Homegrown Thoughts - Homeschool Blogger

Book Review: The Noticer, by Andy Andrews

Mon, 27 Apr 2009 16:19:00 -0500

This little book, under 200 pages, packs a powerful punch.

It is the story of a man named Jones, who comes to a small beach town in Alabama and quietly turns many of the residents’ lives upside-down.

The story begins with Jones meeting the author of the book at a low point in his life. Jones gives the author some tough advice and his story is followed throughout the book. His is not the only life that is touched, however. Jones comes into many lives and seems to know just the right thing to say or to suggest to alter their perspective to what it needs to be to solve their particular problems.

There are many layers to this book, pulling from several schools of thought that I’ve been exposed to recently. It hits on some of the basic principles of these, applying them to each character’s situation. The ‘answer’ is not the same for every person, but the main way to get there is through a change of perspective. We all have filters we see life through and sometimes our filters aren’t working in a way that is best for us. Sometimes our filters are actually blinders. Once we are aware of this, we can work to adjust our perspective to one of truth rather than the lies we may believe.

This book is a nice little read, getting the point across with an enjoyable story line. I would recommend this book to anyone, as I imagine its message would apply to nearly everyone. It’s worth a few hours of your time to read.

Hey, I was just on a podcast!

Thu, 2 Apr 2009 14:06:00 -0500

Heather and I discussed the CPSIA on the Grace Talk podcast this morning and you can listen to it right here!

Click on the arrow next to "Select a past episode," and choose "CPSIA meets Dr. Seuss..." It should load and stream from there.

If this doesn't work for you, you can also download the .mp3 file here!

It's Iditarod Time!

Sun, 8 Mar 2009 22:48:00 -0500

Think these dogs have an easy life? I can assure you they don't! I thought this picture was so cool, I had to include it. I love Malamutes and Huskies. I would have one if I could. (And yes, I do realize that I want one of *every* animal, but they are near the top of my long list.)

Anyway, I wanted to let everybody know that I've added our Sled Dog Lapbook to my site. I've posted some pictures of the lapbook my son made, along with some ideas and links to make your own lapbook. We had fun making this one!

Check out our Sled Dog Lapbook.

Pi Day is nearly upon us!

Sat, 7 Mar 2009 21:55:00 -0600

Don't know what Pi Day is? Well, think of the number for pi...3.14... Yes, it's March 14 each year.

I just wrote an article with ideas for celebrating Pi Day. Go take a look and you might find something fun to do! Let me know if you do any of the activities, while you're at it. :-)

Happy Pi Day!

The Dynamic Duo takes on Snopes!

Tue, 3 Mar 2009 13:22:00 -0600

It’s an embarrassment of riches, I know, but Heather and I have again collaborated on a Seussish tale. This time we target Snopes.com. You can read our latest effort here.

Tags: Seuss, CPSIA, Snopes, poetry

Seuss Meets the CPSIA (call for help!)

Thu, 26 Feb 2009 23:19:00 -0600

We need help with a fun project! Please read, vote and ask others to do the same. We really appreciate it!

http://www.homegrownhearts.com/blog/2009/seuss-meets-cpsia/

So, this is what it's like to go 'viral'...

Sun, 22 Feb 2009 14:11:00 -0600

This has been a crazy last few days. As some of you may know, my friend Heather Idoni and I collaborated on a story poem about the CPSIA in a Dr. Seuss style. In just a couple of days, this story has been picked up by Twitter, CPSIA groups and who knows what else. I guess people like it!

Just in case you haven't read it yet, here is a little snippet:

In the town of Beddubble, far out on the Moor,
there lived a small tot, who was not more than four.

Little Annabelle Ruth (her close friends would recall)
had swallowed the string from a dilly-dunk ball.

You can read the rest here!

Our sudden fame, if you can call it that, has been pretty overwhelming and so much fun! Also, let this be a warning to you - when Heather and I take on a project together, *something* is bound to happen. I'm also pretty happy that my poetry skills honed on birthday greetings amongst the staff at The Old Schoolhouse magazine have finally come in handy for something!

Now, what shall our next project be, I wonder...

Technorati Tags: CPSIA, Seuss, poetry

Jeremy Camp�s Latest Album - a great deal!

Fri, 9 Jan 2009 10:20:00 -0600

This is an Amazon Friday deal, so act today if you want it.

You can get Jeremy Camp’s latest release for only $5.00! This is an mp3 download of the entire album.

I thought I’d share this information for anybody who might be interested!

I believe� (not what you�re expecting)

Mon, 22 Dec 2008 14:43:00 -0600

No, this is not a Santa Claus post. It’s not even a Jesus post. This, my friends, is a bit of a Christmas rant. After a few weeks of shopping online and in stores, waiting for deliveries and wrapping gifts, I have a few things I believe that I want to get off my chest.

I believe…that all products that might have even the slightest possibility of becoming a gift be packaged in squares or rectangles. These blister packs with bumps coming out all over are murder to wrap and I think they should just knock it off.

I believe…that all wrapping paper should have cutting grids printed on the back side. I had some like that once upon a time and it was awesome. I can’t cut straight unless I have a guide. Give me some guidance!

I believe…that Amazon should refund the difference when a price decreases within, say, a week after I buy an item. No, I don’t want to pay extra if the price goes up. I just want to stop having that feeling that I have failed because I only saved 37% on an item that is now 39% off. I hate that.

I believe…that Christmas light manufacturs should provide free technical support at my home. Send somebody over here to figure out what one light in my string is making the whole thing not work. Seriously. This happens to me every year on different strings, even new ones, and quite frankly I’m not amused.

I believe…that hot cider and/or hot cocoa serving cups should have heat activated color-coding so we can tell if it’s comfortingly warm or tooth enamel meltingly hot. Every time I try to drink a hot Christmas drink I end up with 3rd degree burns on my tongue and can’t taste anything for the rest of the day. And that’s just wrong in this season of sweets and treats.

I believe…that there should be a special wrapping paper tape that will only stick to paper - not carpet, hair, clothing, hard-surface flooring, walls, doors, socks, pets or itself. Is that really asking so much?

I believe…that those candy cane shaped tubes of M&M’s that we used to get for Christmas as kids should not cost over $3.00. What, are there like 2 packages worth in there, and you’re charging me 3 times as much as they’d cost if they weren’t in the tube? That sure is some expensive plastic.

I believe…that pre-lit trees should be legally mandated so my husband will let me get one and I can save about 3 hours each year of contorting myself to get strings of lights on and off the tree.

I believe…that the postal service should track packages online as well as UPS and FedEx do. I want to know when my holiday purchases are going to arrive, regardless of who is delivering it. I’m still waiting for 2 packages that should have been here last week and I have no idea where they are or if they’ll get here before Christmas. Give me GPS coordinates on them or something.

I think that’s about it for now. I really am enjoying the Christmas season despite these little hiccups and hope all of you are too. Please share some of the things you believe about this season in the comments!

Music Share: One of my favorite Christmas songs

Fri, 19 Dec 2008 14:54:00 -0600

I know this is an oldie, but it’s a goodie. The video is pretty well done, too! I present to you a few minutes of quiet contemplation…

It strikes a chord in this mom’s heart. I hope you enjoyed the video and that it helps you reflect on the reason we celebrate.