Monday, November 25, 2013

Shopping Alerts!

I will be posting some hot deals on my facebook page!  They usually sell out fast so be sure to like the page either by clicking on the button on the right or following the link in this post!  If there is anything special you are looking for leave me a comment here or on the page and I'll search it out for you!

Happy Shopping! 

~ Lisa

Thursday, November 21, 2013

Switching Curriculum - If it doesn't work ditch it!

Last year starting about February I poured over our curriculum choices.  I read reviews, company pages, looked at samples, talked to friends.  Then I went to two homeschooling conferences and looked at a bunch of curriculum there too!  So I was pretty confident I had made the right choices for my 6th and 8th grader.  So we are almost three months in and it is obvious that our science choice is not working.  We chose Apologia General Science.  This course is very challenging.  It has the kids thinking about answers rather than spelling everything right out.  My oldest (13) is able to do this very easily and he would be moving right along if we weren't having to go over and over the concepts with our 6th grader. 

I think I figured out the problem (with some help from a friend who pointed it out! lol)  - my kids were in private school with Abeka curriculum up until 2 years ago.  Abeka is great but it test with multiple choice questions and fill in the blank.  Now that we are moving to middle school curriculum Apologia wants more.  I think had we done our charlotte Mason/ classical education style from kindergarten at home this would have been a breeze for both kids.  It would have prepared them for the next step.  Alas that didn't happen.

So what do I do.  Well I looked a bunch of curriculum, poured over websites, asked friends, looked at samples...AGAIN!  I realized that I still loved Apologia and I wanted to do another young explorers with my 11 year old again.  (We did Swimming Creatures last year and LOVED it!)  I had recently purchased a large amount of homeschooling books off of Craigslist for a great deal and in it was the Young Explorers Astronomy and the Notebooking journal to go with it.  So I thought why not!  We already had both pieces on hand.  I did go to ahead and order the science experiment kit to go with it.  I personally think this is a MUST HAVE.  It makes it so easy to do the experiments.  Last year was a real struggle to find all the components.  (By the way when searching for the experiment kits I found two different ones - a basic which was about $36 and a deluxe which was $72 - go for the deluxe you won't be disappointed!) 


So after an EXTREMELY long post I said all this to say if your curriculum is not working just shelf it!  We are planning on revisiting General Science in 8th grade for our middle son.  I think that will be the perfect time for him. 


*this post contains links just to show the curriculum discussed.  No affiliate links contained.

Sunday, November 17, 2013

The Old Schoolhouse Magazine - Review!

Product Review: The Old Schoolhouse Magazine! 


We've been homeschooling for a little over a year now and we just love it!  When I first started out I poured over books to glean as much information as I could to be successful.  Now I feel like I have a handle on the beginning stages but I still want growing and learning opportunities for our homeschool.  The Old Schoolhouse Magazine is a  free online magazine that is jammed packed with information that would help a novice to a pro! For this review I was privileged to  read The Old Schoolhouse Magazine's November/December issue


About:

The Old Schoolhouse Magazine is a FREE digital magazine.  It is bi-monthly and is designed with homeschooling families in mind. The digital format is a modern approach to a classic magazine and includes interactive links. 

Links:

www.TOSMagazine.com
www.TOSApps.com
Schoolhouse Review Crew  (a great place to find previous homeschooling product reviews!)

My Thoughts:

This was a big magazine!  176 pages!  This wasn't my first experience reading TOS so I was already familiar with the style.  Those of you who haven't read it let me tell you even though it is digital it reads very much like a traditional paper magazine.  It is jammed packed with articles and has a few advertisements mixed in.  The only difference is that if you see a website address listed it is a clickable interactive link.  This is very helpful because if your reading an article with a author that has a website you can click on her website link  and see what else she has to say!  There is a navigation bar on the left side that lets you easily search through the different sections of articles.  This way you can go back and look up a article you previously read. 

This issue was for November/ December and featured a few articles on holiday subjects.  The article Having a Holiday Heart: Seven Reasons to Celebrate by Deborah Wuehler was so touching.  I love the people she spotlighted from the Bible and how she used them to remind us to keep our hearts in the spirit of the holidays!  It is the articles like this that make this magazine so special.  They don't just cover product reviews, or how to teach writing to your child  - but they also minister to our hearts as mothers, parents, teachers and Christians! 

Another thing I liked was the variety of articles.  It didn't just focus on one age or subject.  There were articles for preschool issues all the way up through highschool.  Music through foreign language and product spotlights.  There was a article on Common Core State Standards  that I found very informative.  My biggest draw was that it is written from a Christian perspective!  I try to keep Christ as our center focus in our homeschool and it is particularly helpful to have like-minded sources.  I read this issue on my computer but it is really awesome on my tablet!  One last praise is that you can share the articles on Facebook or email easily with a link on the magazine page (on the top right!)




Sunday, November 10, 2013

A CRICUT CRAFTING POST! Octonauts Birthday Banner!!!

I know some of you only followed my blog because I used to actually create stuff... well..  I've done some crafting!  My youngest son is obsessed with Octonauts and guess what you can't get birthday supplies here in the US!  (You can only get some of the toys too but that is another post!!!)   So I made a banner:



I used Mini Monograms for all the circles and Cuttin' Up for the font.  I tied the circles together with ribbon to allow for movement.  For the octonauts I just printed and cut them out.  It is really hard to see but I used dimensionals on all the white scallops to add some depth.

And just because here is the cake:


I am no cake artist at all!  I ordered the middle design from ebay - and it is printed on edible icing paper with edible inks.  Then I made a 2 layer half sheet cake.  Homemade icing (maybe I'll share my recipe someday...)  and I just added the blue around for something extra.


Please leave a comment if this inspired you!!

Thursday, November 7, 2013

Book Review: A Squirrel's Story: A True Tale by Jana Bommersbach

A Rup Life received a copy of this book for review purposes.  This post contains affiliate links.  

We've always been readers.  Since the kid's were little we've filled their bookshelves with delightful books.  From board books to chapter books to novels we've read them all! Now that we are homeschoolers I look at books in almost a new light.  I ask questions about the book.  Is there a lesson, Is there something to learn, or is it just for fun?  I love when I can find a book that meets all three!

A Squirrel's Story :  A True Tale by Jana Bommersbach is a delightful tale written in the Momma squirrel's perspective.

About:
Shirlee Squirrel needs a safe nest for her babies, far from the clutches of a menacing black cat!  When she movies into a birdhouse designed to house wood ducks, she and her babies create a "home sweet home" in a North Dakota backyard.  Raising her children under the watchful eye of the nice man and woman whose yard they inhabit, Shirlee teaches young Sammy and Sally everything gray tree squirrels need to know.  Retold by award-winning journalist Jana Bommersbach, Shirlee's true story speaks the universal language of love.  Whether readers speak cat, squirrel, or people, Shirlee's message speaks to the heart!

My Thoughts:

Bommersbach really has the gift of story-telling.  She weaves a story about the life of a squirrel family that is both interesting and believable.  Her use of decriptive words really makes the story come alive.  She magically weaves facts about the squirrels in a natural path to follow the story which really is what made this book special.  I also enjoy the Curriculum Guide in the back - which as a homeschooling Mom just made my job easier!  It is like getting a little unit study included with this wonderful book!

You can purchase your copy on Amazon.  Also visit www.SquirrelsStory.com for additional information!

Friday, November 1, 2013

Ways to Save This Christmas!

I love to save money!  I use coupons, I shop sales and clearance and I buy used!  I think everyone is feeling the pinch this holiday so here are some of the things I do! 

1.)  I shop online using a Portal site like Ebates.
 - It is so easy to just go first to ebates, then search for your store and it sends you right to it.  I do this for all the big stores... Kohls, Children's Place, Philosophy. 

Then Ebates sends me a check in February that is a big rebate on my purchases!  AND you can use your store coupons and stack the savings!!!

Try Ebates here this season!


2.)  I cash in my Credit Card rewards from the year for stores I shop at! FREE MONEY here! 

3.)  I cash in my swagbucks for gift cards!! Remember I've told you all year to use swagbucks for searching and then cash them in for gift cards?  Well I cash mine in as soon as I have enough for a gift card to amazon then put it in my amazon account (where it doesn't expire)  but if you have swagbucks sitting there CASH THEM IN!!

If you have tried Swagbucks check out my post here! 

4.)  Double or Triple Dip at Target!!  They let you use a manufacter coupon, mobile/printable target coupon and the new Cartwheel app.  This will equal big savings if you plan according to sales!

5.)  Follow a few (2-3)  good saving sites on FB who will post daily deals at your favorite stores and web!  Amazon had amazing sales last year and I was able to snag them easily from my fb feed!  (they go fast!) 

My two favorites:

Passionate Penny Pincher
Money Saving Mom


6.)  Price Match!!  Walmart does it and I think Toys R Us does too.  This will save you time because you don't have to go to a bunch of different stores to get a good price.  Right now Toys R Us has the Jake and the Neverland Pirate Ship for $34.99 others have it on sale for $39.99.  That is a $5 difference so it is worth doing the work to save. 



I hope these tips helped you!  Please be sure to leave me a comment if they did!