Posted in AtHomewithKris

Good Afternoon HomesteadBloggers!

I apologize for my absence during most of March. I feel like I have not been doing all that I should be here on the Front Porch and around HSB. I have been dealing with some sickness, but am finally on the mend this week after getting some pretty good antibiotics. My dad had some issues with his heart and was in the hospital earlier this week, but is home and getting better. And, finally, we have a new puppy in our home and he it is like having a new baby in the house (well, sorta!) as he requires our time to play and, of course, is not quite house-broken yet. I also am working on some projects for The Old Schoolhouse magazine as I am assistant to the Publishers and sometimes it takes more time during the week than I envision. But I am going to do better in April ... I promise! I will be commenting more and visiting more of you, too!

I'd like for YOU to nominate YOUR favorite blogger to be a Featured Blogger of the Week! I think it would be nice for all of us to get to know someone that fellow HomesteadBloggers really like, so email me your nominations and I'll get them lined up to be featured! I had emailed someone that I wanted to feature this week, but never heard back from them. I'm not sure that my "random blogging" is the best way to showcase a great blog!

I have also been trying to visit the new bloggers, but it is hard to do that sometimes. Some bloggers sign up for a blog, but don't blog right away. When I go to visit, there is no post for me to comment on. I'm trying to figure out a way for new members to let me know that they are now blogging here ... I really would like to visit them and welcome them to our wonderful community. If you have any ideas about this, please let me know! I'm going to ask the webmaster if we can put a notice on the front page linking to a post where new bloggers can comment so that I know to visit them.

I want to thank Rebekah Shearer for providing us with some quilting lessons earlier this year. She has to leave us due to some family responsibilities, but Leanne - At The Good Life is now on board and is going to be blogging about quilting for us for a while. Welcome her and feel free to leave comments under her quilt lessons. If you'd like to cover a specific quilting topic, please let her know by commenting under one of her quilting posts.

If there is a topic or subject that you would like to see addressed on the Porch, please comment and let me know! I guess that is all for this week ... I will see you again next week!

Kris Price
Senior Editor, HomesteadBlogger.com
www.homesteadblogger.com/hsbfrontporch
www.homesteadblogger.com/athomewithkris

***** FREEBIES *****

this week, we are going to start off with a couple of freebies for teenagers. 

Cardamom Publishing is offering a free lesson from their book Life Prep for Teens.  This free lesson plan will lead your teen through the car buying process.  You will find it HERE.  Whether your teen has the money to buy a car or not this is great information for when they are ready.

Also for teens, HERE is a free online copy of the book Only Yesterday: An Informal History of the 1920's.  This book was written in 1931 and continues to be a vivid and precise account of the volatile stock market and the boom years of the 1920's. This looks like a fun way to learn about this interesting period of History.

Next, I have something for the whole family. (Including teenagers)! Homeschoolbuyersco-op.org has a wonderful free resource for finding field trips in the United States and Canada. You will find museums, zoos, aquariums, historic houses, nature centers, cultural centers and other educational opportunities in your area.  You can check it out HERE.

Little Dozen Press is holding a writing contest for homeschooled kids to share their family stories.  Kids from 8 to 18 can submit their funny, dramatic or touching stories. Four winners will receive an autographed copy of Tales of the Heartily Homeschooled.  The deadline is May 1st.  You can learn all about it HERE. 

Make sure to check out the unbelievable contest on the Company Porch.  Salem Ridge Press is giving away  prizes for 50 winners!  You can learn all about it HERE.

Lastly, make sure to vote for your favorite homeschool products.  You will get 2 free gifts just for voting!  Click HERE to vote.