Mar. 28, 2008
Nominate a Featured Blogger, Welcome to New Bloggers and MORE!
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.
Mar. 14, 2008
At Home with Kris - spring is almost here!
Posted in AtHomewithKris
Just another week until the official first day of Spring ... yea! It's so fun to see that many of you have new baby goats or chicks on your homestead or maybe your hens have begun laying again. The signs of Spring are here! The kids and I have been driving to another city for 3 days for our homeschool standardized testing, so I am a little tired this afternoon and am going to keeping this entry brief. Let's get to it!
There is a contest on the Front Porch of HomeschoolBlogger - the prize is worth over $100 and TWO lucky people will win. So check it out!
FREEBIES from the Freebie Friday Newsletter
This week I am pleased to announce another new free E-Book at the Schoolhouse Store! This month's freebie comes to us from Brandenburg Studies. They are offering the E-Book: King Arthur. This is an Internet based study that will teach your children all about King Arthur. Who was this legendary figure in history? Was he mythical? Was he real? You can download your copy HERE. You will find many other wonderful studies from Brandenburg Studies HERE.
Easter is just a little over a week away. Here are a couple of great Easter freebies thanks to a reader who forwarded them to me. (Thanks Katrina!)
The first one is a wonderful keepsake quality product for your children to make. This is a notebooking project using passages of scripture from the last week of the life of Christ. If you are a scrapbooker you will LOVE this project! You will find the free download HERE.
Next, we have some Scripture cards that you can print and put together on a ring to help your family learn passages of Scripture related to Easter. This is really beautiful! It could even be put together as a little thank you gift for your children's Sunday School Teachers, Awana Leaders, etc. You will find the free download HERE.
That's all I have for this week ... next week is Holy Week for many people including my family, so this Porch may be a little "empty." But no worries, we'll all be back blogging again after Easter!
Mar. 7, 2008
At Home with Kris - recycling tips, going green, freebies and MORE!
Posted in AtHomewithKris
Hi everyone!
Boy, what a week this has been! I've been a LOT more busy than I like to be and it makes me realize just how much I like it when my life is simpler. While sitting in the Dr.'s office this week, I had time to look through three magazines that had arrived the previous day. ALL of them had articles about "going green" and recycling/reusing. The April issue of SHAPE had an interesting tip for recycling - DO NOT throw the caps to bottles into your recycling bag. These caps cannot be processed by recycling machinery and so are cut off and thrown away, often ending up in oceans & rivers. Sometimes, sea animals swallow them causing them to choke. So, when you recycle, do not include the caps. All three of my April magazines -SHAPE, Country Living and Natural Health - had articles on "going green" ... tips to help the environment and save our planet, eco-conscious fashion, green beauty routines, green cleaning, ways to conserve energy and more. I think it's great that magazines of all kinds are helping to spread the word about ways we can help our planet. On a side note, once I'm done reading my magazines, I recycle them by giving them to my hair stylist - she loves to have lots of good magazines for her customers to read!
Here are some more good things to share with you this week:
From Jocelyn Dixon - If you haven't already, you can check out The 39th Homesteading Carnival: HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM Edition! Please do so and then make sure you submit something for the next carnival using this EASY blogcarnival form form. All you do is add your URL and it will load your info. All you do is push send after that!
************************
If you'd like a chance to win a custom-made apron, check out the Not Quite June Cleaver blog for more details.
************************
If you homeschool and are looking for some great titles to add to your home library, you should check out The Book Peddler's latest news. Here is what I received in my email today:
Just wanted to send you a quick note and let you know that last week we received about fifty new bargain books. Most of them are hard cover, have a library binding and will sustain lots of use and abuse. Many of these books were sold to libraries at over $30.00 each. We have most of them priced at only $3.99! They are already selling quickly. I would encourage you to click here and see these great deals.
*************************
From The Knowledge House Newsletter:
Knowledge House Monthly Newsletter ~ March 2008
Homeschool information, ideas, & inspiration www.KnowledgeHouse.info
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Check out my NEW CALENDAR pages! www.knowledgehouse.info/month_00.html
Find fun facts, unit study ideas, and/or writing topics for every day of the year!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
LEARNING LINKS
The Color of Green
http://www.knowledgehouse.info/njfkgreen.html
St. Patrick’s Day
http://knowledgehouse.info/njfksaint.html
Easter/Resurrection Sunday
http://www.knowledgehouse.info/njfkeaster.html
Find more March Learning Links here:
http://www.knowledgehouse.info/month_03.html
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
EXPERIMENT OF THE MONTH
As a service to home educators, Jane Hoffman (a.k.a. the Backyard Scientist) has offered to provide FREE hands-on experiments for readers of this newsletter. These hands-on science experiments are NOT contained in her award-winning Backyard Scientist books and science kits. This month’s experiment is titled: “Is There a Relationship Between Temperature and Metabolism?” To print out a copy, click here: www.knowledgehouse.info/BackyardScientist2008-2.doc (Since you will be getting another new experiment every month, I would suggest printing them double-sided and placing the pages in a three-ring binder.)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Copyright © 2008 by Teri Ann Berg Olsen, www.knowledgehouse.info. Please feel free to forward or to print and distribute this e-mail newsletter in its entirety, as long you include the copyright notice with my byline and web link. (Permission does not extend to posting my articles on any other website or blog.) If you would like to subscribe to this free e-newsletter, simply send a blank e-mail to KnowledgeHouse-subscribe@yahoogroups.com and then follow the instructions in the confirmation e-mail that you will receive, or sign up on the web at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/KnowledgeHouse. To unsubscribe, send a blank e-mail to KnowledgeHouse-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com.
************************
FREEBIES to share!
from the Freebie Friday newsletter - you can subscribe here
Bible in Living Sound is offering The Passion of Jesus Christ as a free MP3 download. This is a enthralling re-enactment with music and "live" sound effects putting your kids in the middle of the action. You will find the free downloads HERE. (If your kids enjoy this dramatization we sell LOTS of these at the Schoolhouse Store! You will find them HERE.)
Easter Bunny, Are You For Real? - This is the complete text of the children's book written by Harold Myra
Evan, The Tree that Became the Cross - This is another story for children by David C Klem
Suddenly One Morning - The Shopkeeper's Story: An Easter Narrative by Charles R. SwindollInstructions to make your own Resurrection Eggs - Tell the story of the Easter using plastic eggs.
Jesus Lives - Free bookmarks to print.
Easter Cookie Recipe - Make cookies with your children and learn the true meaning of Easter.
If you would like more Easter freebies, you will find a LOT more HERE and HERE.
The Passion of Christ in Art - This is a sketch of the major moments of the Passion highlighted by major works of the Western art.
************************
Well, I think that is all for today ... see you again next week!
Kris Price
Senior Editor, HomesteadBlogger.com
www.homesteadblogger.com/hsbfrontporch
www.homesteadblogger.com/athomewithkris
Feb. 29, 2008
At Home with Kris - Happy Leap Year!
Posted in AtHomewithKris
Wow! An entire extra 24 hours for us this year and I am grateful for them. Seems like there are never enough hours in a day to get it all done. I have just started reading the Elm Creek Quilt series by Jennifer Chiaverini and am loving this series.
One thing that caught my eye in the first book was a statement that said that quilting was an art form, and after trying to learn how to make my first quilt, I totally agree! The conversation went on and someone commented that they'd rather quilt than clean house, that there is always time to tackle the cleaning, but only so much time in life to really work on those things that interest us.
I have to say that I think there is a lot of merit to this comment. I know that we all like to have a clean house, laundry done and everything taken care of. But isn't it also important to have time for ourselves for our family, our hobbies, our friends, etc.?? I *definitely* think so! I used to have a spin-n-span clean house, but have really relaxed about it over the past year or so. My friends may think my house is mostly clean when they come to visit, but what they don't know is that I am not obsessing about it like I used to. I do a quick clean each day to keep up with it, but am not stressing out when things are out of place. Instead, I've been spending time learning new things, reading and spending time with my family.
I'd like to encourage all of you to be sure to take some time for yourself. Pretty soon, there will be gardens to tend to, new animal babies to take care of and kids wanting to get out and enjoy the warmer spring days. All of this can lead to more busy-ness, but remember to keep your sight on what is really important and make time for YOU! It's ok to do that ... really!
Well, I'm off to go visit some new bloggers here at HSB and I'll be choosing another blogger to feature on Monday by using that Random Blog button. It's really fun to random blog surf ... there are some great bloggers here on HSB!
***************** FREEBIES FROM THE FREEBIE FRIDAY NEWSLETTER *********************
I found a great website called
Ben's Guide to U.S. Government for Kids. This site
provides learning tools for kids grade K-12, parents, and teachers. These resources will teach how our government works. So whether your little ones are just ready for the ABC's of Government or you want to teach older kids about Citizenship, this site has a ton of free information. There is something for everyone! Make sure to check out the section on the Election Process.
Next, thanks to one of our Freebie Friday readers, here are some great Election Notebooking Pages. This great freebie includes pages to do research about the Candidates, information to learn about Primaries and Caucuses and there is even information on Political Advertising. There are 3 pdf's to download at the website. Make sure you get them all! If you have any trouble getting to the site save this email and return later. Sometimes we overwhelm servers when we all rush to get downloads at once.
Now, for a little something from me! My 7 year old daughter and I have been using the American Girl books as a jumping off point for American History this year. Together we designed a free American Girl Lapbook. This lapbook can be used with any of the American Girl books. There are some basic mini books that will fit any of the time periods and then there are some booklets that are designed just for each girl. We had a blast making it and we hope you enjoy it too. You will find the free mini books HERE.
This one is not so much a freebie, but a contest! Bunkhouse Sewing is sponsoring a Children's Sewing Contest. You can find all the details HERE.
Feb. 22, 2008
At Home with Kris - a brief note for the week
Posted in AtHomewithKris
Since I have been sick with bronchitis all week and am just feeling much better today, I have a TON of things that I need to get done today. So, this will be just a brief post to touch base with everyone. It's amazing how quickly things take a backseat when the "CEO of the household" is down with illness. My kids and husband have pitched in to help with the chores just like they do every week, but this week I just appreciated them more! Of course, my illness meant that school was out for the week because I just couldn't focus on it, but that's ok ... we'll just pick up where we left off.
I do not have a question of the week today, but if you'd like to submit one for future weeks, just email me! I'm sure your fellow blogger friends will try to answer your question. Although, I only got one response from last week's questions about making your own soap ... anyone else want to chime in?
I'll be back on Monday with a featured blogger ... I'm going to do some random blog hopping to find someone to share with you! I hope you have a great weekend ... my husband and I are leading a youth lock-in at our church tomorrow and so I better get everything together for that event!
See you again soon!
Kris Price
Senior Editor, HomesteadBlogger.com
www.homesteadblogger.com/hsbfrontporch
www.homesteadblogger.com/athomewithkris
Feb. 15, 2008
At Home with Kris - Can you share a soap recipe ?? (and more!)
Posted in AtHomewithKris
Hi everyone!
First, I want to thank all of you that responded with advice on composting. I really appreciate you helping out your fellow bloggers who are needing some assistance with this. The question for this week is in regards to soap-making. I had a blogger email me wondering if I had a recipe for making soap at home. While it is something that I hope to learn how to do and I have a neighbor to help teach me, I do not have any recipes for making my own soap. If you would be so kind to share your favorite recipe (just leave it in the comment section), I'm sure that Denise would really appreciate it!
Kris Price
Senior Editor, HomesteadBlogger.com
www.homesteadblogger.com/hsbfrontporch
www.homesteadblogger.com/athomewithkris
******************************
The Homestead Carnival organizers are wanting to see YOUR creation of some buttons to be used to advertise the Carnival. You can read more about it here.
******************************
Our very own Chas is holding a giveaway of some DVDs ... check out the details here.
******************************
As usual, Grandma Rosie has posted some wonderful recipes this week, so head on over to her blog to see if there is something new to try soon!
******************************
And, if you missed it, Belle is sharing pictures of the sap they are collecting and the maple syrup that her family is making from the sap.
********************** FREEBIES **************************
From the Freebie Friday Newsletter
Next, how about a free Bird Study? Project FeedWatcher is designed to help engage children in the excitement of nature study and the wonder of scientific investigation. You can download a free Project FeederWatch/Bird Sleuth curriculum. There is a cool free coloring book to download also.
This Week's Schoolhouse Store Freebie - only good
through February 21, 2008!
Purchase: American Presidents & First Ladies Notebooking Pages CD
Create a beautiful notebook while studying all the presidential families from George Washington to George W. Bush. This combined set includes pages for each President and First Lady (or hostess). Each set contains multiple notebooking layouts as well as your choice of primary and regular-lined pages.
Receive Free: Copywork Notebooking Pages (Patriotic Designs) and Washington, D.C. Notebooking Pages A $7.90 value free!
Copywork Notebooking Pages (Patriotic Designs)
These copywork pages have been designed for use in a variety of copywork settings. Whether you are using them for Bible passages, poetry, literature, quotes, or other types of selections, you should be able to find a page with the right amount of lines needed that will "showcase" your child's copywork without the clutter of unused lines on the page.
Washington, D.C. Notebooking Pages
Set of 34 notebooking pages designed to help you create a notebook study of Washington, D.C.
What To Do:
Your Free Notebooking Pages will be emailed to you within 48 hours.
******************************
From the Knowledge House newsletter - Website: www.knowledgehouse.info
EXPERIMENT OF THE MONTH
As a service to home educators, Jane Hoffman (a.k.a. the Backyard Scientist) has offered to provide FREE hands-on experiments for readers of this newsletter. These hands-on science experiments are NOT contained in her award-winning Backyard Scientist books and science kits. This month’s experiment is titled: “Measuring Calories in Foods.” To print out a copy, click here: www.knowledgehouse.info/BackyardScientist2008-1.doc (Since you will be getting another new experiment every month, I would suggest printing them double-sided and placing the pages in a three-ring binder.)
Monumental Homeschoolers
Mount Rushmore, the world's largest stone monument, is a tribute to four Presidents – George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln, and Theodore Roosevelt. These four presidents were all great patriots who stood for the most honorable principles and highest ideals of America. Do you know what else each of these men have in common? As children, none of them had any regular, formal schooling. They were all self-educated or taught at home! So you might even say that Mount Rushmore is a monument to homeschoolers! Learn more about Mount Rushmore and these four presidents here: www.knowledgehouse.info/rushmore.html
Did You Know…? February is a popular month for homeschool birthdays! Besides George Washington and Abe Lincoln, the following famous homeschoolers were born in February: Ansel Adams, Thomas Edison, Wilson "Snowflake" Bentley, Charles Dickens, and Laura Ingalls Wilder. (Laura attended several different one-room schoolhouses, but often when school attendance was impossible because of distance or weather, Laura was taught by her mother at home. Later, Laura homeschooled her own daughter Rose!)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
7. LEARNING LINKS
Abraham Lincoln: The Boy, The Man www.knowledgehouse.info/LincolnBooks.html
Let it Snow http://knowledgehouse.info/njfksnow.html
The Snowflake Man http://www.knowledgehouse.info/bio_bentley.html
Laura Ingalls Wilder http://www.knowledgehouse.info/njfklaura.html
One-Room Schoolhouses www.knowledgehouse.info/schoolhouse.html
One-Room Schoolteachers www.knowledgehouse.info/schoolteacher.html
Feb. 8, 2008
At Home with Kris - Composting advice ??
Posted in AtHomewithKris
Good Morning Everyone!
I hope you have had a good week so far! I want to thank everyone who posted advice for starting a garden - you have given me some great info to digest and I know that you have helped others who are just beginning this endeavor, too. I asked for suggestions or topics to discuss here on the porch and I received a response this week from Anissa who said, "I would like to learn more about composting. What can be composted, what can not go in the compost pile, how to compost without spending a lot of money on equipment, etc." So, that is the question of the week ... can you help her out by leaving a comment here? I'll be sure to point her to your answers! (I have to admit that I'd like to start this, too, so I can't wait for your responses, either!).
Here are some Freebies straight from the TOS Freebie Friday newsletter.
Valentine Notebooking pages, brought to you from the folks over at notebookingpages.com.
Next, how about some free sites to teach your kids about the human heart? Let's Hear About Your Heart is an interactive, fun way to learn all about the heart and how to take care of it. All About the Heart is true to its name. It even has a cool little animation that shows how blood pumps through the heart.
Papervalentines.com has every imaginable idea for making your own valentines. If it can be made out of paper, I am thinking you can find the pattern at this site.
We still have plenty of the Valentine's gift packages available with your purchase of a new two-year US subscription + Winter. Why not treat yourself to a two year subscription to TOS and also get a FREE CD from Steve Sensenig and tealight candles from Homestead Originals? See details here.
I'm going to keep this brief as I am leaving this afternoon for a weekend retreat with some women from my church and I need to take care of the homeschooling this morning before having a lunch date with my husband. I've gotta put "first things first." So, I hope you don't mind the lack of info this week. I'll be back next week with another question of the week. See you again soon!
Kris Price
Senior Editor, HomesteadBlogger.com
www.homesteadblogger.com/hsbfrontporch
www.homesteadblogger.com/athomewithkris
Feb. 1, 2008
At Home with Kris - we want to hear from you!
Posted in AtHomewithKris
Morning Everybody!
It's been a bit traumatic in our household so far today as one of our cats decided to join my daughter on the treadmill (he was trying to walk across it or something - we still aren't sure) and he got his back foot stuck. Luckily, after a few minutes of panicking (I probably would NEVER make it as a true homesteader - LOL!), we got this metal cutting tool my husband has and cut into the plastic piece that was making his foot stuck and he jumped out and ran upstairs. We have taken him to the vet for x-rays as he doesn't want to put any pressure on that back foot much, although he was walking around on it afterwards. We're pretty sure he's ok, but will know more this afternoon.
So, now that things have calmed down a bit, it's time to post this entry. First off, I'd like to say a big WELCOME! to all of the new bloggers who have joined us in January. Almost 150 new bloggers have opened up blogs here - WOW! I really do try to welcome everyone and I am a bit behind on that as I haven't checked the blogs this week. So, from now on, I'm going to post the links to the new blogs here each Friday so MANY of us can hop on over and welcome them to our community. EVERYONE is welcome to blog here, whether you have a large farm, a couple of acres or just a desire to live a simpler lifestyle. But, until next Friday when I can post the links to the new bloggers, check out the Memberlist, sort it by sign-up date and welcome some of our new friends!
There is such a variety of blogs here in this community and the Front Porch Team would like to know what topics you would like to discuss here on the Porch. Several of us have thought about posting a "question of the week." I have seen lots of posts lately about people getting ready to get their gardens going. I have NEVER had a vegetable garden and was hoping to have one this year, but I think that I'm already behind! I have several books here on the topic, but it's always nice to hear from people first-hand.
So, my question for the week is ... What are the steps your family takes to get your vegetable garden going? Please leave a comment and let us know what works for your family.
Also, if you have a question that you'd like to see posted here for everyone to respond to, leave that in a comment, too, or email your question to me. We'd love to help you get some answers to your most pressing question!
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ JOIN IN THE FUN! ++++++++++++++++++++++++
I'd like to let you all know that Kitty @ Kitty's Kountry Kitchen (http://www.homesteadblogger.com/kitskorner) will be hosting this week's upcoming Homesteading Carnival! The carnival is really getting out there, on an average opening day for the carnival we get at least 200 hits. Please consider submitting something as we would really appreciate it. It's really easy and all you have to do is enter the URL into the BlogCarnival form and it will add all your info in. All you have to do is push SEND!
Thanks!
Jocelyn, THC Staff
http://www.homesteadblogger.com/HomesteadingCarnival
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ FREEBIES +++++++++++++++++++++++++
From the Friday Freebies Newsletter and The Homeschool Minute from TOS is the following:
It is time for a new FREE E-Book from the Schoolhouse Store! This month we are offering The Play Book from Art of Eloquence. This E-Book is designed to help parents foster communication skills in young children.
Children love to play and play is how the Lord intended young children to learn. It is through play that children learn best. The more fun and entertaining something is, the more a child will be willing to learn and the more the child will retain. This E-Book includes games that will help you encourage your children to strengthen their communication skills through play. You will find the free E-Book HERE.
Speaking of play...here is another free E-Book to keep your kids playing! A Little Taste of "Games for Fun, Fitness and Learning" contains over 50 games for kids! These are active games for letting off steam and for physical fitness. You can download your free copy HERE.
Next, we have another free E-Book for you! The Authors of Elkan the book are now offering a free study guide. While the study is designed to go with the book it can also be completed separately. You will find the free study guide to download HERE.
Now for a contest! Make sure to stop by the Company Porch and check out the BIG contest going on. Grammar Key now has their book, The Grammar Key, available on CD and is giving away 25 copies! You can learn all about it HERE.
Lastly, not something free, but a way to make money! If you want to work from home for 25 hours a week, talk to Mari in our sales department. You can learn more about this job opportunity by clicking HERE.
Here are some ideas to keep you busy until spring has sprung!
learn4good.com offers some online games to keep kids busy and having fun!
kidsmc.com connects kids from 181 countries with international pen pals! Kids communicate through the website and no personal information is exchanged. My kids have done this in the past and it is a lot of fun!
Free Three Snow Bears Lapbook - This lapbook is based on the book Three Snow Bears by Jan Brett. This is a fun, wintry, re-telling of The Three Bears. There are also links to fun printables that go along with the book from Jan Brett's website.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ +++++++++++++++++++++++++
Until next week ....
Jan. 25, 2008
At Home with Kris - The "Lotsa Links" Edition
Posted in AtHomewithKris
I'm on a bit of a tight schedule today and am going to spend some time reviewing 3 items over the weekend, so I'm just going to go straight to the links that I'd like to share with you. If you want to add another item of interest, just leave the info and link in a comment - don't be afraid to share what you know!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I'd like to let you all know that Abi @ Lighter Side (http://www.homesteadblogger.com/teaching4Him/) will be hosting this week's upcoming Homesteading Carnival! The carnival is really getting out there, on an average opening day for the carnival we get at least 200 hits. Please consider submitting something as we would really appreciate it. It's really easy and all you have to do is enter the URL into the BlogCarnival form and it will add all your info in. All you have to do is push SEND!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Another great new resource to help keep things in perspective is Heart of the Matter online. This is a great new resource for homeschool parents. Here you will find articles from homeschool moms on a wide range of topics. There are articles on everything from science, special needs students, unschooling, teaching high schoolers, teaching preschoolers and MUCH more! There is a lot of encouragement at this site to help keep homeschooling in perspective.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~CONTESTS~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Apron Giveaway
I have another giveaway going on here on the Porch ... check out the details here!
Comeback Kids Book Giveaway Contest
Vision Forum $100 giveaway
Home Sweet Home CD giveaway
Get Your High Schooler Ready for College Contest - Homeschooling through high school can seem intimidating, but Everyday Education offers the information you need to make the most of the teen years. Leave a comment on the contest page of the HomeschoolBlogger Front Porch for your chance to win Transcripts Made Easy and Get a Jump Start on College. Contest ends January 27, 2008.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~FREEBIES~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Old Schoolhouse Magazine 2008 Freebie Directory - over 40 items!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~GREAT IDEAS~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
idea for saving time preparing bread in breadmaker
idea for getting free fabric
herbal remedy for colds - it really works!
keeping your food bill down - a great article on rising food prices
an article on earth-friendly products
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~FRUGAL LIVING~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
(KRIS' NOTE: All of this comes from a newsletter that I receive in my email ... lots of great stuff to check out!)
Living a Better Life
The Free Money Saving Tips Ezine
Dedicated to Helping Families Live a Better Life...
Not by Spending More Money, but Less!
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Volume 8, Issue 1
January 2008
Copyright © 2001-2008 by Blue Ridge Publishing, Inc.
ASIN:B0000A0XQM
PRIVACY STATEMENT
We respect your privacy! We do NOT sell, rent or share your e-mail address,
or any of your personal information with anyone. The Living a Better Life
Ezine is published monthly and mailed out to subscribers only. If you are
not currently subscribed and have received a copy of this issue then a very
thoughtful friend has sent it to you. Please use the following link to
receive your free subscription...
---------------------------------------------------------------
"What's for Dinner Tonight" Blog
---------------------------------------------------------------
Order Michelle's "Frugal Family Recipes" Cookbook!
Featuring 20 new recipes!
Free Frugal Recipes
Free Cookie Recipes
Free Cake Recipes
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
7) GROCERY PLANNERS
Free Grocery Planners and Menu Planners to Save You Time and Money!
Grocery List by the Aisle (Always shop with a list... I also like to recycle
legal size envelopes and write my grocery list on the back, placing the
coupons inside!)
What's On Sale at Your Local Grocery Store this Week (Check our grocery
store list to view your weekly sales flyers online--if your store has a Web
site you no longer have to wait for the newspaper to find out what's on sale
each week!)
Kitchen Pantry List (My complete list of a well stocked pantry!)
Grocery Price Log (Save money on groceries by comparing sale prices on
grocery items with my free price log!)
Free Menu Planners:
A quick note about my printable Menu Planners (below)... choose the planner
that works best for you then print it out in landscape mode, place in a
clear sheet protector and tape it to the center of your fridge, then use dry
erase markers to plan your menus each week. My free Menu Planners will help
you save time and money! :o)
Menu Planner-Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner by the Week
Great for entertaining houseguests or when the kids are home for summer
Menu Planner-Dinners by the Week
Plan a week's worth of dinners, including side dishes and dessert.
Menu Planner-Dinners by the Month
Make a more basic plan of dinners to serve throughout the month.
Dinner Planner for BUSY Moms!
If you find our weekly and monthly menu planners difficult to keep up with,
this dinner planner is for you. (It's also the one that I use myself!)
How to Save Money on Prescriptions
by Cory P., Intro by Michelle Jones
This month I'd like to share with you a special article from one of our
readers about how to save money on prescription medicines. Well, actually,
this started as a money-saving tip submission that was so good, I asked this
reader if he would add more information to it so that we could feature it as
a full page article. I hope you enjoy the article and I hope it will...
Financial Journey
by Karen Kuebler, Senior Writer
Getting Tough During Tough Economic Times
I know I am not alone in feeling nervous about our economy, as well as
feeling the impact on our personal pocketbook and savings in recent times.
The news has been extremely discouraging over the past several months with
so many people losing their homes, many companies going out of business, the
price of oil rising, the volatility in the stock market, and endless talk of
inflation and recession...
Black Belt Shopper
by Larry Wiener, Senior Writer
Shopping Habits
It's a new year. Many of us have made resolutions to form new habits in
many areas of our lives. As I was considering my own resolutions, I realize
that shopping is something that many of us do by habit. We regularly buy
the same products at the same stores. Sometimes it's good to look at those
habits and see if...
Credit Wise
by Jennifer Wallis, Senior Writer
How to Make Financial Dreams a Reality
It's the beginning of 2008 and you have a whole year of possibilities
stretched out in front of you. Hopefully by now, you've already made and
broken any resolutions that weren't going to stick. It's a great time to get
serious about any changes that you want to make in your life. Take a step
back and look honestly at your financial position. Are you happy with...
Don't Throw it Away, Recycle at Freecycle!
We have proudly been recommending this wonderful recycling group since 2003!
If you have any items you need to get rid of this is a great place to find
people in your area (or even non-profit agencies) that can make a use for
them. The main idea is to keep usable stuff out of our landfills but it's
also a great way for people to help each other out. It's also best to meet
people at a public location to drop off or pick up items; not your home!
Editor's Note: Help someone in need today! Instead of having a garage sale
or selling your unwanted stuff on eBay you can also donate these items to
your local Salvation Army, Goodwill, Pregnancy Help Center, Women's Shelter,
Rescue Mission, Animal Adoption Centers (they are always in need of pet
supplies and old towels), or other charity-based thrift stores. Remember,
no donation is too small!!!
Jan. 18, 2008
At Home with Kris - LOTS of great stuff for you!
Posted in AtHomewithKris
I said last week that I was going to share some freebies, links to contests and the like along with some of my thoughts on the week. I'm happy to report that I will be able to do that today!! First off, I want to say that I am very jealous of all of the beautiful snow pictures that have been posted here this week. It has been wonderful to get a peek into the beauty that you are experiencing. I have to say that a snow-covered earth is my MOST favorite picture in the whole world .... everything looks so clean and new - I just love it! Here is a picture of a LOT of snow! And look at these icicles and the view from inside the house - oh so lovely!!! I hope that you are making the time to enjoy the snow WITH your children. Just think of the memories they'll have of mom and dad throwing snowballs and making snow angels and building snowmen ... it doesn't get any better than making some wonderful memories for your kids to share with THEIR kids! Life is flying by - be sure to enjoy every minute of it!
***** REVIEWS *****
I have some products that I will be reviewing over the coming months. I thought I'd go ahead and post links to these items so that you can be checking them out yourself!
From our very own Lisa Barthuly, I will be reviewing her new eBook - Homestead Simplicity. (I didn't see a link to this item, so you may have to ask her about it!)
From Susan Godfrey, I have 4 eBooks (see them in the sidebar of her blog) - Nourishing Ways: Recipes and Healthy Eating in the Spirit of "Nourishing Traditions," The Titus 2 Woman: Learning to Become a Titus 2 Mentor, My Homekeeping Handbook: Forms and Handy Hints for Making a Homekeeping Handbook and Making Hand Milled Soap For Fun and Profit.
From Living on a Dime, one of their latest publications, Dig out of Debt: Over 1000 of the Best Ideas from Living on a Dime.
Now to all of the great things to check out this week!
***** FREEBIES *****
Organizing books by Homeschool Freebies
Jamin!, Freebie Finder
One thing I have learned about homeschoolers over the years is the we LOVE books! Big books, little books, all kinds of books! The only problem with owning a lot of books is storing them. So this week I thought I would bring you ideas for dealing with your ever growing collection of books!
The first idea is for organizing little paperback books.
You know the kind - little narrow spines that tend to get lost on the shelves! Many times they are part of a series and you want to keep them all together. So here is an idea that is not only free but is a great way to recycle. Save cereal boxes, cracker boxes, etc. Use a knife or scissors to cut the box in an angle down the side.
Then you can cover it with scraps of wrapping paper, contact paper, or brown paper. You could also use spray adhesive and cover it with fabric. Here is another view of one tucked into a bookshelf after it has been covered in
silver wrapping paper and labeled.
These are great because the kids can pull down the whole set of books they are interested in. They can keep them all together and easily put them back. We have them on our bookshelves marked as Science, History, Holidays, etc. When we are looking for one of those little books we know right where to go!
Here is
idea number two. How about some bookshelves made out of rain gutter? While the materials to make these won't be free the idea is! The concept is to use vinyl rain gutters to make storage shelves that allow you
to store books with the titles facing out. When these are put down low in a child's room or schoolroom children will be enticed to grab the books and read them! I know it sounds a bit odd, but they look really nice.
Here is the website where you can learn all about them for free and even see pictures of them.
Idea number three is the one I most want to do myself!
LibraryThing allows you to create a library-quality catalog
of your books. You can enter 200 books in their online system for free. You can catalog with Amazon, the Library of Congress or 229 other world libraries. Because the cataloging is done online, you can also meet other people who have the same books as you do. If you have a blog, LibraryThing will give you widgets to put on your blog to let people know what you are reading.
Happy Homeschooling!
~Jamin
******************************
Journey to Simplicity posted information about Free Printable Templates to Keep Chaos under Control
******************************
links to free pattern tutorials for various crafts found by Grandma Rose
***** CONTESTS & GIVEAWAYS *****
Laura Williams posts a contest roundup each day that consists of NEW contests and giveaways from around the blogosphere and beyond (mostly blogs though). Check it out at her blog :
http://laurawilliamsmusings.blogspot.com .
***** OTHER INTERESTING LINKS *****
I'll see you again next week with more links to check out ... feel free to email me items that you'd like to see posted here!
Jan. 11, 2008
At Home with Kris - Getting rid of "Overachieving" Tendencies
Posted in AtHomewithKris
This week, I have seen a trend in my posting on my own blog as well as in some posts here at HomesteadBlogger. I started off the week reminding myself and my readers to remember to take life "one day at a time." I am a perfectionist, a planner, an organizer, a scheduler - whatever you want to call it, I want to do it all and do it RIGHT! This wonderful blogging community is full of women who are working a bit harder than the "average" housewife to take good care of their families. And I'm not trying to slight the "average" housewife because ANYONE who chooses to remain at home and take care of their family is going against the norm. Single moms having to work to take care of their children also have my admiration because I can't imagine being a single parent.
What I am talking about here is that a good majority of our bloggers are running farms, taking care of animals, spending extra time to prepare nutritious meals, tending to gardens, stretching their one-income budgets with good frugal shopping skills, handcrafting for family and gift-giving, striving to "live green" or more "off the grid" and MORE! I believe that we are a community of overachievers and I like reading the blogs each week to see what everyone is doing. However, I have found myself stretched to the limit lately and even blogged yesterday about the stresses in my life. I may not be tending to a homestead (yet!), but I tend to get overinvolved in things and to also think that I can "do it all" all of the time.
I have to take the time every few months to reevaluate what is going on in my life and to remember that I can't do it all. BlessedMomof10 said it best when she left a comment on my blog yesterday. Here is what Gloria reminded me, "I think one of the most challenging things to do in our busy lives is to choose what is "best" amongst a multide of good things to do! There is so much that clamors for our attention! It's a hard choice when there are so many good things out there we could do with our time and talents... the key is to find out what is "best" and of course the Lord would be the only one to really be able to show you that. I hope HE makes things clear for you!" These are some very wise words and ones that I needed to hear right now.
It is only the 2nd week of January, but I imagine that many of us are trying to stick to new resolutions and already failing (I know that I have "failed" a bit this week). But, do not grow weary! Just take things "one day at time" and live each day to its fullest. We do not know what tomorrow holds for us, but we can make the most of each new 24 hours that we are given, right? Although we are busy taking care of our families, we need to remember that they need our TIME and just not our care. Kids need our hugs each day and maybe a quick conversation where we LISTEN to whatever they want to share, our spouses need to hear "I Love You!" and our friends will feel so special if we reach out with a quick hand-written note, phone call or even an email.
Most days, I wish that I had more than 24 hours, but you know what? It wouldn't really matter!! I still wouldn't get it all done because I'd just try to stuff more activity into my day. I wouldn't take those extra hours and just "be" or to talk to God or to work on a devotional study ... nope! I'd have a longer to-do list, more hobbies to tackle and would STILL be longing for more time in my day. So, today, I am blogging my thoughts here on the Porch to remind myself what is important ... it's not about the quantity of time that I think I need, but making the most of the QUALITY of the time that I am given each day. Try to find some time this weekend to ponder what is "best" for you ... I'll see you again next week!
Jan. 3, 2008
At Home with Kris - Stretching Ourselves
Posted in AtHomewithKris
Hi Everyone! Each Friday, I will be posting some of my thoughts about the week and about things that I have read here on HomesteadBlogger.com. I know it's Thursday night, but I will be away from my computer for most of the day tomorrow and so am posting this a bit early! First off, I am going to start featuring a blogger here on the porch again. I had planned this for next Monday, but I need to get with the person behind the scenes that can help me make the post stay on the front page all week long! So, hopefully, beginning Monday, January 14th, I'll have a blogger to feature ... who knows? It might be YOU! I also have plans to host at least one contest a month here on the Porch. Our first giveaway is up and running ... read the details here.
Since this is the beginning of a new year and many of us are thinking about the past year and what worked/what didn't ... making resolutions or goals for ourselves ... basically, deciding how we can make our lives better for ourselves and those we love, I'd like to share what my plans are for this year. I have found myself in a bit of a rut for a while. I haven't felt challenged. Oh sure, raising a family and taking care of my household can be more than challenging 
, but I'm talking about challenging myself to learn new things. I truly enjoyed my years in college & learning so many good things. Over the past 5-6 years, I have done a ton of research on nutrition and health and have decided that, someday, I will go back to school to get a Master's in nutrition. I'd like to be a dietician or work in a Dr.'s office and help people make better choices for their bodies. I am still learning and have not applied all that I have learned to my own physical situation, so do not feel qualified to do this just yet. You can follow my quest this year to be Fit by 40 where I will share what I've learned and the changes I need to make to be the healthiest that I can be. Once I feel like I can be a role model for others, only THEN will I consider going back to school so that I can do it as a job.
Anyhoo, I'd like for you to consider challenging yourself this year. What things do you still want to learn? Make a list of all the things that you do not know how to do, but want to know how to do. Or maybe you just need to find someone to help you do something better! Consider finding a mentor in your area to help you! Take some time in the next week to create a "wish list" of things to learn. Last year, I started making my own yogurt and baking my own bread and I also learned how to make greeting cards. My goal for 2008 is to learn something new each month or pick up an "old" hobby and get better at it . I want to introduce myself to some new crafts and activities. Some of them I may continue and others I may not, but the idea is to quit THINKING about learning something new and JUST DO IT! So, here is my list in no particular order ...
1. basic embroidery so that I can embellish pillowcases and such
2. ribbon embroidery
3. start a compost pile
4. plant our FIRST vegetable garden!
5. learn basic sewing like hems, making repairs, etc. from my mom .... NOPE! I cannot sew - pretty bad for someone whose mom can sew and has been a quilter for 20+ years ... sigh ... I am even thinking of getting my own sewing machine!
6. learn machine quilting and how to make rag quilts with my mom's help; she is NOT a machine quilter, but she is the best teacher that I can think of because she's my mom!
7. learn how to make my own household cleaners. I have several books and just need to pull them out and get going!
8. learn how to make my own jams and jellies and I'd also like to make those cute fabric toppers and tags so that I can give them as gifts
9. pick up my crochet needles again and learn lots of new stitches; maybe try to make something besides a dishrag or blanket ... something a bit more difficult
10. learn how to make soap. My neighbor makes their own soap, so I'll start there, but I'd like to eventually learn how to make soaps that smell yummy!
11. branch out and try new bread recipes, try making cinnamon rolls and fancy dinner breads. I also own the Sue Gregg cookbooks and want to begin using them and learning more about the 2-step process of soaking grains.
12. start scrapbooking AGAIN!! I have 5 years of my son's pictures and 3 years of my daughters to get caught up on. I need to set myself a goal of getting about one year's worth of pictures scrapped each month so that I can finally be caught up. Oh - YIKES! - that means I better get hopping on this one this month!
So, for the month of January, my goal is to get my scrapbook table set up again and complete one year of pictures in my son's album. My sister has just reorganized her space at home and moved her craft area from her basement to a large upstairs room - see the pictures here - and this has got me thinking about my crafting space. I am lucky to have space to work my hobbies, but it's not set up so that everything is at my fingertips. I am hoping to make some improvements to this spot in my home so that I am more likely to sit down and scrapbook or make cards on nearly a daily basis.
So, there you have it ... my challenge to you this year ... think about some things that you want to learn and figure out a way to make a couple of them happen. I know that some of them will take time and money and that may be tricky. The library is a great place to look for books to help you. Check out the local craft stores for classes and save up the money to take the class you've been DYING to take. Or ask that good friend of yours to teach you what she knows ... I bet you she'd love to help you! YOU matter and are important! I love being home and taking care of my family, but I also know that I need to keep learning new things or I feel stifled. Of course, this may not happen to you - we are all different.
I'd love for you to share some things that you'd like to learn this year. Leave a comment and I'll try to find some links to post in future Friday editorials to help you! I would like to point you to TWO new resources for homemakers ... The Homemaker's Mentor online program and the new Seasons at Home magazine. I have the first issue and it is great! Seasons at Home will be sponsoring a contest here on the porch in April so you'll see them featured again soon.
Well, that's it for this week ... I look forward to getting to know you all better this year and sharing my experience of "stretching myself" to continue learning new things. I hope you'll join me!
