaw!
This week the girls spotted lemons on Mamaws table and she cut them some to try!
It was funny to see! I took a short video and thought I would share it here!

Terry and Tyler's Birthday!

2009-05-26T12:31:00.003-05:00

Terry and Tyler's Birthday Cake! Hannah and Madison helped make it!
We did it half chocolate (for Tyler) and half white (for Terry)!
They were surprised
to see it with both flavors!

Terry eating his cake and ice cream! Wow he is 43 now!! lol

Tyler opening his cards and gifts! I can't believe he is 22 now!!
He will soon be a Daddy too! We are so proud of Tyler he is doing so good!

Trying out his fishing chair!! Carletta says it will be her chair!
He may have to go buy her one! lol

Carletta showing us her belly! She really didn't want me to
take a picture since she had been working all day and was tired and messy!
I had too though I don't get a lot of opportunities to take pictures!
I want to have some to show Moriah
( not sure if that is how her name will be spelled)
when she is older! She is going
to be so spoiled! lol

Family blogging is back!!!

2009-05-26T12:24:00.002-05:00

We have been a part of the Homeschool Crew for the last 9 months and now our term is over so we will be returning our blog back to family and school things! We may occasionally do a review, but not very often! So be sure to come and view our blog and see what is happening at our house!

Read and Share DVD Bible Volume 1

2009-05-19T22:16:00.003-05:00

Thanks to Thomas Nelson Publishers I was given the chance to review the Read and Share DVD Bible Volume 1 ! My children love to watch cartoons just like most children do and I am always looking for good wholesome cartoons for them to watch. So when I had this chance I was excited to try it! The DVD has 13 Bible stories included on the DVD! Each one only lasting 3 minutes! That would be perfect for really young children with short attention spans! My girls being ages 6 and almost 8 were not so impressed! They watched and listened, but they made it clear that this wasn't going to be a DVD they wanted to watch over and over again. I think mostly due to the shortness of the stories. They love hearing Bible stories and they loved the characters and the quality of the cartoons, but they are just too short for my girls ages. So if you are looking for a DVD for the really young children this would be great! I plan to save it for my first grandchild due to be born in July! :) She will love it! You can go here and get your copy!

Tapestry of Grace Year 1 Unit 1 Review

2009-05-11T22:01:00.004-05:00

We were given the Digital version of Year one Unit one Tapestry of Grace to review!

I must first say how excited I was to get the chance to try this program! I had heard among the homeschooling community that it was a great program. I was so excited! Well, we were sent the information to do our digital version and I was a bit overwhelmed! The digital set up was a bit complicated for me. Due to trying to keep people from sharing the information they have it all set up that it can not be shared. It is a process and takes a little work to get it all set up! If I had my choice of DE version or book version I would choose the book! The cost is a little more, but I feel it is worth the extra expense for this program to get the book!

To say that this program takes planning is an understatement! I worked on preparations for just the first few lessons for a couple weeks before starting. The book list is great and if you have read any of my other post you know that we don't have access to a inter library exchange where I live. So I had to substitute books that I could find and try to do the work without some that I really would have liked to had. So I don't much care for that, but anytime you are doing a unit study type learning you have to have other items that don't come with the lessons themselves and you have to just make due. I will say we really enjoyed learning about Egypt and the hands on lessons are AWESOME! That is defiantly our learning style! We love making and doing things. We learned a lot about pyramids and mummies and Egypt while using the lessons from TOG! So I enjoyed it. The cost is a big problem for us to continue this, but if someone was to give me book I would defiantly continue it with my girls! If you would like to read more reviews for TOG go here to the Homeschool Crew! Also check out TOG site here! Lots of information is available along with samples for you to see!

Memoria Press

2009-05-11T20:59:00.003-05:00

Do your kids need to practice their handwriting as much as mine do? This is a great Bible based copy book program! We received two of each of the three copy books to try. My oldest hates to do handwriting, absolutely hates it! So when I got these I thought okay here we go again.. well, it was different! She likes copying bible verses and drawing pictures of what the verse means to her! This is a great program! I am so glad I could get it for my girls. My youngest doesn't mind tracing and practicing her letters, she compiles real well with this program! She is just really starting to write things on her own and all this practice is just what she needs! So are you looking for a way for your kids to practice their handwriting? Go here and check out what Memoria Press has for you! Oh you can see Sample pages here too!

We have been in search of a Bible program to teach our children for some time. We were given the chance to review the Christian Studies set from Memoria Press and we are very well pleased. We were sent the teachers manual and one student workbook. We have done some of the reading and answering questions, but it is a bit advanced for my girls right now. I do see us using it in the future to a greater extent. It is recommended for 3rd grade and up. I have read over the lessons though and I am so excited about using it with my girls in the future. We received book 1 and it covers Creation to Moses' Last Words. So want to know more? Go here and check out Memoria Press! They have a lot of different products that you may enjoy in your homeschool.

You can read more reviews of products from Memoria Press here at the Homeschool Crew!

Critical Thinking

2009-05-11T20:11:00.004-05:00

We had the privilege of reviewing 2 book from The Critical Thinking Co. Building Thinking Skills Primary grades K-1 and Level 1 for grades 2-3. We have enjoyed using the books in our homeschool day! The workbook pages are very colorful and easy to understand in the directions as well.

The Level 1 book covers....

Logical Thinking
Similarities & Differences
Sequences
Classifications
Analogies
Antonyms & Synonyms
Spatial Awareness
Vocabulary Development
Following and Writing Directions
Descriptive Writing
Geometry Concepts
Map Reading
Graphic Organizers
and much more!

My oldest has learned a lot about following directions since using this workbook. She can pretty much read the instructions and do these worksheets without help. That makes my job a lot easier and gives me more time to work with my youngest! So I love that!

You can see samples here!

The Primary book covers....

Similarities and Differences
Writing Skills
Vocabulary
Classifying
Describing
Analogies
Occupations/Vehicles/Buildings
Plants and Animals
Family Members
Number Sense
Geometry
Much MORE!

See Samples here!

I love this workbook so much! There is so much that my youngest has learned from this one! The Primary book covers so much information! Of course it is meant to be a year long process so it isn't too overwhelming. It is easy to explain and fun for my daughter to do. She has enjoyed doing the work in this book! The only thing that I don't care for is that the pages are not perforated. Several people suggested taking the book to an office store and having the binding cut off and holes punched for a notebook. I don't live in a location for that, so I just tore mine out of the book. Then decided to just keep them in the book. So that is the only issue that I have with the books.

Overall, we loved the Critical Thinking Books and would highly recommend them for anyone who likes to use workbooks in their homeschool day! They have even more books and other learning tools available at The Critical Thinking Co. Go and check them out today!

You can also read a lot more reviews for The Critical Thinking Co. at the Homeschool Crew! Just go here!

WriteShop Primary Book A (Ebook)

2009-04-22T14:09:00.003-05:00

Sample list from WriteShop

Writing and Publishing Projects

Paper plate faces
Story clothesline
Paper cookie friendship book
Accordion story book
Paper plate story pocket
Rebus

Other Activities and Projects

Paper coins and purse/wallet (high-frequency vocabulary)
Pointers
Stick puppets
Motion songs
“Stand, Hop, Sit” game
Rhyming words placemat
Taking a “Bug Walk”
Stuffed animal “Editing Buddies”

We had the opportunity to again review an item from WriteShop! We received a copy of the E book Primary Book A (teachers guide) and the Activity Set Worksheet Pack Book A (E book)!
We really have enjoyed everything that we have reviewed from WriteShop! This was no different!

The teacher guide gives you step by step instructions on how to teach your children each lesson. There is a day to day schedule that is set up as a three week lesson plan, a two week lesson plan or a one week lesson plan. The three week being suggested for Kindergarten age. It spaces the lessons out so that the child doesn't get overwhelmed and makes it more fun. The one week is geared toward the second graders and they do a lesson or activity each day of the week. Of course one good thing that WriteShop stresses is the flexability to their program! If their schedule doesn't work for your family they say change it!

The teacher guide also shows you how you can teach your children at the same time and how to work the different levels. Giving you suggested schedules as well! This is a plus for a lot of people.

The teacher guide gives step by step instruction for each lesson! You really don't have to think about how to say anything it clearly tells you what to say. If you are looking for something that does this it may be exactly what you want! I personally don't do my school day this way and it is hard for me to follow exactly what they say. Of course you don't have to do it that way you can just use their general idea and go with it. If you are comfortable doing so!

Mostly I would like to STRESS that the teacher guide is a necessary part to WriteShop Primary Book's! There are a lot of ideas for getting your child's mind thinking about writing in the Teacher's guide!

ALONG with the Teacher's guide we also received the worksheet pack! No one will stop me from saying that the worksheet pack is my favorite! I especially love the worksheet pack! I love having these in E book form! I haven't always enjoyed E books, but when it comes to worksheets I do! I can print just the activities I want to use and I can print for one or both of my girls! I love it!!!

If you are looking for a fun and inspiring writing program give it a try. The cost is very reasonable as well! Go here and see the price list! Oh and I also want to mention that they are working on Book B and Book C! So go to the website and check them out! Also if you would like to read other Homeschool Crew reviews for this product go here! Have a great day and happy homeschooling!

Apologia Science Review

2009-04-20T11:07:00.005-05:00

So are you looking for a science curriculum for your kids? I think you just found it! As I have stated in past post that I have struggled with teaching certain subjects to my kids and science has been one of them! Not with Apologia! We love hands on activities to go along with our reading and learning. Well, that is what Apologia Science does! We reviewed Exploring Creation with Zoology 1 Flying Creatures of the Fifth Day! We love it! There is so much information in the book! The best part is the activities! I must say the first chapter was a bit for my Kindergartner and Second Grader! Once we read through that they were loving it! Learning about birds and watching them outside was great! They have taken a great interest in bird watching with their Grandpa (my Daddy) and now they are seeing it even more! Grandpa is a big bird watcher and always feeds the birds and squirrels! He even has a little bird area set up outside of his window. We have seen a lot of different birds sitting and looking out that window!

Now, let me tell you that Flying Creatures of the Fifth Day covers a lot more than birds! We haven't gotten that far yet, but we will! It also covers bats, bees, butterflies and lots more! It is also Christian based, which we feel is very important! Trying this curriculum has won me over to Apologia! We will be buying more and more from this wonderful company!

So if you are looking for a curriculum that has the freedom to learn at your pace, with a hands on approach than I think that Apologia is for you! You can go to their site and read more there about all the different books that they offer! Also go to the Homeschool Crew and read other crew members reviews about this and other products from Apologia!

TruthQuest Review

2009-04-14T22:10:00.003-05:00

I don't know about you, but I have never really gotten into "history"! When I decided to homeschool my children I knew that I would have to relearn and learn to like things that I didn't enjoy much growing up! I want my kids to love history and science and all the other things that go with school! So I am trying to like things more! I love to do activities and hands on learning with my children the most. We like to read, but when we make something they seem to learn so much! So we have had the chance to try TruthQuest History! We received American History for Young Students II (1800-1865) I must say my first look at the book and I was already overwhelmed! There is so much information in the book! Books to search for at the library or online. I haven't had much luck finding the books I need at our library and they do not participate in the inter library exchange. So I am out of luck. I can not afford to buy book after book online either, so here we are reading the book itself and not much of the other books! The thing that I love about learning with my kids is activities and they do offer book ideas for that, but if you can't find the books you don't get to do the activities. I really wish they had some activities included in the books. One very positive for me was the fact that they are christian based! You don't have to worry about the secular teachings of public school with these books!

I also like the how the book itself is written, it is an easy read and fits well with the age of my children! I personally don't think I would buy this as a curriculum for us in the future, as I feel it takes a lot of preparation on the parents. I would prefer a book that had more of the information included and possibly the worksheets too! If you are blessed with a large library or one that can help you find the books you need, this would be great! I just haven't been blessed with that! I am thankful for the chance to try the curriculum! If you would like to read more reviews for TruthQuest go here! They have several different books for different ages as well as the one we reviewed!

Schleich Action Figures Review

2009-04-03T12:13:00.007-05:00

We received a package from Schleich Action Figures a couple weeks ago to review for TOS Homeschool Crew and we were so impressed! We had been gone out of town for two weeks and when we arrived home the girls seen the box! They immediately wanted to know what it was! So we began opening the box and inside was individually wrapped animals! They each had their own package! They came with a tag attached that told the name of each animal as well! We received a horse, rooster, bear cub, pig, ostrich chick and a giraffe.

We were so happy with them! These are toys that we can keep forever! You don't have to worry that your kids are going to destroy them in five minutes!

They are so neat and detailed! My friend said maybe a little too detailed! lol Especially the horse! lol We love them and plan to use them with our school and more than likely buy more!

I have to admit, I did put them out of reach for a little while thinking I didn't want them to get lost! I have sense taken them down and let the girls play with them.

I did tell them we need to keep them with our school things so they don't go to the world of lost toys in their room! lol

Thanks Schleich for making good quality toys that my children and I can play with for years to come!

Want to read more reviews about Schleich Action Figures? Go to the TOS Homeschool Crew site for more!

TOS Easter Freebies!

2009-03-26T16:50:00.002-05:00

The Old Schoolhouse Magazine is offering a FREE Easter goodies for everyone to download! Go here and get more information!

Peterson's Directed Handwriting

2009-03-25T13:23:00.001-05:00

Handwriting? How do you teach a child to write? Well, if you are like me you do what you know. Handwriting has always been one of those subjects that stresses me and my children. We have had many days of tears due to handwriting issues. Forming letters correctly and the right size. When my oldest was learning, we were beyond frustration and had to just back up and not worry so much. She did eventually learn to write better, but she is still not a great writer. Although, she now will write things without it being a chore to do. And so when we were given the chance to try Peterson's Directed Handwriting Curriculum, I was excited that I would be able to make my daughters techniques and style better. That she would become a better writer. Well...... I am sad to say, we were not able to use the curriculum. It is just too much work to implement into our home school. First of all, the lessons are so different. My daughter was just too used to the way we have always done things. This was bringing back those tears and frustration on my part and I just don't want that. The requirement for desk height was a major problem. We are a HOME school family. We do school at the dining room table and we can't cut the legs off our table. My husband was going to try to build a seat for her to sit on, but never was able to do so. The last thing that was more frustrating for my daughter was the angle of the paper. She just has never done that and I really tried to get it through to her, but she would get upset. So I gave up. This one feature of the curriculum, I really could see helping her. Anyway, you have to do what is best for your family. My other daughter is in Kindergarten and is just starting to write, so we may actually try a little harder doing some of the things that the curriculum teaches with her. One thing I would like to stress to you is that not every curriculum works for everyone. Read other reviews of products before you decide. What may not work for my family, may very well work for yours. So go and check out the other reviews at the TOS Crew site before deciding on this curriculum. Just for my family so far it has not been a working curriculum. Oh one more thing, I want you to know if you have questions about the curriculum at Peterson's Directed Handwriting the customer service is AWESOME. Rand Nelson was so willing to help us in anyway he could. Too bad he couldn't just come and show us hands on. lol Thank you, Mr.Nelson for all you did to try to help our family. May your company be blessed.

This review was originally posted in January 2009! I re-posted due to an spelling error I had made. Thanks to the person who let me know about my mistake!

Our new family picture

2009-03-16T11:34:00.002-05:00

My Family

February 2009

Giveaway at Homeschooling hearts and minds blog

2009-03-16T08:35:00.004-05:00

Go and check out the giveaway at Homeschooling hearts and minds. She is giving a way the New Testament Activity Pak from Homeschool in the Woods! You can enter the contest till April 3rd! Go now and enter!

One2believe Noah's Ark Set

2009-03-13T08:10:00.003-05:00

One2believe has done it again for our family! We have fell in love with the Noah's ark set that we were sent to review! The day that the set arrived at our house the girls were so excited to see what was inside the box! In fact the picture on the outside had us all stumped! It was a teddy bear box! lol So when we opened it and see that it was Noah's ark and it had all these beautiful animals we were so excited! It didn't take long for the girls to get over the fact that they weren't getting a teddy bear! lol So we opened it all up and rescued the animals out of the individual plastic wrapping! lol After the animals came Noah and his small staff! lol Which by the way I put up in the cabinet so it wouldn't be lost or used as a toothpick! lol So we had all the pieces out and the girls played for a few minutes before my little one said "Mom, I want to take a bath! " I told her it was not bath time, but she insisted that she go take a bath and that the Noah's ark and all the animals go with her! lol So we went and got things set up in the bathtub and put the Noah's ark to the water proof test! She was so excited and she played for a long time with the ark that floats! lol Then when she was done we put it out to dry and packaged it all neatly inside the ark and placed it in it's new spot with all the educational toys! lol That is so we don't loose it in the toy box! lol The Noah's ark has been to church with us too! We had to take it and show it there as well! We are very pleased with the ark as well as the Nativity set that we received to review from One2believe! It is a great investment that I would recommend to every family! I feel that this would be a great investment to anyone who works with children as well, daycare, Sunday school teachers, church nursery workers and more! Go to One2believe and see what other products that your family may use. Let's support a great company that is trying to provide wholesome toys for our children!

March Madness at The Old Schoolhouse Store!

2009-03-12T10:05:00.002-05:00

Do you like saving up to 80%?

Get next year's shopping done early and for less money at the March Madness sale in the Schoolhouse Store! Check out some of the unit studiesand copy work to help round out this school year or for fun summeractivities. Almost 200 items are on sale from vendors suchas Auralog, Trigger Memory, Draw and Write Through History, AmericanSchoolhouse Readers, and MANY more. Start shopping and saving NOW!

Just Pure Lovely Blog Contest!

2009-03-10T12:03:00.003-05:00

Just Pure Lovely Blog Contest!

This is copied from Just Pure Lovely Blog!

A BIG Giveaway! $150 Worth of Fashion Office Line Products
One of my favorite things to do is browse around in a stationery shop. You can just have the clothing and shoe departments; I'll be in the office supplies aisle at the local grocery/everything store. There is something about the smell, the feel, the very sight of paper and pencils, ink and organizers that inspire me to write the Great American Novel (or...a grocery list). Because of my obsession with all things that have to do with "paper" and "writing" and "organizing" (oh, my!), I am So. Very. Delighted to host this BIG ($150 value) giveaway from Carolina Pad for one of you.Are you a fun-loving, colorful gal who loves polkadots and stripes? This set is called "Eye Candy:"
Or are you more of a fashionista, into black, green, pink, and cool designs? This set is called "Simply Chic:" The winner of this giveaway gets to choose which set to call her (his?) own! I know, I know. How can you ever choose? I'll leave that dilemma to the winner. I couldn't choose, so I own parts of both sets. I use the Eye Candy pieces for schooling and the Simply Chic pieces in my little office for organizing and for writing. The quality and colors are not only fabulous (and much more vibrant than in the photos above - my favorite piece is the faux leather notebook cover from the Simply Chic line - above, mid right. It is hot, hot pink)...not only are the products well made, but there is the added benefit of getting more organizing, writing and schooling done because I'm excited to use my pretty new products! Carolina Pad is the maker of these fine products and they want to share a $150 set of their products with one of you. The winner will choose either the Eye Candy set or the Simply Chic set, shipped to her/him, for...free!

Artist Pursuits K-3

2009-03-07T07:32:00.005-06:00

We had the opportunity to try Artistic Pursuits K-3 Book 1! I have not done much of the actual art with my children from this book, so I ask my artistic friend to look it over for me and tell me what she thought! She is a certified art teacher! She has taught lots of different classes with different age groups. In fact she has taught several homeschool co-op classes and she doesn't have any children! So I feel that this review is based upon her EXPERT opinion!

We feel that this is a good program with lots of good qualities! Some of the lessons seem kinda "heavy" in her words! She thinks that a Kindergarten age would have a hard time grasping a lot of the lessons. Although they could learn a lot about the different mediums! Using all the different things to do art is great for kids! I told her that I couldn't see using some of them with my kids due to expense and mess! Although she encouraged me to do so! lol So over all we think that the program is good! I think that the price is a bit high! My friend does not! She knows more about the art world and prices then I do! So I take her word for it! I just feel that as a homeschool family we are always stretching each and every dollar and I couldn't justify buying a curriculum for the price and then buying all my supplies!

So you can go here and find out more information!

You can read more reviews for all the products that Artist Pursuits has here at the TOS Homeschool Crew!

SpellQuizzer

2009-03-06T18:34:00.004-06:00

SpellQuizzer

Spelling software for mastering spelling words fast!

Do your kids struggle with learning their weekly spelling words? Do you sit with them nightly going over the list verbally with them only to end in frustration? How would you like a program that will excite your kids into learning their spelling words? While also freeing you up from sitting with them while they are learning! SpellQuizzer does just that! With the program, your computer and a microphone you enter your kids spelling words verbally with your microphone and when they are ready to practice they go on the program and listen to your voice and then type in the words! You also can type in a written description of the word! SpellQuizzer will tell them if they are right or wrong and at the end give them the opportunity to retry the words they missed! It is a really neat way for your kids to practice their spelling!

The program is easy to function and work both for the parents and the kids!
My kids love anything to do with going on the computer to learn!

SpellQuizzer also has a wonderful Try before you buy on their site! So you can go to the site and try it out for FREE! If you decide you want the program it is only $29.95! Now this is great and will last the entire time your kids are in school! Also great for just keeping up with spelling as a grown up! lol Our spelling does tend to get worse with age! So go and check out the site and see what you think! We give it a big thumbs up!

Want to read others reviews of this product? Go here to the TOS Homeschool Crew!

Five In A Row

2009-03-02T23:20:00.002-06:00

I had heard about Five in a Row for a long time! Online in my groups people had talked about using it, but I had a hard time finding it in my local library. So I went in search on ebay to find a book. Well not really understanding the concept I bought a book that was a Christian Supplement to the Five in a Row books! Which didn't help me at all. That is why I now recomend the Five in a Row site! So I filed it away and kept my eyes open! I wanted to try it, but didn't know when. So when I found out that we would get to review it for the TOS homeschool crew I was so excited! We were given to the chance to try Volume 3! So again I was on a search to find the books that go with this volume. I was sad as my local library had NONE! So I went to the library in the next town only to be even more disappointed that they didn't have the books either! So as a last ditch effort I went to ebay and yes!!!! I found the books! I didn't really want to buy my books, but I did find 2 that I wanted to try and bought them! We have completed one so far and we absolutely love it! "The Bee Tree" by Patricia Polacco We had so much fun doing this book! My kids made a bee lapbook to go along with the theme and it was so much fun! I love the concept of Five in a Row books! To take a book and learn about all the different subjects related to the book! It is perfect for my 5 and 7 year old girls! It is the perfect hands on learning that fits our family! Thanks to Five in a Row for letting us review your product and now that I know where to buy them, I will be shopping your site! Want to go there check it out here!

Volume 3:

The Bee Tree by Patricia Polacco
Andy and the Circus by Ellis Credle
The Wild Horses of Sweetbriar by Natalie Kinsey-Warnock
Paul Revere's Ride by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, ill. by Ted Rand
Henry the Castaway by Mark Taylor
The Finest Horse in Town by Jacqueline Briggs Martin
Truman's Aunt Farm by Jama Kim Rattigan
The Duchess Bakes a Cake by Virginia Kahl
Andy and the Lion by James Daugherty
Daniel's Duck by Clyde Robert Bulla
Warm as Wool by Scott Russell Sanders
The Salamander Room by Anne Mazer
Climbing Kansas Mountains by George Shannon
Amber on the Mountain by Tony Johnston
Little Nino's Pizzeria by Karen Barbour

Heads Up!

2009-03-02T22:37:00.006-06:00

Do your kids struggle with a learning disability? Maybe just have a hard time concentrating on their work? Heads Up is a great place to get some great tools to help your kids learn better! We were given the chance to try a few of their products recently and I would like to share them with you!

Heads Up Top of the Line!

This product helps your kids to stay focused on what they are reading! They can keep their place! My daughter struggles with getting off the line and she will read the wrong line, this eliminates that! They must move the bookmark shaped guide down the page as they read each sentence. This was the biggest challenge for us! Getting my daughter to read the line then only move one line to the next line. Overall though it was a success and I can see us using these till they wear out or get lost! lol And you can not beat the price! $1.00 each! I love that!

Heads Up Frame! 4 x 9

These frames are designed to help your children not be overwhelmed with the whole page of work. You can set just a section of work and they will know that is all they have to consecrate on and not the entire page of work. My daughter starts having a meltdown when she sees a whole sheet of math! These are great for that. Just section off a section to be done during your math time and not worry about the rest until that is accomplished or another day! I think this is awesome and will save me a lot of meltdowns! Thanks Heads Up! Again the price is AWESOME! Only $1.00 each!

Heads Up Reader!
These are a another great tool! They help the child to read just the line, unlike the previous ones these have a colored strip with black strips above and below. My daughter had a hard time with these getting the concept of moving it as she read the line. As long as I was right beside her helping her it worked, but when I walked away she was lost. I think with a lot more time and practice she could come to use these on a regular basis though. She is only 7 and is a beginning reader! She is doing great though and I feel that Heads Up is going to make her do even better! Thanks again Heads up for allowing our family the chance to try your products! Again these are priced great! Go and check out their site here! They have a lot more great products that you may enjoy! Check them out!

Math Tutor DVD's

2009-02-17T21:28:00.003-06:00

Math Tutor DVD is a program to help your kids do better in Math! Do your kids struggle with certain parts of learning math or maybe with math in general? Math Tutor DVD just may be what your looking for! We were sent two of the DVD's to try. The first was The Basic Math Word Problem Tutor. When I first put this DVD in and sat down with my 7 year old, she wasn't too happy! She felt that it was boring and personally I agreed! There is a man standing there in front of a dry erase board and he is telling about word problems in a plain and unexciting voice. He proceeds to write on the board and then draws a few illustrations to demonstrate the problem. Well, the amazing part was the more we worked the problems the more my daughter didn't mind doing them. She really was catching on to the way that the problems were being illustrated. I personally didn't care for the DVD's but if my child was having a hard time in one of the areas covered on the DVD's I would use it. It does teach what needs to be taught, it is just a little plain. One good thing about having a DVD is the different catagories are listed on the back of the DVD and you can skip right to what you are needing to cover with you kids. So no sitting through the DVD and watching things your kids don't need to cover. You can go directly to what you want to cover.

We worked all the problems for addition and subtraction and she couldn't believe it was done. We still have the DVD for future reference as we get into the rest of the math covered on it. I do see us using it since we have it, but I don't really see me buying another one. Now, you may have kids or you yourself may learn great this way. So I suggest going to the site and watch a free sample and see what you think. There are some great buys on the site as well. Special prices on DVD bundles!

We were not really able to try out the Algebra 2 Tutor due to my kids being 5 and 7. I do feel that as my kids get into Algebra we will try the DVD to help them. Want to know more go here and see some samples and see what you think.

Bible Story Songs Matthew Volume 1

2009-02-17T15:20:00.002-06:00

Are you looking for a way to teach your children bible stories and verses? Ones that will stay with them through the years? Well this may be the way for you to do it! Bible Story Songs has 8 different CD's to choose from! 3 are based on Matthew, 3 are based on Moses, 1 is based on David and the last one is about the Bible! A wide variety of CD's and songs to choose from! We had the privilege to try Matthew Volume 1! With songs like B-I-B-L-E and First Ask, Then Seek! A lot more too! 30 Songs total you can go here for a list of those songs

The music is just your basic piano music. The voices are like a Children's choir. We enjoyed them and the tunes tend to stick in your mind. I have always loved using music to memorize. My kids learned the books of the Bible by singing them! It makes learning more fun for young children especially. So if you are looking for a way to teach verses and the Bible with music I would recommend these Bible Story Song CD's to you! They are only $9.99 each! They also offer a discount the more CD's you buy the more you save! You can go here and listen to some of the songs online before you buy!

The Matthew CD volume one also teaches good character traits! One song titled Mom Told Me to Clean My Room is really cute! Remember there is 55 minutes of music on this CD! I would much rather have my kids listening to this than a lot of other music out there!

They also have Color and Sing Songbooks available too! They also include guitar chords!
You can get these for just $4.99!

100 days of School Celebration!

2009-02-12T15:53:00.004-06:00

100 Days of School Celebration!

Making mini cupcakes! We had planned to make 100 mini cupcakes to celebrate the 100 days of school! We only had enough batter to make 82! So we celebrated like it was 100 anyway! lol

Licking the beaters is the most fun of making cupcakes for my girls!

We had a small day of Celebration for the 100 day of school today! It was actually our 101 st day, but we didn't have time to do it yesterday due to our dentist appointments. So here are some pictures of what we did today!

We also took old magazines and cut out 100 words! We then pasted them on a poster! The girls were tired of cutting and pasting by the time we were done! lol

After we finished gluing, we had a little sit down party with the cupcakes and drinks! Grandpa joined us to celebrate! I forgot to take a picture of that part! lol

Dentist Day!

2009-02-12T15:40:00.005-06:00

Trip to the Dentist!

My girls both went to the Dentist yesterday! It was my youngest first trip! I know she should have already went, but we just hadn't done it! I really was dreading it for both of them! I am pleased to say though that they both did GREAT! I am so proud of them! There was no tears and they left the dentist laughing and happy and excited about their next trip! My youngest has to go to a Pediatric Dentist soon for some work to be done and they I pray will go as well as this trip did. My oldest got a good report of no cavity's! One thing that helped my girls so much on this visit and not being scared was watching Jon and Kate Plus 8 recently and seeing the kids go to the dentist! They knew what to expect when we went with them!

WriteShop StoryBuilders

2009-02-04T22:55:00.002-06:00

Okay here we go! lol We were given two of Writeshop's StoryBuilders ebooks to try! We got World of Animals and World of Sports!

Let me tell you a bit about the StoryBuilders set up! They come with cards that you print yourself on different colored cardstock or paper. One set for each of these categories!

Character
Character Trait
Setting
Plot

The ebook gives you lots of ideas in how to use the cards! Even games! My girls are ages 5 and 7 so we went just taking the cards and picking one from each category and making up silly sentences and stories. I must say they loved it! Even Daddy got in on the fun with us! I feel that it made their creative juices flowing in how you can make up your own stories. I can't wait till my 7 year old gets more familiar with writing sentences to use it with her in writing what she is saying! These ebooks are very reasonably priced at $7.95 each! No shipping! All sent through email! So if you have a reluctant writer or just want to challenge your children to be creative, this is a great tool! We love it and even today when I got the cards out my girls were cheering! They enjoy using it! So go check it out! Writeshop also has other topics and more for the older kids as well!

My Amazon.com Wishlist!

2009-02-03T21:29:00.002-06:00

 

I first thought I would make my list private, but something told me to share with my friends and family!  So here we go! lol

Free Download of Glaucia the Greek Slave

2009-01-29T22:44:00.002-06:00

I just found out that you can download the book Glaucia the Greek Slave for FREE from Salem Ridge Press! Go here to sign up for their newsletter and to download this book! You will have the choice of downloading it all at once or in 4 different downloads.

Salem Ridge Press

2009-01-28T13:00:00.004-06:00

Let me tell you about a place where you can get wholesome books for your family!

Salem Ridge Press

We had the opportunity to review 3 of their books and we were well pleased with them!

As a little background my girls are ages 5 and 7. We have not really done a lot of history or literature with them as of yet. So when it comes to sitting down and listening to a story that doesn't have pictures and has strange wording they are not very excited. So two of the books I did not read with them. They are not the ages recommended anyway. So my review of those two books is based on my views of the books.

The first book that I will start with is Mary Jane Her Book

This is a story about a little girl, which was perfect for my girls. They love hearing about
little girls like them! Mary Jane is 5 years old and the story tells about her everyday life and her friends and special doll! This was a cute story that we enjoyed very much.

The book is for ages 6-10 years old children. I would think that girls would enjoy it more than boys. You can read the first chapter of this book HERE!
Glaucia The Greek Slave was a little different book! It took me a little while to get into this book. Now, you must take into consideration that I am a Mom of two girls ages 5 and 7 and I don't have a lot of free time to just lock myself away and read. So reading this book was a challenge for me, just because I don't get much quiet time.

The story starts out about two young children that are being sold into slavery due to a debt that was owed by their father after his death. Just that aspect of having just lost their father now being sold as slaves and being separated was enough to make your heart break!
If you like history and a good story you will love this book! It is for ages 10 to Adult! You can read the first chapter of the book HERE!
The American Twins of the Revolution is the last book of what we reviewed from Salem Ridge Press. This book is written about twins Sally and Roger and the adventure that they are taking with their mother to help General Washington! If you like a book with a lot of excitement and adventure this is for you! This book has some wording that if you were reading it out loud it might be hard to get the accent across. It is how they would have spoken in the time of the book though and I feel that it needs to be in the book. This book was first published in 1926. It is for ages 8 to Adult. You can read the first chapter of the book HERE!

Even though two of these books were not age appropriate for my kids at this time I am glad that we will have them for the future to use with them in the coming years. If you are looking for great books to use with your children then check out Salem Ridge Press ! If you would like to read more reviews of books from Salem Ridge Press you can visit the The Homeschool Crew here!

Wildlife Supper

2009-01-27T10:35:00.004-06:00

We had a little something different at church last night!

A Wildlife Supper!

We have several hunters in our church and our Pastor decided to have a special dinner to let them share their favorite wildlife dishes.

We had a lot of different foods that you don't have everyday there to taste.

Crawfish, Deer Chili, Deer Stir Fry, Rabbit, Coon and lots more that I can't remember! lol

I am not one to taste things so I can't tell you what a lot of it taste like, but it was fun laughing and watching the others eat different kinds of foods. We also had some regular food for those like me that won't eat the wild stuff!

They lableled the counter in front of the food so everyone would know what they were getting!

We had a crowd to show up for the Supper too!

Coupon for ALL ABOUT HOMOPHONES

2009-01-26T09:43:00.004-06:00

Marie Ripple from All About Spelling would like to share this with you! This is for the ALL ABOUT HOMOPHONES BOOK! ONLY until FEBRUARY 2nd so act now!

To celebrate the new book,
we're giving you $10 off!

Just enter the coupon code "FUN" in the customer code box during
checkout. The coupon code is good for one week, now through
Monday, February 2, 2009.

Make spelling a joy!
Marie Rippel
www.all-about-spelling.com
www,all-about-homophones.com

P.S. Feel free to share the coupon code "FUN" with as many
people as you'd like! Who else would like to save $10?

All About Homophones!

2009-01-25T19:30:00.004-06:00

Let me tell you about a wonderful tool for your Homeschool! My oldest daughter has been using this ebook from All About Homophones and she is learning so much! We have been using the worksheets and she is understanding it! I am so happy! You don't realize until you are put in the position to show your children the simple things that you learned and forgot. How to explain that some words sound the same, but are spelled different and mean something totally different as well. This is the program for you. It shows the kids the difference with worksheets, card games crossword puzzles, and graphic organizers. We are already doing a lot of the worksheets, my next thing is to start a graphic organizer. It is a great program and I see us using it more and more. Now you can purchase this in book form or ebook form. We have the ebook and you have to print what you use of the program yourself. I don't mind that, I just print what I am using for that day or that week. If you don't like printing you can buy it in book form for just a little more. All the pricing information is on their site so check it out. Want to know more check out ALL ABOUT HOMOPHONES here! Also don't forget you can read the other crew members reviews of this product as well here!

Greg McCool

2009-01-19T21:21:00.001-06:00

We had a visiting minister at our church last night and I had to share
a short video with everyone!

Surf Sweets Giveaway at Three Different Directions Blog

2009-01-15T16:00:00.002-06:00

Go to Three Different Directions Blog to enter her contest to win some goodies from Surf Sweets!

Three different Directions Blog

In the Hands of a Child Sale

2009-01-13T10:16:00.002-06:00

This is a notice from In the Hands of a Child!

January 12, 2009
Dear Valued Customers,
Due to the new CPSIA law In the Hands of a Child, for the time being, is discounting our Kit Pack inventory in order to lessen our possible loss in the event that an exemption is not granted.
While we are still praying for this situation to work out for all small businesses we feel that it is in our best interest to lessen our possible loss. And what better way than to pass the savings on to you, our wonderful customers, who are praying with us through this difficult situation!!
Please help us clear our shelves and enjoy a 35% savings on all Kit Packs!! Savings will be automatic! Spread the word and help us empty the shelves!!
This sale will continue until our Kit Pack inventory has been exhausted, so purchases will be on a first-come-first-served basis. Once they are gone, they are gone! In the event the law is modified, In the Hands of a Child reserves the right to bring back Kit Packs in the future at full price without any discount, implied or expressed, during this sale.
Cannot be combined with any other offer, special, discount, coupon or sale. Super Member discount DOES NOT apply to this sale.Tax and Shipping not included in calculating discount price. Not valid toward prior purchases. No rainchecks.

GIVEAWAY! All About Spelling at Freely Educate!

2009-01-12T09:59:00.004-06:00

GIVEAWAY!

All About Spelling

at Freely Educate Blog!

Storytime Writing Contest at The Old Schoolhouse Magazine

2009-01-08T19:53:00.002-06:00

Exciting News from TOS!

Attention writers!
Grab your pencils and get those creative juices flowing!

The Old Schoolhouse® Magazine is hosting our second Storytime Writing Contest! We have two creative fiction categories: adults (16 and up 2,500 words or less) and children (15 and below 1,500 words or less). Deadline to enter is March 16, 2009. $7.95 fee per entry.

Grand prize winners in both the adult and child categories will receive prize packages valued at over $1,000, publication in the Summer 2009 issue of TOS, and publication in our Storytime 2009 Compilation E-Book. Eleven Honorable Mentions from each category will also be included in the E-Book in addition to receiving gifts from top homeschool companies.

We look forward to reading your entries!

For a detailed list of prizes, official contest rules, to meet our judges, and to upload your story, please visit: www.TheHomeschoolMagazine.com/Short_Story_Contest.php.

Need help teaching writing? We have over 200 writing products in the Schoolhouse Store!

Kinderbach

2009-01-05T18:37:00.006-06:00

Let me tell you about KinderBach! We have had the opportunity to try Kinderbach's online Piano lessons the last couple of months. My kids really love it! Every time I said let's do Kinderbach they were very eager to do so. My oldest had gotten a piano that teaches you keys and also lets you play games when hooked up to the television, so we unhooked that piano and used it with the Kinderbach lessons. That worked for a little while and then I found a small keyboard for $2.00 at a yard sale.

My youngest enjoyed coloring the coloring pages that are on PDF. They especially loved the little characters, with Frisco being the ultimate favorite. This is a program that I would really like to continue with my girls but, I think I would rather have the DVD program then the online program. With just one computer and having to be protective about it, I can't just let them do the lessons without me right there. If I had the DVD program, I could let them work the player for the DVD alone or with less participation on my part.

Kinderbach has a great thing available, that you can try 2 of the online lessons free! Check out the prices.....

The Bronze plan gets you access to all web lessons (over 300 lessons) And Accompanying PDF files all for the total price of $85.95 if paid at once and if paid monthly it is $14.95.

They have different prices for the DVD sets depending on what you buy. The total price for all the sessions on DVD is $217.75 that includes all 30 lessons and 4 songbooks. They have other sets with fewer lessons to make it easier to afford. You can buy a few lessons at a time. Go here and see what I mean. This is defiantly what I would like to do for my girls. One last thing I have to say about Kinderbach, is my oldest who is 7 seen that I was writing my review and she wanted to help. So I ask her what she thought of it and all she could say was I really liked it! So I guess that sums it all up for our family. We really like it!

Kids Wealth

2009-01-01T20:30:00.005-06:00

Teaching about money? Want your kids to understand where it all goes and how to pay for things on their own. This may be just what you are looking for. All with a 100% Money Back Guarantee!

Do your children always want you to buy them something every trip to the store? Well, with the Kids Wealth Money Program you pay your kids so much money a month and they put the money in the appropriate folders. Teaching them about managing money! Then when they go to the store with you and want to buy something they use that money. When the money is gone they go without! lol If you have the ability and backbone to stick to it. lol Now, the different folders are as follows.......

Fun: The fun account is your child's monthly fun money to buy things they want.
Wealth: The wealth account is your child's long-term investment account.
Plan: The plan account teaches your child how to set a goal and develop a plan to achieve it.
Learn: The Learn account reinforces that learning is a lifelong process worth investing in.
Angel: The angel account teaches them the importance of helping others.

The program gives you suggested percentage amounts to put in each folder as follows

Wealth - 30% Plan - 20% Learn: 20% Fun: 20% Angel: 10%

Now, let me tell you what I like about Kids Wealth! I think teaching kids responsibility about money is a great thing. I want my kids to know that we have to watch our money and we can't buy everything that we want. It will help them when they are grown and have to make choices of whether to pay their bills or go out to eat. lol I have always had the desire to teach my kids about money and this program is so neat. I have always thought that a system like this would be great. My only real problem, which I know I can change to fit my family is that there is no tithing and offering folder. Tithing to the church and giving offerings is a big part of my religious belief and one that I don't plan to leave out when teaching my kids about money. So, the angel folder has become just that for us! 10% will be tithes and we have yet to decide the amount for percentage for offerings. I would also like to keep the idea of the angel one as helping others is important also. I have to figure that one out. I plan to try to start actually using the folders in a few weeks, we have been so busy that we haven't done so yet. We will do it though and I highly recommend the product to anyone wanting to teach their kids about money and learning about managing money. The kit comes with lots of goodies to inspire your kids about the importance of learning about money. Go here and read more about it. Also check out the TOS Crew site for more reviews about this product.

Contest at His Mercy is New blog

2009-01-01T18:42:00.001-06:00

Candace over at "His Mercy is New" blog is having a neat contest with a lot of goodies! Go check it out and enter! Go here!

Math Mammoth

2008-12-28T21:58:00.007-06:00

So, let's talk MATH!

As a homeschool Mom of two beautiful girls I have to tell you that deciding what curriculum to use and what methods to try is a lot of work! In fact sometimes it is my biggest worry. Is this working for my kids? Are they learning what they need to know? Well, being a member of the TOS Crew has opened up a lot of possibilities for our family and our curriculum choices. We have had the chance to try a lot of different items that are marketed to the Homeschool world.

One of them that we had the chance to try is MATH MAMMOTH! This curriculum was designed by a mother herself! Maria Miller! She wanted to design a Math Curriculum that was affordable for Homeschooling families that were trying to stretch each and every dollar! And she did a great job!

She has four different series of workbooks available! Each for different levels of learning. They are available as PDF downloads or CD.

We had the chance to try two of her Blue Series books, Place Value 1 and Multiplication. The books are full of worksheets that you can print all or just what you want. If your child is struggling in a certain area you can print extra practice for them. The good thing about the pdf's is that you can print as many copies for your children as you need. You also have the choice to pick and choose the worksheet. My daughter hates to do skip counting and I have just about decided to move past it, so I didn't do those lessons. My choice and you have yours. lol For the cost of the books you really can not go wrong! No matter where you go, I don't think you can find the quality of worksheets and quantity either for the price.

The blue series covers grades 1-3 for the total download price of $60.00! That is 1300 lessons! And 3 grades! Now, because Maria Miller wants this to be affordable for you she also will sell you the individual lessons, like the Place Value 1 that I had the chance to try for the low price of $3.00! Now we can handle that for sure!

The Multiplication lessons that she sent us is so neat. I haven't had the opportunity to actually use it yet, but I think my daughter will like it. The way that she explains multiplication makes so much sense. It really gets down on that second grader level and shows them how it works. And you can get this book in pdf for the price of $4.50! I think that is great! So you want to know what I think of Math Mammoth? I think it is great! You will not be disappointed.

2008-12-27T15:00:00.001-06:00

A new thing I learned how to do using Picasa from Google! They have lots of new features!

Christmas 2008

2008-12-25T17:29:00.005-06:00

My beautiful girls!

The Foster's

Kaylee at the "Foster Family" Christmas

Tori's first "Foster Family" Christmas!

Just wanted to share some beautiful picture's with everyone! We have had a good Christmas this year, despite all that is missing. We have really missed my father in law this Christmas and we all feel the loss. I feel that we created some great memories though with the children and grandchildren that will help us to make it through this year.

The girls have been so blessed with so much this year. I actually think they realize it too. Sometimes you think your children only think on the level of more and more, but I have seen a great attitude of love and thankfulness out of my girls this year. No, they are not perfect children! If they were their room would be clean! lol I am just blessed with good girls and so thankful for them. I am so thankful that they are thankful and appreciative of all God has blessed them with. I hope that we can always keep this attitude going in them.

It has been a good Christmas and we are all so Blessed of God! Thank you, Jesus for all you have done for us! Happy Birthday!

All About Spelling

2008-12-23T19:46:00.006-06:00

All About Spelling

Are you a good speller? Or has spelling always been a struggle for you? Maybe spell check is your best friend! What about your children? Are they following in your footsteps? How did you learn to spell? Get a list on Monday and have a test on Friday! That is how I learned and honestly, that is how I have been teaching my daughter! Well, All About Spelling is different! In fact it is so different that when we first tried it, my oldest daughter didn't like the change in our plans. She loves having a list and having her test on Friday! So we did go back and continue to do that! I don't want to stop her love for learning. I do love the All About Spelling way of doing things though and plan to continue using it in our school day. Just with a few adjustments to meet my families needs. Which is very workable!

This program not only helps your children to learn to spell, but also to learn to read better! My oldest is doing so much better with her reading since we have started All About Spelling!
The All About Spelling program teaches all the phonic sounds and using those sounds teaches your child how to spell. The books come with magnetic letter tiles and word cards. Ours had to be all cut out, but the company has decided to make yours perforated to make it so much easier! If you have more than one child that will be using the curriculum, you need to purchase additional sets of letter tiles and cards as they each need to have a set. Also a magnetic board is also helpful. We are currently using the side of our refrigerator, but as soon as I can I will be purchasing a magnetic board to use. It also comes with a CD-Rom to teach your children the correct sounds for each letter. I don't know about you, but this is so wonderful. I have always worried that I was not saying the sounds correctly as I taught my children. This eliminates the risk of that.
I have to tell you that I was so impressed with this program and the company itself. They have wonderful customer service and a friendly staff. You will not be disappointed with the program or the company! Now you will find lots of other things at All About Spelling too! Go to the website and check it out for yourself. Also if you would like to read other reviews of this item check out the TOS Homeschool Crew's reviews here!

Motherboard Books

2008-12-21T22:19:00.003-06:00

Are you looking for a way to learn more about making web pages? Maybe your children are interested and you don't know where to start! Here is something for you! Phyllis Wheeler has created this step by step book to teach kids ages 8-12 how to make a web page! I think a lot of parents could also learn from this ebook. Here is the set up of the lessons......

Introduction for Parents
Lesson 1: An Interview
Lesson 2: Download and Set Up the Program
Lesson 3: Add Text
Lesson 4: Make a Table
Lesson 5: Add Photo
Lesson 6: From the Internet, Add Animations
Lesson 7: Browser Check, Backgrounds, Photos
Lesson 8: Sound
Lesson 9: Links
Lesson 10: Post Your Work
Appendix: How to Upload to the Internet

Right now Motherboard books is offering a discount on the ebook. The regular price is $24.99 and she is overing it for $19.99! So go and check out Motherboard Books site for all the great ebooks that they have!

Core Learning

2008-12-18T19:20:00.004-06:00

Crayola Art Studio

We had the opportunity to use Crayola Art Studio from Core Learning! Now let me tell you how much my kids love this program. I have had to limit the amount of time using it. Of course anytime my oldest is on the computer she doesn't want to get off. lol This program though is exactly her speed. She loves art and being creative as well. She can sit and change it and do more over and over again. I have played with it as well and was very pleased with all that you can do with it. There are so many different mediums that you can use to create with. Such as paint, crayons, colored pencils and more. They have some of the neatest stamps to use and you can make all kinds of designs with those. The best thing about the program that I have found is that it can be saved as a jpg image and used in other programs. So, say you want to make a calendar for Grandpa you can let the kids create the art for each page. lol That is one thing that I plan on getting done soon. lol I will have to share pictures of that when we get it done. I feel that this would be an awesome program for anyone who has a little artistic desire. Even if you don't have kids, because you would actually get to use it. lol My kids see me on that program and automatically want to take over. lol So....... interested and want to know more....... well, I guess I could share! lol Oh, before I do, let me tell you that Core Learning has a lot of other programs as well. They have Math, Language and Health Curriculum's ! There are lots of neat things to consider on their site! So go and check it out for yourself! Oh one more thing the cost for the Art Studio is $24.95! Oh.... the website.... did I forget to tell you where????? Just kidding, here is the place to go ....... www.core-learning.com

Puppetools

2008-12-12T22:06:00.004-06:00

PUPPETOOLS

Let me tell you about a website that we recently had the opportunity to try. Puppetools.com It is a learning website for educators. On the site you find that The Professor has done a lot of research about puppets and the effects that they have on how Children learn. Also you have access to a lot of puppet patterns to use to guide you children in puppet making. The Professor feels that puppets change the way that your children learn. Personally I am do not feel that this is a new concept. I have always known that kids learn while playing and see the effects of that in my children. My kids are puppet loving kids and they make up their own puppets all the time. Sometimes it is a paper bag puppet, sometimes it is a toilet paper cardboard puppet. Just the other day my little girl made one with an empty kool aid drink bottle. So kids can use that imagination any time and I just don't feel that it is a new concept. However, there may be some educators or parents out there that don't have imaginative children and they may need the benefit of such a site. So here you go..... www.puppetools.com The fee involved with the site is my biggest detour. You can get a 60 day trial subscription for $20.00 or a Group Subscription for $99.00 This is for one year of access! Now if you have a co-op or a group of school teachers that want to do this it might be worth it for you. I personally don't think it will ever be worth it for me or my family. There are just too many free things online. Go to the site and decide for yourself. One more thing I want to add, The Professor had stated to the TOS crew that he had decided to change the price for single families to just $20.00, but he has not changed that as of yet on his site.

Sale at Kids Wealth! Till December 17th

2008-12-12T21:39:00.004-06:00

All the information for this post is from the KidsWealth website!

Enrich the Lives of the Children
You Love with the Perfect Christmas Gift that Never Wears Out, Gets Lost,
or Goes Out of Style

Purchase the Money Kit by December 17th
to get Free Shipping plus 4 More Special Bonuses:

The KidsWealth Money Kit
contains everything you need to help your kids develop success habits that are a foundation of financial success:

Account Wallets and Carrying Case: The five account wallets (angel, fun, learn, plan and wealth) and carrying case are made from durable vinyl and will last for years.
Parents Guide: Teaches you the simple 3-step program to set up the KidsWealth Money Kit (which takes only about 30 minutes to get started.)
Kid's Guide: The Kal & Pals characters teach your children what each Account Wallet is for and how to use them properly.
Kid's Pay Calendar with Kid's Pay Stickers: Allow kids to keep track of their Kid's Pay days.
Parent and Kids Agreement: An agreement between you and your kid saying that you'll both do your part to make the Program work.
5 KidsWealth pencils, a calculator, and decorative Kal & Pals stickers

Bonus #1:
FREE ACTIVITY BOOK ($7.95 value)
Order the KidsWealth Money Kit and I will include an 80+ page activity book. Each book is packed full of age-appropriate games, activities, account tracking and more to enhance the learning of the KidsWealth Program. We usually sell these for $7.95

Game Tracker - ages 4-6
Kids learn about the Kal & Pals characters, strengthen their understanding of the five KidsWealth Accounts and concepts like monetary recognition and value, counting with coins and bills, and making and executing plans.
Activity Tracker - ages 7-9
Kids review and learn the five KidsWealth Accounts. They also learn how to make change with bills and coins, how to solve monetary word problems, and make and execute plans using a decision-making model.
Money Tracker - ages 10-12
Kids learn about the Kal & Pals characters, review and learn the five KidsWealth Accounts, learn percentage splitting and balance, decision-making, goal setting and executing a plan.

Bonus #2:
“Raising Money Smart Kids” eBook($14.95 value)
I’ve learned a lot about how to raise money smart kids since I created the Money Kit for my two children… so I decided to write a book about it! The result is a 56 page eBook that I will email to everyone who purchases a Money Kit.

Bonus #3:
PARENT TRAINING (priceless)
To make sure your family benefits as much as possible from the program I am also including a 60-minute parent training module that explains:

How to introduce the program to your kids.
How to engage your kids from the start.
How teaching money skills to your kids is easy and fun!
How to get the most from the KidsWealth Program for your family.

Bonus #4:
“Free FedEx Shipping” ($9.95 value)
Order by December 17th for guaranteed delivery by Christas Eve

Here is a breakdown of everything we are
jamming into this special Christmas offer:

KidsWealth Money Kit		$39.95
80+ Page Activity Book	+	$7.95
“Raising Money Smart Kids” ebook	+	$14.95
Free FedEx Shipping	+	$9.95
Parent Training		priceless

Retail Value	=	$72.80

You pay only		$39.95

Times Tales and Clean N' Flip

2008-12-12T20:36:00.004-06:00

Times Tales
Trigger Memory Systems

Let me tell you a little about my oldest. She has had a desire for learning her multiplication tables for almost a year. She had gotten a Leapster for Christmas last year and one of the games had math problems. Multiplication was a higher level and no matter how many times I told her to use the lower levels with adding and subtracting she would go to the higher level of multiplication. She actually did well, but would beg me to teach her multiplication. Well, I was trying to stay with the math curriculum that we currently are using and she isn't to that level yet. So we waited. When we got the Times Tales in the mail, I decided to try it with her and she got it! I plan to continue using it! Times Tales is set up to teach your children their times tables with little rhymes and stories. They have cute pictures to trigger the memory. It also comes with cards to change from the words and pictures to just the pictures and then just the multiplication problem. So the children can relate the story to the math fact. I remember as a child learning better with rhymes and silly stories to TRIGGER my memory! So this program really makes sense to me! I have already recommended it to others and plan to do more. The cost for the Times Tales Program is $29.95 For Just $5 more you can get a mini flip book for your children to use on their own. For more information go to the site here!

Clean N Flip Room Cleaning For Kids!

So are you tired of cleaning up after your children? Well, this may be your answer. Teach your children how to clean! Trigger Memory Systems has 3 Cleaning charts that you can purchase. One is Bedroom Cleaning for Kids, Zone Cleaning for Kids, and Laundry for Kids!

This looks like a great system for teaching your Kids to be responsible.
I plan to do this in the near future with my girls. I don't see the Laundry one happening for a while. Since my girls are only 5 and 7, but the Bedroom Cleaning will happen soon. I will let you know how that goes. I love the idea of the Zone Cleaning, but don't know if my girls are old enough to grasp the idea of it. That one may wait also.

My Mom growing up was always a list maker. She would make list of housework that needed done each day and as it was done it would be marked off the list. It always worked for her and I guess for us too, because she made us list too. lol

I feel that it is our responsiblity as parents to train our children. That includes cleaning our house and taking care of their space. So this will help in that area!

If you would like to know more you can visit Trigger Memory Systems website. You can get all three charts for a combined price of $29.95. You can also just purchase the Bedroom Cleaning Chart for $7.95 or you can get the Bedroom Cleaning and the Zone Cleaning for $22.95. So go and check it out for yourself!

Spears Art Studio K-8

2008-12-09T21:11:00.006-06:00

Spears Art Studio Inc.

When I found out that I was going to get to review this Art Curriculum I was so excited! For one I love art and my kids respond to doing art above anything else. We received the K-8 CD-Rom in the mail and I started checking it out. There is so much information on the CD-Rom that I was a bit overwhelmed! The curriculum is set up as months of the school year starting with September through May. The lessons are very detailed, you are not just doing a art project with your kids, but basically a unit study of the subject. Some lessons are big and would require a large wall space to do as instructed in the lessons. Understanding though that this curriculum is used by more than just home school families. It is also used in Sunday Schools, Private Schools and VBS. So we just skipped over the lessons that seemed out of our reach. There is so many lessons that will work for our home school family that we will never miss those. Overall we are very pleased with the curriculum and plan on using it for the next several years.

That is one thing that I love this one CD-Rom will cover 9 years of art curriculum for my kids! Another thing I love is that it is Christian based! All kinds of scripture!

One problem with the CD-Rom is that a few of the pdf files don't print correctly, but once we contacted them they were glad to email us a corrected file. They are working on correcting any files that have been found to be faulty. Customer Service is A+!

So are you interested? Do you want to know the cost? The CD-Rom in pdf is $39.95 for the K-8 curriculum. You can also order the curriculum in hard copy which comes printed in black and white and put in a 3 ring binder. You also get the CD-Rom for the price of $134.95. Both these prices includes shipping and handling charges. This is a great value and I would highly recommend it to anyone who wants a great christian based art curriculum.
I am so honored to get to use it and to share it with you.

Want to know more go to the Spears Art Studio site and read more. Also, they have some free downloads for you to try it out before you buy it.

Just one more thing I want you to know.....

They also have a high school curriculum, I didn't review that one as my kids are not the right age. I do want you to know that it is available and you can check it out at the site!

My Mother in Law

2008-12-06T21:25:00.002-06:00

My Mother in Law

Last week when I went to see my Mother in law she had company already. Two of her nieces were there and they had a silly reindeer head band and wanted to take pictures. She really did not want to do it, but she did.

2008-12-03T18:18:00.001-06:00

Go and check out the sale at Curriclick!

Rime to Read

2008-11-30T21:57:00.002-06:00

Rime to Read

A learning to read program! One that you can print or read books online! With the online version your child can click on highlighted words and have them sounded out for them. This is a new feature for Rime to Read and it really works. My youngest is just starting to learn about her letters and how they make words. So we sat down at the computer and read a few of the books online. She was amazed that she could read letters and make words. She has a long way to go to be a reader, but I was happy that she liked the books. I personally thought they were a bit plain. I remember though when my oldest started reading how she would guess what the words were by the pictures and what she saw there. I wished sometimes that there wasn't so many pictures and she could concentrate on the words, so that is what Rime to Read does. Less pictures and more words. I am excited to continue it with my youngest and to see her progress with the books.

So do you want to know more about Rime to Read.... well you can. They have a great website with a lot more information and you can view the first book FREE! If you decide to buy the books the cost for all 20 books is $44.99 or you can purchase them in 4 book sets at $9.99. The books are printable so you can use them over and over again. Once you purchase the books you have access to read them online as many times as you want. So you can use them with your younger children too. So go the website and check it out for yourself. I would like to say thank you to Rime to Read for allowing us the opportunity to try your site and have access to these books. They will be beneficial to my daughter learning to read and learning to read well!

Time 4 Learning

2008-11-28T14:24:00.004-06:00

Time 4 Learning

We think that all the time is time for learning at our house! I want my children to learn about all the things that go on all around them. Of course we also use text book's to learn too. Which is not my kids favorite way to learn. Well let me tell you about a way that they LOVE!

We have had a chance to try Time 4 Learning with both of my girls recently. It is an online learning program. They set up an account for each child and the lessons are based on your child's level of learning. Of course if you want to change those levels you can change them to higher or lower if your child needs that.

They have a timer that you as a parent can set for a certain amount of time and the children must do that amount of lessons to get to go to the playground. The playground is all kinds of fun online games. Mine love the lessons almost as much as the playground. My oldest especially loves using the computer to do school work and looks forward to doing it as much as possible. She has learned a lot from Time 4 Learning in the short time that we have used it. She would love to continue the subscription!

Here is some basic information for you about Time 4 Learning!

4 grade levels to choose from!

Pre-K to 1st grade
2nd to 3rd grade
4th to 5th grade
6th to 8th grade

Risk free 14 day trial

Cost is $19.95 per month for first child
Cost of $14.95 per month for each additional child

If you are looking for a curriculum that covers the bases and keeps track of your child's progress this may be the site for you. One thing to take into consideration is that this is a curriculum that is used by public schools. It is not a christian curriculum. My kids were using the younger levels and we had no problems with anything that wasn't pleasing to my family. We always have our children online with us and the volume is turned up to hear what they are learning. Just for your knowledge, if you are looking for strictly christian based curriculum, you need to try this for the free 14 day trial and see what you think before making your decision. Thanks to Time 4 Learning for letting our family have the opportunity to try your site.

Did you know there was a Little Man In The Map?

2008-11-28T12:30:00.007-06:00

Did you know that there was a little man in the Map?

We have been learning the names of the States this school year and making a United States Notebook. We have been learning each state and where it is located, the state flower, bird and flag. My oldest has learned a lot of information doing this and has developed an interest in The United States map. So we were excited to get this book in the mail. It is a cute book that teaches all the States with rhymes. My husband and I have really enjoyed sharing about The Little Man In The Map to all our family and friends! So many people have never noticed him there before!

I have always enjoyed learning things with rhymes and songs and so do my children. So this book is perfect for that! My kids like to make up songs and rhymes all the time for learning things. So if you are trying to create a joy for learning in your children go to Schoolside Press and see the book. You can get the book for $19.95. The Little Man In The Map Wall Map is $21.95! They have a combo special for both items for the price of $35.00. They are also offering FREE SHIPPING for the holidays! This would be a great gift for your children or grandchildren this year!

The Old Schoolhouse Black Friday Sale

2008-11-28T10:00:00.000-06:00

The Old Schoolhouse^® Magazine

is having an amazing sale on subscriptions during their annual Black Friday Sale November 26 – 30. For those 5 days only, they are drastically reducing their one-year subscription price to $7.95! That's the price you would usually pay for just one issue at a bookstore!

This is their lowest price ever on the magazine and they want all of you to take advantage of this offer and share the info with your friends.

Please don't miss out. Your one-year subscription will pay for itself time and time again as you receive practical tips and Biblical encouragement to keep going strong in your commitment to homeschooling and to the Lord. Since it's a quarterly magazine, they even have a monthly subscriber's only E-Newsletter called Teacher's Toolbox that will give you seasonal teaching ideas and a free E-Book download! It's like joining a unit study of the month club! The free E-Books alone are valued at almost $250/year. It's really perfect for people who are homeschooling on a shoestring or just wanting to add in some little extras to your teaching.

Plus during the Black Friday Sale, they have all kind of bonus gifts when you spend $50, $75, $100, or $150. Some are electronic downloads that you can download immediately, while other are physical products mailed from various vendors directly to your home.

AND, their Win Big contest is going on so if you just happen to be customer 67,000, you will receive a prize package valued at almost $500 which includes a $150 gift certificate to the Schoolhouse Store! Who couldn't use that? And you can qualify to win it no matter how much or how little you spend!

Mark your calendars for November 26 - 30^th and do a little shopping from your seat, not your feet at the Schoolhouse Store's Black Friday Sale!

www.TheOldSchoolhouseStore.com

Homeschooling ABC's

2008-11-27T22:00:00.004-06:00

Are you new to homeschooling? Maybe you are thinking of starting? I have been given the opportunity to receive most of Homeschooling ABC's lessons. I wish I would have had them when I first started homeschooling! When I first started teaching my daughter I had so many questions and was always searching for answers. If I had this program it would have gave me exactly what I was looking for. Although, I have benefited greatly from a lot of the information, even though this is my fourth year to Homeschool.

There are 26 lessons that you get when you subscribe. One lesson each week will come to your email. With each lesson also come a lot of freebies. Over $250.00 worth of free curriculum. In fact right now on the site there is a 5 day free mini class! You can sign up and see if it is something that you think would benefit your family.

The cost of the 26 lessons is only $10.00 per month for 6 months! That equals out to only $2.30 per lesson! I spent more on books that didn't help me! I highly recommend it! I don't think you will be at all disappointed with the lessons. In fact I can't wait to get the rest of them myself. So go and see for yourself at Homeschooling ABC's!

Thanks so much to Terri Johnson for allowing our family to review your site! We love it!

Giving Thanks for my Mother in law

2008-11-27T20:55:00.004-06:00

My mother in law was diagnosed a few years ago with Alzheimer's and about six months or more ago, God started giving her back to us. She started remembering things that she had not been able too. So this year for Thanksgiving she wanted to make her dressing for dinner. So we brought her to our house and she and my husband made the dressing for Thanksgiving Dinner! This is a miracle for our family and one we will cherish this year. Here is a video of it I would like to share with you. Thank God for all his blessings......

Contest on Teaching Heart Mom

2008-11-24T09:39:00.006-06:00

Contest on Teaching Heart Mom!

Packet CD Volume 1 Includes:

Back to School, The Penguin Packet, The Winter Packet, Fall & Halloween

Cute Red Penguin Socks A Yankee Candle Bath and Body works Hand Cream Pocket Chart Teaching Heart Mouse Pad Rhyming Words CD Game Sentence Strips All in a cute Holiday Basket ready to be given to your favorite k-3 teacher. Over a $70.00 Value

Information from Teaching Heart Mom site......

Last day to post an entry is December 10, 2008 and ONE Basket winner will be announced on Teaching Heart Mom on December 11 . Item will ship Priority Dec 12th or 13th. Just in time to give the basket to your child's favorite Teacher. If you are a teacher or homeschooler, then you can enjoy it before the Holidays. One entry per person.

This contest if for Website Owners, Bloggers, or Previous Costumers. If you do not fit one or more of those criteria, I'm sorry!

If I win this basket, oohhh I would be so happy! I am a homeschooling Mom and these things would be a blessing to our home and school.

If you fit the qualifications to enter the contest go visit her site and check it out!

In loving memory of My Father in Law

2008-11-19T15:06:00.004-06:00

On November 11th, 2008 my father in law passed away suddenly. He was 68 years old. He was a great father in law to me and a great Papaw to my children. I have always felt so blessed to be a part of my in laws family. They have always treated me just like one of their own children. When I first married my husband, my father in law called me his Yankee daughter in law! Of course the reason was that I was from Ohio and you could hear it in my voice. My father in law was a minister of the gospel and was loved by so many people. I just wanted to take this time to share with you a little about my father in law and how much that I loved having him as a part of my life. I know that he is rejoicing in heaven today and one day we will see him there!

Media Angels: The Missing Link: Found

2008-11-16T22:44:00.006-06:00

We recently had the opportunity to read "The Missing Link: FOUND" by Christina and Felice Gerwitz. This book is just one of the Truth Seekers series which consist of 3 books all written by a homeschooled teenager! That is one big thing that really stood out to me! Wow, what an inspiration that my homeschooled children could write their own book one day!
This book was written for young people about pre-teen age, so it wasn't on my children's level. So Mom had to read it. I will say it was a bit difficult to keep my mind on it. Probably due to my age and to my taste in books to read. I feel that young people who like mystery novels and fast paced books would have no problem with enjoying the book. Here is a little bit of informaition about the book from the back cover.

Once again, the Murphy teens are propelled into another exciting adventure! While on vacation in the Keys, a devious plot unfolds, and the Murphys find themselves in the middle of a full-speed boat case and encounter with the FBI. Their vacation plans are then cut short by the arrival of a cryptic message form Dr. Murphy's brother, requesting his immediate presence at an anthropological dig along the Peace River. What Dr. Murphy, Christian, and Anna find there is anything but peaceful!

Encountering a deadly illness, the Murphys must also wrestle with a startling discovery and its potential results. The Missing Link has been discovered, finally providing evidence for the theory of evolution. But, what about the Bible? Didn't God create the world as recorded in Genesis? In addition, is there a connection between their adventure on the high seas and their discoveries a the dig site? Join the Murphys as they are faced with danger and a race against time in search for the truth.

So go right over to Media Angels and get your copy today. For just $8.99 you can get this book. For $22.00 you can get the 3 book set! They have lots of other books available at the Media Angels Store also. So go by and see what you think.

Contest at HSB

2008-11-07T14:26:00.004-06:00

Do you like entering contest as much as I do? Well, I have one for you at Homeschool Blogger "On the Company Porch" blog ! Go here and check it out for yourself!

Readers of the popular Terrestria Chronicles allegory series will be thrilled to learn that Ed Dunlop has just released The Quest for Thunder Mountain, the first book in his new Tales from Terrestria series. The Quest tells the story of a young minstrel whose life is shattered when his career comes to an abrupt end. The book was written to help young adult readers experience the wonder of finding and doing the will of the King. You can see the TOS review of the Terrestria Chronicles at: www.TalesOfCastles.com .

McConnell Family Benefit

2008-11-04T08:34:00.000-06:00

The benefit for the McConnell Family is this Saturday! November 8th

The McConnell Family lost everything in a fire on October 6th, 2008!

There will be a benefit for them at
Souls Harbor Apostolic Church
Hwy 15 S.
Walnut, MS on
November 8th!

At the benefit you can buy BBQ plates!
Starting around Noon
and
there will be an auction starting at
4:00 PM
All donations will go to help the family!

Can you help this wonderful family in
their time of need? If you would like to
help and you don't live in the area, feel free
to contact me at fosterang@gmail.com
or you can call either of the numbers on the flier. Thank you for your time and your help.
God Bless You!

Great New File Folder Site!

2008-11-01T18:13:00.002-05:00

Great New File Folder Fun Site!

I have wanted to share this site since

I first heard

about it starting and now I get too!

I have already got me some great

File Folder

things

to make for my girls!

Go check it out and see what you think!

TOS Homespun Holidays!

2008-10-27T09:59:00.003-05:00

Did you ever dream of getting a horse for Christmas?

You can get a sneak peek of our Fall issue and see
Nancy Carter's first horse!
Oh, and she's not the only one sharing her childhood pictures. You'll see photos from the 50's through the 80's.

But, you'll need the Fall issue of The Old Schoolhouse Magazine to go on this walk down memory lane.

Plus, do you like to create holiday memories? The brand new TOS holiday E-Book can be yours, too. It's all about the fall and winter holidays - mainly Thanksgiving and Christmas. But it's not even for sale yet. This is your chance to get it first - for FREE ($12.45 value)!

Normally when a person subscribes, their subscription starts with the upcoming issue which can take a while. But, TOS thought about that when they planned their Fall Special.

If you subscribe now with their Fall Special, you'll get

Almost 50% off the cover price for 2 years The current Fall issue as soon as it is ready

6 Bonus gifts

12 months of Teacher's Toolbox, which contains a FREE E-Book every month PLUS, the new E-Book, Homespun Holidays for FREE!

This is over $250 worth of product for only $39!!

CLICK HERE TO SUBSCRIBE NOW!

Curriclick "I Voted"

2008-10-25T17:54:00.001-05:00

Because I had a lot of people searching for this information I decided to repost this. If you are looking for printable "I Voted" coloring book page and sticker you must vote on the Currclick site and take the poll afterwards.

CurrClick - Curriculum at a Click!

Greetings CurrClick Customers. Your kids are invited to vote in their very own Presidential Election at CurrClick.com! Educate them about the election process and make a statement about the powerful voice that is the homeschool community!
THE POLLS ARE OPEN NOW
and will remain open until November 4th. Visit CurrClick.com today to cast your vote. Participation is completely free and will include information about each of the candidates, real time results, quotes from each of the candidates about their position on homeschooling, an "I Voted" coloring page and printable sticker and an optional exit poll. You must vote and take the poll to find the coloring page and printable sticker. Results of the exit poll will be posted on November 4th. http://www.currclick.com
Results of the election will be sent out to news organizations across the country. Don’t miss this opportunity to make your voice heard.

Plus, dozens of instantly downloadable election unit studies, lapbooks and workbooks from top publishers ON SALE for up to 35% OFF. Sale begins October 1st.

Information from Curriclick newsletter.

Looking for a deal on books?

2008-10-23T13:52:00.003-05:00

Caution this site could be addictive!
Especially, if you are anything like me about books. You can tell that if you just look at my overflowing bookshelves! lol

The ladies over at Homeschool Library Builder have ask us to share a great sale they are having with YOU! They have $1, $2, $3, and $5 bins to dig in! Now they have a lot of great books, varying from good to new condition! There is so much on the site to read about also, they want to help you to fill your library with good books! Now, even if you are not a HOMESCHOOLING family you may just find books you want and many you have been searching for!

This is one site you can feel good about spending your money on! Check out Operation Hurricane here!

I always wanted one of these......

2008-10-22T18:38:00.004-05:00

Tales of Glory Nativity Set

"My girls enjoying the Tales of Glory Nativity Set"

We had the privilege to receive a Tales of Glory Nativity Set from One2believe!My kids were so excited when we came home and there was a box waiting on our porch. As I opened the box their eyes just grew bigger and bigger and the excitement mounted. I couldn't get the figures out of the package fast enough. When I was all done, I made them raise their hand and promise not to lose the pieces. lol This set is so cute and it is just the right size for the girls to enjoy playing with. I have wanted a Nativity set for a long time, but was afraid to get one that was breakable with small children in the house. So this set is perfect. I plan to let them play with it now and hopefully display it this Christmas! Hopefully baby Jesus will not get lost.
If you would like to get one of these sets for your family you can visit the One2believe site.The sets are $24.99 each. They have other biblical toys too. They have made a commitment to "take back the toy box". I think this is so great! I have always been one of those parents that was particular about what my children play with. I don't want my children to have role models of things that are not Godly. These toys are so great for developing good Godly role models. They also have a point system where you can earn free toys. I would love to get my girls the P31 dolls for Christmas this year! Shhhh..... don't tell them. So go and check out the site for yourself and see if you want to take back your children's toy boxes also. Oh,one more thing on the site they have some FREE coloring pages for your kids. If you would like to read more reviews about this product visit The Homeschool Crew site!

Pumpkin Patch

2008-10-21T21:19:00.003-05:00

"Group picture"
Missing a couple who were taking pictures.

Terry slide down slide and fell out on his .....

Want a chicken? lol

I love my pumpkin!

A group from our church met and went to a local pumpkin patch this past Saturday! We had a lot of fun with the kids. The kids got to play on the playground, go to the petting zoo area, play putt putt golf, jump in the jumping room, ride a little train and ride on a wagon to feed fish and pick a pumpkin. It was a lot of fun! Here are some pictures for you to see!

Welcome Victoria Rose Chessor

2008-10-17T21:53:00.002-05:00

The Proud Daddy of a precious Baby Girl
Victoria Rose Chessor
Born: October 16th
6lb's 15oz's
19 3/4 inches long

Look at her feet! Aren't they precious!

Proud Uncle Terry and Cousins Hannah and Madison

Just perfect!

Giveaway at Seaside Tales

2008-10-14T12:32:00.002-05:00

Seaside Tales Giveaway!

Sallie is offering a great giveaway at her blog!

"Pilgrims Progress All In ONE Curriculum"

Go to her site (click above) and
leave a comment to be entered.

Heritage Festival Aimes Plantation

2008-10-13T22:25:00.002-05:00

The girls with their friends

Milking a goat!

Picking Cotton!

Climbing a tree!

We enjoy going to this festival every year. There are so many neat things to see and for the girls to learn about. A great learning experience! We all were exhausted after the long day of fun!

A letter from Olivia's Mother

2008-10-10T15:06:00.010-05:00

I wanted to share this with you so you could understand better what Olivia has been through. Through this I am hoping to pull on your heartstrings to help this family. If you can not afford $25.00 you can give less. Just contact them and they will tell you how to do it. Here is the website again.

www.MillionDotsForOlivia.com

David Family Website

God bless you Sister Angie! Thank you for being one of Olivia's Angels! She has a team of Angels that I didnt even know she had. God is so AWESOME! I pray that God will pour out a blessing that you cannot contain it all. Olivia has Cerebral Palsy but the docs dont know WHY she has Epilepsy due to the C.P.Her heart malfunctioned and STOPPED! She now has a pacemaker. She has had 2 eye surgeries because her eyes crossed. She use to have 40-50 words but she lost ALL her words. The doctors dont know WHY. They suspect Mitochondria disease or autoimmune disease. We are waiting on test results. She had 2 spinal taps last month that revealed white cells in her spinal fluid. That is BAD! The docs dont know WHY! She also had surgery to get a port last month to receive IVIG treatments. Her lil body is attacking itself. Olivia has the most beautiful smile and the best hugs! She is our lil miracle! It is such an HONOR and a BLESSING to be chosen to be mommy of a "special" baby!
Thank you so much for ALL that you are doing for my baby! God bless you!!
Love and Prayers! Monica David

Let me tell you about Olivia

2008-10-09T22:38:00.007-05:00

Olivia David is a 7 year old child that has lost her ability to speak. She used to tell her parents, "Good Night", but not any more. She has had nine surgeries so far this year.

The Plappert family has adopted Olivia as their holiday charity project this year.

www.MillionDotsForOlivia.com

was setup to allow families and churches to give a small offering to make a huge
difference.

For as little as $25.00 you can purchase a sponsorship space to display your name.

When everyone does a little we can reach our goal of $10,000.

It is cheaper than taking a family of 4 out for a nice dinner. Olivia's parents miss her saying, "I love you." What will you miss by giving $25?

You can also visit the David Family Website for more information about Olivia

If you have children or grandchildren then just think what would you want people to
do if it was your child or grandchild going through this. God Bless You for taking the time to read this post and giving to help this family.

HOAC All American Sale!

2008-10-06T20:16:00.004-05:00

I just have to share one of my most favorite sites special...
It's In the Hands of a Child's

Save $3 off each of the All American Lapbook Project Packs listed below.
NO coupon code needed just add the unit in the format (eBook, Printed or CD) you prefer to your cart and you will have saved between 25% and 15%.

And that’s just for the basic members.
If you are a Super Member you will have saved an additional 15% on top of that for any eBook purchases.

http://www.handsofachild.com/shop/

Angies2Angels

Giveaway at Freely Educate!

First Week of School 2011-2012

School is almost back in session!

Our First Day of School 2010-2011

Getting Back on Track

Just an update

Win a copy of Tales of the Heartily

Currclick Sale through Nov. 19th

Plants Lapbook Review

Win a CD from Teaching Heart Mom

Giveaway at Skip To My Lou

Sewing with kids

I WON!

Pirates!

Homeschool FUN!

E- Homeschooling Freebie at Old Schoolhouse Magazine!

Our School Plans for 2009-2010

Introducing our first grandchild!!!

Molly's Money-Saving Digest coming in August!

Mom MY Ride! lol

Coming Soon!

A great visit with cousins!

Hannah's 8th birthday!

Camp Yadah 2009

Just another reminder to why I homeschool my kids!

Mamaw and Lemons!

Terry and Tyler's Birthday!

Family blogging is back!!!

Read and Share DVD Bible Volume 1

Tapestry of Grace Year 1 Unit 1 Review

Memoria Press

Critical Thinking

WriteShop Primary Book A (Ebook)

Apologia Science Review

TruthQuest Review

Schleich Action Figures Review

TOS Easter Freebies!

Peterson's Directed Handwriting

Our new family picture

Giveaway at Homeschooling hearts and minds blog

One2believe Noah's Ark Set

March Madness at The Old Schoolhouse Store!

Just Pure Lovely Blog Contest!

Artist Pursuits K-3

SpellQuizzer

Five In A Row

Heads Up!

Math Tutor DVD's

Bible Story Songs *Matthew Volume 1*

100 days of School Celebration!

Dentist Day!

WriteShop StoryBuilders

My Amazon.com Wishlist!

Free Download of Glaucia the Greek Slave

Salem Ridge Press

Wildlife Supper

Coupon for ALL ABOUT HOMOPHONES

All About Homophones!

Greg McCool

Surf Sweets Giveaway at Three Different Directions Blog

In the Hands of a Child Sale

GIVEAWAY! All About Spelling at Freely Educate!

GIVEAWAY!

All About Spelling

at Freely Educate Blog!

Storytime Writing Contest at The Old Schoolhouse Magazine

Kinderbach

Kids Wealth

Contest at His Mercy is New blog

Math Mammoth

Christmas 2008

All About Spelling

Motherboard Books

Core Learning

Puppetools

Sale at Kids Wealth! Till December 17th

All the information for this post is from the KidsWealth website!

Enrich the Lives of the ChildrenYou Love with the Perfect Christmas Gift that Never Wears Out, Gets Lost,or Goes Out of Style

Purchase the Money Kit by December 17thto get Free Shipping plus 4 More Special Bonuses:

Bible Story Songs Matthew Volume 1

Enrich the Lives of the Children
You Love with the Perfect Christmas Gift that Never Wears Out, Gets Lost,
or Goes Out of Style

Purchase the Money Kit by December 17th
to get Free Shipping plus 4 More Special Bonuses:

Here is a breakdown of everything we are
jamming into this special Christmas offer: