It's Time to Start Saving Money on Infant Formula

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of PBM Products. All opinions are 100% mine.

Now that the holidays are almost behind us, you may be looking for ways to cut back. Many of us face the new year in the hole, after overspending on Christmas gifts, holiday travel, and those super fantastic holiday meals we all enjoy.

If you have an infant and think you can't switch from brands like Similac for a store brand formula think again! Did you know the store brands, like those you find at Target, Walmart, and other fine retailers are subject to the same FDA standards as the name brands? This means, that despite costing as much as 50% less, the generic infant formulas provide the necessary levels of nutrition as required by the Infant Formula Act.

Name brand formulas like Enfamil and Similac spend millions of dollars annually promoting their products, in hospitals, magazines, mailings, and on television... those expenses are recovered through the sales of their product, which is why you see such a difference in price.

Why not switch to generic formula and give your pocketbook a break? It's just one more way to save money in 2011 and you can feel good knowing your little one is getting every bit of nutrition the FDA requires. No sacrifice on health! Just on overspending!

Check out this article on making the switch, published by MoneyWatch. This article should give you a lot of peace about switching to store brand formula. If you'd like to see just how much money you can save.... visit Parent's Choice for a great online calculator.

Have a wonderful new year!

Do You Take a Winter Break?

I find it fascinating (have no idea why) to hear how homeschoolers construct their calendars. Some go year round, others follow the calendar of their local school district, giving their children all the same holidays and breaks, and then there are those who get really creative and come up with their own calendar of semesters or quarters, with built in breaks and family vacations. Isn't freedom wonderful?

So long as our kiddos are learning (and not hiding under their covers come morning lessons), it's all good. I think one of the biggest benefits to homeschooling is that our kids are often found "on fire" for learning... as we have more freedom to bring lessons to life, with weekly field trips, and wider access to resources than what some might find in a typical classroom or school library. If you consider this with all the wonderful homeschooling coops across this nation of ours, offering our kids social outlets (and us too!) and the benefit of group activities (and sometimes even lessons), our kids are definitely well-rounded (brain-wise), and not isolated as many of our critics would argue.

Even if you can't find a coop, there are often times social groups for homeschoolers in larger communities... even Internet-based support groups, if you're rural and can't find others on the same journey. Some larger churches have homeschooling groups that meet for fellowship and activities too... so be sure to ask around!

Now back to the question at hand... when do you break and what do you do over break? Do tell!

The McCaughey Septuplets are 13!

Something about this family has always touched my heart... I'll never forget the teary-eyed mother of toddlers on the Today Show telling the world that the fact 2 of her kids had Cerebral Palsy didn't "change who they are". Those words have stuck in my head for over a decade.

As mom to a special needs kid myself, I know she's so right. What I can't relate too is raising so many children! I find this family amazing on so many levels and wanted to share this video clip of their latest interview.

I'd like to know how they have survived on as little as $300 a month on groceries... even growing their own produce... I can't imagine how that's done. My little family of 4 could learn so much from the McCaugheys! 

Moms Shaping the Future of Charter!

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Charter. All opinions are 100% mine.

Have you ever wished you could sit down and talk to your Internet or advanced video provider about what you like and don't like about your television programing or Internet services? Maybe tell them what could be done better... simple things that would benefit you and your family? I know I have.

Charter... a leader in high-speed Internet, advanced video and telephone coverage is introducing a new platform to do just that. Using Facebook as the platform,  Charter Moms gives you a voice! Most of us are on Facebook anyway, so why not join the moms on Charter Moms and see what they're saying? Perhaps you have some suggestions of your own?

Charter wants to hear from real moms... they're asking what your children like to watch, when they watch, what types of shows you'd prefer they see, and just about anything else you can think to share. In a perfect world, what would be different?

As a Charter Mom you'll be first to know of new Charter promotions, services, and programing. Pretty cool! Additionally you could help shape the future of Charter. Don't you just love feeling empowered to make change? lol

I hope everyone had an awesome Christmas! ; )

Looking for Homeschooling Conventions?

I have to say... I've never heard of a multiple day homeschool convention... until now. The convention that comes to our area lasts a day and is HUGE... offering booths with all the big name vendors in homeschooling materials and a couple workshops for homeschooling parents, but I didn't know there were conventions like this... offering hundreds of workshops? Wow. 

Tim Hawkins is even performing at their Cincinnati location.... it looks like there are 4 conventions coming next year, each to a different region of the country... hopefully there will be one near you. It looks like an awesome opportunity to sharpen the homeschooler on legalities, homeschooling strategies, parenting skills and the like. You'll also have the opportunity to visit scads of vendors and check out their materials in person. That's always fun... well, sometimes a bit overwhelming if you don't really know what you're looking for! lol It's best to have an idea or two... research what you think will work for your family before you go, narrowing it down to 2 or 3 possibilities, then comparing them at the convention. :)

If you want to check out these conventions visit this link: Homeschool Convention

Have you been to one of these mega conventions before? If so, do share!

Holiday Goats... Cute Baby Goat Video Your Kids Will Love

You likely won't be able to see this in my blog feed, so be sure to visit my blog directly... this is cute!

Btw, these goats sorta remind my of my kids...

Learning to Play Piano at Home... What an Awesome Christmas Gift Idea!

Are you still struggling with what to give your family this Christmas? It's hard to believe (or accept), but we only have a week 'till December 25th and there's not much time left for brainstorming. At our house we have Christmas all wrapped up, but I know too well that uncomfortable feeling of not being prepared... my hubby's birthday is Monday and I still don't know what to get him!

As for our children, one of their gifts came early this year. You might remember me sharing news of our home-based piano lessons, taught by yours truly with the help of Piano Wizard. I have no previous experience with the piano... and not much experience at all with playing any type of musical instrument. I had a few months on the saxophone when I was 15 (over 2 decades ago!), and a year of recorder when I was 10, but other than that, I'm musically illiterate.

I am preparing to show you a video of us using this AWESOME computer-based system, but it's been slow going. I had a full work schedule this week, and scads of dr. appointments for my son (who has Asperger's). We've had birthday parties to attend, TaeKwonDo belt testing and award's ceremonies, and my daughter had a talent show and Demo Team (TaeKwonDo) demonstration she was a part of. I'm exhausted! But... in a healthy way!

Since I'm at least a day away from sharing my own kiddos on video and time is so short, if you're considering this as a gift idea this year, I will share videos (not our own) here instead. lol Does that work?  Piano Wizard only takes a couple days to ship out, so you still have a couple days to order and not feel the stress of worrying if that package will arrive in time!

Here's what the gift of music might look like in your own home:

Please don't hesitate to ask if you have any questions at all. My daughter has already asked me today if she can take her piano lesson, so I need to hop off the computer and hook up the keyboard! lol Then my son will want his turn. Pretty cool to see them excited to learn the language of music as we fill the house with melody. With Piano Wizard you're playing real music the very first lesson. The theory behind this approach? We all learn to speak before we learn to read or write! So why not learn to play (through color), before learning to read the actual musical notes? It's awesome for anyone, of any age... and I totally recommend you give it a try!

Looking for Homeschooling Organization Solutions

Although we're on a break from homeschooling (see the "about me" page for more info), we still teach at home... and what parent doesn't? In my previous post I shared our newest journey into taking on piano lessons at home... which is quite the adventure given not one of us knows how to play!

In all the chaos that we call home sweet home, we have ooooodles and ooooooodles of books and as much as I love acquiring new reading material, we've simply run out of shelving space.... so a bookcase would be nice, but I'm also considering a nice tv stand.

We have one corner in our living room that currently sports a very unattractive folding table (like what you might see holding up knickknacks at a garage sale). This table has a K'nex roller coaster on top and stacks of games underneath. It's an eyesore... at least when considering it's in our living room. I've attempted to beautify the college-dorm room look with a tablecloth, but I still find the sight nothing short of annoying.

I think a tv stand might look nicer in this spot. It would have a lower and wider top than a standard bookcase, so the kids could still use the top for projects (like roller coaster assembly), but we'd have a nice piece of furniture, made out of some kind of wood, with shelving and maybe even doors to store games and hopefully a handful of books! lol

What is your homeschooling organization stresser? If you could have 1 new piece of furniture to help you alleviate your storage issues, what would you choose?

Homeschooling Piano Lessons... The Piano Wizard Academy

We're on a new adventure here at our house... one I hadn't anticipated taking at this time, but we couldn't be more excited! My husband is a musician (an awesome drummer... and I'm not just saying that!), but the rest of us don't play anything at all. I've wanted to learn to play the piano my entire adult life, but as a busy mom (without a piano), my prospects weren't looking so good. Sometimes the answers to life's little hick-ups are simpler to solve than we might ever imagine.


Such has been the case with our latest piece of learning technology! On Saturday... that is, just yesterday, we started experimenting with an awesome new computer program and lesson plan developed to teach ANYONE how to play the piano... simply by playing a game. This means that not only can I finally learn to play the piano, but I can assist my children in learning to play too!  We don't have to seek out an instructor and squeeze additional running around time into an already packed schedule. Furthermore, we're part of a training process that allows you to play the piano before you learn to read the music.

That might sound a little different, but when you think about language, and you'll likely agree that music is just that... a language, don't we all learn to speak before we learn to read, write, or spell? We're taught grammatical rules for our native tongue only after we learn to speak it. This same premise has been applied to learning to read music. The Piano Wizard's computer-based program allows you to enjoy the excitement of playing real music the moment you being your lessons.

What I'd like to do over the course of the next few months is share our piano learning journey here on The Homeschooling Blog. Since music is so essential (according to scientific study) for healthy brain development... including among other things better academic performance, I may even dedicate a full page to this program here on this blog.

I can't tell you how excited I am to be learning right along side my children. Homeschoolers do that all the time, but this is bigger than relearning a piece of forgotten history, this is like opening an entire new world!

Be sure to bookmark this site... that is, if you're interested in following our journey, and perhaps learning more about the product we've acquired. I'll be taking videos of my kiddos in action over the next few days! Remember too, one of my precious lambs has Asperger's Syndrome (meaning he's under the autism umbrella)... I'm especially anxious to see how he does with the Piano Wizard Academy, especially given his struggles in math. There's strong statistical evidence to support the theory that students who play a musical instrument do better in math... among other things. :)

NMEDA Insures Quality and Safety for Mobility Equipment

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of NMEDA. All opinions are 100% mine.

If you or a loved one is in need of mobility equipment, it's important to keep in mind that not all products are created equal. When it comes to our mobility, it's especially important to keep safety in check... given we're already dealing with an individual with a disability, or physical injury. How do you know for certain, you're giving your loved one the safest, most dependable, and let's take it a step further... most customized equipment to their specific size, situation, and needs?

NMEDA  is a non-profit trade association for dealers of mobility equipment, specialists in driver rehabilitation, and others dedicated to improving the opportunities for the disabled to drive motorized vehicles... which is ever so important when we consider the privileges of adult independence.

NMEDA promotes safe driving equipment for the disabled. In fact, they're the only association requiring their members adhere to the safety standards set in place by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. What this should tell you is that any dealer of mobility equipment not associated with NMEDA is likely not adhering to these standards.

NMEDA has Dealers AND Quality Assurance Program (QAP) dealers... the Quality Assurance Program dealers work to insure that a regulated set of standards for quality control are adhered to by all NMEDA members. This in turn insures the safety and protection of customers seeking an NMEDA dealer.

We have an NMEDA dealer about a 10 minute drive from our home... I found this by visiting the NMEDA sited, entering my zip code and finding all NMEDA dealer's in my vicinity... you can do the same!

Free Anti-Spyware, Internet Security for Your Home PC... WooHoo!

If you're currently paying for Internet Security, such as through Norton or McAfee, did you know you could (and probably should) download Microsoft Security Essentials for free?

A few months ago it came time for us to renew our McAfee and I was feeling the pain. We were going to have to pay $80 for another year... so, I was overheard complaining by a friend who's husband works on computers for a living. She immediately chimed in to share that "hey, did you know you can get free anti-viral software online?"... to which I thought to myself, "if it's free, it can't be any good!" lol, and with a thing like security, you don't want to settle for less than best. This in fact reminds me of the post I wrote not so very long ago on infant formula. The name brand as it turns out is no better than the store-brand equivalent! Knowledge is power, is it not?

I came home from that conversation and immediately hit the Internet, starting my own little research project. I expected to find at least a few words of caution, but never did... so away went McAfee and in came Microsoft Security. I've now been using it exclusively for 4 months, without any problems whatsoever. They run all the scheduled scans, just like you've experienced with Norton or McAfee... the only real difference I can see? It's free!

Do your own research, check it out and give it a try! I'd love to be the friend who saves you a few dollars!

Why You Should Take a Second Look at Store Brand Baby Formula

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of PBM Products. All opinions are 100% mine.

I've shared my opinions on store brand baby formula before, but after learning that Consumer Reports (and the FDA for that matter) finds no nutritional benefits or otherwise in the national name brand competitors, I'm once again urging parents to stop throwing their money away.

When our son was a newborn I had to supplement his diet with formula and like so many moms and dads we bought the most expensive formula we could find, thinking to do otherwise meant we were settling for less that best, for our precious baby boy. Although we weren't exactly living on the street, we weren't financially stable either and every penny we owned had a name on it. There wasn't a lot of wiggle room in the budget, especially after our little man was born.

Consequently, I'm now annoyed (to put it mildly) that we could have supplemented our child for half the price. Wow... what you don't know can cost you! The reason name brands are so expensive isn't hard to figure out. It's not that you're buying superior ingredients... no, it's just that these companies need to pay for all their lofty marketing campaigns, including those free diaper bags they're so eager to give away in the hospital. Have you taken note of all the packages and advertisements you get in the mail after having a baby and considered how much money that must cost?

When my daughter was born we received multiple FREE samples of various name-brand formulas or varieties thereof, a FREE baby album, and scads of ads and coupons that although didn't motivate me to buy, did motivate me to donate to our family church for other moms to enjoy. You do realize that the store brand formula would have been cheaper even without those seemingly great coupons? When our daughter was born, 17 months after my son, I still hadn't realized I'd been had.  

I'd like to encourage my readers to research before they buy... especially if you're currently expecting, have plans to bottle feed (even as a supplement), and aren't brand loyal. My family is brand loyal to a degree, but I can honestly tell you that on occasion our favorite brand is the most reasonably priced and when it comes to baby formula you now have the peace of mind in knowing less, is at the very least, completely equivalent to name brand.

Book Review of "A ValueTales Treasury"... and a Giveaway!

Book Title: A ValueTales Treasury... Stories for Growing Good People
Author: Spencer Johnson, M.D.
Illustrator: Dan Andreasen
Publisher: Simon and Schuster

Yesterday I received a complimentary copy of A ValueTales Treasury from the "good people" at Simon and Schuster. My family LOVES books, and as a mom I naturally melt when I find a great read encouraging my children to be virtuous, giving people... while at the same time displaying the confidence and drive to succeed in whatever they do.

Multiple lessons of virtue are presented in this wonderfully-written and beautifully-illustrated 80 page book featuring such exemplary figures as Louis Pasteur (a lesson on believing in yourself), Harriet Tubman (a lesson on the value of helping others), Confucius (a lesson on honesty), Helen Keller (the value of determination), and Will Rogers (a lesson on the value of humor).

New York Times best selling author Spensor Johnson M.D. (Who Moved My Cheese) begins his journey into encouragement and positive influence with an introduction written directly to his young readers, sharing the idea of "Imaginography", described by Johnson as a story reading like a biography (in that it's based on real people), but shared in a more lively and imaginative fashion. Johnson does a fantastic job of sharing how a handful of notable individuals, grew from children who knew how to dream, into adults who exemplified the character and strength that brought them success in life. In listening to their "true voice", described by Johnson as that inner voice that drives each of us to be and give our very best, these individuals changed the world around them.

This book is secular, but a real asset to any family's library. You'll enjoy exploring the positive messages shared in this book with your little ones, and your intermediate reader's will likely take to it all on their own.  A ValueTales Treasury offers you the tools to build your child's own "imaginography" as they dream about the type of person they wish to become!

If you'd like to learn more about the author and illustrator or find story-related activities for your children, be sure to visit KIDS.SimonandSchuster.com.

~~The Giveaway!~~

Simon and Schuster has graciously offered to sponsor a giveaway on The Homeschooling Blog! In order to qualify for this giveaway, simply leave me a comment on this post sharing who'd you share this book with! Could be your son or daughter, niece or nephew, neighborhood child... anyone you expect you'd read this book to or with. Although there are opportunities for extra entries (see below), you must leave this initial comment to qualify.

The Skinny:

• Deadline for entry is Friday, December 24th at 11:59 PM (Central Time). Winner will be announced December 26th right here on THB. If you're a winner, we'll contact you via email and you'll have 7 days to respond before another winner is selected in your place.
• Open only to those with addresses within the 48 Contingent States (USA)
• Only 1 winner per name/address
• A total of 2 winners will be selected using the random number generator at Random.org
• We must have your email addy within the context of your post in order to contact you should you be a winner. Your email should be shared in such a way that spambots cannot pick it up. Example of which would be: youremail (at) yahoo (dot) com

Extra Entries (each requiring an additional comment in order to be correctly counted):

• Share this giveaway on your blog (or on Facebook), linking directly to this post. (2 extra entries). Let me know in a SEPARATE comment that you've done this and if possible, leave me a link for verification purposes.
• Subscribe to our feed (1 extra entry), and leave me a comment on this post letting me know you did!
• Follow us with Google Friend Connect (2 entries), and leave me that ever so important comment letting me know so I can check!

That's it! Hope to have oooodles of responses!

Blessings,

Free Sample of Boudreaux's Butt Paste!

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Boudreaux's Butt Paste. All opinions are 100% mine.

What baby rash cream to you carry in your little one's diaper bag? Are are you satisfied with the results? If you're ready to try something different... now is the time! Why? Because for a limited time, you can claim your free sample of Boudreaux's Butt Paste!

I first heard of Boudreaux's Butt Paste last year when I was babysitting my young niece. The name totally cracked me up... and it's not a name you'll soon forget!  A pharmacist worked with the guidance of a licensed pediatrician to create this product... formulated with 16% zinc oxide and Peruvian balsam. The combination of ingredients protects the skin and offers a very pleasant scent.

One thing I remember liking about Boudreaux's Butt Paste was that it wasn't difficult to remove from the skin with a baby wipe or damp cloth. It goes on smooth and clean, and comes off (when you want it to) without irritating delicate skin.

You may have seen the product in People Magazine, on Oprah or the Tonight Show... maybe on the hit television show While You Were Out or on ESPN. You've no doubt seen it on the store shelves, but have you tried the product first hand? Why not take this opportunity to try the product free of charge? Visit Boudreaux's Butt Paste's website today and request your sample!

AWESOME & FREE Multiplication Game! My Son is FINALLY Learning!

I'm elated to share this with my readers and to be living the dream of witnessing my son FINALLY want to learn his multiplication facts. Answered prayers! He learned 5 facts just last night, which may not sound like much, but it's 5 more facts than he was willing to learn with me. lol If he learns 5 facts a day it will be no time at all an he'll have them all burned in his brain forever and ever! teehee Can you tell how giddy I am?

Want to hear more? Ok.... so last night my new computer came (yah!). One of my primary motivations for purchasing this (very affordable, yet much more hip pc than what we currently own) was to give my son an avenue to play online computer games... to help him in math. The ancient pc I normally blog on won't do that!

Would you believe (thank you Lord) that the first game we find, is the winner? I found Big Brainz free download and hit that magic button with really no expectations. I wasn't even sure it would work... fact is I had a little trouble figuring out how to download the free version and initially thought it was a trick. lol However, it was there, it worked, and my son is LOVING it! So much in fact that this afternoon, about 15 minutes ago, we downloaded a paid version, because I wanted to give him more room to play and grow.

The name of this game is TimezAttack. The graphics are amazing for a free game, even for a game that isn't free. What's more, the music isn't annoying. That's a huge plus for parents! This game gives your student ooooodles of repetition too, which if it were me giving my son ooooodles of repetition his brain would shut down. Not so when it comes to a good video game. The other thing going for this game is the little guy (or gal) your child plays as, looks somewhat like an alien (which he loves). I can't tell if he really is an alien or a dinosaur, but either way, it's all good. The enemy is a grumpy troll (hopefully you're not singing the Dora song in your head right now like I unfortunately am) who can be destroyed with math!

Here's the link: TimezAttack

When you get to the main page, there will be a video that shows you what the game looks like in action. In order to find the free and paid versions, click on the multiplication icon. This will take you to the appropriate screen where you can download the FREE version. Yes, I promise it really is free. I don't know how far you can go on the free version, but my son and daughter played it for several hours before we decided to go ahead and upgrade.

TimezAttack COUPON CODE: 

If you decide to upgrade, check out this coupon code I found online... it's based on the honor system, so PLEASE respect their wishes and if you happen to use the discount code, tell friends with children how amazing and effective the game is. You can save as much as $10 off the price if you tell 4 families, and as much as $15 if you find someone to sign up with you. This is a great savings and I'm all about saving money! I don't know how long this coupon code will remain active. If it doesn't work, do an internet search and see if you can find another... try Big Brainz, coupon code.

Please let me know what your kids think of this game. I'm so happy right now my toes are warm and they're never warm! lol I hope they have fun attacking that troll with those math facts! In 2011 Big Brainz is coming out with a Division game, as well as games for subtraction and addition. Can't wait to see the division game!

Blessings!


By the way, as the honest lady  that I am, I did want to share that upon becoming a buyer of this game, I also became an affiliate. So... the link you see here for TimezAttack is an affiliate link. If you decide to upgrade, we will receive a commission, which would help us sooo much in paying for our little guys therapy, which isn't covered by insurance.

Homeschooler's Using Kumon?

Kumon is a supplemental educational service for children, aimed at improving their mathematics and reading abilities. It's not considered a tutoring service, which is where it gets confusing... lol It's a system of packets or daily assignments (15-20 minutes) beginning with very basics (to encourage self-esteem and build motivation) and advancing slowly over time. They take very small steps and tell you not to expect big things right away. It might take a few months, possibly longer before your student is up to speed with their grade level.

My son is in the 4th grade and nearly failing math. He's excelling in nearly every other subject, but doesn't get multiplication and division.  It think we're going to sign on with Kumon (has a great reputation) and then find a tutor to help him with his current assignments. Our son refuses to let me or his dad help him with his math. He puts a wall up and breaks down emotionally. So... we must not be doing something right. I'm not sure if he feels threatened in some way??? His sister excels in math and his dad is an engineer who is such the math brain. Maybe that's the problem?

I wonder if anyone reading my blog has any experience with Kumon? I'd love to hear your take on their services... good and/or bad. I believe the success of a child depends primarily on the level of support and encouragement they receive from family, friends, and teachers. Having additional supports in place for my son (who has Asperger's Syndrome) only makes sense to me.