A fun mix of musings on faith, family, marriage, homeschooling, parenting, ministry and everything else life brings. http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/CindyS/ en-us Homeschool Blogger Wed, 18 Nov 2009 15:11:00 -0600 Wed, 18 Nov 2009 15:11:00 -0600 Happy 81st Birthday Mickey Mouse!! (photo taken 6/2007) http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/CindyS/745735/ Wed, 18 Nov 2009 15:11:00 -0600 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/CindyS/745735/ Over at The Mom Maven I have been writing abut Christmas shopping, CyberMonday and Black Friday all week long and I thought I'd share post on the same theme over here.  Sometimes we have that person who is hard to shop for on our holiday list. You know you don't want to give them another generic gift basket but what else can you do? Give them Gift Cards! Shop.com has a great selection of gift cards available to retailers nationwide. Here are just a few suggestions of gift cards you could give: Teen Boy Converse FansEdge Gap Teen Girl Old Navy GAP Nordstom's For Him: Home Depot L.L. Bean MLB Shop For Her: QVC Kohl's Frontgate These are just a few of the gift cards that are available to purchase at shop.com. Give gift cards, they are the gift that always fits. http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/CindyS/745727/ Wed, 18 Nov 2009 14:49:00 -0600 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/CindyS/745727/ When traveling with a large group or for an extended stay,vacation home rental homes offer a nice alternative to a typical hotel. Many vacation homes sleep 8-12 people so, if you are traveling with extended family or a group of friends it is often more cost effective to rent a home than multiple hotel rooms. Another nice feature of a rental home is having your own kitchen. You will save money by making some of your meals instead of eating out for every meal. There are lots of great vacation rental homes around the country including tourist destinations like Kissimmee, FL (Walt Disney World area) and Gatlinburg, TN. As you plan your next vacation, think about a vacation rental home as an alternative to your usual accommodations. http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/CindyS/745161/ Mon, 16 Nov 2009 15:59:00 -0600 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/CindyS/745161/ Most of us are now about half way through the second quarter of this school year. How are your children doing? How are their math grades? Do they need math help? TutorVista offers online math tutoring for students in grades K-12. Tutoring is available to students 24 houes a day, 7 days a week. Tutor Vista offers a free online math tutoring session for first time customers, so you can try it before you buy it. So, whether you need online math help in addition or Algebra II, you can find  your online math tutor at TutorVista. Sign up today to get your free online math help when you check them out. http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/CindyS/744046/ Wed, 11 Nov 2009 22:04:00 -0600 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/CindyS/744046/ 2009-2010 Homeschool Bowling League Bradenton, FL http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/CindyS/743880/ Wed, 11 Nov 2009 11:46:00 -0600 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/CindyS/743880/ Princess Tiana, me, Prince Naveen http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/CindyS/740150/ Wed, 28 Oct 2009 17:57:00 -0500 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/CindyS/740150/ The holiday shopping season is upon us. For some people that means the excitement of finding the perfect gift at  a great price; for other people it means dreading trips to crowded malls and shopping plazas trying to find something for everyone on the list. I have come across a helpful online tool that makes shopping easier. ShopWiki.com is a comparison search engine that helps the shopper find the products they want at the price they are willing to pay-without having to traipse all over the Internet to find the best deals! I have been searching for months for a specific Vera Bradley purse. I put the information in the ShopWiki search engine and it returned several stores with great deals on the bag I've been looking for. I found out that I can get the $40 purse for only $20 from a reputable store I hadn't ever bothered for it at! You don't have to be in the US to use ShopWiki either, they are expanding into the European nations too. You can visit ShopWiki for the UK,  France and Germany. Please tell your friends about this great resource and let it take some of the stress out of this holiday shopping season. http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/CindyS/739968/ Wed, 28 Oct 2009 09:44:00 -0500 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/CindyS/739968/ I'm one of the worship vocalists at Journey Church in Bradenton, FL. I know that God uses music to prepare the hearts of His people to hear His Words. He loves when His people lavish Him with praise and thanksgiving for what He's done and worship Him for who He is. We all have different musical tastes but to me, when it comes to worship music the lyrics are what matter most. Today we sang a very powerful song, I have heard it occasionally over the last year or so but this was our first time leading the congregation in the singing of this song. The words to this song are so powerful and true, transparent and honest that-to truly sing it from your heart you must surrender yourself totally to the will of God. The song is "Where You Go I'll Go" by Brian and Jenn Johnson. Here are the lyrics. Chorus: Where you go I'll go What you say I'll say, God What you pray I'll pray  What you pray I'll pray Verse: Jesus only did what he saw You do He would only say what he heard You speak He would only move when he felt You lead Following your heart following Your spirit Pre chorus: How could I expect to walk without You When every move that Jesus made was in surrender I will not begin to live without You For You alone are worthy and You are always good Bridge: Though the world sees and soon forgets We will not forget who You are and what You’ve done for us What You've done for us Since many of you may not know this powerful song, I'm including a link to a video of Kim Walker and Jesus Culture leading this song in a worship service. I hope this blesses and challenges you as it has me. Please leave me a comment and let me know your thoughts. http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/CindyS/739138/ Sun, 25 Oct 2009 18:06:00 -0500 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/CindyS/739138/ NetSpend is one of the leading providers of reloadable prepaid debit cards services in the United States. The company's debit cards enable virtually anyone to make purchases, pay bills, secure reservations, and shop online without the need for a bank account or credit history.NetSpend has one of the most convenient and accessible retail networks in the country, including more than 30,000 card purchase locations and a total of approximately 90,000 debit card reload locations. I feel this is a great way to start teaching our teens how to use a debit card without the fear of overdraft fees and penalties. In this day and age most people carry little cash and use their debit cards for their purchases. NetSpend allows your teen the convenience of a debit card without the hassles of a traditional card. If you would like more information on the NetSpend prepaid visa mastercardclick the link. http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/CindyS/726909/ Mon, 14 Sep 2009 19:18:00 -0500 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/CindyS/726909/ As an American I am very proud of The American Adventure at Epcot. I wish every American would enter that pavilion and truly drink in the message of what our country was created to be. A strong, independent republic. One of the most moving elements for me is the song "Golden Dreams" so, I am going to share the powerful song with you. Click on the title to hear the song. Golden Dreams-The American Adventure America, spread your golden wings Sail on freedom's wind, across the sky. Great bird, with your golden dreams flying high, flying high. Restless one in a world of change, keeping dreams aloft in the rain. Spirit free, soaring through the clouds of time, of time. America, you must keep dreaming now Dreaming the promised vow of your pioneers America, keep on flying now. Keep your spirit free. Facing new frontiers. America, spread your golden wings Sail on freedom's wind across the sky. Great bird with your golden dreams, Flying high, flying high, Flying high, flying high! http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/CindyS/719166/ Thu, 20 Aug 2009 15:07:00 -0500 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/CindyS/719166/