Learning In Spite of Labels~ Practical Teaching Tips and a Christian
Perspective of Education by Joyce
Our Father Abraham~ Jewish Roots of the Christian Faith by Marvin R.
Wilson
A Family Guide to Biblical Holidays by Robin Sampson and Linda
Pierce
Good and Angry by Scott Turnasky and Joanne Miller
Having Mary Heart in a Martha World by Joanna Weaver
A Parents Guide to The Spiritual Mentoring of Teens ~Building Your
Childs Faith Through the Adolescent Years by Joe White , Jim Weidmann
Wild Days ( a book about language arts and nature journaling) by
Rackliffe
How to Create Your Own Unit Studies by Valerie Bendt
The Power of Parents words by H. Norman Wright
How to read the Bible for all it's worth by Gordon D Fee and Douglas
Stuart
Say Goodbye to Whining, Complaining, and Bad Attitudes in You and your
kids by Scott Turnasky and Joanne Miller
You Can Teach Your Child Successfully Grades 4-8 by Ruth
Beechick
A Strong Start in Language
An Easy Start in Arithmetic
A Home Start In Reading by Ruth Beechick
Any Child Can Write by Harvey S. Wiener
~Blinkies and More~
" This is what the Lord says: "Stand at the crossroads and look: ask for
the ancient paths, ask where the good way is, and walk in it, and you
will find rest for your souls."
Jeremiah 6:16
May. 5, 2008~ Tightwad Tuesday~Economy Compost Bin ~
Economy Compost Bin
I have been blogging about gardening and seeing soooooo many other posts about gardening. I thought this would be the perfect time to post this great Tightwad Tip. I don't want to reinvent the wheel so I am going to give you a neat link. This site teaches you how to make your own compost bin with wooden pallets.
I want to encourage who ever I can to garden. I use to always say I had a brown thumb. Well it is no longer that colour and if I can garden ANYONE who puts their mind to it CAN too. Start small and keep learning bit by bit and build on what you have learned so far and it will build your confidence.
There are only a few BIG ways to save money but there are TONS of small ways to save money that ALL adds up.
Please go visit these lovely ladies and glean some good tightwad tips from them.
Remember: The best way to get a comment is to give a comment.
( I promise I will be better at visiting this week. Last week I had a hard time getting around. I was trying to catch up with being gone )
I am always on the look for simple and easy ways to save money. I also look for ways to ease others into spending less so you can then get what you need or really want. We have to pick and choose where we spend our hard earned pennies.
One easy way to save money is find ways NOT to spend money. For example use one towel a week for bathing per person. If you do that one tightwad tip then you only have one load of towels for a family of 6 instead of 7 loads of towels a week for a family of six. That is a HUGE difference. For money or TIME.
There are only a few BIG ways to save money but there are TONS of small ways to save money that ALL adds up.
Please go visit these lovely ladies and glean some good tightwad tips from them.
Remember: The best way to get a comment is to give a comment.
Be Blessed And for those who are curious about my week away. I gave a begining post of what I gleaned from it below this post.
Apr. 7, 2008~ Tightwad Tuesday~Savings in Garden with bulbs ~
Saving Money In A Flower Garden
There are certain ways to get a bigger bang for you buck. In your flower garden you can over the years expand your garden with bulbs that multiply. For example tulips, daffodils, snow drops, Iris', and many more. My MIL has for years had different multipliers that I am now benefiting from. The one plant that I didn't know in my earlier post was indeed a iris. My MIL has some patches of different coloured iris' up in the fruit orchard that need to be reclaimed and relocated. So I am digging up and transplanting them.
I have one more patch to go plus a neighbor is letting me get some transplants of snow drops and crocus's. I am not sure if we will get some blooms out of the iris's this year or if I have to wait till next year. I guess time will tell.
Here is the bed of Iris's I planted today.(Monday) I have sooooooooo enjoyed the last week or two. I have for a looooong time wanted to plant a garden with my boys right along side us and this year it is happening. This is such a wonderful Charlotte Mason thing to do. So much learning going on. My 3ds was weeding his garden from last year that he planted in some old tires. He is making plans already of what he wants to do and how he wants to tweek it better for this years "salad garden". I will have to take some pics asap of his garden. We have all kinds of neat ideas for this years gardening with the boys. So....stay tuned.
Another great way to save money in your flower garden is in planting ground coverings that have blooms. I am hoping to get to pick one or two to plant on a rock wall. They are great for taking transplants and to keep spreading it out.
Make sure you take the time and check out all these GREAT tightwad tips.
One way that I am trying to lessen my food bill is to have 2 meatless meals each week. But you have to be careful that the meatless meal isn't just as or more expensive than one with meat. One recipe I have used for years and my family and I LOVE. Even if you have said that you hate lentils give this one a try. It is tasty !!!
Lentil-Rice Casserole
3 cups chicken broth, or use water and 1 tablespoon vegetable seasoning.
3/4 cup lentils, uncooked
1/2 cup of brown rice, uncooked
3/4 chopped fresh onion
1/2 teaspoon sweet basil
1/4 teaspoon oregano
1/4 teaspoon thyme
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
Blend it all together in a casserole dish. Bake, covered for 1 1/2 hours at 300*F
optional:
the last 20 minutes. Top with 1/2 cup grated cheddar cheese, if desired.
My family of 6 tends to double this recipe. Actually I tend to triple this and reheat this for lunch the next day. When I make it that big of a batch I put it in a roaster.
Mar. 24, 2008~ Tightwad Tuesday~ Dishwasher Savings Ttip ~
Dishwasher Savings Tip
One VERY SIMPLE savings tip on washing with a dishwasher is.... when you get to the dry cycle at the end. Is to open the door and let the steam out and stop the machine.
Just by opening the door you let the dishes air dry and there is no reason to spend the money on the electricity to dry the dishes. There is only a few "BIG" ways to save money but what REALLY saves money... is all the "small" things we do that adds up.
Make sure you take the time and check out all these GREAT tightwad tips.
Mar. 17, 2008~ Tightwad Tuesday~ Saving in ... Language Arts ~
My tip for saving money for homeschooling in the Language Arts department.
I have to say this is a department that I have spent A LOT of money in. If I was to start all over again in my teaching language arts in my homeschool . I would have bought this set and stayed put. Plus ....Karen Andreola's "Charlotte Mason Companion" and went no further. This is a area that I am not confident in and have spent more here then I care to admit.
But... I am also someone who is willing to spend a little time and with prayer to pick a wonderful and natural way of learning how to write. This audio is jam packed with great ideas ! Here is what Cindy Rushton says about her Language Arts ...The Easy Way.
Language Arts...The Easy Way!
You won’t want to miss this one! This is our most popular title. If you are finding yourself at a loss for where to begin teaching your children about how to write, this is our suggestion. In this book, Cindy inspires and equips you with the basics that you will need to prepare and encourage your young writers. This book is great for any and all ages as it gives encouragement for the process of writing...and ideas for anywhere along the process!
Chapter Titles include...
Encouraging Your Young Writers
The Process of Learning
Tips for Encouraging Our Young Writers
Language Arts the Easy Way
Using Whole Books in the Homeschool
Copywork: Answers to Your Questions
Dictation In Charlotte Mason’s Dictation Class
Narration Beyond the Test
Binderized: The How-To’s of Notebooking
Scrapbooking: Using Skills in a Fun Way
Writing a Process of Our Lord
Samples from Our Children’s Pen (YES! Scanned samples of some of their work!)
Ideas to Get You Going (this chapter is extensive with some recommended Bible verses, gems, songs, quotes, and definitions...all to help get you going!)
Recommended Resources Plus! Much, Much More!
I suggest to go to Cindy Rushton's site or go HERE (the second one is her e-books ) and check it out and save yourself a lot of money in this area of homeschooling.
I hope you have fun visiting all these gals and their terrific Tightwad ideas.
Remember the best way to get a comment is to GIVE a comment.
Mar. 10, 2008~ Tightwad Tuesday~Bread and Biscuits ~
We don't have any bread discount stores near us so we make our bread and biscuits. We work at making as much as we can whole grain so I use whole wheat but you can substitute it with all purpose.
Bread and Biscuit Recipes
Whole Wheat Biscuits
Mix well....
6 cups of whole wheat flour
3 Tbsp. of sugar
3 Tbsp. baking powder
1 1/2 tsp. of salt
Then add 1 cup of olive oil. Mix and cut in oil till it is the texture of cornmeal.
Then add 2 1/4 cup of milk. ( I cut down the cost by mixing 1 cup of milk and 1 1/4 of water) Stir in liquids until dough leaves side of bowl. I divide up to what fits in the palm of my hand and press down when placed on cookie tray. I makes 12 large biscuits.
Bake at 450 * for about 10-12 min. till golden brown.
Another one of my most favorite and easy bread recipes and FAST too is
Mar. 3, 2008~ Tightwad Tuesday~ Washing in Cold Water ~
Another way to save money in laundry is.....
Wash clothes in COLD water.
This has been something that took a long time for me to do.((blush)) The powder laundry detergent would not dissolve in cold water for me.]0= I even would fill a little bit with warm water then add cold but still didn't really work for me. Now , with my older two boys I had to figure something out b/c their curling uniforms HAD to be washed in cold. Then hubby brought home a store brand liquid laundry soap for me. I don't know why I resisted. I guess I didn't like the idea of supporting one more thing coming in a plastic package.
But we can recycle it. So, there you go I am now washing clothes in COLD water.
The next thing I want to do to save money with hot water is to get a timer and set it for times in the middle of the night and middle of the day to not heat the water. It will save a lot on our electric bill. We are REALLY trying to Kill~A~WATT(s). Use less and save more.
There is only a few "BIG" ways to save money but what REALLY saves money... is all the "small" things we do that adds up.
This is our bulk storage. Nothing fancy but it works. If you feel you don't have the room. Think of converting a closet into a pantry. I have done this in appartments we have lived in. It works !!!
I have to say one of the big ways my family has saved a lot of money is to "buy in bulk" and for even more savings is to buy these on sale. Some of the things we buy in bulk...
~ 20 lbs of old fashioned oat bags ( we eat cooked oats 6-7 mornings a week )
~ 22.5 lbs of flour ( wh. wheat and all purpose. In the future we are hoping to get a Grain Mill and grind our own flour )
~ 20 lbs bags of brown rice . Psssst...brown rice fills your tummy even more than white rice and has LOTS of vitamins ( once or twice a year there are bulk sales... for extra saving)
~ 20 lbs bags of dried beans ( we buy different kinds ) This is one extra step to save even MORE money compared to buying canned beans.
~ 20 lbs bags of lentils
~ 20 lbs bags of sugar ( buy these just before big baking times of the year and there are slow times like Mama Karen talked about)
~ We buy our beef,chickens, and turkeys once a year from local farmers.
To keep in mind also
There are so many things you can buy in bulk but please do the math ! Sometimes buying a few smaller bags CAN be cheaper. Keep comparing and keep track of the sales and times of the year. I hope to go more into this in the future.
How we changed over to buying in bulk ( this is important )
When we started to really focus on buying in bulk we changed over to this slowly. We focused on one thing at a time and slowly changed over to buying bigger amounts over time. Then it wasn't too over whelming.
If you make more and more out of scratch and do this with supplies that are bought in bulk then you will be amazed to see how much money is saved.
*Does anyone else have co-ops, Super Stores ? Even grocery stores have bulk sections.
* Now, I didn't mean to limit the bulk ideas to food. We buy toilet paper from a janitorial store. We order our bulk foods through a food co-op. We do not have any Costco's or Sams clubs near us. Our grocery store has a bulk section. Start asking around your friends and call around stores and ask them what they have available for bulk food.
****PS: I am sooooo sorry about the Mr. Linky. I have NO idea why I forgot to put it on.
First , I am a daughter of the King almighty and a
a wife to my Handsome of 17 years. A mom of 4 on the go boys 15, 13, 9, and 7. I grew up in the states but married my Canadian sweetheart and moved up north.
We live in the southern part of British Columbia , Canada on our homestead. We have homeschooled our four boys from birth and plan to go the distance till all four graduate from our homeschool. I teach with a Charlotte Mason style and use the Heart of Wisdom Approach. I love to craft! I am a beader, knitter, x-stitcher, quilter. We have been on a journey of being apart of building "The House that God Built". I have been recording our journey on my blog. Go to my links and you will find it. I know God has a lot more instore for us and we just need to follow where our Lord takes us.
I promise I will be better at visiting this week. Last week I had a hard time getting around. I was trying to catch up with being gone )
If I was to start all over again in my teaching language arts in my homeschool . I would have bought this set and stayed put. Plus ....Karen Andreola's "Charlotte Mason Companion" and went no further. This is a area that I am not confident in and have spent more here then I care to admit.
This is our bulk storage. Nothing fancy but it works. If you feel you don't have the room. Think of converting a closet into a pantry. I have done this in appartments we have lived in. It works !!!
Sometimes buying a few smaller bags CAN be cheaper. Keep comparing and keep track of the sales and times of the year. I hope to go more into this in the future. 
First , I am a daughter of the King almighty and a
a wife to my Handsome of 17 years. A mom of 4 on the go boys 15, 13, 9, and 7. I grew up in the states but married my Canadian sweetheart and moved up north.
We live in the southern part of British Columbia , Canada on our homestead. We have homeschooled our four boys from birth and plan to go the distance till all four graduate from our homeschool. I teach with a Charlotte Mason style and use the Heart of Wisdom Approach. I love to craft! I am a beader, knitter, x-stitcher, quilter. We have been on a journey of being apart of building "The House that God Built". I have been recording our journey on my blog. Go to my links and you will find it. I know God has a lot more instore for us and we just need to follow where our Lord takes us.
