Thinking About Homeschooling? A Video to Help You Decide

This video was released by the HSLDA (Homeschooling Legal Defense Association) and shares the joy and satisfaction that comes from homeschooling, as well as your legal rights to do so.

This video will provide you with encouragement and answer some of the questions you may have about why you and your children might benefit from homeschooling.

A special note to readers subscribing to my feed. You may have to follow the feed to my blog in order to view the video. I'm not sure why, but I did notice that the last video I posted wasn't live in my feed.



If you like this video, HSLDA has two additional videos to this series:
Video 2
Video 3

My Bathroom Fantasy!

We have plans to upgrade to a larger home in the next year and part of the fun in building a house is planning out a dream bathroom... or two, or three. lol I have been looking at scads of vanities and would you wouldn't believe the variety. It's truly amazing! I never knew just how many options we'd have, but the even bigger surprise is the fun I'm having dreaming about my future master bath!

We've never really had much of a master bathroom and in fact might have to do a bathroom redo in our current home before putting it on the market. Our current master is quite unimpressive to say the least. Nine years ago when we were having our home built we didn't have the time to get creative or find bathroom vanities that really expressed our personality, we just needed a house.

Now that we're better established financially and have the time to have a little fun, we're going to take the time to find vanities that really fit us. After all, this will be our final home purchase. Or... at least that's the plan!

I love the vanity in this photo. It's classy and would fit nicely in any size bathroom. Whether a master or guest bath it looks stunning. This vanity has an aged brass faucet, porcelain sink, and a marble top and backsplash. I'd never feel like replacing such a beautiful sink... really it's a piece of furniture for the bathroom and wouldn't you know it even has a pullout step stool for your smaller house guests?  

Once you've chosen your vanity it's easy to decorate around it. Choosing the tile for our shower and floors will be almost as much fun and then we'll start talking wall colors, tub style and all overall shape and size of the room we'll grow old making ourselves look younger in (each and every morning). lol 

My dream bathroom would be comfortable, warm, and relaxing. It would be a room I'd enjoy unwinding in at night and would be something I'd feel good about.  

Ok... so what's your dream bathroom look like? Do you have a bathroom fantasy? It's fun to dream and I've become quite good at it! lol

Mom Review of Diary of a Wimpy Kid

My son picked up two of the books from the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series last night while at a book fair catering to elementary school-aged children. I admit I didn't read them before we paid... just sort of flipped through and saw the cartoons and took note of the fact that it was packed with humor. He was elated to have them in his eager little hands and given how much he loves to read felt like a good mom for buying them.

Last night he was cracking up all over the place and today I noticed he'd read nearly an entire book. This morning he wanted to share some of the jokes with me... which is when I realized I probably should have read more of the book before letting him buy. Why?

You might want to tell me to lighten up after I share this, but I really don't care for the potty humor or the words like "moron", "stupid", "jerk" and the like. These books are funny... no doubt, but when you have a son who has issues with calling us names anyway, arming him with new tear-down words isn't exactly something I'm up for. There are many poop jokes, jokes about dumb teachers, and dumb kids. I don't know... is it just me or is this potentially a problem?

These books are huge and if you look on places like Amazon.com you'll find they get high reviews from those who've taken the time to provide a review. I don't know though.... maybe I'm just wound too tight, but I really am not loving all the jokes these books share. I think if my 8 year old were a bit older (the main character in these books is in middle school, not in elementary school after all) and not on the autism spectrum I'd be more ok with it??? Maybe? I just don't know for sure that he gets that we don't talk that way. Not at home, not at school, not when playing outside... really not anywhere at all.

I wonder what you think? Do I need to get a life? lol Have you read these books? Have your kids? Let me know!

Cheap Eyeglasses & Quality Have Found One Another!

As a family of corrective vision wearers I wanted to share a great find with you in Zenni Optical. I usually don't put a lot of stock in advertisements that claim high quality at rock bottom prices, but when you read a nonsolicited review as found on examiner.com...Cheap eyeglasses are a reality" you tend to pay attention. Especially when you have an active 8 year old boy who's had to have his frames repaired twice in the last 6 months.

I have decided my next pair of glasses will come from Zenni. I'm due to get my eyes checked in the next few weeks and the glasses I currently have are about 3 years old and don't have the anti-glare feature that would allow me to wear them when driving. I mainly bought the glasses for wearing before bedtime, after taking out my contacts, but on days when my eyes feel tired and I want to take a break I really can't. Those eyeglasses aren't suitable for wearing outside.

With Zenni I could have had the non-glare for only $4.95. My eye care center wanted nearly $75 which is why I said no thanks! lol Just to give you a feel for what Zenni offers... you can find frames starting at just $8 a pair and most completed pairs of glasses with lenses are around $40. How is that possible? Zenni takes out the middleman, shipping direct from their factory and they spend very little on advertising. I'm guessing word of mouth is likely their best customer.

I love saving money, almost as much as I enjoy earning it! lol Especially with the current state of the economy, who needs designer frames when you can get high-quality, nice looking frames for reasonable prices? You'll even save on shipping... this isn't one of those outfits that promises you a great deal then makes up for in on shipping and handling charges. You'll only pay $4.95 regardless of how many pairs you order!

So if you need eyeglasses or just want to get a backup pair, visit Zenni and take a look at what they offer. Don't strain those precious eyes of yours... give them what they need and feel good doing it!

Teaching Reading with Free Music Videos!

Educational videos can be fun when you're homeschooling! I found a few online today via YouTube (naturally) and wanted to share them with you here. Some are better than others! lol I like the phonics/ reading videos I found as they are set to cute songs that you and your children can sing together. Learning through music is not only a lot of fun, but sticks better than wet spaghetti to a wall!

The video below is a complete playlist, but you can view the videos individually at YouTube. The first few are the ones I was really wanting to share here... the learn to read are well done and would fit nicely with lessons provided via Starfall.com, which is also free! Most of us know about Starfall, but I always like to mention it just in case because it's an amazing recourse that your young children will really benefit from!

If you're teaching someone to read, you might be interested in this:


Visit the songs listed one at a time here...Educational Videos and have fun! Toddlers love these videos by the way and it's never too early to start learning!

Tax Credits for Buying First Home

Yesterday we took the kids to look at a couple homes in a newly developing neighborhood as we're hoping to move to a larger residence sometime soon. We are currently homeowners and didn't realize there were tax credits we actually qualified for, but were quickly set straight by the agent working in one of the model homes. lol Here's what we learned.... as homeowners who've been in the same home for at least 5 years, making under $125,000 or $225,000 collectively we are eligible for a $6,500 tax credit if we sign by April 30th and close by June 30th of this year. This particular builder will even match that credit. Wow! After our visit we found yet another builder offering the same matching incentive.

When Buying First Home or buying a home after 3 or more years of non-home ownership will give you an even sweeter credit. This is the tax credit I'd become more familiar with over the past few months via television news and Internet advertising.... if you're looking for you first home or haven't owned a home in 3 or more years you may qualify for an $8,000 tax credit! Once again, you'll need to sign no later than April 30th and you must close on your new home no later than June 30th. Time is of the essence since no extensions on this tax credit are in the planning. Hey and if you're shopping for a home in new construction, you might ask if they'll match this tax credit. Never hurts to ask!

By the way, when I say "new" home you do realize it doesn't have to be new construction?. This is what we're personally looking at, but so long as you fit into the required guidelines for approval so long as the home is new to you, it's all good!


Take a look at this video to learn more:

Do Homeschoolers Have Snow Days?

This has been one of those Winters that will not soon be forgotten. We've had snow... lots of snow. During the week between Christmas Eve and New Year's Day I shoveled a good foot of snow from our driveway. Since then it's snowed so many times I've actually lost count... never a foot, but a couple inches here and there time and time again means more often than not there is something to shovel from the drive or scrape from the windshield.

This morning I opened my blinds thinking I'd see my neighbor's snow toilet (yes, you read that right... but we sorta get a kick out of it) a bit smaller than yesterday as I had thought the temps where on the rise. To my surprise the snow toilet and everything around it was covered in another 2 inches of snow. Are you kidding me? Not only that, but there's more on the way!

Now to my question... do you give your kiddos snow days? I wonder how many of you give your kids the day off when the neighborhood kids are out of school? I ask this recognizing that many of your kids may finish a days lessons before noon, depending on their age, what you're studying and how diligent they are about getting their assignments done. Last year when my kids were both homeschooled we took all day to get the job done. There were no half days to speak of, so we did occasionally take a day off. Usually at random.

I know homeschoolers who actually follow the same calendar as their local school, giving their kids all the same scheduled and unscheduled breaks along the way. Some do this just so their kids don't recent their situation. What does your calendar look like?

Vacation Rental Hero Lights the Way

A friend of mine was telling me about vacation rentals after we returned from our last 2 week trip to Disney World. I had never thought about renting a house over staying on Disney property until she put the idea into my head.

If you'd like a quick laugh and a pretty good idea for your next vacation, check out this vacation rental commercial featuring Leotard, the vacation rental hero. He can't stand the idea of people booking hotel rooms when they can rent entire homes, sometimes with pools! Your kids will probably get a kick out of this.

My friend uses Vacation Rental.org and has for her last two trips to Florida. So, while I haven't used this service personally, I have a first hand reference which is like gold in my hands. Means so much more than just reading about a service online!

Ok... onto the video!

Homeschooling with K12... Saving Money through Public Charter Schools

I've written about K12 before, but it's been awhile, so why not share again? I know there are a lot of people who would never consider enrolling their children in a public school's charter program, and I do understand the concerns and arguments. However... I do want to share that we did give K12 a try and can I just tell you I had absolutely no problems with the school district whatsoever? It was a positive experience all around for both myself and my children.

I never felt the school was overly intrusive, controlling, or nosy. In fact, the teachers aid I was assigned was patient, thoughtful, and kind. When we were just learning of my son's disability, she provided a lot of support... even when we decided we had to stop short mid-year and take a different path. If my son hadn't had any struggles with autism, we'd still be going the K12 route. If you're considering homeschooling a special needs child, even one on the spectrum like my little guy, don't rule it out just because we had to let it go for awhile. We were facing some struggles at home that really had nothing to do with how we were homeschooling as it did with the fact that we were homeschooling. My son needed structure and peer modeling and he wasn't cooperating with me. He has a very hard time doing anything for his mom and dad when asked and while this is probably a discipline problem (shoot! lol) we really don't know how to get the respect he shows his teachers at school. My shameful admission!

Getting back to K12... I loved the lessons, although they are secular, you can add a Bible study and count that as reading time. All in all the lessons are awesome, well thought out, tracked for you and the school along with your progress... it's really cool to log on each day and watch your progress grow. You can do multiple lessons a day, setting your own hours and days of the week for which you choose to work and your child is placed exactly where he or should be, based on assessment tests. So, they will never grow bored or go unchallenged. Typically speaking kids in K12 are working at a full grade level above their peers in a brick and mortar school!

As a student of a public school system, working from home, they will be required to take state assessment tests at the school along with other students, but your school district will usually prepare them for that test-taking experience.

I have heard that some districts are more controlling than others, but in the state of Kansas I can totally recommend schooling through K12 via a public school. We were enrolled with Lawrence Virtual School and it was a great experience. I've already promised my kids that when we resume our lessons at home, we will go back to K12.

One of the bonuses to K12... we were lent a laptop for school use and given all the teaching materials including books, workbooks, worksheets (I didn't have to print much of anything), manipulatives for math and science, a science kit, music kit, and an art kit. My daughter was given the coolest reading program.... with magnetic letters, a dry erase board, markers, flash cards and early readers. I have no clue what the monetary value of these supplies was, but can definitely tell you that the $100 we spent to enroll each of our children was our only expense, and well worth it!

Blood Cord Banking via Cryo-Cell International Offers Help for Haiti

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of Cryo-Cell International. All opinions are 100% mine.

If you aren't already familiar with the benefits of umbilical blood cord banking, allow me this opportunity to provide you with just enough information to tweak your curiosity and genuine appreciation for this life saving program..

The blood found in the umbilical cord just after birth is normally discarded as medical waste, but did you know that it holds potential life saving stem cells? In fact, over the last few years doctors have been able to use stem cells obtained from  cord blood in the place of bone marrow transplants, which by the way are incredibly painful. The stem cells from the umbilical cord are a perfect match for your baby... throughout the course of his or her life. No need to hunt for a suitable donor should they need stem cells! Should they ever undergo chemo or radiation treatment they may need those stem cells to repair their immune system. What a gift!

Ok, but what does any of this have to do with Haiti? The good people at Cryo-Cell will donate $25 from each new blood cord enrollment to the “Save the Children: Haiti Relief Fund”. So, while you invest in your child's future health, you'll also be adding to the much needed relief efforts taking place in Haiti. Two great reasons to pat yourself on the back. It's ok... you deserve it!

To learn more about Cryo-Cell International and umbilical blood cord banking, be sure to visit their site today. If you have a pregnant friend or family member, consider gifting them an enrollment into this program, or make it a group gift at a baby shower. What a wonderful and likely unexpected gift this will be! Take a look and enroll now!

Thanks for your time. I sincerely hope you'll take a look and learn more. You'll be glad you did, even if just for the peace of mind. I can think of no greater insurance than the gift of life saving stem cells.

My Future... Homeschooling Decisions with a Special Needs Son

We homeschooled until my son was halfway through his 2nd grade year... at which time we opted to place him in a public brick & mortar school. My son has aspergers... meaning he's on the autism spectrum and I was told by a child psychiatrist that if we didn't get him out of the house and into school he wouldn't receive the peer modeling he needed to develop normally... she also said that the stress of managing him was going to make me ill. I knew she was right about the latter, and believed she was right about the former. So.... there he is. That was 1 year ago.

Now we're talking about when to bring him home again and I'm finding it an incredibly hard decision to make. My son is suffering with some depression that doesn't seem to be school related, but it's real. He has told me he's actually happier at school than at home and from everything I've seen and heard, I believe him. So, taking him out of school might not be the right thing to do and yet, I have very real fears about what he might experience as he enters middle school.

He's so different, so unique as we like to call it, and so tender. I don't want him to be bullied, given that his diagnosis generally comes with it patterns of anxiety and depression. Growing up is hard even under the best of circumstances, but my boy hasn't been dealt a fair hand. He is suffering from a disability that to many will come across as just a spacey kid who talks too loud and occasionally flaps his hands or starts monologues about abstract ideas rather than engaging in real conversation.

My son takes to heart everything people tell him and he never forgets. If someone calls him dumb, he'll never let that go. In fact he's still battling bruises from comments made at Sunday school when he was just 6 years old. When he's tired or feeling low, he tells me that he often wonders if "those kids" were right about him. It tears at my heart something horrible.

The other issue with homeschooling my son was that he wouldn't allow me to be his teacher. It got to the point where I couldn't get him to do anything that required him to pick up a pencil. The battles grew so intense and our relationship suffered. Could I endure that again? If I decide I can't, am I being selfish?

This Fall he'll be starting 4th grade. In our school district middle school starts in grade 6... so we have a bit of time. Honestly as a Christian woman I'm a bit ashamed of myself for hanging onto this worry and yet it's there. It's huge. I'm just so concerned about his emotional health and stability. If he only knew how amazing he was. If he could only see himself the way I do. Please say a prayer for us.