Hands of Child Blog has a code to get the Moon Unit for FREE!

To get your free moon lapbook, enter TOSMOON in the box for the coupon code and hit “update”, select check or money order as your payment type,  and you will receive a The Moon Project Pack absolutely free ($12.00 value)!s of a Child, the Premier Supplier of Ready-to-Assemble Lapbooks, I am asked a lot of questions about lapbooking.

Limited Time only

and also if you want to read great classical books online go to...

Classic Book Library

I have had a really busy week so I haven't blogged much.  I am wanting to let you know a few things...

One is you can save 70% now ... you need the code "CHEER" Shop today and save an additional 70% on Dining Certificates! Use code "CHEER" at checkout. Offer valid through 12/29/06.

I have for you is a full 26-episode series of the classic radio show The Cinnamon Bear.  My children are really enjoying the series, so I think yours will too.  Sign up for your free Cinnamon Bear downloads here:
http://the-cinnamon-bear.com

Last, but not least, I wanted to tell you about a brand new not-yet-for-retail sale item, Globalmania:  Master World Geography in Just 7 Months.  This is a new resource from Knowledge Quest and will be a big help to those of you that homeschool, plus those of you that just love to learn.  :)  The retail value is $12.95 but you can get it free if you download it this month. 
http://www.knowledgequestmaps.com/globalmania.htm

I hope you enjoy these freebies! 

I am very excited about the lapbooks I have worked on this week.  I will post on that later.  But right now just enjoy the freebies I found.  I also have found many other things I hope to have posted by Christmas.

I also wanted to let you know that you can earn free 6 Flags tickets...it is only for students K-6th grades.  Comment on my blog or go to this sight for details.

http://weeklyreader.com/rts.asp

I have been telling you all about the online Bible studies I am on with Cindy Rushton.  They will be starting soon.  Go to  http://www.talk-a-latte.com/studies.html for more details.

My blog is designed for homeschooling families to teach their children with the Bible and Jesus as the center, the main text.  I will give you free ideas on how to do this as well as tell you of products that I have found to help me keep my focus on God.  Sign-up today to receive updates on what else I find.

Now I can't take full credit for finding this information.  My friend, Ginger, did.  Her blog is at http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/QFmamato4/  I don't see it on her bolg but she did email with this great savings.  I really felt we all need to know about it so here is a copy of her email:

CREDIT ON YOUR 2006 TAX RETURN -- True

Please note this one time tax credit. It is true: http://www.snopes.com/business/taxes/excise.asp

A SPECIAL ONE-TIME TAX CREDIT ON YOUR 2006 TAX RETURN

When it comes time to prepare and file your 2006 tax return, make sure you don't overlook the federal excise tax refund credit. You claim the credit on line 71 of your form 1040. A similar line will be available if you file the short form 1040A. If you have family or friends who no longer file a tax return AND they have their own land phone in their home and have been paying a phone bill for years, make sure they know about this form 1040EZ-T.

What is this all about? Well the federal excise tax has been charge to you on your phone bill for years.

It is an old tax that was assessed on your toll calls based on how far the call was being made and how much time you talked on that call. When phone companies began to offer flat fee phone service, challenges to the excise tax ended up in federal
Courts in several districts of the country. The challenges pointed out that flat fee/rate phone service had nothing to do with the distance and the length of the phone call. Therefore, the excise tax should/could not be assessed.

The IRS has now conceded this argument. Phone companies have been given notice to stop assessing the federal excise tax as of Aug 30, 2006. You will most likely see the tax on your September cutoff statement, but it should NOT be on your October bill.

But the challengers of the old law also demanded restitution. So the IRS has announced that a one time credit will be available when you and I file our 2006 tax return as I explained above. However, the IRS also established limits on how BIG a credit you can get.

Here's how it works:

If you file your return as a single person with just you as a dependent, you get to claim a $30 credit on line 71 of your 1040.

If you file with a child or a parent as your dependent, you claim $40.

If you file your return as a married couple with no children, you claim $40.

If you file as married with children, you claim $50 if one child, $60 if two children.

In all cases, the most you get to claim is $60 - UNLESS you have all your phone bills starting AFTER Feb 28, 2003 through July 31, 2006 (don't use any bills starting Aug 1, 2006.), then you can add up the ACTUAL TAX AS IT APPEARS ON YOUR BILLS AND CLAIM THAT FOR A CREDIT.

Now if you have your actual phone bills and come up with an ACTUAL TAX AMOUNT, you cannot use line 71 on your tax return. You have to complete a special form number 8913 and attach it to your tax return.

Individuals using the special from 1040EZ-T will have to attach this form 8913 also.
One final point - this credit is a refundable credit. That means you get this money, no matter how your tax return works out. If you would end up owing the IRS a balance, the refund will reduce that balance you owe. If you end up getting a refund, the credit will be added and you get a bigger refund by that $30 to $60, depending on how many dependents are on your return. 

I want to tell you that I have found great gifts by giving certificates to local restraunts.  How do like the idea of sending your friend or family member out to eat?  What if I told you they could get $25 off their meal and you will only pay $10?

Interested now...a savings of $15!

Where do you go?

Restaurant.com Gift Certificates

Would you like to save more?...

I thought you would.  Right now you can save an additional 60%. This means $25 Dining Certificates are as low as $4 now through Thursday, November 30th.

Restaurant.com Gift Certificates

I have purchased $25 certificates for as little as $4 ! There is nothing like a meal cooked by someone else and all the dishes washed by someone else AND saving money!

Hey, for that matter why not get some certificates for yourself?

I have found an answer to that question!  Jill Cooper and Tawra Kellam have a GREAT new book called...

Gifts In A Jar - Retail Price $5.95

Gifts In A Jar eBook shows you how to make all sorts of cool, yummy gifts that will save you money while endearing you to your friends for life! ;-) Gifts In A Jar features ideas to make delightful Gift Baskets like those in the expensive stores -- everything from the Honeymoon Basket to the Get Well Basket. "Gifts In A Jar" is already included in Dining On A Dime and Not Just Beans. We're offering it as an e-book by customer request.

I was on Marilyn  Moll's conference call with them!  I learned so many ideas for gift giving for men and other hard to purchase for people on our shopping list. 

They said good gift ideas for men are Car Gift Basket that would include a shamee, car wash, car wax, de-icer or scraper, cd holder visor, trash can, and key ring.

Or Food Themed Basket pick his favorite meal and put the parts in it to make the meal.  The pasta, bread sticks and a homemade jar of sauce for Italian.  She even gave great ideas in the book on how to present these so they don't just look like you are giving them groceries.

Or Movie Night Basket pick his favorite movie, popcorn, candy, soda, chips and a blanket

Another great ideas was to give a Family Basket that would include a family game, a blanket and snack foods.  Think of a family game night theme for more ideas.

Other books offered by Jill Cooper and Tawra Kellam  are.....

Menus On A Dime eBook- Retail Price $5.95

Too Tired To Cook? Eating out is one of the top causes of debt, but what do you do when you're too tired to figure out what to make for dinner? In response to many requests from readers asking for menu plans, we are pleased to present Menus On A Dime. The Menus On A Dime eBook is a 24 page downloadable e-booklet offering over 70 menus to make using recipes from Dining On A Dime or Not Just Beans and is the perfect companion to Dining On A Dime or Not Just Beans. It contains the same information as the Menus On A Dime printed booklet. Read more details about Menus On A Dime. *Menus on a Dime does not contain recipes, only menu plans. It is designed to be used with either the Dining on A Dime or Not Just Beans cookbook.

Plan Ahead Leftovers eBook- Retail Price: $5.95

Don't wait until your refrigerator is full of odds and ends to think about leftovers -- Plan Ahead!! Plan Ahead Leftovers is the second in the series of "Menus On A Dime" booklets. It includes 15 pre-planned menus and 38 recipes to make your life easier! This ebook explains how you can cook once and eat three to five different meals. Plan Ahead Leftovers includes beef, chicken and ham recipes for the main dishes and includes 10 dessert recipes. The Menus at a Glance page lets you see all of the menu descriptions in one place to make substituting elements from different menus easier. Plan Ahead Leftovers also includes tips to making your own menu plans.

	Quick Dinners eBook- Retail Price: $5.95
	The Quick Dinners eBook is designed to help you with meals you can prepare in 20 minutes or less. Quick Dinners includes 24 recipes, 34 tips, 10 menu plans, dessert ideas and a weekly menu worksheet. Using these easy dinner plans, you can be in and out of the kitchen faster and at a much lower cost than eating out!

Pretty for Pennies eBook- Retail Price: $5.95
The Pretty for Pennies eBook is the same book as the Pretty for Pennies booklet. The e-book includes a few recipes not found in the printed version. Pretty for Pennies is included as a chapter in Dining On A Dime but not in Not Just Beans. What do foot massage oil, chocolate lip balm and almond lotion have in common? You can find these and other frugal recipes in Tawra's new Frugal Bath and Beauty Guide, Pretty for Pennies. This 32 page booklet contains 33 recipes and 69 frugal tips.

Oh and a FREE idea but...this one is only for your hubby...well ok if you know a newly wed maybe you could give it to both of them.

Jar-O-Romance...I got this idea from

Linda Butterfield  She has a whole list of ideas that could go in the jar.  I really don't know much about her sight I was just looking for gifts in a jar ideas and found it.  You basically print off the list of romantic things you could do with your hubby and pull out the slip of paper every week (or night...lol) and Romance him!