Scribblings from a twenty-year homeschool veteran about homeschooling, life after homeschooling, occasional peeks into the world of writing for children, and the ups and downs of life in general.
My friend and fellow product reviewer from TOS, Heidi Straswer (Reviews by Heidi) sent this and asked me to spread the good news. It's such a good deal that I now wish I hadn't renewed my subscription last July! Wow! This is quite the savings! Read on . . .
The Old Schoolhouse® Magazine is having an amazing sale on subscriptions during their annualBlack Friday Sale November 26 – 30. For those 5 days only, they are drastically reducing their one-year subscription price to $7.95! That's the price you would usually pay for just one issue at a bookstore!
This is their lowest price ever on the magazine and they want all of you to take advantage of this offer and share the info with your friends.
Please don't miss out. Your one-year subscription will pay for itself time and time again as you receive practical tips and Biblical encouragement to keep going strong in your commitment to homeschooling and to the Lord. Since it's a quarterly magazine, they even have a monthly subscriber's only E-Newsletter called Teacher's Toolbox that will give you seasonal teaching ideas and a free E-Book download! It's like joining a unit study of the month club! The free E-Books alone are valued at almost $250/year. It's really perfect for people who are homeschooling on a shoestring or just wanting to add in some little extras to your teaching.
Plus during the Black Friday Sale, they have all kind of bonus gifts when you spend $50, $75, $100, or $150. Some are electronic downloads that you can download immediately, while other are physical products mailed from various vendors directly to your home.
AND, their Win Big Contest is going on so if you just happen to be customer 67,000, you will receive a prize package valued at almost $500 which includes a $150 gift certificate to the Schoolhouse Store! Who couldn't use that? And you can qualify to win it no matter how much or how little you spend!
Mark your calendars for November 26 - 30th and do a little shopping from your seat, not your feet at the Schoolhouse Store's Black Friday Sale!
Friday Show and Tell with Mary is fun! Join us!
I've been so busy designing and "playing" with a new website template that I've been a slacker in the blogging department lately. But this site is so fun, and you can try it FREE for 30 days. After that it's $4.99/month for 5 web pages. (I pay more because of course I just had to have more pages to play with). But it is SO worth it. You either use their templates and customize or you can download the full Site Builder (free of course!) and make up your own, which is what I did. Here is the website hosting company: www.homestead.com.
And here is my new and improved website. Check it out here, please do! Click on the graphic:
The only thing I couldn't do was have a store to sell my books. (It would cost me $20/mo. to do Paypal on my website! Yikes! Forget it.) So I created a "Suzy's Store" right here on HSB! I think anybody who has some stuff to sell (like Mary or Valerie) should look into this. You just go to PayPal, grab the HTML code for the "add to cart" button you create, and then stick it into an entry post using the "source" option. It cost me nothing. I created a new blog under SuzyScribbles and used the "crayola" template because it is easy to change. Click the graphic, folks:
And that's my Show and Tell for this week. I hope it was interesting and you got some ideas to use HSB for some business ventures in these trying times. I know it works, too, because somebody ordered a couple of books this week using my new PayPal store. Yippee!
Oh, dear! A spur-of-the-moment creative assignment. I'm not sure I'm up to this, but we'll give it a try. Here's the assignment: Post the category that best describes each of your family members and write something about why you nominated them in that category. You’re welcome to post photos.
I'll bypass my kids and go right to the grandkids for now.
The "James Herriott " award goes to Kevan. He loves "all creatures great and small," from spiders to praying mantises. His collection of bugs---dead and alive---drives my daughter (his mama) nuts.
The "Clone" award goes to Julianna, who is truly the spitting image of her mother, my daughter. It's downright scary. Her personality is identical, also.
The "Highest Vocabulary" award goes to Kaetlyn, who at 5 has a comeback for everything, when you least expect it. Example (and I quote): "My teacher says that independent reading builds stamina." And she knows what the words mean. My son is getting "pay back" now. She keeps him on his toes.
The "Cuddle Bug" award goes to Levi, who can melt your heart with his big brown eyes.
The "Wild Girl" award goes to Ellianna, who is not the little "princess" her mother (my DD) was expecting. She loves slugs, running in the mud, roughhousing with her older brothers, and in general acting in a very un-princess-like way. She is her grandma's clone!
The "Life is Serious" award goes to my oldest grandson, Nathan. Like many first-born sons, he takes his role as the boss of his 5 younger siblings seriously. Is it no wonder that he and Ellie clash constantly?
The "Star Wars" award goes to Justan. Not because he loves Star Wars so much but because he often has "Star Wars" moments---off in some galaxy of his own. "Earth to Justan, come in." Focus, boy. Focus. Happy all the time.
The "Littlest Angel" award goes to Baby Christian, with the auspicious birth date of: 08-08-08.
Does it get any better than that? To my shame, I can't find any recent pictures of this angel.
Join Mary's S&T by clicking the graphic!
My DD is nothing if she's not efficient. She has her new family picture and I was the lucky recipient of a few pictures. She even has her Christmas card photos in hand. So I'm sharing that picture today. Now, as soon as my DS and his family get their family photos then I will share those with you, too!
Oh, rats! I got this graphic too small. Oh, well. It still clicks so you can visit all kinds of memoirs from frazzled home school moms (and grandmas like me). Speaking of which, as soon as I post this I have to get out the letter "D" for Justan and Kevan's reading lesson tomorrow morning.
But I digress . . . This week we are asked to share what our “Mom” help is. (aka "escape" time). Well, after glancing over the "Me Time is a Myth" in the most recent TOS magazine, I hesitate to confess to any "escape" rituals. But a little breather? Totally different, right?
I have a few. The main one that comes to mind is . . .
1) When I was homeschooling full-time, after the kids went to bed and the evening was "mine," I escaped to my computer and wrote stories. You can't imagine that I thought up all those books just recently! No, indeed. They are the culmination of many years of writing in the late evenings. That is MY escape. I truly believe that if there had been blogging back in the 90s and early 2000s, I would never, never have ended up a published author. I would have been blogging!
2) A DVD and a bowl of ice cream (Moose Tracks or Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough). An episode of Stargate or Stargate Atlantis works for me or even an old Big Valley episode. There's something about watching a movie that makes me relax.
3) A good book (I'm reading The Hiding Place right now) and about 6 chocolate chip cookies.
4) And I love to tweak and play with my templates on HSB and on my website. Very relaxing but the time gets away from me!
A favorite verse that helps me focus on resting in the Lord: "They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength. They shall mount up with wings like eagles. They shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint." Isaiah 40:31
Show and Tell with Mary! Click on the graphic for more.
I don't know if Mary is doing the bazaar circuit this holiday season for her lovely jewelry, but I decided to try 3 bazaars this year. (I was in a location with some jewelry at the table nearby, but not so lovely as Mary's!).
I haven't decided yet if I like bazaars or not. The first one was rather slow (for all the vendors), but with the economy like it is, I'm not surprised. I did OK and made a lot of new reader "friends," but whether I enjoy spending the entire rainy day hocking my wares remains to be seen. I have two more bazaars coming up. I will then evaluate and see if this is a good way to make a little money as well as "get the word out" about my books. As you can see, I dressed the part. That is even a horse blouse under my vest. LOL
The guy next to me in the picture was selling wonderfully smelling candles, but most of the time he spent reading his comic book. Poor fellow! He was filling in for his wife, who was doing a different bazaar. What a guy!
If nothing else, the bazaar folks sure feed you well (for a price), there are kids everywhere (this was at Holy Family School), and lots of activities for young and old.
If you live in the Seattle area and want to drop by and say "howdy," visit Messiah Lutheran Church in Auburn, November 15, or Seattle Christian School in SeaTac on December 6.
This is great! I'm excited to share what I think is a fantastic way to help the little kids learn their "fact families" in a fun and easy way. And it works! Here's what you need:
1) One deck of standard playing cards.
2) One child, age 7 and up
*******************
Here's what you do:
1) Remove all the face cards (Jacks, Queens, and Kings)
2) Explain to your child that the Ace is the same as the number 1
3) Decide which "fact families" you want to work with that day. I call this game "MAKE 5" or "MAKE 6" or whichever fact family I want to drill for the day.
For example, let's say I want to work on all the "fact families" for 8. I find all the cards in the deck---Aces through # 8. Then I shuffle those cards only and deal them out between my child and me. We stack the cards in a pile in front of each of us (this game played best on the floor).
Next, my child picks the card on top of his pile and lays it face up between us. Then I do the same with a card of my own. If the 2 cards "make 8" (like a 5 and a 3), whoever slams their hand down first gets both cards. If the cards are say a 4 and a 2, they don't "make 8" and we leave them alone. Then the child adds a new card to the face-up line and quickly sees if THAT card can match any of the others already exposed to "make 8." (I fake it and let my child get a head start on figuring it out. In the beginning, it takes them a while to make the connection). If they hesitate too long, I grab the matching cards.
The kids LOVE this game! We start with "make 5" which is pretty easy. And it goes all the way to "make 10" eventually. The beauty of this game is that they end up "seeing" the fact families and stop adding in their heads. They associate certain numbers (like 4 and 3) to a "7." Better than flashcards, I tell you!
Hope this has given you a practical and fun game. They beg to play it, and want to play it over and over again!
What a great Homeschool Memoir theme this week! We're to share about a favorite field trip.
Oh, dear! Where do begin . . .
This is one of my personal favorites. We've been here twice, and each time it is memorable!
WARNING: If you’re afraid of the dark, do NOT read this entry! If you don’t like cold breezy places, do NOT read this entry! If you want to find out about apes living in caves, you won’t learn it from this blog. However, if you are full of adventure, like to explore deep, dark interesting places, or love to read about volcanoes, today's blog entry is for you. It’s all about lava tubes.
Lava tubes? Volcanoes? Ape Cave? Is there a connection here? The answer is: YES! The Ape Cave is the name of the longest lava tube in North America and the second longest lava tube in the world. You can visit this underground wonder at Mt. St. Helens. Yes, that's the volcano that erupted on May 18, 1980. Lots of people visit the remains of what was once a perfect, snow-capped "ice cream cone" mountain in SW Washington.
Mt. St. Helens before the 1980 eruption
Mt. St. Helens after the 1980 eruption
Fewer travel to the south side of St. Helens and stroll into the mouth of a huge cave, down a path, and descend 40 feet of metal stairs to "monkey around" in the dark, hollowed-out remains of a tunnel once filled with lava! The lava shot through the tube so fast that it left behind the hardened, round shell of cooled lava--just like a straw.
Gulp! The entrance to the Ape Cave. It's always 42 degrees down there--summer or winter.
In addition, the lava caught the surrounding forest on fire, but the lava hardened before the trees burned up, so there are "mini" lava tubes throughout the forest.
Andrew loves going inside the Ape Cave, but Ryan is less certain.
However, Ryan loves the "mini" lava tubes (where the tree trunks used to be).
This is part of the 2 and 1/2 mile long Ape Cave. Looks light? Look again. This is a stock photo. The Ape Cave gives new meaning to the biblical verses about being "...cast into outer darkness, where there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth." Believe me, Ryan was doing his share of teeth-gnashing and actually refused to go down the second time we visited the Ape Cave. There is no place blacker in all the earth than being here with our Coleman lantern turned off. When Jesus talked about being the Light of the world, I wonder if He was comparing the darkness of the world with a place as black as the Ape Cave lava tube . You don't realize that we never truly experience a total absence of light in our daily lives!
So if you ever get the opportunity to visit Mt. St. Helens, take the time to drive to the south side and visit the Ape Cave.
Oh...and the name? A local boy scout troop who were the first to explore the cave named it after themselves (The Mt. St. Helens Apes). Where they got their troop name is another story....
This is going to be a fun memoir! Assignment: "Write 10 interesting, crazy, weird, fun facts about you. Include facts about you as a woman, a wife, a mommy, a homeschooler, a homekeeper, a taxi-driver, a cook, etc. "
1. I took a .22 pistol and shot at a coyote who was carrying off our chickens. I shot 4 times. I missed 4 times. He was watching me from about 20 feet away. For a good laugh, you can read the entire humiliating story on my homestead blog by clicking this link: COYOTES and CHICKENS and KIDS, OH, MY!
2. I am a first-generation Star Trek fan. Beam me up, Scotty!
3. I have a rattlesnake's rattle in my Treasure Box. I went horseback riding at Sun Lakes State Park, and our guide heard the rattling, killed the snake, and cut off the rattle for me. I stuck the bloody thing in the pocket of my white jeans. Read more about that adventure by clicking the link: BE CAREFUL WHAT YOU WISH FOR...
4. I wrote my first story when I was 10 years old called "Up to Mars," and my current kids' series 15 years ago. I never let anyone read my stories. I didn't really want to be published, but somehow God didn't let me hide in a corner forever. It makes me squirmy to see my name on a book.
5. My favorite expression is: "Eternity--the Ultimate Adventure."
6. I'd rather get up in front of 300 children in a school assembly and talk about books and writing for an hour (that's fun!) than talk on the phone for a 10-minute radio interview. (This is fresh on my mind because I have to do a radio interview next Tuesday. Prayers would be appreciated.) This qualifies as the "weird" part of this assignment because my DH says I'm crazy to worry about this!
7. All 8 of our grandchildren live across the street (two families).
8. My favorite book is Heaven, by Randy Alcorn. "Live each day in light of eternity."
9. We've lived in the same house for over 30 years. It still doesn't have a deck built outside the sliding glass door of our bedroom. (Watch that first step!) House decorating bores me. "A tent or a cottage, why should I care? He's building a mansion for me over there . . ."
10. (This one's for Heather): Stargate SG-1 is (was) my favorite TV show. Alas, it is retired to reruns now.
Yikes! It's 1:30 pm (PT) and I just realized that I forgot about S&T! Thank goodness my parent helper took pictures of my 3rd-5th grade writing class at the co-op today. S&T is not a lost cause today!
I want you to meet this energetic bunch. Thirteen in all (7 boys and 6 girls), and all eager to share . . . everything they write each week.
Of course they naturally segregate: Girls at one table; boys at the other. Nobody told them to do this.
It takes half the class period to give everyone a chance to share (well, not really, but I do have to cut them off).
J reads the words that "show" the feeling his group had to write about. Looks like most can guess which feeling. Good word choices, J! (There I am, standing against that in-your-face wall, savoring the moment when they "get it.")
I love my two classes. The older group (grades 6-8) are quite a talented group. There are only 8 of them, so we get TONS of stuff done each week, with plenty of time to share. To see the lessons I'm teaching, go here: Suzy's Writing Corner
To my shame, I can't find any recent pictures of this angel. 
The whole clan all decked out for the holidays.
As you can see, I dressed the part. That is even a horse blouse under my vest. LOL
You can visit this underground wonder at Mt. St. Helens. Yes, that's the volcano that erupted on May 18, 1980. Lots of people visit the remains of what was once a perfect, snow-capped "ice cream cone" mountain in SW Washington. 
Mt. St. Helens before the 1980 eruption
Mt. St. Helens after the 1980 eruption
Gulp! The entrance to the Ape Cave. It's always 42 degrees down there--summer or winter. 
Andrew loves going inside the Ape Cave, but Ryan is less certain.
However, Ryan loves the "mini" lava tubes (where the tree trunks used to be).
This is part of the 2 and 1/2 mile long Ape Cave. Looks light? Look again. This is a stock photo. The Ape Cave gives new meaning to the biblical verses about being "...cast into outer darkness, where there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth." Believe me, Ryan was doing his share of teeth-gnashing and actually refused to go down the second time we visited the Ape Cave. There is no place blacker in all the earth than being here with our Coleman lantern turned off. When Jesus talked about being the Light of the world, I wonder if He was comparing the darkness of the world with a place as black as the Ape Cave lava tube . You don't realize that we never truly experience a total absence of light in our daily lives!
