Posted in Homeschool

Simple Journey Ministries Presents

Keep it Together Girl!

Homeschool Organization

Homeschooling requires organization! We all know it. Some of us dream we were more organized. We have all experienced those times when we have had the opportunity to really get organized; noting how smoothly things run when we do. But how can we possibly get organized for the year without driving ourselves crazy?

Well, I am really excited to let you know the Cindy Rushton is hosting her Let's Get Organized for the New School Year seminar set!!! Even though I have been homeschooling for years, I took this seminar last year and it was THE best homeschool organizational thing I have ever done for myself. Obviously, I try to keep my life organized, as I share here with you each week simple ways to do that. But we all need refreshment, and this sure did it for me!

The best part is that when you buy a ticket, you get to have the audios to listen to all year long; providing that needed encouragement and refreshment all year long! EVEN BETTER, is that you can join the seminar live for FREE! So if budget is tight, make time to schedule this mommy time, as it will make all the difference in your homeschool year!

Still not sure? Well, then join in live tomorrow 1 pm CST (July 8, 2008) for Let's get Organized!

Tuesday, July 8, 2008

1PM CST

F* R* E* E*!

Let's Get Organized for the New School Year!

Cindy Rushton from Http://www.CindyRushton.com

Talk-a-Latte Online Conference Room

(See our complete Summer Preview Chat Schedule here: http://BacktoSchoolBlast.com/)   

Scheduled Start Time:
11:00 AM Pacific Time
12:00 PM Mountain Time
1:00 PM Central Time
2:00 PM Eastern Time

How to Join Us Online in Our Conference Room...

We provide the software download-free. Here is the link:

http://www.cindyrushton.com/Conference.exe

Click to begin download or copy/paste into your internet browser and click ENTER. It will only take a few minutes to download into your computer, but you want to do it ahead of time so you don't miss a minute in the Conference Room. After it is downloaded on your computer, it will set up an icon on your desktop that says CONFERENCE. Then, you will only have to click it to open up the room. Here are your instructions from there:

When you are ready to enter, you will enter your NAME or EMAIL ADDRESS in the first blank.

Add the following information when prompted:

Name of Room: Talk-a-Latte
Password: letschat (password is case sensitive-do not enter any extra characters or spaces-password is only in effect during the actual chat) Remember...your password is different for chats and other classes. It only works for the room when the room is open for the study.

STILL NOT SURE??? Then Consider this...

No time to travel?
No extra money for hotels...parking...
and eating out?
Can't break away from your family?

No crowds!
No makeup!
No parking!
No walking for blocks and blocks!
No expensive trips or hotel stays!
No babysitters!

SO, what are you waiting for?

You can get ALL the information you need by clicking here.

Ready to join for the entire weekend? I AM! The entire set is going live July 11-12th.

I will be there tomorrow, so come hang out and gather some of the BEST info on Homeschool organization. Not only is this seminar great, but the friends I have met through the many Talk A Latte seminars I have participated in are priceless! Don't Miss this opportunity! Jump in on the Fun TODAY!

SEE you in the chat room!!! (Oh and bring a pad and pencil, b/c you ARE going to want to take notes!)

These are my thoughts.

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Posted in Homeschool

Simple Journey Ministries Presents

Mom, I’m Bored!

Bean Germination

Summertime is the perfect time for a little project that is simple, yet will give the kids something to do each day for several days. All that sunlight coming through the windows is the perfect setting for a bean germination project. I am willing to guess you have all the materials you need in your home right now. Let’s check it out.

Materials

·         Zip style plastic bag (one for each child)

·         Beans of choice (one or two for each child)

·         Paper towels

·         Water

·         Tape

·         Stapler

See, I told you had everything you need. Now, let’s look at how to do this simple project.

1.      Soak beans in a small cup with some water for 24 hours.

2.      The next day, dampen paper towel and fold in half. Place bean(s) inside fold of paper towel.

3.      Place paper towel in bag and staple the top, so it doesn’t slip down. Seal bag.

4.      Have child pick a window and tape bag to window pane.

5.      Each day have child observe the changes in the bean(s). Have them write a few words or sentences (or have child dictate while you transcribe) about each day. Take photos each day or have your children draw pictures to note the changes they observe. Once the sprouts begin growing, change the direction of the bag and re-tape to the window pane and observe how the sprout changes.

You can ask some great thinking questions such as:

Why does the sprout grow upward?

Did changing the direction of the bag affect the direction of the sprout?

Why does the bag need to be in the light?

Why is the water an important element?

Does the root change in as it grows?

Have fun with this GREAT summertime activity.

These are my thoughts.

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Posted in Homeschool

Simple Journey Ministries Presents

Mom, I’m Bored!

Box O Stuff

Due to the fact that I try to keep the amount of our rubbish down, I find that I save things for something. What that something is, I know not when I save it. But I know I will use it sometime in the future. This is great thinking, except how much stuff can you store that has no intended purpose?

To tackle this issue, I grabbed a box. Nothing fancy, just one of the apple boxes laying around my stuff holding garage. Inside I began placing these gems that had no purpose. About once per week, I place the box out on the craft table, open it, and say, “Have Fun!” This keeps the kids busy for a few hours! They come up with all types of projects. One child inevitably makes art projects, while another leans towards building. Still another devises ways to use the stuff to “add on” to his existing toys.

This activity is a boredom buster because I have new items from the “I’ll Use It Someday Area.” Within a few hours the items are used and the box is empty for the next week. Anything that gets crushed or destroyed does go to the rubbish bin. But art, buildings, toys, and the like hang around and are played with for time to come. My children are aware that they need to be able to put their new creations in an organized place. This helps them keep in mind that they will need to store their new creations after they have been made. Not only that, but my kids are entertained for a good stretch of time, which affords me the opportunity to catch up on tasks, too! Engage your children’s brains, create lovely memories, and accomplish something too!

These are my thoughts.

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Posted in Homeschool

Simple Journey Ministries Presents

Mom, I’m Bored!

Simple Kitchen Math

At our home, cooking is the thing! I do most of the cooking, but I always have helpers. Long ago I learned the blessing of using pizza to teach simple fractions. The only problem with it was that the pizza was gone so quickly, we did not have a lot of opportunity to continually reinforce the concept. This got me thinking of ways I we could use the kitchen for simple math, which could be used time and time again in the same day. The challenge was in finding an element of simplicity, to keep the cooking FUN!

You will want to keep the children who understand fractions adding by doubling, tripling, and quadrupling recipes. However, you can teach a LOT of math in a simple method with a variety of final products from your kitchen. Consider using cookies to begin teaching about fractions. A cookie is easily cut into halves, thirds, and quarters. For this reason, each child can be given 3 cookies to repeat each concept three times. Do this every day for a week at different levels. The first day you will explain what ½ is and cut the cookie in half. Younger children can cut their own cookies with a plastic knife and a bit of supervision. Day 2 have the cookies cut in half on a paper towel before handing them to the children. As anyone if they notice something different. How many halves would they need to make one whole cookie? If they had three cookies (6 halves need to be pushed together to “make” 3 whole cookies) and gave 1 ½ cookies away, how many would be left. Day 3, allow children to cut their cookies in half and have them explain what ½ means. Day 4, explain to children that the fraction ½ also represents the mathematical equation 1 divided by 2 (do this by equally dividing the cookie in two). Day 5 ask the children some thought questions such as, “Can you bake I/2 a cookie?”

One fun thing about this simple form of kitchen math lessons is that you don’t have to stick with round items. You can use whole fruit, slices of bread, brownies, a specific number of raisins or grapes in a bowl, celery sticks, etc. Your options are only limited by your imagination. One of our children self taught himself the concept of addition and subtraction while listening to me give a lesson to another child in the kitchen! Life is too short to miss out on these opportunities that your children will remember forever!

These are my thoughts.

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Posted in Homeschool

Simple Journey Ministries Presents

Mom, I’m Bored!

Encourage the Artist and Author in YOUR Kids

One of the most rewarding projects that our littletons enjoy is writing and illustrating their own books. Before you get anxious about the amount of work involved for mom, hang on. This is an idea that combines notebooking, lapbooking, and old fashioned productive free time! Productive Free Time is that time of the day when your children are working on an activity that they can orchestrate on their own and provides learning opportunities at the same time.

You don’t need much to get this started. I would guess you probably have all the supplies you will need in your home RIGHT NOW! Each day ask your kids to “write” a piece of a story. For example, you could have them write a book about Creation. It can be as simple as seven pages, or it can be more complex. Be sure to gear this towards your children’s ability levels. You could have them draw a picture for each day of creation and then let them write their own words. If your children are pre-writers, you will need to take 2 minutes or so to transcribe their words. At the end of the project, have the children design a cover. They can even design and About the Author page! Once all the pages are completed, have the children place their papers in a report cover or in page protectors and a thin binder.

You can use a variety of topics or let the children develop their own topic for stories and information. If you notice that your child leans towards writing fiction, occasionally have him/her write a work of non-fiction; and vice versa. All types of materials can be sued to make these pages: scrap paper, ribbons, fabric, markers, stickers, colored pencils, paint, glitter, etc. Let your child determine what mediums he/she would like to use. It is important that the author & illustrator have creative control over their project. Remember this is your child’s project.

Start with small projects. Once your children begin to complete books, they will be so encouraged at their accomplishments; they will be inspired to continue. Hearing your children say, “I am an author and & illustrator,” will be moms’ reward.

These are my thoughts.

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Posted in Homeschool

Today, I have to post an AWESOME resource for everyone! Homeschool Radio Shows is offering a Freebie EVERYDAY!

There are NO strings attached! Not one! SO, What are you waiting for?

Check Out the Erskine Family's Homeschool Freebie of the Day (http://homeschoolfreebie.wholesomechildhood.com/)

ENJOY!

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Posted in Homeschool

Simple Journey Ministries Presents

Mom, I'm Bored!

Using Old Games to Cure Boredom

There is something about time passing that leaves some of the old but good time passers in the dust. Did you play kick the can when you were a kid? Likely not, but I bet your grandparents did. See what I mean? Kick the can is a TON of fun, but one of my favorite professionals, the marketing executive realized that kids have more buying power and began marketing bigger and better toys. Don't just think of games that your grandparents played, though. What games did you play as a child, that don't seem to be part of your children's lives. Can't think of any off the top of your head? Try some of these:

• Kick the Can
• Hide and Go Seek
• Hopscotch
• Ollie, Ollie, Oxen Free
• Red Rover
• Dodgeball
• Cats Cradle
• Duck Duck Goose
• Tic Tac Toe
• Freeze Tag
• I Spy
• Stick Ball
• Four Squares
• Charades
• Simon Says
• Scavenger Hunt
• King of the Mountain

Ask your parents and grandparents what games they played as a child. Ask them to explain the directions. Then pass those games on to your children. Most of all HAVE FUN!

These are my thoughts.

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Posted in Homeschool

Ladies, I forgot to post here that I would be busy this week attending the Ultimate Homeschool Expo! Posts will resume next week.

FYI, if you were considering the UHSE, let me tell you something Cindy revealed today. YOu can still purchase your UHSE ticket while the expo is going on.

BUT after the expo is over, once everything is pulled together the cost will be $99.95!

So if you want to get in on all the audios and freebies get your ticket NOW!

YOu can grab your ticket by clikcing any of the banners on this site!

See you next week. =)

Be Blessed!

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Posted in Homeschool

 

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Posted in Homeschool

Hi Everyone! I am VERY busy getting Simple Journey Bookstore ready for our HUGE Ultimate Homeschool Expo Sale!

Everything will be Deeply Discounted up to 60%

Including New Releases:

Simply Frugal Portable Lunches

Simply Frugal Breakfasts

Simply Frugal Beauty

The Spring Cleaning Fling

Freebies on site, just for the download AND even more for every purchase! Be there April 28, 2008!

NO Coupons Needed!

With the price of gas rising daily, why not stay home and participate in the ULITMATE Homeschool Expo? Couple that with the HUGE UHSE Sale and you have yourself THE best resource for homeschooling!

As it turns out, I am not the only one who is busy getting ready for the event.

I got an email from Cindy this afternoon. She has been bombarded with emails from vendors! TONS of last minute FREEBIES and many more vendors than had signed up by the deadline. Well, it is going to take her all weekend to get it all together, so the unveiling of the Membership site has been postponed until BRIGHT and EARLY Monday Morning! What I know is that it WILL be worth the wait. From all the vendors and all the freebies they were giving before chaos came, it was already Ultimate!

Cindy doesn't take missing a deadline lightly, so you KNOW it is for the benefit of all the members!

I guess that means it will be the ULTIMATE Ultimate Homeschool Expo! WOW! I am so excited and glad I got my ticket.

You still have time to get your ticket too! All you need to do is click on the banner below!

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Posted in Homeschool

Simple Journey Bookstore is gearing up for a

HUGE SALE!

Monday kicks off The Ulitmate Homeschool Expo 2008!

If you have been waiting to get your ticket, get it NOW! You can purchase your ticket simply by clicking here.

You are going to want to get your ticket right away,  because tomorrow the membership site opens. You are SO going to want to surf the site BEFORE the Expo begins!!! Oh, the site is so AWESOME! You can only have access to the site with the purchase of a ticket.

If you have been trying to decide whether or not to participate, let me just say this is THE Ultimate Homeschool Expo! I do NOT work for Cindy Rushton, I am a mere participant in the Expo. So I have firsthand knowledge of what a blessing the Expo is for moms.

If you are worried you might not have enough time to sit through all the seminars, then this IS the Expo for you! Why? Because your membership includes access to the audio for EVERY session INDEFINTELY! That means you can listen to the seminars as often as you'd like, whenever you'd like! Now, onto even bigger news!

I am so excited about the UHSE 2008, that I have decided to host a HUGE SALE

to celebrate the event!

Announcing..........

The Simple Journey Bookstore's

UHSE 2008 HUGE Sale!

You are NOT going to want to miss this sale!

EVERYTHING in the store will be on SALE!

Because it is my goal to encourage and support moms, there will tons of freebies included with every order!

In addition to the sale, I am hosting an early release of 4 NEW BOOKS!

Simply Frugal Portable Lunches

Simply Frugal Breakfasts

Simply Frugal Beauty

The Spring Cleaning Fling

Did you think I would stop there? NO WAY!

These title will be available at DEEPLY DISCOUNTED PRICES!TONS of FREEBIES will be available!

That's not all!

Also available will be the VERY popular

The Homeschool Co-op Planner

&

The Plan: Homeschool Edition Household Planner

The Plan: Unschool Edition Household Planner

If you are getting ready to make a purchase at Simple Journey Bookstore, DON'T!

Wait until Monday, when the UHSE 2008 Sale begins!

Books up to 60% off!

Here's an email I received about Trim the Fat: The Ultimate Book on Cutting Food Costs 

Being a family of 7, it’s very difficult for us to stick to a budget that is reasonable when it comes to food.  I’ve shopped with coupons, watching sales and even buying in bulk.  However, it seemed that I just couldn’t get everything in place, and I was NOT seeing any savings anywhere.

 After following some tips from Trim the Fat, we immediately started noticing some savings in our grocery bill.  After using our newly found secrets for 2 weeks, we found a surplus of funds in our ‘bills and food’ account, and we searched high and low for what we had forgotten to pay.  Only after reviewing everything we could, we realized that we didn’t forget anything...we had saved at the grocery stores!!!  What an awesome feeling that was!  I’m sure if we continue using Leslie’s methods, we should actually have an extra balance in our savings account to spoil our family after a year.  Keep bringing me these types of books Leslie!!

Stephanie G.

Academie Guertin Homeschool

I am happy to report, that Stephanie also let me know that she saved over $100 on her groceries already! How did she do it? She implemented tips set forth in Trim the Fat: The Ultimate Book on Cutting Food Costs. If she saved that much in 2 weeks, imagine how much more she will be saving as she begins to use more of the tips! WOW!

Trim the Fat: The Ultimate Book on Cutting Food Costs will be on SALE next week! Don't forget to get your copy and start saving immediately!

Sale Starts Monday, April 28, 2008

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Posted in Homeschool

I got this from Cindy Rushton, and I am so excited about it! We have tried notebooking for other areas of school, but not too much for history. After reading this I am ready to pull some of our items together for a history notebook. My kids love notebooking, because they love being authors!

Have a reluctant writer? Then this article is going to really help start the inspiration process rolling for your littletons and eldertons. Once their notebook is complete your child will be an author of his/her own book! That is a SUPER accomplish for kids! Before you know it, your reluctant writer will be working on his/her own. Is that exciting or what?!!!

Read the article and get your reluctant writer writing! For even more help check out the Ultimate Homeschool Expo 2008. There is so much valuable information for homeschooling there! If you haven’t grabbed your ticket yet click on any of the banners to GET YOUR TICKET TODAY!

Oh! Let’s Try Notebooking…For History!
by Cindy Rushton

 
Notebooking…

Yes! Notebooking for History Studies! Notebooking for our History Timelines!

What great literature does to feed the mind, Notebooking does to deepen the studies, teach research skills, and record the real education that your children are receiving. Old path? Yep! But not a path that has been overgrown.

Notebooking goes as far back as eternity.

In Scripture, we find that the kings were trained and prepared for leadership by copying the law and keeping it in a book (isn’t that too cute??).

Want to know something even better? We find that EVEN God has a Book of Remembrance that He is keeping until that day that we join Him in heaven for that “Heavenly read aloud time” we will enjoy some day soon. Oh. Don’t worry! We will ENJOY this time. His Book of Remembrance does not contain a list of sins and transgressions that we have committed that He wants to be sure not to forget. Instead, it is filled to overflowing with precious quotes of praises that His servants speak to one another (My PERSONAL goal is for Him to have PLENTY to quote from my life!).

Up until about a hundred years ago, Notebooking was used in the education of every child. But, something called textbooks and “progressive” education eliminated them from the education of children today. With that elimination, we find the need for more and more artificial methods of education. Well, until we find this old path.

My friend, of all the ideas I could share with you as you homeschool your children, this one is certain to change the atmosphere of your home while equipping your children to learn more deeply now AND more voraciously for the rest of their lives.

Although I cannot begin to do justice explaining Notebooking in one simple article, I have to tell you a few perks (if you want more help in this area, take a look at my book Notebooking! YES! You Can Be A Binder Queen Too!). You have to know that this is a WONDERFUL way to teach more than just the historical facts that we want for our children to learn. There are LOTS of perks!

First of all, Notebooking encourages deeper research on topics of study. As my children have found a “place” to keep their special “finds” along the way, they have had more interest in hunting for more information on every topic they run across. They may think of this as a treasure hunt, but while they are having a blast finding great ideas, facts, and heirlooms, they are learning the skills of researching that will serve them all of their life. That is not all! While our children are building notebooks on topics as they study, they are also learning how to record what they are really learning. Besides relieving mom of the pressure of keeping records of every minute of their day, this teaches them the skill of record keeping and keeps a more accurate account of what is being done each and every day. Oh, and need I mention, Notebooking also teaches our children Language Arts skills and techniques the EASY WAY!

So, how do you use this old path as you teach History the easy way?

First, find great resources that can be used for building notebooks.
 
I am constantly on the lookout for great resources with neat Copywork. My children began using Copywork when they were very little and STILL use Copywork for building their notebooks in High School. There are many, many great resources. The very first thing we used was a large print edition of the Bible. It was easier for my young readers/writers to copy from. I also look for books with poems, quotes, narratives, songs, speeches, etc. As we travel, my children also look for special mementos to add to their notebooks. Anything from art prints to recipes to maps to pictures of the people and events from History are game for their notebooks. The key is in having a “place” to keep the information that contributes to each and every study. That place is our notebooks!

Second, encourage your children to USE those notebooks every day.

It is so easy to put projects on the shelf only to collect dust. It is also easy for us to let the children do work that we pile away in a box to put away later for them. Notebooking is NOT another thing for YOU TO DO! Well, unless you are going to keep a notebook for your own studies.

My dear friend, the greatest benefits come from our children doing the work for themselves. Sure, you may have gone to every local Scrapbooking crop in your city and state. But, this is not a contest for the most creative memory book. It is a discipline that we can pass on to our children so they can learn the skills of writing, researching, recording their own education, and collecting information in a logical and understandable way. Simply find some great resources for them to copy from…buy just ONE NOTEBOOK (3-ring binder) and sheet protectors (to keep their work stored nicely in each day)…and turn them loose! The fruit you gather along this old path is simply too good to miss!

Happy Homeschooling…the easy way
*******************************************

Need more help?

Check out our Ultimate Homeschool Expo! You can join great speakers like Terri Johnson from Knowledge Quest Maps and Amy Pak from Homeschool in the Woods as they teach several brand new workshops that will help you to make teaching history even more fun and easy:

Feasting on History with Terri Johnson
Teaching Timelines with Amy Pak
Hands On History with Amy Pak
Who are Your Child’s Heroes with Amy Pak
PLUS! Over 200 other great workshops on other topics!

Get YOUR ticket here:

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Posted in Homeschool

Simple Journey Ministries Presents

Mom, I'm Bored!

FREE Bowling Alley in YOUR Home

If your kids like bowling here's a great way to bowl at home for FREE!

Save 10 personal water bottles. We use 16 oz bottles. Grab a ball of any kind. Once you set your pins at one end of a room (or yard) mark the floor with a piece of masking tape for the bowl from line. You can mark an extra line for toddlers who might not be able to aim the ball at the pins over a longer distance.

Want to add some FUN lessons to this activity? Try figuring out some probability equations. Have children keep score on a grease board or piece of paper. Do a little science and fill some of the bottles with some water. How does that affect your game? Fill all of the bottles. Note the differences. Let your kids grab the camera and practice taking action shots. You can really have FUN with this while learning.

Our whole family LOVES this game! Typically we use a little dodge ball type ball. It is small enough that we can hold it and aim without the finger holes of a regular bowling ball. Larger balls would work too, especially for those littletons who need to roll it through their legs. Invite friends to come over for a bowling night. You can easily set up 2 lanes (or more depending on room size). Snacks are way cheaper at home! This is a fun time spent with friends! It's that simple.

These are my thoughts.

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Today I have the opportunity to share something really special with you. We moms are so busy caring for our families, that we often forget to care for oursleves. We work tirelessly to get laundry, cooking, shopping, cleaning, and other household chores done. Many are spending much of their time homeschooling their children. We put ourselves out there and volunteer and help within our communities and churches. Work takes up still more of our lives. How about all the time we focus on our children’s outside acitivies. Then there are still those appointments that need to be made and kept for the doctor, orthodontist, dentist, opthomologist, etc. With all that life encompasses, what mom has time to take care of herself? YOU DO!

Cindy Rushton has given permission for yet another article, that I couldn’t wait to share. Grab a glass of water, a pencil, and pad (you will want to take notes). ENJOY!

50+ Ideas for Taking Care of Mom!
By Cindy Rushton

Tired? Weary? Need some fresh ideas for taking care of mom? Feeling that push and pull on you as you balance all of the many demands in your life? Are you great about taking care of others, yet not quite so good about taking care of YOU? Has it been a long, long time since you have done the little things to just fill your cup back up? How about a few fresh ideas for filling your cup and ministering to your heart! I promise that these will be easy for you to do! Here goes:

–>  Grab Your iPod and go for a long, long walk! I LOVE my iPod. I have it filled with great Praise and Worship music, teachings and workshops, podcasts, tutorials, etc. My iPod has become my “pocket pal” when I work on my chores, take care of business duties, or even get out for my walk. Talk about my best investment of 2006!

–>  Laugh! Just sit there right now…laugh! Start small…just a little giggle! Then…laugh about laughing! Roll on the floor laughing!  Feel better?

–>  Begin a new Bible Study.  Either find a Bible Study guide…or dig out Words to study on your own!  For Word Studies, I LOVE my Strong’s Concordance. It helps to find all of the references of a certain word of interest. I also love my Vine’s Dictionary. I use it to look up the meanings of the words AND it also has other references for uses in Scripture. Another great help for Word Studies is my good old faithful Webster’s 1828 Dictionary. I LOVE it as a reference to deepen the studies. Usually it helps me to also find OTHER great studies to dig into also! Dig into the Word! It will feed your heart and soul during this tough time!

–>  Meet a friend at the park and let the kids play while you visit.

–>  Go for a drive around the city—look at the lights! Look at flowers. Look at the seasonal changes.

–>  Look at photo albums.  Remember the silly stories!

–>  Watch the sunrise! Or, not an early bird? Watch the sunset!

–>  Collect jokes and funnies! Barb Johnson…Chonda Pierce…Becky Freeman are just a few of my PERSONAL favorites! Get one of their books or videos. Then, snag some mom-time to just kick back and enjoy!

–>  Chocolate! Chocolate Candy…Chocolate Bars…Chocolate Shakes…Chocolate Latte’s…CHOCOLATE! REALLY! Chocolate helps to release endorphins in the brain—plus! It tastes great to boot! So, why not grab a bit for mom-time!

–>  Watch an old movie! Curl up under a great big quilt—even if you have to turn the air down COLD!  Don’t forget to turn down the lights and turn off the phone!

–>  Look at your old school albums!  Your HAIR! Ha! Enough said.

–>  Got a grassy hill nearby? Go to the top and just roll down it! Like a child! (Snowy? Get a sled! And SLIDE!)

–>  Take the kids to the park—just WATCH them! They are adorable!

–>  Begin a “Quote Book.”  Collect quotes that encourage you to keep on, keeping on!  Keep them in a special journal dedicated only to keeping your special quotes.

–>  Memorize your favorite Psalm. Try out Psalm 91…or Psalm 61…or Psalm 35…or Psalm 37…Oh! Enjoy!

–>  Begin a Tea Ministry.  Doing for others ALWAYS lifts even the heaviest spirit.  Get a tea basket to keep your goodies in…visit a shut-in…bless them. Then! Watch the blessing boomerang! You won’t be able to leave without a blessing.

–>  Take the kids to a candy store—sample the Jelly Bellies…or Sweet Tarts…or Sour Gummy Worms.

–>  Fly a kite!

–>  Take a ride in the country.  Turn up your praise music…roll the windows down…sing to the top of your lungs!

–>  Watch a funny video!  Elisabeth and I LOVE to watch old movies like If a Man Answers. It is one of our “chick flicks” that we always watch together. We love it! SO FUNNY! Chonda Pierce is another one of my picks. She is just totally hilarious. My children LOVE old comedy shows like I Love Lucy or The Three Stooges.  Oh, you may want to watch anything! Just find something that will make you laugh hard!

–>  Scrapbook!  Pick photos that you MUST tell the story behind! Kick up your favorite music…spread out your goodies…and Scrap till you drop!

–>  Read a biography of a GIANT in the faith!  My favorites are Corrie ten Boom…Hudson Taylor…George Mueller…Amy Carmichael…Jim and Elisabeth Elliott…etc!

–>  Get today’s newspaper and read the comics!

–>  Get a yo-yo! PLAY!

–>  Make Chocolate Chip Cookies with the kids! On a diet? Take them to someone who blesses you! Include a note of thanks and encouragement for all they do to bless you!

–>  Go out and sit on your boat—watch the stars! (Oh, watch the sunset or sunrise, if you can too!)

–>  Dig into the Bible and study what God says about trials…suffering…faith…death…depression…oppression…warfare…battle…

–>  Read a new book! Normally ready non-fiction/how-to’s? Get a fiction book for a change!  Normally read fiction? Get a humorous book! Renew your weary heart and mind!

–>  Take a break and go for a long ride on a motorcycle! Don’t forget your headset and praise music!

–>  Take a hike! Really!  Find a nice nature trail OR go for the tough stuff!!

–>  Go to the mall with your teenager!  ENJOY!

–>  Buy a Mp3 Player and some great praise music—turn it up!  I LOVE my iPod! I have my iPod loaded with all of my favorite CDs. My favorites are Michael W. Smith’s Worship CD’s AND Hillsong’s Praise and Worship!  The moment you enter into worship, you will enter into the very presence of God—so, turn it up and devour the presence of our precious Lord!

–>  Pull out that old sewing machine and make some of those goodies that you have been wanting—new purse/tote…outfit…home decorations…doll clothes…etc!

–>  Buy a “whoopee” Cushion…or “Bubba” teeth… At least your family will laugh!

–>  Write out the funny family stories! Reminisce! Enjoy!

–>  Go skating! 

–>  Try an afternoon of “Laser-Tag” with your teens! Get um!

–>  Make Homemade Bread—KNEAD yourself!

–>  Plan a regular Mommy Getaway. This is not an extra! It is essential!  I plan getaways for different purposes: to just get alone with God to hear Him, to plan, to work on my homeschool and business projects, to just fill my cup back up. Decide what will fill you up. What do you need right now? Decide what will help meet that need. Gather your goodies: Bible, journal, iPod, camera (I love taking pictures of little treasures along the way), your planner, your computer/Idea Notebook, etc. Pull aside and take that time to just get-away and fill your cup back up!

–>  Get a pet! My bird, Harley, has ministered to my heart MORE than I could remember! He is just SO funny! HE had the idea to “boogie” for Jesus! I had not danced for years! AND it is decent!  Elisabeth’s new puppy, Pooh, is a TOTAL delight!  I say all the time that she is JOY in fur! She has become my little buddy. She loves to sit with me while I work and follow me around while I am doing my chores. She keeps me in stitches. Struggling? Get a pet just for YOU…see that puppy in the window??

–>  Take the day to go for a flight!  Look at the whole world from a different perspective!

–>  Dance! Turn up your favorite music and dance! Dance your heaviness away! Dance till you laugh! Dance in worship to the Lord! Jump! Lift your hands in praise and worship!

–>  Clean out your house (only if this is NOT your struggle! Ha!). Attack those closets…cabinets…dusty bookshelves…paper piles!

–>  Go out for a cup of coffee…tea…or a good old Coca-Cola! Meet your sweetheart or a mommy pal! Or…take your Bible and make it a special time with the Lord!

–>  Find some silly-putty or slime—PLAY!

–>  Get up earlier (or take regular breaks throughout the day!) for your quiet time! You may feel SO weak that you can barely concentrate—if so, just turn on praise music and lift up your arms in praise and adoration. Watch what happens!  Make a list of your heartaches—lift them to the Father (then, hide them in your Prayer Journal—later they will be a praise record!).  Dig into the Word for comfort…perspective…and hope for tomorrow! Really tough days? Well, when the Israelites had very HOT days, they had to gather MORE manna—in the heat of your battles and toughest trials gather a surplus! It will help you survive your struggle.

–>  Make a quilt. You can EVEN cheat by making it on the sewing machine! ENJOY!

–>  Take an afternoon to go to the movies. Get a big bucket of popcorn…a super-HUGE Coke…sour Gummy Worms (unless you are due a BIG DOSE OF CHOCOLATE!). Take your sweetheart…or a friend if you want to share! Pick a movie that will make you laugh like crazy…OR CRY your eyes out! ENJOY!

–>  Ride three-wheelers! Get MUDDY!

–>  Treat yourself to a leisurely afternoon (or a bunch of afternoons!) at the pool…park…or creek.

–>  Try your hand at BOWLING. Take some friends!

–>  Take time for tea—each day.

–>  Exercise. Swim…walk…jog…hike…go skating…aerobics. Relieves stress AND boosts your health to boot.
Learn a new hobby!  What have you been putting off that you have ALWAYS wanted to know? Pottery? Quilting? Flight Training? Smocking? Scrapbooking? Jewelry Making? Sewing? Crochet? Horse-back riding?  Go for it! Now is the PERFECT time.

–>  Treat yourself to a nice looooonnnnnngggg Bubble Bath! Don’t forget to set up your favorite music to play during your Bubble Bath.  Also…be sure to fix a nice cup of tea (or a Latte!) or a nice big Coke that will last till the water gets cold! ENJOY!

–>  Go to the park and just swing—HIGH!
Go get an ice-cream cone—with a double dip!

–>  Do a “Promise” hunt in Scripture.  Keep in a “Promise Notebook” of your very own! KNOW that they are yours.

–>  Snuggle up for the afternoon to read a great book!

Got some fresh ideas? Don’t let this limit you! Let your brain GO! Find some things that will fill you back up and take care of you all along the way.

This is not an extra. This is an essential. Carve out time on your calendar today to just take care of mom!
****************************************

Need MORE Help?
 
How about the ULTIMATE mom-time? Yep! Check out our Ultimate Homeschool Expo! If you missed the live recording of the workshops, no problem! You can now hear ALL of the workshops at your convenience. They are CERTAIN to fill your cup to overflowing! Get your ticket here:
 

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I just got an email from my friend Cindy Rushton this morning. It’s Official!

The Ultimate Homeschool Expo 2008 is READY for ticket purchasing!

Oh, I have given up regular homeschool conferences for this one. If you aren’t sure if you this is for you ask yourself a few questions:

1. Do I want to spend the cost of rooms?
2. Do I want to worry about not being able to see all the seminars I need?
3. Do I want to pay $10 for each seminar I want to listen to again?
4. Do I want the stress of getting ready with make-up, kids, activities, snacks, book cart, etc?
5. Do I want the stress of the lines?
6. Do I ever get anything in my goodie bag I really can use?
7. Would I like a goodie bag PACKED with FREE stuff from vendors I CAN USE?
8. Am I given free goodies from the vendors when I attend their seminars?
9. Would I like free goodies from each vendor?
10. When you are in a seminar have you ever wanted to ask a question live?

If you answered NO to any of the questions other than 7, 9, & 10, The Ultimate Homeschool Expo is for YOU!

If you answered yes to 7, 9, 10 or all three? The Ultimate Homeschool Expo is for YOU!

So, WHAT are you waiting for!

GET YOUR TICKET NOW!

Still not sure? Try this>>>>There are already free goodies available.

The Ultimate Homeschool Expo 2008 starts April 28 and runs 5 days…ending May 3, 2008.

Here’s infor DIRECT from the Expo:

April 28-May 3, 2008
(PLUS! FREE Preview Chats from now until Expo Week!)

Ready for a fun virtual homeschool convention??? One that promises to make homeschooling easy and doable? One that offers help for EVERY aspect of homeschooling? Well, The Ultimate Homeschool Expo is your event! Right there in the comfort of your home you can join us! We have an amazing speaker line-up,a fantastic “Virtual Vendor Hall” full of special offers and free gifts, PLUS a “Mommy Grab Bag” that is completely amazing! Just imagine….

No large crowds!
No outrageous gas bills!
No makeup!
No parking miles away!
No walking for blocks and blocks!
No lugging big loads of books around!
No expensive trips or hotel stays!
No babysitters!
No rushing around so you can catch the vendors, yet missing the wonderful workshops!
In fact! No missing ANY workshops!

Sound like a dream? Nope! It is the ULTIMATE HOMESCHOOL EXPO 2008!Talk about FUN! This is one homeschool convention that you will not want to miss! Everything is recorded live online in our Talk-a-Latte Conference Room so you can join us for each and every workshop from the comforts of your own home–no conflicts with the schedule! No choosing between workshops. No choosing between shopping for your needed curriculum and listening to workshops. You can listen LIVE to each workshop OR bit-by-bit after the event to every one of our wonderful speakers–over 50 this year!!

PLUS…Oh YES!

There is MORE!!!!

With your ticket you also get access to the membership site, for members only! I can tell you personally, this site is AWESOME!!!! It is worth the ticket all in itself.

Remember you also will access to ALL the seminar audios FOREVER at NO EXTRA COST! I am still listening to audios from last year!

DO NOT MISS OUT!

Get YOUR ticket TODAY!

Just click here and you are on your way to THE BEST homeschool Expo EVER! It IS ULTIMATE!

I got my ticket, how about you?

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Simple Journey Ministries Presents

Mom, I'm Bored!

Making CHEAP Puppets

If you are anything like me, you have seen the TONS of stuffed animals at yard sales and thrift shops. Kids get so excited over these little items and they are cheap. But sometimes us moms have some issues with potential germs. Who knows who had that toy, where it has been, or what liquids have been spilled on it or soaked in! (I am shuddering as I type this!) I have never been a big used stuffed animal person. Not only do I have a germ issue, but where would I ever store all those stuffed animals? But if people don't buy these used toys, they likely will go to the landfill! But there is a way to use these, sanitize them, and have FUN toys CHEAP! Make them into puppets!

Puppets are easy to make from stuffed animals. All you need to do is find an area on the animal (preferably a seam) where you can cut for a hand hole. Once the cut is made, pull out ALL the stuffing and dispose of it. Now get out that Lysol spray! Spray the outside AND inside of the puppetIf there are any areas that need stuffed like the head or legs, simple replace with batting or old socks. (Don't throw those mismatched socks away!) If the fabric around the hole of the puppet looks as if it may tear or fray easily, turn under upt to 1/4 inch and hand sew a hem. This is very quick and easy and need not be picture perfect. Voila! You now have a clean puppet for pennies!

So how CHEAP is this? Well, to make a rock bottom cost let's figure that each stuffed animal costs $.50. If you are using socks for stuffing and a bit of yarn to tack the hand hole, you can safely say that you puppet cost around $.60 at best! Have you looked at the prices of puppets lately? They are NOT inexpensive. A really good looking animal puppet can cost anywhere from $10-$30! THAT is cost prohibitive for a family who wants enough puppets to put on a show!

Puppets are much more easily stored than stuffed animals, because they are more compact. This means you could have a bunch of puppets stored in one plastic tub, resulting in easy and FUN play time as well as quick and easy clean up! Once you ahve some puppets on hand, have your children work on putting together a small play while you are accomplishing a task. Don't count out the eldertons in your brood, because they will have FUN TOO! After you ahve finished your task, let the kids put on a production!!!

If your kids get stumped about skits, suggest they use Bible stories , books they are reading for school, stories they have been told, or experiences they have had. Puppetry can be an EXCELLENT way of narrating a story in a FUN WAY!

That's an activity mom can applaud!

These are my thoughts.

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Simple Journey Ministries Presents

Mom, I'm Bored!

Uses for Old Mylar Balloons

Believe it or not those mylar balloons don't need to be thrown away when they deflate. They can be used for fun acitivies to entertain the kiddies, and also re-used as baloons.

First and foremost mylar balloons are re-usable as is. All you need to do is find a place to store your deflated balloons. When you want to re-use them for another party or just have fun at home, simply take the balloon(s) to your local grocer. walmart, florist, or party store (any place that inflates balloons with helium). Ask if you can have the balloon(s) refilled. Often times they will refill for free or for jsut a few cents. This is especially good if your baloons are generic enough to be re-used for several parties adn events OR you are happy to refill every few months for a day of FUN! We LOVE having balloons areoung our home, but having them everyday would make them boring. By re-inflating them we pay for the baloon once, but can have for a year!

Another idea for re-purposing mylar balloons is for those that have a definitive picture on one side. You know the type with fabulous sayings or characters? When the ballon is deflated, cut around the side seam, separating the front of the balloon from the back. Now, take the piece that has the graphic or text on it and cut it into interesting pieces. You just made a puzzle! FYI, this puzzle is GREAT for traveling or errand day!

One of my dd's favorite activities is gluing. LOTS of kids love gluing stuff. It's just fun! So cut your mylar balloons into strips, grab a paper plate, and some glue. Let your kids make something wonderfully shiny!FUN FUN FUN!

These are great activities that are FUN and frugal, as well as will give mom a few extra moments to accomplish a task! Think about the concepts they will be learning from these activities: eye-hand co-ordination, sequencing, abstract thinking, counting (use those strips to have a fun counting game), etc. It's that simple.

These are my thoughts.

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The Ultimate Homeschool Expo 2008

is almost here! (at least the preview Chat sessions)

April 28 - May 3!

If you haven't attended this online event before you are MISSING OUT! This is THE Homeschool conference you will NOT want to miss! WHY?

• No Make Up
• No hotel fees
• No food out fees
• No child care issues
• No extra charge for a CD of a seminar (you can listen to them over and over and over again for FREE!
• No hassles
• No special clothes...come in your jammies!
• TONS more experts and help!
• MUCH wider variety of topics!
• FREE STUFF GALORE! (I don;t know about your convention, but ours doesn't give anything away.)
• Chance for you to aske questions of presenters LIVE!
• NO GAS TO GET THERE! (You can't beat that at these prices!)
• No parking or parking fees!
• TONS of Vendor booths (I will be set up in the Vendor Hall!)

I could go on and on...but I will stop here for now. I can't say enough about this conference. I am still listening to the audios from last year. Boy how fast a year goes by!

Hey, get your ticket NOW! There are pre-chat sessions going on right NOW! As a matter of fact, I am presenting today about Menu Planning: Simple & Delicious. Next week I will be presenting on Frugal & Simple Living: How to Get There and Cutting Costs at the Grocery TODAY! There have been fabulous sessions regarding scheduling, planning, and tomorrow, I am excited to say Phyllis Sather will be presenting. I so don't want to give away everything that is going to be presented, because it will ruin the best parts! You really DON'T want to MISS out on one word!

Can't get a ticket until next week? NO PROBLEM! All the audios will be posted on the site for your listening convenience!

Buy your ticket TODAY

Click Here to See What It's ALL About It!