The Homeschooling Blog's New Face

Over the weekend I gave this blog what I hope will be perceived as a fresh new look. It's a work in progress, as these things often are. I'm most proud of the cleaner appearance and the working tabs below my header. You'll hopefully find navigation a breeze!

I've also cleaned up a lot of the "follow" leads... such as Stumble, my rssfeed, and the like and have added Twitter. All 3 buttons are in my right sidebar, displayed on Fall leaves. Yes, it's still Winter, but the colors matched my blog and I wanted something different... and until I can get creative and place those ever so familiar icons on little books or pencil sharpeners, this is what I've got! lol 


So, I'd love some feedback (and I even have a poll in my right sidebar!) Please give me the good, bad and the ugly. I'm a novice EVERYTHING. Not a pro at anything, but I sometimes pretend. I think I would have made a fairly decent actor. Especially in a role with a lot of crying scenes. I'm good at that. Or, scenes that require confusion, since that's my natural state most the time. I promise not to cry if you give me a full plate of something bad. I really just want to make this site sizzle and feedback is free for the asking. :)

A word on following me via Twitter... my Twitter page doesn't appear to link to The Homeschooling Blog, but in a way it does, since it's all me! lol I have linked the Twitter name "CakesAlive" to this blog and to Cake Space and Cake Fun, since they're all mine! I share this as to avoid any confusion should you opt to follow me. :) By following me on Twitter you'll know about any and all giveaways happening on each of the 3 blogs! Bonus!!!

Blessings,

Enter the $229Table Pad Giveaway at GoTablePads.com!

Attention Blogger and Facebook users!

Do you have a dining room table you know you should be protecting... but don't? Wholesale Furniture Brokers is giving away a free table pad manufactured by Ohio Table Pad Company during the Table Pad Giveaway at GoTablePads.com. What a great opportunity to learn more about custom table pads and possibly secure one of your own absolutely free!

Entering to win this giveaway is as simple as posting about it on your blog or sharing it on Facebook. You'll find full contest rules on winning a $229 Gift Certificate to put towards your table pad at GoTablePads.com.

A friend of mine uses dining table pads and I've always wanted one for our dining room table, which happens to be fairly small. It's the same table my husband had in a small apartment back in his bachelor days. Still, it's made from teak and is beautiful... or was. haha.... it's showing some wear after 2 kids and a whole lot of use!

When we move into a larger house (someday) we have his grandmother's beautiful dining room set promised to us and we'll definitely want to protect it from our little monkeys! lol Table pads are a must for protecting fine dining room tables from spills and dings of dinnerware. Especially when you have young children or grandchildren. I'm also thinking of all the crafting and cake decorating projects that poor little table has endured. We should have invested in a table pad a long time ago!

Deadline for entry is February 28th, 2011.... so if you're planning on entering do it today. Be sure to share this with friends and family, after you enter of course. Good luck!

$40 CSN Stores Giveaway Winner!

Congratulations to the winner of our CSN Stores giveaway! Random.org has generated the number 85, meaning our winner is McKim! I'm currently sending McKim an email and she'll have 48 hours to respond before a runner up is selected.

Thanks to everyone who participated in this giveaway and thanks to CSN Stores for sponsoring! I hope you found something you couldn't live without from the 200+ CSN Stores. :)

Continue following The Homeschooling Blog for new and exciting giveaways yet to come!

CSN Stores $40 Giveaway! (Giveaway Closed)

We love CSN and have ordered countless items for our home over the past year. I've been collecting Rachel Ray skillets (love em!) and a variety of kitchen gadgets (I just love cooking tools!). I've also ordered printer cartridges, a broom and dustpan combo, an electric pencil sharpener and flashlights.

What I haven't done thus far is order items to beautify our home, and uh we could use some beauty over here.. I'm hoping to make that my next project. Check out just a few of the thousands of awesome finds in CSN's Modern Furniture store. They have everything you might imagine for every room of your home. Furniture, room accents, kitchen gadgets,  appliances,  photo frames, vases, wall art, and so much more!

Here are just a few of the items that caught my eye today...

I've always wanted one of these for my daughter's bedroom. It's such a simple way to loosely post photos to a wall.

Turn any room of your home into an instant classroom with this vinyl peel and stick chalkboard. CSN offers a variety of vinyl chalkboards and room decorations.

So cool... I love blue. Don't you just feel the stress of life slip away when you eye this artful vase? I can almost smell the daisies.

CSN offers countless ways bring about a beautiful bedroom. I'm such a girlie girl these days. Can't imagine what it would have been like as a child to sleep in a room like this one.

Now for the giveaway!! Up for grabs is $40 to any one of CSN's 200+ stores. 

Thank you CSN!

Who May Enter? 

• This giveaway is open to non-homeschoolers and homeschoolers alike! We won't even ask. That's just how we roll.

• Open to residents of the USA and Canada.

How to Enter:

• Entries must be received no later than Tuesday, February 22nd at 11:59 PM, CST.
• Follow The Homeschooling Blog on Google Friend Connect and leave a comment on this post letting me know you did so. You'll find Google Friend Connect in my right sidebar. If you're already a follower of The Homeschooling Blog via GFC, just let me know in your comment.
• In a separate comment, share something from CSN's Modern Furniture Store that catches your eye and let me feel the excitement when you do!  Remember... this will be shared in a second comment.
  

Both above entries are required, so everyone who participates is technically given 2 entries. Be sure to leave 2 separate comments, and please be sure to leave me your email.  BTW, I recommend protect yourself from the spambots by sharing your email in this manner: yourname (at) gmail (dot) com.   

How We'll Select Our Winner

The winner will be selected using Random.org's automatic number generator.

The winner will then be notified via email and have 48 hours to respond before another winner is selected. Upon successfully notifying our winner, he/she will be announced here in a separate post on The Homeschooling Blog.

DaySpring... "Your Divine Valentine"

I received these words in an email from DaySpring, supplying sweet sentiments through free eCards. If you have run short on time for Valentine's Day card shopping, consider sending your someone special a free eCard tomorrow.

As for the words shared in their promotional email... they're just as beautiful as beautiful gets....


A Valentine may play a love song for you, but God sings you the sweetest love song in the universe.
The Lord your God... will rejoice over you with gladness, He will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice over you with singing. Zephaniah 3:17

A Valentine may give you flowers, but God sent you the most beautiful rose of all. Jesus.
I am the rose of Sharon, and the lily of the valleys.
Song of Solomon 2:1

A Valentine may bring you chocolate, but God provides you with something even sweeter, His Word.
How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth! Psalm 119:103

A Valentine may love you for a lifetime, but God loved you before you were born and will love you for all eternity.
Yes, I have loved you with an everlasting love...with lovingkindness I have drawn you. Jeremiah 31:3

School Supply Shopping

Thanks for the guest post by Kristofer Bartlett

I often find that my kids need new school supplies about halfway through their school year. Perhaps their folders are worn out, or maybe their crayons are all broken. Whatever the case, my kids love going school supply shopping with me in the winter. They know it is one of our traditions and fun things that we do together. This is also one of the best ways I feel that I do my best as a parent to get the kids ready to go back to school.

School supply shopping is fun and does not take that long. Before we leave for a day of school supply shopping, I am always sure to lock the doors and set the home security alarm system (Colorado Alarm systems prices). One can never be too careful these days. I have heard so many horror stories of burglaries happening even when a person leaves the house for only an hour or two.

Overall, school supply shopping is fun and allows the kids to have a mental break from all things educational. They get to pick out folders in their favorite colors or cool new pens for school. They absolutely love being creative when they are shopping. I highly recommend this sort of activity as a way for parents to show an interest in their children's lives and to prepare them readily for school.

Fire Damages Local Elementary School... Fire Damage Restoration

We had a blizzard hit last week and for whatever reason someone decided to set fire to a local elementary school. They've had crews working 24/7 to restore the health of the building as to not jeopardize the health of the students who are due to return to class tomorrow. Apparently they have to clean out all the duct work and every surface of every room affected. Can you imagine?

Anytime I hear of a fire, I wonder about the safety and security of my own home. What would life look like after a fire.  If we had smoke damage to contend with, would we ever be able to rid our home of the stench? When you have young children you tend to think of things like safety, maintenance and recovery in a way you never did before!

The Steam Team of Austin is one of those companies trained and equipped to bring back a home struck by fire and smoke damage. For  fire damaged homes austin The Steam Team can remove soot from fabric and upholstery, even from clothing and drapes. They also know how to properly deodorize a home after smoke damage.

Remember for fire smoke damage restoration austin the people at The Steam Team are prepared and equipped to not only restore your home, but to restore your life and sense of well-being. .

Let the folks at The Steam Team help you sort through your fire damage claim austin, you'll have one less thing to worry about.

By the way, have you checked the batteries in your smoke alarms recently? Let this serve as a reminder to change your batteries if it's been more than 6 months. Also... check to be sure your smoke alarms are working and that you have one in every bedroom, in the kitchen and on every floor of your home, including your basement.

Do Homeschoolers Use Kindle Readers?

I had absolutely talked myself out of getting a Kindle until I started thinking about the convenience of taking it to Bible study and church to access different versions of the Bible, books on Apologetics, and various authors I enjoy reading from time to time.Tonight while waiting for my son to finish at Kumon, one of the other moms was reading via a Kindle and the weight of my envious eyes was no doubt felt. lol

Couple the new excuse I've found for wanting a reader with the recent drop in Kindle's price, and I'm dreaming of ordering my  reader yesterday... well, in all actuality such a purchase can't happen anytime soon... I don't have the budget for the nonessentials of life at the moment, but it's fun to dream. Whilst I dream... I can ask questions of current Kindle owners and build on my list of justifications for shelling out so many nickels and dimes!

I wonder if there's a practical application to using a Kindle for homeschooling purposes? If you have one, do your kids use it for book reading, or is it to the local library you go? I'd totally see my 9 year old going for a Kindle. He's always been a book worm and the idea of having his entire library packed into something the size of a single book would no doubt thrill him senseless.

Among my many curiosities surrounding the Kindle is whether to go with the basic Kindle or the the more expensive model which offers 3G. There's only a $50 difference between the two models, but $50 is still $50. Still... I'd hate to buy the lesser Kindle only to wish I'd held out for the other.






I also wonder... can you highlight text on a reader?

Life is so complicated is it not? I must be rather spoiled if I can afford the time and energy to spend so much of my time thinking about readers.

Can Anyone Tell Me the Time?

It's been years and years since I've worn a watch. So many years in fact that I doubt I even have one that works. If I do, I've no clue where it might be. When I was in college I relied heavily on my watch to keep me on schedule, but since having children... I've lost track of what it means to be on time and apparently I've lost track of my watch.

Just recently I've been eying watches... trying to decide, should I buy, and if I buy what type of watch would I be in the market for. Santa will be coming again in just 10 short months (I know... I'm sorry) and I feel the need to ask for something this year instead of saying... "I don't need anything!" Can I just share with you one of life's truths? When you say you don't need anything what you end up with is something you don't need. Ever been there?

So, with that said, I LOVE the Citizen watch posted above. I'm actually VERY busy these days and I feel very much like the taxi-driver mom, the soccer mom, and the working mom, but without the time... literally. Currently I use my cell as my time piece. When I want to know how many minutes before Kumon or Tae Kwon Do practice I'm often seen digging in my purse.Ugh... I hate digging in my bottomless mom bag.

Here's another pretty one... it's silver and pink... I'm all about silver and pink! It would look awesome wrapped around my wrist. In fact, it would match the ear rings I'm currently wearing! Oh Santa, are you following my blog?

So where did I find these awesome ladies watches? I'm at BlueDial.com wowing and Awing left and right. I think my husband would love a Citizen eco drive diamond watch. He actually already has a really nice watch... so I think it should be my turn, am I right? He could even wait until the very last minute to order... say just before my next birthday, our wedding anniversary, or Christmas...as BlueDial.com offers free 2nd day shipping within the Continental US and because they're a Citizen Authorized Dealer, all watches come with a Citizen factory warranty.

What's your favorite watch from this site?

45 Lessons on Life

At the risk of turning off my readers... I'm sharing one of those emails you commonly see forwarded from a friend who received it from a cousin, who received it from a neighbor... and so on and so forth. It's good though! lol I promise you!

What's especially cool about these precious life lessons is they came forwarded to me with an author's name. I can't tell you how many cool emails I receive with no known source of origin. I always find that to be a mix of annoying and sad. No sadness here though. This is worth the minute it will take you to scroll through... so let's do it!

"To celebrate growing older, I once wrote the 45 lessons life taught me. It is the most requested column I've ever written. My odometer rolled over to 90 in August, so here is the column once more":

1. Life isn't fair, but it's still good.
2. When in doubt, just take the next small step.
3. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.
4. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends and parents will. Stay in touch.
5. Pay off your credit cards every month
6. You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.
7. Cry with someone. It's more healing than crying alone.
8. It's OK to get angry with God. He can take it.
9. Save for retirement starting with your first paycheck.
10. When it comes to chocolate, resistance is futile
11.. Make peace with your past so it won't screw up the present.
12. It's OK to let your children see you cry.
13. Don't compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey is all about
14. If a relationship has to be a secret, you shouldn't be in it.
15. Everything can change in the blink of an eye. But don't worry; God never blinks.
16. Take a deep breath It calms the mind.
17. Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful or joyful.
18. Whatever doesn't kill you really does make you stronger.
19. It's never too late to have a happy childhood. But the second one is up to you and no one else.
20. When it comes to going after what you love in life, don't take no for an answer.
21. Burn the candles, use the nice sheets, wear the fancy lingerie. Don't save it for a special occasion. Today is special.
22. Over prepare, then go with the flow.
23. Be eccentric now. Don't wait for old age to wear purple.
24. The most important sex organ is the brain.
25. No one is in charge of your happiness but you.
26. Frame every disaster with these words “will it matter in 5 years?”
27. Always choose life.
28. Forgive everyone everything.
29. What other people think of you is none of your business.
30. Time heals almost everything. Give time time.
31. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.
32. Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.
33. Believe in miracles.
34. God loves you because of who God is, not because of anything you did or didn't do
35. Don't audit life. Show up and make the most of it now.
36. Growing old beats the alternative -- dying young.
37. Your children get only one childhood.
38. All that truly matters in the end is that you loved
39. Get outside every day. Miracles are waiting everywhere.
40. If we all threw our problems in a pile and saw everyone else's, we'd grab ours back.
41. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.
42. The best is yet to come...
43. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.
44. Yield.
45. Life isn't tied with a bow, but it's still a gift.

~Author: Regina Brett, Cleveland, Ohio.

Homeschooling Giveaways from Across the Blogosphere for February

I'm here sharing the good news of multiple homeschooling giveaways, or giveaways of interest to homeschoolers.

The following giveaways offer a variety of cool products, have different requirements for entry, and are presented with varying deadlines, so be sure to read each giveaway posting carefully:

• Everything is Edible: Offering a $50 value Pilot B2P gel pen package. These refillable pens are eco-friendly and are made from recycled PET bottles. She has 3 packages of pens up for grabs too! Winners will be selected February 6th, 2011.
• HomeschoolerLiterature.com: Offering a copy of "Henley and the Book Of Heroes”, retail value $22.99, to 1 winner. Deadline for entry is February 28th, 2011 at 5:00 PM EST. You must become a registered user of this site to enter, but it appears to be free to do so and looks like an awesome resource!
• My So Called Homeschool Life: Offering a Bambino Zip (baby garment) valued at $49.95 (Canadian dollars), open to US and Canada, entry deadline February 11th.
• Homeschool Blessings: Offering a winter edition of The Old Schoolhouse Magazine. Deadline to enter is this coming Friday, February 4th, 2011.
• Guiding Light Homeschooling: Offering DVD "A Journey Home", an inspiring story of a family leaving everything behind to join an Amish community and follow the Lord. Deadline for this giveaway is actually March 4th, 2011.
• MaMa B: Offering a $50 gift certificate to Amazon.com (this isn't a homeschooling site, but who cares!), open to US and Canada, expires February 15, 2011.

Have fun and good luck!

Our Book Winners... Announced!

Congratulations to Susan S. from Philadelphia and Sarah T. from Titusville... both of whom will be receiving the ValueTales Treasury book courtesy of The Homeschooling Blog. We chose our winners using Random.org's free number generator.

If you didn't win, no worries! We have another exciting giveaway coming soon... this time we'll have more than 1 item up for grabs. I'm collecting an assortment of goodies for some fortunate reader... so be sure to stay tuned, since book giveaways alone don't generate a lot of interest. Lesson learned! lol


Blessings,
~Wendy