Learning to Read with Words in Color

Words in Color provides an approach to learning to read you may not be familiar with. Their focus is primarily on how we learn and has been practiced for over 40 years in 40 countries around the globe.

It's used in many classrooms and homeschools and has met with much success, presenting colors to trigger learning... and is based on years of research on cognitive learning (information processing).

Words in Color is definitely new to me, but as mentioned before, isn't new! This method fulfills all the requirements as defined by the United States' National Reading Panel... including phonological awareness, decoding, fluency, comprehension, and vocabulary.

If you're a parent and/or homeschooler looking for a different approach to teaching your children to read, be sure to visit Words in Color to learn more about this exciting method! You'll find sample book pages, charts, and teaching materials to better acquaint you with the curriculum. Additionally, there is a video on site that will give you a lot of great information on how this system works.

What I find most impressive about this system is that it focuses so much on how we learn as opposed to only focusing on what we learn. Additionally it helps the student become more familiar with how they as an individual learn, as opposed to those around them. We don't all learn in the same manner after all... something most homeschoolers know all too well! In fact this individual learning style is one of the reasons many of us homeschool in the first place.

Head on over to the site and let me know what you think of this approach. At ages 7 and 8, my children are already readers, but I do like what I see here!

Cyber Monday Reminder!

I had never even heard of Cyber Monday until writing a post last week about the amazing list of online deals compiled by Dirt Devil. If you haven't already visited that pdf, you'll want to do that now! Scroll down to my post on Black Friday and Cyber Monday to find it. :) Btw, these deals are on anything and everything you can imagine and are in no way just linked to vacuum cleaners! lol Not that a new vacuum wouldn't be nice to have, but if you're looking for a new camera or a set of dishes, you'll still want to visit this pdf!

So, what is Cyber Monday? It's just another day to save big on your holiday shopping and if you're like me, possibly on things for the house (yourself). I've got my eye open for things for my own home... going easier on gifts this year and trying to do a little organizing and beautifying of our humble little dwelling. We've lived in the same house for 8 years (not complaining) and there are SO MANY things that need replacing. Additionally, we've never hung drapes, still don't have a comforter set in our master bedroom, and are using the same kitchen towels we had when we bought the house. They get a little thinner each time I wash them and are now covered in holes! lol

I'd love to hear your stories of great finds online! If you didn't have the opportunity to do any shopping on Friday... maybe you can find what you're looking for today? If you know of any homeschooling deals for Cyber Monday, please share them here. I'm sure my readers will be all ears!

Online Coupon Codes, Black Friday Deals, & More!

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of Dirt Devil. All opinions are 100% mine.

This post is about saving money and our friends at Dirt Devil have published a free pdf to help you do just that. I mean 300 ways to save! The 12 page printable guide gives you that information you wish you had... all in one place, and what time could be better than just hours before Black Friday?

This holiday buyer's guide is a full color pdf loaded with great information on savings for Black Friday, including Black Friday websites selling things totally not related to vacuum cleaners! lol However... while you're reading the guide you'll also find great deals on Dirt Devils! Including free shipping deals on select models.

This guide was a delightful find for me as earlier today I was doing my own Internet search and found more to sort through than I had the time for, so I simply stopped looking. In addition to the Black Friday links I found Cyber Monday information... I didn't even know about Cyber Monday! You mean I have another day to save on my holiday shopping? WooHoo!

Now that you know where to go to find all the biggest Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals, you'll want to collect your list of sites offering coupon codes. Ok... hang on to your hats... the Dirt Devil Buying Guide has that list too! Already compiled for your shopping pleasure. Some of the sites are familiar to me, but they've listed over a dozen I'm not yet familiar with. Very cool!

Additionally there are links to help you save on Free Shipping Day, which is December 17th. Wow, someone really worked hard on this guide. It's so thorough... even including links to help you acquire rebates. Additionally they have lists of daily deal websites. Apparently many retailers offer a deal each day. If you're in the market for something in particular you'll want to check this out.

There are auction sites, trading sites, outlets, deals for users of Twitter, comparison shopping sites, and more listed. Ultimately, we're talking about tools for more than 300 ways to save you money shopping. So... Merry Christmas early! If you're done shopping, you'll also find links for coloring book downloads, free graphics for blogs, and paper airplane downloads.

This isn't one of those sites you want to just bookmark and forget about. I'd seriously print this one and I'm going to. This will become one of the few things that I stick on the side of my fridge. Well... I have more than a few things hanging off the side of my fridge, but this one I'll keep there! lol

As mentioned before... the buying guide has offers for select Dirt Devil vacuums that include perks like free shipping too! That's always an attention grabber for me. One of my favorite online shopping sites consistently offers free shipping which keeps me coming back time and time again.

Have fun and let me know what you think of this awesome buyer's guide! Go on Twitter and Facebook and share this find with everyone you know!

Have You Sent Your Christmas Cards?

Do you send Christmas cards? lol I always do, but usually not until the week of Christmas, meaning they don't get to family and friends until around or after New Year's Day! lol Oh, that's just been my history for longer than I can remember. Must be where my son gets his tendency to procrastinate. I just wrote about this earlier today!

This year is the exception for me. I've actually already created my Christmas cards. I'm waiting on a proof I sent to myself before I launch the final card campaign to everyone in my online address book. This is one of the perks of having a greeting card business. I'm just a rep mind you... don't own the company or anything, but I LOVE IT! I'm sending 4-panel cards with 3 full color photos of our family from our very recent trip to Disney World along with a personalized holiday message (composed completely by me) including family updates, thoughts for a great new year and a personal signature all for less than $1.70 each, POSTAGE INCLUDED! That's a lot of card for the money! What's more the cards are printed on recycled paper and I don't even have to go the Post Office. They're created by yours truly online and then with the click of my mouse (not the furry kind mentioned in my previous post) my cards are printed and sent from a distribution center in Utah. Isn't that just so convenient? Waaaay So!!!

I only wish I could share my card here. Wouldn't be a great idea since I try to keep my blog somewhat anonymous. Have kids you know! However... if you'd like me to send you a card, just so you can see how cool they are, be sure to either visit my website listed in the sidebar under my profile info, or drop me an email with the request for a card sample. I'll have it in the mail to you in a jiffy! Slightly altered since I probably don't actually know you! lol

Happy card sending! If it takes you more than 5 minutes, we really need to talk. lol :o)

It's Rodent Season! Yikes

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of Victor® Rodent Control. All opinions are 100% mine.

What ever do I mean by telling you all that it's rodent season? You knew this was the season for turkey and pie, holiday shopping, and depending on where you live... possibly shoveling snow. The cooler temperatures not only affect our behavior, but it also changes the habits of mice and rats. If you've ever found a mouse nesting in your garage you know exactly what I'm talking about.

Each and every Winter we get mice in our attached garage. One year we even found a nest under the hood of our van! Must have been an attractive find for some momma mouse on a cold Winter night upon finding that still warm engine. lol We never found any babies in that nest... just a lot of fluff, feathers from my daughter's pink boa, and some leaves. If she had a family in there at some point, I suppose we took care of it next trip out.

What do you do to catch mice? What if you never had to think about catching or killing them at all? What if you could repel them? I like the sounds of that! I'm not one for destroying life... even the disease ridden, destructive type. I'd just rather not have to deal with them at all... I definitely don't want to house them. Rodent repellents are not science fiction... they do exist! Using high-frequency sound waves, rodents are turned off by the prospect of moving into your home, no matter how warm and cozy it might seem. Now that you know how ultrasonic repellents work it's time to do a little preventative maintenance!

To truly rodent proof your home you need no traps, pesticides that can make you and your kids ill, and that cat of yours can chase a ball of yarn instead of 4 legged critters treking across your kitchen floor! The Victor® Sonic PestChaser® PRO is not an experimental device... it's not even a new idea. Would you believe it's a product that's been in the making for over 20 years? Two decades of labortory testing are nothing to sneeze at.

So, like I said before... with rodent season upon us, it's time to think about strategies for keeping unwelcomed guests outside the warmth and comfort of your home. Tis the season to lose the traps, the worry, and the expense of finding damage to favorite clothing, books, and your daughters feathered boas!

Homework over Turkey Day

With that ever so exciting trip under our belt... the one I mentioned here yesterday, our kids do have a bit of homework to do over this holiday weekend. I was surprised at my 8 year old son today who started off less than thrilled (actually in tears) at the prospect of spending his day catching up on The Mouse and the Motorcycle and answering questions at the end of each chapter, when around noonish he suddenly did a 180 and completed 4 chapters! lol

He has 2 more chapters to go before he can finally put that pencil down for the day. Was this my idea? Isn't it child cruelty to have your son read half a book in one day's time as well as answer questions for each chapter? Well... I'd like to call this living with consequences. It's a great life lesson if there somewhere. I'm calling this life lesson PROCRASTINATION with maybe a sprinkle of laziness. lol We took this book with us over our 2 week trip and he only worked on the book maybe 3 of those days. Not really mom's plan.

Both my kiddos are doing a bit of math and writing this weekend... not on Thanksgiving day, but today, Friday and Saturday will include an hour or so of work. Oh the suffering! lol 2 weeks off school to come home to yet another break, with just a bit of work sprinkled in! Oh the humanity! Sorry... I'm feeling a bit irritated at the moment. Can you tell?

I'm really looking forward to tomorrow, when I can cook and not worry about how much my kids are accomplishing academically. It will be a down day for them, and consequently for me! I'd rather prepare a Thanksgiving meal any day over struggle with a child over doing their homework. Oh... there's that attitude again... I really need to work on that!

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

Giving the Gift of Cord Blood Banking

Christmas is almost here and millions of us are trying to think of unique and meaningful gifts to deliver to our loved ones this year. If you're shopping for someone expecting a baby, you might want to consider gifting something that could impact that baby's future in years to come. What could be more meaningful and purposeful than an investment into the health and well-being of that precious bundle soon to see the world for the first time? Gift certificates for cord blood banking make for an unexpected, unique, life-saving gift to those parents to be this holiday season.

You've no doubt read a lot about the controversy behind the science of using stem cells to give new life and vitality to individuals suffering from debilitating and often life-threatening disease. What about Stem Cells that come from the umbilical cord of a newborn? Have you heard any controversy there? Through blood cord banking, you'll be preserving precious stem cells without the concern of destroying life in the process. It's an everyone wins proposition if there ever was one! Once a baby is born, the umbilical cord and all of it's contents are routinely discarded as medical waste, but through this amazing technology offered through C'elle the blood from the umbilical cord can be preserved for future use should the child (sometimes even siblings of the child) need it to fight illness or disease.

Value of Cord Blood is beyond measure with more than 75 diseases currently being treated using cord blood today. Scientists in the field continue to find new ways to use cord blood to treat and cure life-threatening illness through vigorous research.

Now that you know why to give the gift of cord blood banking, the next step is to know where. Cryo-Cell has offered the industry's highest level of quality since 1992. To date, Cryo-Cell has helped more than 175,000 families securely store their newborn's cord blood for any future needs that may arise.

Gift certificates start at just $50, giving you the opportunity to help your favorite expecting couple pay for this life-saving service. Consider having a cord blood shower and inviting friends and family to go in on a larger gift amount. If you're an expectant parent, why not invite those attending your baby shower to gift towards this service rather than puchasing overpriced baby clothing at high dollar stores?

Something to think about!

A Trip to NASA's Kennedy Space Center

Hello! We've just returned home from a 2 week excursion to sunny Florida, which included a trip to the Kennedy Space Center. Although there are no photos included in this post, I did take a few dozen or so. lol Just haven't had time as of yet to investigate my new camera's system for transferring photos to my dinosaur of a desktop. lol In the next couple days I'll be back with photos! Promise!

I wanted to share my thoughts on the experience to Kennedy and encourage those of you who have children interested in the space program to save up for this educational field trip. Honestly, it was the most expensive part of our 15 day venture, (mostly comprised of visits to theme parks), but I don't have any regrets.

The highlights of the journey (for me) through the space center, were the IMAX films (really amazing!) and the bus tour of the launch sites. NASA's property isn't all that open for ground exploration by it's guests, so you'll be limited to just how close you can get to points of interest, but I found the entire trip fascinating. Everything from viewing the space shuttle on it's launch pad a day before take off, to seeing countless alligators in the trenches alongside the road the bus traveled. I won't tell you where I live exactly, but we don't see alligators around here. lol We also saw 3 American Bald Eagles! Again, not something I see here. Additionally, we were let off the bus twice, once along the coast where I saw dolphins for the first time outside an aquarium. Now that was cool! Ok... so was the nature aspect more exciting to me than the NASA side? lol Not sure how to answer that!

I will say this... if you don't have an interest in studying space exploration, I'd sit this one out. You probably don't want to shell out the money just to maybe see some wildlife (even though I would have!). Also, if you're expecting Disney... this isn't it. It's not nearly as polished, there is no pixie dust, and no one will tell you to have a magical day. Additionally, there are only a couple places to shop for souvenirs! lol Maybe that's a good thing though.

So at what age should you visit? Hard to say. My 8 year old son is a HUGE space fan and honestly he seemed somewhat overwhelmed at times and other times bored. I didn't really expect that. I sort of expected him to be radiating with excitement, but his mood was very subdued. My husband on the other hand has developed a new fascination with the space program. lol In fact, he's been reading about the engineering and science behind so much of what NASA does every since we left. Sorta funny huh?

So, here's my question for those of you like a good controversy... did we go to the moon or didn't we? lol