Very often when a featured blogger is chosen I don't know them. Yet.  Today's featured blogger though is someone that I have known about for quite awhile but just haven't taken the time to visit her blog very often.  I'm sorry that I haven't!  Belinda is one of those people you meet because you first met her children and were so impressed you just had to know who their mother was! 

bbulard of With a Taste of Chocolate not only shares her experiences as a parent and as a homeschooler but her heritage as well. Just one look at her sidebar and you'll see just how fun and unique Belinda is!  She's written a literature-based history program called This Far By Faith.  It's about African-American Presense and Contribution.  (Now that's a curriculum I'd love to see!  When's it coming out Belinda?)

Her blog categories are thoughtful and scrumptious!  I'll just give you the category names but you can read the description of each in that great blogging tool the sidebar.  The categories are: Cocoa, Mousse, Fondue, Kisses, and the Candy Jar.  I think I've ruined my dinner just by reading that! 

While the blog categories have such yummy names the posts in them are thought provoking, candid, and real.  You will come away not only knowing who Belinda is but who she serves, who she loves, and why she does it. 

So go visit Belinda and leave her comment!  Just try not to get any chocolate on the keyboard.

Tia Linschied
Senior Editor of HSB

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This week we have a very special featured blogger, darthyxpu of PaulsBlogging.  Today is Paulie's 18th birthday which qualifies him in the age bracket for being the featured blogger here on the Porch.  Happy Birthday Paulie!

Be sure to scroll down, down, down, to get to to the posts if you don't see them there towards the top.  Paulie is always experimenting and adding fun elements to his blog but sometimes, for some of us, that means his template is out of whack.

As for his other qualifications to be featured blogger?  Well, he does bring glory to the Lord among his many blog posts.  He inspires others and encourages his readers.  He absolutely LOVES his family, which isn't so unusual among homeschoolers but refreshing just the same for a young man. 

Paulie my birthday dinner for you will be held at Chevy's whether you like it as well as your mother and I or not.  Your gift is a sunny day to ride your skateboard and a Blogger of the Week button.  Your party decorations will not include confetti because your mother would probably make you clean it up.  Besides, that wouldn't be safe for Sani.  See how considerate I am? 

Readers, I know I haven't pointed out any specific blog posts for you to view so please just dig through Paul's blog, there is some fun stuff there as well as pictures, pictures, pictures!  It might be safer to say that he has a photo blog! (The truth of the matter is I can't for the life of me figure out his permalink, it always shows the same URL no matter what page I'm looking at!)

Go wish Paulie Happy Birthday!

Tia Linschied
Senior Editor of HSB

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This week I want to introduce you to someone relatively new to HSB.  LivingandLoving doesn't have hundreds of posts (yet) but she's working on it!  I enjoyed getting to know a little bit about her as I read her blog entries.

Of course I was drawn right to her post about adoption.  If any of you have ever adopted a child be sure to leave her a note of encouragement!

Have you ever started out with a good day and then somewhere along the way things quickly turned for the worse all because of poor choices in attitude?  I absolutely loved this post by Deanna about being angry, and the outcome!

Our Home Education will be of special interest to many of you always looking to see how another family homeschools.  It's not about the academic ins and outs but more about character, heart, and loving the Lord.

Go say hello to this week's featured blogger!  She'd love to meet you too!

Tia Linschied
Senior Editor of HSB

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This week go introduce yourself to ltjewel of Bow of Bronze. I really enjoyed her blog, it's crisp, clean, and to the point.  Above all she seeks to bring glory to God.

Are you a tightwad?  Then you'll love her Tightwad Tuesday post and you can link over to other great tightwad tips!

Is your family on the go a lot?  If you  have a MP3 player then you'll find ltjewel's iPod School posts very fascinating!  Be sure to check our her audio book reviews to find out what she thought of certain books.

Looking for some cool or helpful websites?  Then ltjewel's cool websites category will be extremely useful!

Don't forget to check out the other awesome categories at Bow of Bronze, you'll learn more about ltjewel and her family, as well as some other interesting facts and websites to help you with your homeschool journey.

Tia Linschied
Senior Editor of HSB

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It's hard to watch someone you care about go through the loss of a loved one, especially if it's a child.  Even if you have lost someone you love it can be difficult to find the right words to say.  The one thing you do know is that saying something to let them know you care and are thinking of them, is better than saying nothing at all. 

On Feb. 12, 2008 raisingarrows' 7 month old baby girl passed away.  She was a beautiful baby that touched the lives of all of her family members and friends.  While their hearts are hurting they do not for a moment wish that they had never had her in their lives. 

To the family of Raising Arrows our thoughts and prayers are with you.  May the Lord comfort you and heal you from the pain you are now in. 

Tia Linschied
Senior Editor of HSB

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Featured Blogger:

SuzyScribbles 

Bloggers love to write, unless of course they prefer photo or video blogs, or maybe even podcasts, but on the whole they like to write.  Some even like to write real books!  

Suzy is a writer of children’s books but she also likes to show children how to write.  It’s wonderful when a child learns to read, but it’s fantastic when a child learns to write! Suzy is also a 20 year homeschool veteran so she knows from experience what excites children about reading and writing.  

Writing isn’t the only thing Suzy likes to blog about.  She loves to talk about her farm, her children, and take part in blog memes.  Her blog is light, fun, and cheerful!   

Don’t forget to visit the Random Blogger!  Don’t you just love all the creative blog titles people come up with?  A fun blog title is reason enough to stop by and take look around.   

Random Blogger:  

Pufferfish Diaries 

Prizes: 

The Featured Blogger AND the Random Blogger will both receive a BusyBodyBook courtesy of BusyBodyBook!

Now I have news about our Featured Sponsors and Featured Bloggers.  We will still have Featured Bloggers every week but they won’t be receiving a prize and there will no longer be Random Bloggers.   

Why?  Well, there are so many fabulous blogs here at HSB that we couldn’t make the Featured or Random Bloggers because they don’t live in the U.S.  Many of our Featured Sponsors can’t ship the prizes out of the U.S. so that meant we couldn’t choose a foreign blogger.   

Still, there is some good news!  Our Featured Sponsors will now sponsor contests on the Porch!  It really is a win, win situation.  Featured Bloggers will still be on the HSB home page and there will be more contests to win all of those fabulous Featured Sponsor prizes! 

Don’t look for anything new next week though as it will be Thanksgiving weekend. 

Tia Linschied
Senior Editor of HSB 

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Featured Blogger:

TeamBettendorf  

I’m just going to cut right to the chase here because that, I think, fits Katie’s personality.  No messing about, no hemming and hawing, just straight as an arrow, get to the mark.  Katie is spunky and seeks the truth.  She runs her home with efficiency and sticks to simplicity.  She also knows how to have fun! 

Over the last couple of years Katie’s family has had to deal with some big disappointments and trials.  Losing the daughter/sister they hoped to adopt to another family and Jillian’s battle with cancer being the biggest.  Through it all Katie has remained hopeful and upbeat.  It always surprises me when I read her blog to read about all that is going on but still see Katie so willing to share the little things along with the big.  Katie loves the Lord and she loves her family.  That is evident in all the pictures she posts almost daily! 

So go visit Team Bettendorf.  You won’t be able to draw yourself away from this big family with even bigger hearts! 

 Oh hey!  Don’t forget to visit the Random Blogger!  She has a large family too only she’s on the other end of the homeschool journey, I mean all the way to the other end! 

Random Blogger:  

Susan’s Life After Homeschooling 

Prizes: 

The Featured Blogger AND the Random Blogger will both receive a Create Your Own Candle Kit courtesy of Lisa owner of Homestead Originals! 

Tia Linschied
Senior Editor of HSB

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Featured Blogger: 

MotherJoy of Thoughtful Motherhood 

At each blog you visit you’ll meet a either a blogger who is careful with their words or one who feels free to say anything they are thinking. Both kinds of blogs can be honest, both can share what is going on in their lives and thoughts. 

I like the blog title Thoughtful Motherhood.  Not only does MotherJoy share her thoughts on being a mother, she posts her honest thoughts on life as well.   Mothers have to think in order to train their children.  It’s not just a matter of throwing food down for them to eat and patting them on the head.  If we want to train our children to follow the Lord then we have to consciously think about how we will live our lives.  If we want to train our children to be kind to others then we have to think about how we will teach them to be kind.   

Go visit MotherJoy, she’s thinking.  Don’t forget to visit the Random Blogger as well, curiosity is the beginning of thinking.   

Random Blogger:  

curiosities of Our Curious Home 

Prizes: 

The Featured Blogger AND the Random Blogger will both receive The Very Noel DVD! 

Tia Linschied
Senior Editor of HSB 

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Featured Blogger:

SuperAngel of The Daily Planet  

It’s been so fun to watch some of HSB’s student bloggers get a couple of years older and  become more mature.    Especially when they reach 18 and can be featured on the HSB Home page! 

Happy Birthday Amanda!  It has been amazing to watch your blog take off and grow.  Not to mention all the other blog projects you’ve got your finger in!  You have helped to make HSB special and have contributed to our blog community.  I’d say you aren’t just an average citizen, you’re a Super Blogger!  Minus the cape because it would just be sat on and get all wrinkly and no one would be able to read the big SB on the back of it.   

Happy Birthday to you
God bless you we pray
Live for Jesus dear Amanda
May He guide you always! 

Don’t forget to visit the Random Blogger.  It may not be her birthday but I’m sure she’d appreciate a few salutations anyway.  Happy Day or Congratulations On Your Latest Blog Post or something.  

Random Blogger:  

My Source of Inspiration 

Prizes: 

The Featured Blogger AND the Random Blogger will both receive the book Across the Wide River courtesy of Kregel Publications! 

Tia Linschied
Senior Editor of HSB

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Featured Blogger:

shanmar of Northern Moments 

No matter where we live homeschooling looks like homeschooling.  We all have good days and bad days, one day the house is clean but it doesn’t stay that way for long, and everyone is wondering where their pencil is.  The opportunities available to us may be different but we take advantage of them in the same ways.  We like to hear about other homeschoolers, all the experiences that are the same and all the opportunities that are different. 

I was excited to be introduced to shanmar!  Alaska has a special place in my heart and HSB has offered me an opportunity to get to meet an Alaskan homeschooler through her blog.  She shares her good days and her bad days for those of you that like ‘realism’ in blog entries.  Shanmar’s entries are usually short, which fits her blog title very well, they are Northern Moments.   

Don’t forget to visit the Random Blogger.  It’s always fun to see who is hiding behind that link! 

Random Blogger:  

Trusting Daily 

Prizes: 

The Featured Blogger AND the Random Blogger will both receive $50 worth of downloads courtesy of Marmee Dear & Co.! 

Tia Linschied
Senior Editor of HSB

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