It's Almost that Time of Year Again!

The back to school sale signs are everywhere and now is the time to stock up your homeschool classroom! I was at my local grocery store the other day and found 24 count Crayola crayons for only .20 cents a box and 10 spiral notebooks for just $1! I don't know how anyone can pass up a deal like that! Not even the dollar stores can compete with some of the sales I've found.

What has been the best deal you've come across? Those impossible to believe, run home and phone your friends, blog about 'em kinda deals!

Bargain shopping runs in my blood, as the daughter of a man who could make a career out of hunting for deals, I can't help but think finding a .20 cent box of Crayola crayons newsworthy.

Part of the secret to finding a real bargain has to do with following your sales circulars, but sometimes it's just a matter of being in the right place at the right time. A couple Fall's ago I was wondering through Old Navy and came across a mountain of v-neck T's in black and white marked down to just .99 cents! So, I bought 2 white and 2 black shirts and they've been the best T-shirts I've ever owned. I still kick myself for not having picked up more than just the 4, remembering the stack at the time was as high as I am tall and most of the shirts I picked up were in my size. To my disappointment I've never come across another sale at Old Navy quite like that one! lol

In any case, if you're looking to save money on school supplies, now is definitely the time to do it. This is hardly news to most of us, but I still find it exciting and worth writing about! lol

Have fun over the next few days stocking up your classrooms and let me know what you find!

Submit Your Technology Story to Charter & Win!

We all live such busy lives and thanks to the latest technology, some of that busyness is quite frankly exciting! We catch the news on the Internet, chat with friends on Facebook, play online games with people we've never personally met, and when we return home from a long day away from home, we order a movie on-demand. That's technology in the 21st Century!

Are you a Charter customer receiving phone, Internet, or cable services? If so, it's time to share your story for a chance to win a laptop or a 52" HDTV! The name of this game is "Tell Us How You Do IT" and Charter wants to know just that! They're looking for an amazing story and you could be just the person to provide it. In addition to giving away a 15" laptop and an HDTV Charter will also give away a Charter Bundle.... including Digital Cable w/ HD and a DVR, High-Speed Internet and Charter telephone service for an entire year!

Examples of already submitted stories are available for you to examine (even if just to size up the competition) at www.charter.com/yourlife/ so check it out and see how other people just like you are doing this thing we call life in a digital world!

Did you do the Facebook thing? I ask this from time to time... but don't usually share what Facebook actually is. It's basically a social networking site (another techy 21st century perk!) where you can make new friends, search for old friends, and stay connected with everyone in your current social circles. It's also free! Check out Charter on Facebook and become a fan! This will insure you don't miss out on new and upcoming news from this techy giant!

Homeschooling Special Needs Children

I found a website specifically catering to homeschoolers of special needs children... and since I have a little experience in this area the site caught my attention. I can't tell you enough how important it it to have resources and support when you're going into mom and teacher mode 24/7. If you're feeling run down it's time to get some help!

The Child & Family WebGuide offers information and articles for parents schooling children with issues such as ADHD and other special challenges. If you have a child struggling with special needs of any kind, you may find the information on this site relevant. Our children all look so different, even when they have similar diagnosis, but our struggles as mom and dad often look very much the same!

I homeschooled a special needs child for a couple years and will confess that without outside support, guidance, and A LOT of patience, it's quite the challenge. I am a firm believer in homeschooling, but I also know that it doesn't work for every family. Some children just seem to thrive in one environment over the other.

My daughter LOVES being in a classroom setting surrounded by her peers. To my great surprise so does my special needs son. Diagnosed with Asperger's my very intelligent 8 year old son needed a level of structure and peer modeling that I wasn't able to provide at home. Or... maybe I could have, but I honestly didn't know how. So... they're both in public school. For the first time I'm watching from the sidelines regaining my wits and assuming that one day one or both children may again come home to me again. ; )

In any case, I completely support the efforts of homeschoolers and if your child is thriving at home, definitely keep plugging away! If you're having challenges, try to find support and see if you can resolve whatever struggles you're up against. If you can't resolve them, do consider other possibilities!

Here are a handful of additional websites you might find beneficial:

Special Needs Curriculum Vendors
HSLDA Special Needs Children
Christian Homeschooler Site's Link Directory (awesome list!)

Best of luck and sorry if I rambled! lol It's been a long day!

A Lesson on Vitamin D

I would venture to guess that homeschooling parents are some of the book-smartiest people there are. When you're homeschooling, you're researching not only what to study and how to study, but you're researching the world and everything in it. We learn more than we ever wanted to and then some (lol) about history, geography (it's changed since we were young!), science, and health... and we revisit words we'd once forgotten like numerator and denominator.

Our family isn't homeschooling this semester, but in an effort to keep this blog alive, I find myself still researching random points of interest and today came across an interesting study on Vitamin D. A friend recently shared that a bout of depression she'd had was attributed in part to a vitamin D deficiency... today I learned that not only can your body's response be sorrow and lethargy, but there are in fact a whole host of illnesses and annoying consequences to not giving your body an adequate dose of sunlight or to maintaining proper levels with vitamins and/or foods.

I won't restate the entire article for you here, that would be silly considering it's just a click away... Vitamin D Deficiencies. However I'd like to share a few points of the article that I found incredibly interesting... one being that the average vitamin D deficient individual is as much as 16 lbs heavier than those without the deficiency. Wow... that's pretty significant. They also have found links to this deficiency and certain forms of cancer (for example prostate and breast), hypertension, MS, osteoporosis, and even birth defects.

The information in this article is very motivating. I'm not an outdoorsy gal, by any means. However.... if spending 15 minutes outside once or twice a day could lower my chances of getting cancer or MS, I'm there!

I encourage all my readers to take a look at this article and learn an easy way to improve your health. I wish all ways to health were this simple!

Homeschoolers Going K12?

There are homeschoolers who would never consider a charter school program. Then there are parents who wouldn't have it any other way. Homeschoolers are as diverse as non-homeschoolers in their thoughts on education, but I did want to share our experience last Fall with K12. For just one semester my children were enrolled in a public school charter program through K12.com. With the exception of a few glitches created from record-setting enrollment, we had nothing but positive experiences using this program.

K12, like public school is completely secular, but as teacher you can add anything you choose to the curriculum. Most of the coursework is provided online for the parent-teacher, depending on the age of your child they may or may not have a significant amount of computer time directly, but you're often given the computer (in our case a laptop), some schools even provide a printer, and you're given all workbooks, study aids and tools for a very minimal fee... actually where we live all you pay is the registration fee, which is around $100 per student for the entire school year.

My sister-in-law has been homeschooling with K12.com through a virtual public school program going on 3 years now and she just received all her boxes of books and supplies for the Fall semester. What she likes about the program is that all lessons are prepared for her in advance, all scores and progress are stored in that program, and she only has a couple meetings a month with the teacher aid assigned to her children (via telephone). They talk about progress and help her answer questions or manage struggles she might be having at the time.

In any case, I'm curious to know how you all feel about charter programs in general. Do you like them or do you fear the success and popularity of such programs will only result in the government stepping in and declaring charter programs as the only option for homeschooling? I've heard this concern before and in fact have had that concern myself. The package that K12 offers is so polished and near perfect, often times saving you considerably (monetarily) over pre-packaged homeschooling curriculum, I have to wonder if I fell victim last Fall to the flash of it all or if I really did change my thinking on the matter! lol In any case... wanted to share the information and let my reader's share their thoughts.

If you'd like to visit the site for more information... K12.com.

The Iphone Apartment Seeker App!

Looking for an apartment? Have an Iphone? Wanna take your search with you on the road? With MyNewPlace for Iphone you're all set! This amazing new application will take you where you want to go as you seek out that perfect new apartment!

The MyNewPlace.com/iphone application allows everyday people the freedom to capture photos and notes as they travel from one apartment to the next. What a wonderful tool! Take it from someone looking for a new home, we drag our camera with us everywhere, then get home only to struggle with remembering which house it is we're looking at! lol Despite our best efforts, we usually can't agree on what we're looking at.

When you're searching for an address do you appreciate directions? With this special app you'll have access via GPS technology to maps and directions of each listing you select. Additionally you'll be able to take and make calls & voice mails all while on the road. Find something you absolutely love and share the listing with your friends and family via Facebook! Are we spoiled today or what? It really blows my mind that we have this kind of technology!

What's more, this application is currently free at the MyNewPlace in the iPhone app store! The application holds more than 6 million apartments and rental homes, and will even let you shop out your selections by number of bedrooms, prices, pet ownership privileges and more. This is one of the largest apartment rental sites available online. So what are you waiting for my friend? If you're looking for a new apartment or rental... hope on over to the Iphone app store today!






Like what you see? Visit the Iphone App Store today and enjoy the ease of apartment hunting your parents only dreamed of!

Like to Study Ants?

Well then, I think I have the perfect website to keep you busy for awhile! What homeschooler doesn't have an ant study? When my kids were learning about these little insects we didn't know about Antstuff.net! Maybe it wasn't even around then, who knows. lol

This website offers ant facts, science projects, articles on ants, and shows you how to distinguish one species of ant from another. You'll also find ant farms and supplies, movies and DVD's, books and even toys.

I had actually thought about creating a website much like this one when my children were little because well... after awhile I felt like I knew enough about ants to write a book! lol I never got around to it, but these folks of done a pretty good job, so I'll just let them have it! ; )

If you're looking for coloring pages and printable diagrams, we used to find them at www.enchantedlearning.com , so you might take a peak there as well! Many of their printables are completely free, but if you pay for the membership you won't be disappointed. When my daughter was in Kindergarten we were printing from this website multiple times a week!

Ok... hope everyone is having a fabulous Summer! Stay busy, stay safe and have fun!

Take the Family to Branson this Summer!

Looking for an excellent Summer vacation idea? Why not head out to Branson Missouri for a whole lot of fun and festivities? Seriously! The Branson area is rich with activities, shows, attractions, shopping, golfing, and of course Silver Dollar City!

Where will you stay while you're there? The Hilton Promenade at Branson Landing offers you beautiful, high-end accommodations right in the heart of Branson. You'll enjoy convenient access to countless restaurants and shopping, as well as a river walk and must see attractions. The rooms are simply breathtaking! Do you like to golf? The new Payne Stewart Golf Club, which is part of the Hilton experience is one of the most beautiful golf courses you'll find and only a short distance from the hotel!

Additionally Hilton offers it's Hilton Branson Convention Center Hotel which sits across the street from the Hilton Promenade. This hotel is next door to the Branson Convention Center and in the heart of Historic Downtown Branson Missouri.

We're planning a trip to Branson next year (only a few hours drive from our home!) with the kids to share Silver Dollar City and the Titanic Museum. We also hope to catch a few shows while we're there. Since having kids, I've only been to Branson once, while on a women's retreat and I couldn't believe how the area has grown since I was a child! The number of attractions was incredible. I think we could have stayed for a couple weeks and never ran out of things to do and see.

With that said, I'm loving the idea of grabbing a couple of my girlfriends and heading to Branson before Summer's end, maybe catching a night or two at the beautiful Hilton Promenade! The Hilton's fitness center even has Precor® equipment, which is gym quality and not the substandard gym equipment you find in most hotels. The pool is located indoors and they naturally have a heated whirlpool! What a great way to pamper oneself! lol Additionally we're talking pillow-topped mattresses, down comforters, flat screen televisions and kitchens!

Book early and you can save on your room. I'm currently looking at their great rates and finding rooms available for less than $100 a night! I totally wasn't expecting that! Ok... now I'm thinking I should be looking into the Hilton Promenade for my 10 year wedding anniversary??? What a great treat that would be to surprise my husband with such a fancy hotel stay?

I guess I have some planning to do! Maybe you should take a look yourself? Pack up the kids and head to Branson where you'll never run out of things to do!

Homemade Playdough, Clay, Paint, & More!

When my kids were very young I would have absolutely loved to have found this website! Not only do they share the recipe for homemade playdough, but for dozens of other great homemade concoctions guaranteed to thrill your children for hours and hours. Your kids will think you're the most amazing mom on the planet when you show them your ability to create your own egg shell chalk or face paint. Whats more, these recipes appear to be composed of everyday household products, making them budget friendly and free of harmful or mysterious chemicals.

For Christmas this year I'm thinking about making my nieces and nephews gift baskets filled with homemade silly putty, soap crayons, sidewalk paint and modeling clay! What could be cooler than homemade kid-friendly products made by their Aunt Wendy?

Crafty Recipes for Kids is an outstanding website you'll want to bookmark and share with your friends, MOP's groups, preschool and Kindergarten teachers, Scout leaders, Sunday School teachers and babysitters. What a cool find!!!

This reminds me that I desperately need to update my Links2LearnBy blog (see link in my left sidebar). I try to keep all my recommended sites, suitable for homeschooling on this blog for easy reference, but it's been awhile since I've added anything. A job for another day!

Hope you'll keep visiting The Homeschooling Blog for new and exciting information!

Charter is Giving Away Laptops!!

Listen up homeschooling families!! Every day for 2 months Charter is giving away laptop computers as part of their Back2School promotion! Woohoo! This contest runs from July 15th through the 15th of September, so you still have plenty of time to enter the Laptop-a-Day Sweepstakes! Do I have your attention? lol The laptops are none other than the HP 550 Notebook, with a 15" screen and loaded with Windows Vista. Winners will also be given a NeoTech Computer backpack to make them instantly ready to start carrying their new notebook.

Who is this contest intended for? Students and business people who are on the go while needing to stay connected to work and the Internet. Even homeschoolers, who most people mistakenly assume are always home, could use the mobility of a laptop. Don't we all know it! lol What's more, if you have more than one student at home, you've probably already realized that each child could use their own computer. Especially by the time they've reached the 5th grade. It's a very different world we live in today!

Oh, I almost forgot... Charter is additionally giving away gift cards ranging in value from $25 to $100 from a variety of online retailers! So... even if you don't win a laptop, you might just land yourself a little shopping money!

So how do you enter? Simply visit www.charter.com/laptop today and register before it's too late! You'll also find complete contest rules and the names of all Charter's lucky winners.

This is just one more giveaway Charter has offered over the last several months. They just keep giving and giving, but this particular givaway has me the most excited because I'm currently in the market for a new laptop! lol My fingers and toes are crossed so tight it hurts!

Visit Charter on Facebook and add them to your friends list! Keep up with all the latest Charter news through your favorite online social networking site... then visit them at Charter on Twitter! So many ways to follow the ongoing giveaways Charter is dishing out and what better way than Facebook and Twitter to share this exciting promotion with your friends!

How To Do Research... Tutorial for Kids

The Kentucky Virtual Library has a super-colorful, interactive website for kids learning to do their own research. The site gives the student a step-by-step guide to help them complete their research paper with flying colors! I would have loved this tool when I was in school. It sure beats the black and white worksheet I was given and my best efforts to capture all my teacher's instructions in my spiral notebook.

If your student clicks on any step within this tutorial, they'll be taken to another screen with additional information and sometimes examples of what it is they are aiming for. There is additionally a bit of simple animation, which makes it all the more fun. Kids won't be intimidated by this tutorial. What a great reference tool and check-list for insuring they'll complete the their paper thoroughly and with flying colors!

I might even use this! lol I just learned that there are 6 basic steps to completing a research project. This site shares the essentials to completing those 6 steps! Start with a plan, search for information, take notes, use the information, share the information, and finally evaluate!

Use this site and share it with everyone you know with children, whether homeschooling or not... it's a wonderful tool! Another awesome FREE Internet site for us all to enjoy. :o)

Cool Woman's Day Article About Improving Mood

Maybe I post links here to frequently, but when I find something I like, I want to share! :o)

With that said, lately I've been feeling low on energy and short on smiles. Not that I have anything at all to be down about, but I think all of us (especially women) go through spells of feeling less than our ideal.

There are several things I know I'm supposed to do when I'm feeling lethargic or down... like for instance catching some sunshine is helpful, taking a walk (taking a walk in the sunshine... now that's a definite winner), going out with a friend for coffee, getting a haircut (helps me sometimes), eating a banana, taking vitamins (so they say), and drinking more water.

Today I found a list of 18 ways to improve mood, many of which I wouldn't have thought of to suggest to someone else, some of which I already do. ;) If you're looking for some quick pick-me-ups (most of which are FREE), visit this Women's Day article: "18 Ways to Get Out of a Bad Mood".

My favorite? I love the recommendations for blogging and for surrounding yourself with flowers (believe me that works!), but my favorite is the recommendation to give. Whether it be your time, your talents, or well... your money, nothing feels better than to reach out to a friend or even a stranger who is in need of something... anything at all. Maybe they just need a smile? Perhaps they need bus fair, lunch, or a greeting card? Whatever their need might be, you'll never feel better than after you've shared a bit of your heart with another.

Ok... so I have some work to do. I'm going to try and cover about 5 of the 18 listed on this list and see how I feel later. lol Let's put this list to the test and see how we feel a week from today? Shall we? You'll all need that energy and happy glow when you crack open the text books for another school year! Do I hear an Amen sister out there?