Attention, Super Sleuth Homeschool Moms!

Join our Holiday Hunt!

We're holding several holiday scavenger hunts here on HSB. Once a week for the next three weeks, you'll have a chance to join in the fun each week! (One entry per family per week, please.)

All of the entry details and clues for the first week are below, so please read them carefully.

The Prize!

The prize is this wonderful Christmas devotional--The 12 Days of Christmas: A Guide to an Old Tradition with a New Purpose by Linda Coates and Leslie S. Kelly

The 12 Days of Christmas helps families discover that Christmas Day is the kickoff for the celebration, not the final affair. The twelve-day adventure begins on December 26. In it, you will learn more about the tenets of the Christian faith through wonderful stories and meaningful activities, and create new traditions to last you and your family a lifetime. By uncovering hidden meanings in the old classic Christmas song, Linda and Leslie bring you a new and exciting way to finish one year and begin the next.

 

How to Join in the Holiday Hunt

Put on your detective hat and find the answers to the following clues. You can find every answer by going through the links on our free TOS 2009 Digital Holiday Supplement found here: http://thehomeschoolmagazine.com/Digital-Supplement/Thanksgiving&Christmas.html

Here's what to do:

• Read the clues carefully and find the answers by clicking on the advertisements in the TOS 2009 Holiday Digital Supplement, found here.
  
• Once you have an answer for all six questions, email them to Tan Hogate at thogate@thehomeschoolmagazine.com.
  
• You have until midnight EST Friday, November 13, 2009,  to send Tan your answers.
• At that point, we will conduct a random drawing to determine a winner from this week’s submissions to receive The 12 Days of Christmas by Linda Coates and Leslie Kelly - a Christmas devotional.

Again . . .Each week one winner of our random drawing will win a copy of the beautiful Christmas devotional from Linda Coates and Leslie Kelly, entitled The 12 Days of Christmas: A Guide to an Old Tradition with a New Purpose.

Each day of this devotional has scripture, discussion questions, activities, a prayer, a devotional story, and points to ponder. Your family will delve into the true meaning of Christmas, starting with Day 1-December 26. This is truly a beautiful and meaningful way to celebrate the birth of Christ.

"Whose birthday is it anyway? Have you ever wanted more from the Christmas Season? The Twelve Days of Christmas is more than just another Christmas book. It is a way to recapture what has been lost in the hustle and bustle of Christmas so that this year it can be different. This inspiring book will help you discover that Christmas Day is the jumping point for the real celebration, not the final affair . . .  The Twelve Days of Christmas is a beautiful way to finish one year and begin the next and to celebrate Christ's birth by giving our gifts to the One who has given us the greatest gift of all." Tate Publishing, http://www.tatepublishing.com/bookstore/book.php?w=978-1-60696-260-2

This Week's Clues!

Okay, ready for your clues? Here you go!

Remember, click through the advertisers in the TOS 2009 Holiday Digital Supplement to find the answers.

1.     This company is known for their quality films. Find two that films or one film collection on their site that your family would enjoy. List their url/Web address.

2.     This company was voted #1 by Homeschool.com in 1994. Provide their url/Web Address

3.       See if you can find who sells the book The Big Book of American Trivia, Over 3,000 Questions and Answers. Please send us their url/Web address.

4.       Go here for some amazing photos of birds, bears, and other critters. Send us the url/Web address.

5.       Find a wide selection of construction or farm machine on this site. Tell us which one is your favorite and send us the link to one of your favorite machines. (Must include the link.)

6.     Find Sketchy Adventures, it’s free! Send us the url/Web address.

7.     The author of this website has traveled to 46 states and several Canadian provinces to encourage home educators over the past twenty years and look forward to lots of fruitful ministry in the future. Please send us their url/Web address.

Okay Fans, you can do this! Be sure to email your answers to me at thogate@thehomeschoolmagazine.com to be entered into this contest.

Here is the link to our general contest rules: http://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.thehomeschoolmagazine.com%2FResources%2FContests.php&h=7b30dad7e6f56369b9abadcd65e0a9f4

Enjoy!

~Tandy Sue Hogate

 ~TOS Marketing Assistant

Domestic Chaos Tamer and Homeschool Mom of Five, Dell writes about home, heart and hearth.

The kitchen is obviously a great place to teach Home Ec.  My teaching style for all subjects is very relaxed and this one is no exception, as a matter of fact, I seldom think about teaching Home Ec.  My girls help out in the kitchen and the home with whatever is needed.  They learn basic cooking, cleaning, menu planning, shopping, etc. by participating in the daily routines of the household.  As of yet, there has been no "Home Ec. curriculum", and though it might not be a bad idea for some families, I doubt it will be the way we go.  I do have plans for all of the girls (Mom included) to create a Home Journal which will contain recipes for cooking as well as cleaning (love those natural cleaning products), and whatever other "home keeping" things that we decide to put into them.  I certainly wish that I had started out with one of those when I first attempted to create a home years ago.  It would have saved lots of time and tears, not to mention money!

My 11 year old daughter probably has more cooking and homekeeping skill than many young ladies twice her age.  She, like her Mom, enjoys cooking and can frequently be found perusing a cookbook for a new treat for snack time or dessert.  I believe that is because she has someone at home with her to first of all model this, cooking is fun in our house.  And since a maid has yet to appear in our home to clean up our frequent messes (though no one would complain if she popped in this morning), someone (and that means everyone) must learn to do the house keeping.  And finally, she has  time to practice and develop these skills during the course of her homeschool day.  

We had a conversation over the weekend with the mother of 2 young men who were in my husband's youth group a few years ago.  She said both of her boys are still unmarried and living at home.  They have no desire to get married and move away from Mom because none of the girls they know can cook!  She told us that one young lady blew up their microwave attempting to make a grilled cheese sandwich!  An extreme example, of course, but so many young people today simply do not have the basic skills for running a household.  I understand this dilemma, because though I could cook, I was sorely lacking in the other areas of home keeping when I moved away from home and started a household of my own.  It took some real effort on my part to learn exactly what all went into running a household, especially when that household included children. 

I find it interesting that Titus chapter 2 equates the aged women teaching the younger women to be keepers at home (sounds like home ec. to me) with sound doctrine. 

But speak thou the things which become sound doctrine:

That the aged men be sober, grave, temperate, sound in faith, in charity, in patience.

The aged women likewise, that they be in behaviour as becometh holiness, not false accusers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things;

That they may teach the young women to be sober, to love their husbands, to love their children,

To be discreet, chaste, keepers at home, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God be not blasphemed.  Titus 2:1-5

My best advice for teaching Home Ec. is to simply include your children in the day to day tasks of the home.  Let them help with the grocery lists, menu plans, cooking, cleaning and so forth.  Give them lots of opportunities to practice and develop these skills as they grow.  Living and learning together is a blessing, and the skills they learn  will bless their future families as well. 

 

Catherine Love lives in the heart of Texas with her husband Carl, and their 3 daughters, Sarah, Hannah, and Cana.  They enjoy cooking, gardening, and learning new things as they live a lifestyle of learning together.  You can read Catherine's Kitchen Adventures and more on her blog- Seeds of Love.

As my children become older and my teaching load increases due to more students, teaching from a place of rest seems quite inviting to me.  It is like an oasis in the middle of a teaching storm.  I yearn to be able to teach with a sense of calm and peace.  I think I have reached the tip of this iceberg but I am always  eager to listen on conversations (usually cyber ones) that deal with rest.

As I noted a few weeks ago, teaching with a sense of rest can mean many things.  It can mean a sense of contentment  with how you are teaching your children and  the curriculum you are using.  It can also mean paring down the subjects you are teaching to the bare minimum.  This concept scares many homeschooling moms.   This idea is equivalent to academic suicide to the minds of many.  This flies in the face of modern education.  Today in public schools,  the students' days are filled with numerous classes that are not just academic in nature but vocational as well.  The premise for this is that the schools are trying to prepare the student for the world and a job, hence, computer classes, home ec. classes, welding classes, etc.  In overloading the student in this manner, we are increasing the odds that he or she will not be able to learn anything very well.  The basics will be pushed under the rug, so to speak, to make room for the extras. Therefore, we end up with young adults that do not know much about anything.  We, then, wonder why Johnny can't write or read when he graduates high school.   

When we focus on the basics and a few extras, we have time to teach in a thorough and effective way.  When your child is doing the basics of math and language arts (grammar, spelling, writing, lit. study, vocab) plus the extras of foreign language (some are doing 2 or 3 different language studies) and content subjects (history, science, geography, etc,) there is no wonder that it is taking them much longer than 6 hours to get their school work done.  Also, what are they truly learning?  

Climbing Parnassus by Tracy Lee Simmons  and  The Latin-Centered Curriculum  by Andrew Campbell speaks to simplifying our academic expectations of our children.  In doing this, we can teach more deeply and effectively. There is a sense of rest in teaching this way.  Also, teaching this way  requires trust.  We need to trust  that God will fill in the gaps in the way that only He can.  Trust is key in rest.

The first few years of our homeschooling was chock full of various subjects like  geography, science,  vocab, Latin and Spanish plus all of the CM variables of picture study and composer study and we haven't even gotten to the basics yet.   Our days were full and I taught with a cloud of pressure hovering over me the entire time.  When we didn't finish all of our plans (which happened regularly) I felt like a total failure.  Another consequence to this kind of schedule was children who were burnt out come the end of the first term.  They were beginning to hate learning.   This is not how I had envisioned our homeschooling to be.  Again, failure.

It has taken me a few years to clue in, but  I am seeing now that less is better.  I am able to give more time to my kids  to teach them.   We do not have time pressures  anymore. Our frantic, crazy days have been replaced with a relaxed, calm  atmosphere.  It is a soothing balm to my soul.

Our days are now focused on math, reading, writing and grammar.  We do one  content subject which is history.  We do science but in a very relaxed manner.  We will not do science as a formal subject until my children hit Grade 7.  I do teach Latin to my children but it, too, is done in a relaxed manner as my children are dyslexic and foreign langauages are tricky for them.  We also do Plutarch, Greek Mythology, Poetry,  Recitation,  and Shakespeare but they are done one a day.  Even this  sounds like a lot  but it is do-able for us.   We do not feel  the familiar pressures of days gone by.  There is that sense of calm and peace that I have  been trying to attain for the last 5  years.  I am sure  that I will always have to strive  for this rest every year that we homeschool but I think I am up to the challenge. 

 

Julia lives on the Canadian Prairies with her husband,  homeschooling their 3 children (10,8,6) and is attempting to give them a Classical Education.  You can read more  at her blog.

This week's Featured Blogger is Diamonds In The Rough!

"Mrs. Diamond" and I have been getting to know each other through our blogs. Her "Diamondettes" (I refuse to cal them lumps of coal), have been blog friends with my girls for awhile now. It's fun to meet families as a family on HSB!

Now there are TONS of blog posts I could link you to, but I had such a hard time deciding what to go with. I've opted to link to categories, that way you can see a bunch of posts at one time.

The first category up is Emily's 400 Questions, and Mrs. Diamond isn't kidding when she makes that claim! Some of the questions her daughter comes up with will surely make you chuckle and wonder where that question came from. Others are very thought provoking. All are fun to read! Now if Mrs. Diamond would put the answers she'd have her own Q & A Encyclopedia!

Ever wonder what it's like to live in the desert? Then the category Life in the Desert is what you want to click on! It's hot, it's cold, and it's always full of blessings--and lessons from the Lord.

With the holidays coming up you are more than likely looking for some new recipes. Try this little recipe "book" Recipes From My Kitchen. The recipe that is a family favorite for my family is the Dutch Baby. Yummo!

My all time favorite category though is Diamonds and Other Gems. Wow! There are some lessons to learn here! Like the worth of diamonds--and souls.

Please click on over and say hello to my friend, DiamondsInTheRough!

Tia Linchied
Senior Editor of HSB

It is so sad that events occurred yesterday at Fort Hood, north of state capital Austin, near Killeen, Texas, during the same week that we had chosen to honor our Veterans and write about honoring them. I'm assuming by now everyone has heard that a shooter, a psychiatrist major, opened fire upon his fellow soldiers, killing 12 and wounding 31. Thankfully, he was stopped before the statistics became higher, and in this case, he survived and is in stable condition (as of Thursday night). It is sad that for whatever reason he snapped. Sadder still that he happens to have an ethnic name, helping others to automatically put blame towards domestic terrorism. (Although things are coming out that his religion, Islam, might have contributed to his thoughts and actions.)

Last night, I was at my dog class, which is held at an National Guard Armory in Fort Worth. In fact, due to the Fort Hood event, they were asking us to lock the front door behind us as we came and went. We voiced our support to them. Being there and having to be in a "lock-down" situation helped to put a face on those who serve us by being willing to protect us and our country.

You never know when your path will cross with those who have served (or who are serving). I want to encourage you to voice your support and appreciation for and to them. It can be a simple "thank you for your service;" it doesn't have to be anything elaborate or overly formal. (I usually include our police officers and fire-fighters also, since they serve and protect us "closer to home.")

Reach out to those who come across your path and show them your appreciation for their service. They deserve our respect and gratitude.

Donna Conner lives in Fort Worth, TX with her husband, Glenn, their son, Mike, Donna's mother, Charlotte, and their dog, Lucia. Donna and Glenn have been homeschooling their son since the beginning of his education. Mike completed his homeschooling in the fall of 2008. Donna is an artist and has always enjoyed writing. She wrote Homeschooling Only One in 2003, after discovering that there were many other families homeschooling only one child. Her website is devoted to those with only one student in their homeschool, with listings of online resources. You can find these free resources, including a message board for those who HOO, on her website at  http://donnac.com and read her blog at: http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/DonnaC

copyright © 2009 Donna Conner ~~ All rights reserved. Content may not be reproduced in any form without written permission of author, except in the case of brief passages embodied in critical reviews and articles where the title and author are listed.

Welcome my friends! Veterans Day is November 11. I have a particular soft spot in my heart for veterans, after all my husband and I are former Navy.

In researching for this post I found this quote on the VA website,

"A celebration to honor America's veterans for their patriotism, love of country, and willingness to serve and sacrifice for the common good." 

VA site for kids

Why join the military? The money isn't terribly good. Starting pay is nice but it doesn't keep up with the private sector. The locations are great but even a tropical island is blah after the third holiday you don't see your family. Then there is boot camp and the continual physical tests and challenges that are just plain hard. So why join the military?

I can tell you why we did. My husband and I both chose to serve. Someone must stand on the line and say no further. I will protect my family and friends. I will stand up for my rights and those of my neighbors. I chose to serve because it is a responsibility as a citizen of the United States of America that I am able to fulfill.

Times change and now we are no longer in the military. I am glad that I had that chance. Now how can I continue that sense of service to country? This year we are looking into sending packages and cards to soldiers around the world.

American Red Cross Cards for Heroes

I would like to thank the veterans out there! Thank you for your dedication and willingness to serve and protect. God bless!

Heather lives in West Virginia. She and her husband have been homeschooling their 5 children for 8 years.  Due to a genetic disorder their children have multiple special needs. Living life to the fullest for the glory of God is their goal!  Visit Heather's page at  www.homeschoolblogger.com/gfcfmomofmany/ or at Special Needs Homeschooling.

Photo Treasures--

Don't you love to look back on those memories?

With today's digital camera capabilities, we have awesome opportunities to snap those perfect shots of our own families, and often we do--only to have them sit for years--unused or lost somewhere in computer limbo.
 

It's time to do something about it!

Plus! You can get this month's November Molly's Digest for FREE when you buy a Molly's
Money-Saving Digest Pick-a-Pack deal!



When you buy any 5 Molly's Money-Saving Digests
listed in the Schoolhouse Store you'll be saving almost 20% over purchasing each separately!

Then put the November Molly's
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At check out just use coupon code:
NOVFREE
and you'll get 6 Molly Digests for only $20.00!

It's the November Molly's Money-Saving
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Smile BIG now . . . Molly's Special Feature for November is:

Family Photography 

 

Remember your child's first steps? The sweet expressions of those far away?

Perhaps a birthday or wedding . . .

And the abundant holidays, outings, and non-occasions you've since enjoyed--

all captured in timeless fashion?

 

Now is a great time to fine tune your photography skills and learn some nifty ways to use those prized photos.

 
Whether you long for new ideas for feasting, frolicking, or festooning during the coming months, Molly offers help and insight through this fun and fascinating issue. Keep your camera handy though, and get ready to seize and snap those unforgettable moments.

• Become a master at taking meaningful photos, and do more with them!
• Learn about digital photo editing, options for photo storage, and benefit from many hyperlinked sources of information.
• Take a blow-up photo idea to create a lovely, multi-functional, display piece.
• See what one creative mom did with old curtains.
• Enjoy saving with coupons--when you know where to find them.
• Start scrapbooking and do it less expensively!
• Discover how one family's dream of owning their own home came true with an antique fixer-upper!
• Save time, and feed your hungry family with a week's worth of delicious slow-cooker recipes, including some yummy slow-cooker desserts.
• And much more!

This month's Molly's Digest explores the delights and "how to" of taking great, stress-free family photos and putting them to creative, good use, plus a seasonal bouquet of frugal topics for your enjoyment.
 
Take a more detailed look at the many topics you'll find:

• Family Photography (November's Feature): Grab your camera and the kids and get ready to "create a memory, not just a picture." (You'll love all the photo examples too.) 
  • Take Great Pictures of Your Family: By Becky Emerick, professional photographer and homeschool mom. Why pay big bucks when you can do it yourself? Create lasting memories with the who, what, when, where, why, and how of taking pictures of your own kids. You'll learn practical information and expert advice. What backdrops should you use? Think of using great-grandma's rocking chair. How do you discipline during your photo shoot? What about digital photo editing? Becky lists good software programs--including some that are free. Become inspired to really capture the photos you want with some wonderful tips and examples.
  • Be Your Family's Best Photographer: Take Great Photos and Do More With Them! Digital photography has revolutionized picture-taking in most homes. What can you learn about storing photos? There are many links to further your photography education. Have you thought of making personalized photo gifts? Want free online lessons? Links to craft and project sites? Think Thanksgiving and Christmas--you'll love the ideas presented to use those perfect family photos.
• Slice Grocery Spending in Half and Double Your Groceries: Couponing, Part 3. This third installment on couponing will give you more than enough reason to pull out your scissors and get serious! The Sunday newspaper is a great place to find the bulk of your coupons--but not the only place. Online? At the store? In magazines? In the mail? Coupon clippers? Have you ever thought to just ask the manufacturer for them? Amy Howard shares her experience and advice once again to help you enjoy saving with coupon basics.
  
• On Sale in November: Thanksgiving items, Halloween candy, and Black Friday sales come to mind, but don't stop there! Every month different items are discounted, and you won't want to miss out. What items will you stock up on for the approaching holiday season?
  
• Save Money on Scrapbooking: What's the drawback to digital photography? Do you have years' worth of photos stored on your computer? Don't lose those memories! Scrapbooking is a wonderful hobby, and it doesn't have to cost a lot. Learn many things about storing, sorting, and saving photos, as well as how to scrapbook on a limited budget. Where do you look for clearance sales? Discover the time-saving method of digital scrapbooking and get the list of free digital scrapbook supply sites. Your children can have fun creating their own pages too!
• A Room With a View: Aubrey Lively shows off her creative talents with a lovely room-divider version of the family photo frame. Wow! Check out this functional but priceless treasure, complete with instructions and lots of photos.
• Favorite Slow-Cooker Meals and Desserts: Starting with the recipe for Slow-Cooker Lasagna, you'll find complete recipes for seven meals and three desserts. Your family will gobble up this slow-cooker smorgasbord: Vegetarian Chili; Cheesy Chicken; Pot Roast; Southwestern Egg Casserole (an easy breakfast!); Fish Chowder; Baked Ham; Cherry Cobbler; Turtle Cake; and Baked Apples. Yum! 
  

Are you ready to take a peek inside?

 
Get your scissors and scrapbook supplies ready . . .
Download Molly's Money-Saving Digest instantly! Only $4.95!

 
There's much more in the November Molly's Digest . . .

• What to Celebrate in November? Thanksgiving, of course, but you probably didn't know that it is Peanut Butter Lover's Month or that the 3rd is Housewife's Day and the 15th is Clean Your Refrigerator Day. And the 17th has three different holidays to celebrate all at once. Liven up a few special days and make yours a very interesting November.
• Smile More--Stress Less: Laugh along with Familyman Todd Wilson's cartoon in this month's Parenting That Pays. The holidays can be stressful times when we find ourselves getting impatient with the children and losing our focus of what's important. Most parents could probably use these tips on smiling when you just don't feel like it. Enjoy a thoughtful poem and a suggestion for taking that family holiday photo. (Molly always has such encouraging thoughts for parents.)
• What to Do About Grandmother's Curtains: This was Aubrey's dilemma when two boxes full of old, mismatched curtains didn't quite meet her window needs. These lovely curtains turned into lovely _______. Well, you'll just have to read the article and see the results for yourself.
  
• Goal-Getter Spotlight: It's a story full of hope and the labor of love an entire family of eight worked on to make their dream of owning a home come true. Buy a house with their $5,000 savings? Make it livable only two months later? Yes and yes! Renovating their new, 110-year-old home provided a lot of excitement for this family. Michelle tells the cheerful story of their fixer-upper "palace."
• Readers Write In: Even more photography tips and a frugal craft idea are shared by Molly's readers.
• Molly's Question of the Month: Have you ever made and kept a New Year's resolution? What was it, and how did you succeed? Molly would love to hear your story! 
• Words Worth Saving: Consider these relevant quotes and apply them to your daily living!
• Directory of Links: For those of you who print and bind your Digests, you'll have easy access to over two dozen fantastic links worth saving in the back of this issue. It makes your Digest easier to use! 
  

Don't just say cheese--say ease and expertise
when you purchase

Molly's "Family Photography" issue!

 
Molly's readers are enthusiastic about the November issue. Here are some of their comments:
 
"One of the 'school' projects that we're going to work on next summer (okay--I'm disguising schoolwork as fun!) is digital photography. . . . The November issue of Molly's Digest is going to really help me out with our lessons. I've been learning tips from how to set up a photo and how to suit the photo subjects, to how to get interesting angles and perspectives (e.g. getting down on my knees). All of these tips will help us in learning how to take great photos--ones that are really interesting. Let's not forget that once you get finished taking the pictures, you need to do something with them . . . after reading Molly's November issue, I have been enlightened to the many ways to organize a photo album (by trip, event, by child, etc.) other than just by date order. These tips are really going to come in handy. . . . If you haven't ordered your November issue yet, don't wait, and order it today. It'll definitely be worth the small investment!"

-Meredith Duke, Liberty Hill, TX

 
"As Molly's niche is being frugal, this month's Digest also has part three of couponing written by Amy Howard, who now tells us where we can find coupons to help us save when we are shopping. Doesn't everyone want to save in the current economic climate? The usual places like the newspaper are not the only ones she lists--some of these places I never would have thought of to obtain coupons from! This is a great resource for anyone wanting to gain more knowledge about couponing. . . . There is so much more in Molly's November Digest, and I could continue to rave about it but I won't. . . . Once you get the November issue, you'll want to get the back issues; they are truly worth their weight in the money-saving ideas that are included each month . . . !"

-Sarah Bailey, Springfield, OH

 
"To start off this November's Digest, she talks about saving money grocery shopping; how to make purchases using coupons, sales, and store-saver cards. Can you imagine saving $19,000 in one year of grocery shopping? How awesome that would be! . . . I looooove scrapbooking, but with the kids home all day everyday with homeschooling them, fitting scrapbooking into our daily schedule has been a chore. But after reading this E-Book, I'm so hyped to begin scrapbooking again. . . . I have a new digital camera and I am planning to use lots of Molly's advice (well, not technically Molly's advice but Becky Emerick's). Great pointers!"

-Vickie Butterfield, Mountain Home, ID

 
"For years I have been spending money on cameras, film, and processing just to have them sit in a box waiting to be placed in an album--if they ever were processed at all. I found myself frustrated at the piles and piles of pictures that I had gathered from those I had taken and the many given by family and friends and even more frustrated that I had lost some pictures in all the chaos. I did not know where to start to get my photos in a presentable format, but I knew it was going to cost a fortune! It had never occurred to me that I could stretch our dollars and get great pictures that were arranged and presented in creative ways at the same time. That is, until this month's issue of Molly's Money-Saving Digest! . . . I am looking forward to those crisp days of fall with my stack of pictures and a plate of Slow-Cooker Cherry Cobbler. Who knows--by spring I just may have a scrapbook or two to share!"

-Dana Warwick, Bartlett, TN

 
Think of all the money you save by using a digital camera--no film to buy and process or unwanted pictures going to waste! It's worth the small price of $4.95 to come away with fabulous tips and information you can begin to use right away--minimizing frustrations while helping you create, rescue, and hold on to all those treasured photo memories! Plus, you get all the rest that Molly's Digest has to offer--wonderful recipes, creative projects--well just go back and reread all of the above!
 

What's up in December?

Molly's Money-Saving Digest has another treat for you in December. The special feature is Comfort and Joy for Christmas, focusing on faith, family, and friends, just in time for frugally maximizing your holiday home. You won't want to miss it.
 
You'll more than recover your investment and find encouragement to keep going strong in your commitment to the Lord and your family. That's what Molly's Digests are all about.
 

Still not convinced this E-Book is for you?
Click HERE to View a Sample of This Item

 
Over ­­­30 Pages--A wealth of information and support for a wonderfully low price!
 

There's a photography-extravaganza awaiting you with the
November Molly's Money-Saving Digest!

 
Join Molly daily and follow her
adventures in fiscally-responsible homemaking at
www.Econobusters.com.



And then keep watching for next month's Molly's Money-Saving Digest.

Live the Adventure is a blog about a homeschooling family that travels. Recently they found out about a different kind of program where homeschoolers offer their homes to other traveling homeschoolers. Right now you can win a free membership! Find out all the details at Live the Adventure.

This week's entry will be brief (perhaps a welcome alteration from my usual ramblings for some of you busy homeschool moms!).  As always, the homeschool high school does not typically have a lot of "room" for "extra projects" or holiday crafts.  So what to do about Veteran's Day in relation to my blog's focus, homeschooling through high school?

It is my personal opinion (and ONLY my personal opinion) that one of the greatest gifts this country can give to our veterans is to teach our children the history of our nation's battles.  The very fact that the Korean War is nick-named "The Forgotton War" belies the lack of intentionality which most American's apply to their study of American history. 

Philosopher, poet, literary and cultural critic George Santayana is known to have penned, “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.”  In the grand scheme of world history, America is but a babe of a nation.  In comparison with, say, Europe or Asia, we here in America really don't have that much history to remember!    Homeschool moms and dads, as I reflect upon Veteran's Day, we owe it to the brave men and women who have fought and/or died in service to this great nation of which we have been blessed to be a part, to teach our children their history, and to teach it to them well.  Require a deep consideration of history at this, the high school level.  And, most importantly, unfold our nation's history...our world's history...by looking at it from the overarching viewpoint and plan of the Author of human history.  It is, afterall, HIS-story.

 

I have recommended it before, and I'll recommend it again:  the best history curriculum for high school that I have come across is Diana Waring's "History ALIVE!"  Beginning with Creation and ending with the VietNam War, the curriculum is a three year tour through the history of the world ALL presented in a format that is glued to the Guiding Hand of God as presented in the Bible.  You and your students will learn to see His purpose in each and every event for achieving His desires for His people, all laid out in Scripture.  In the process, you will cover history, literature, composition, geography, art and architecture...even cooking!  Every learning style is accomodated with Diana's coursework, and the course is a dynamic learning experience. 

Give a veteran an important gift during these important years in your homeschool.  Give a veteran a young adult who comprehends the gift that our veterans have given us.

May God bless you and your homeschool this week!

Lori

 

Lori Havens has been married to Kevin for 24 years.  They live in Illinois with their two sons, Bryan (17) and Nathan (16), and dog Sunny (9).  Lori enjoys writing, gardening, reading, and the outdoors.  She is the author of "Should I Be A Nurse? A Journey of Self-Exploration for Those Considering a Career in Nursing" and  "7 Essential Questions Every Future Nurse Must Ask."     You can find her blogging at both Homeschool Blogger and Homestead Blogger  .

Homestead Originals has three contests running at the moment.

1. Fields with God--enter by Nov. 15 for a chance to win this encouraging book!
2. A Journey Home--Lisa's offering this delightful DVD again! Enter by Nov. 15.
3. Easy Homeschooling Techniques--Hurry to enter this contest! Deadline is Nov. 5.
   

Juliestew also has a contest right now for some really yummy peppermint oil! Deadline is . . . TODAY! Yikes! Hurry and get your entries in!

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