'16 speakers who encourage homeschooling'

The wise ole' homeschool loving people over at the Old Schoolhouse Magazine have done it again!! All I can say is, "What a great idea!!! A homeschool convention in the convenience of our own homes! No worrying about travel expenses, directions, trying to talk someone into watching the children (tongue in cheek!) or trying to decide what sessions to attend and which you won't mind skipping!! No drafty rooms, crowds or headaches!! This is a homeschooler's dream come true!! I am talking to hubby in the a.m. to see if we can sign up for this because it is too awesome to pass up!!"

Hope you all (well, those of you that homeschool) find it just as exciting!!!

PennyRaine.com

This lovely lady has some awesome items available at her website!!! You need to check it out! She has ebooks about how to make an awesomely delish chicken n' dumplings, pizza, deoderant (just purchased that one!!), donuts, bread, laundry soap and much, much more!!! These are all homemade items so they are healthier (maybe not the donuts) and better for you!! Right now she has an awesome $75 giveaway going on!!! Check her out!!!
Click on the title to be taken to her blog!!! Happy searching!!!

Homeschool Freebie of the Day

Today we have for you three classic old time radio programs about Easter… excellent for family listening this week. Enjoy!

The Passion, Death & Resurrection

A great dramatic interpretation of the scriptural story of the Passion, Death and Resurrection of Christ. This program follows the scriptural story quite faithfully, and much of the script for this drama IS scripture. This is a moving retelling of this greatest of all stories, and was originally broadcast on Family Theatre on April 17, 1957.

The Son of Man

Another wonderful Easter program! This episode of the CBS Radio Workshop from April 21, 1957 is the story of the crucifixion and resurrection — told entirely using KJV Scripture readings from all four of the Gospels. Portions from each Gospel are read by different actors, so you've got Robert Young ("Father Knows Best") reading from Matthew, Herbert Marshall reading from Mark, Victor Jory reading from Luke, and Vincent Price reading from John. Raymond Burr is the host & narrator. Music is by Bach.

Bonus Program: The Great Gildersleeve – Easter Sunrise Service

Finally, we make a return visit to The Great Gildersleeve's household where preparations are being made to attend the annual Easter Sunrise Service. A delightful seasonal episode of this classic family comedy, with an unexpectedly moving finale. Enjoy!

Lemonade

The home-ec. lesson for the week was this delicious homemade lemonade. Big Sis helped me this time and really enjoyed it. I had been telling her for quite some time that we would make lemonade but never got around to it. I finally purchased the lemons yet it still took me a week to get around to it. (My poor children are learning a lot about patience in having me for a Mother!!)

Anyway, we have made lemonade in the past but I couldn't remember the recipe so I googled it and found this great site. We started right away and I have to say that we did tweak the recipe a little. I didn't want it too sweet so we reduced the amount of sugar by 1/4 and after taking the picture I added almost two more cups of water because I thought it was still too sweet. The recipe was a great starting point though.

The children are desperatly wanting to run a lemonade stand in the summer so this might just be the recipe to keep on hand for that. (If Mom can ever get around to actually letting them have a lemonade stand!!!)

Perfect Lemonade

Ingredients:

1 c. sugar (I used 3/4)
1 cup water (for the simple syrup)
1 cup lemon juice
3 to 4 cups cold water (to dilute;I added 1 3/4 more after all was said and done)

Method:
Make simple syrup by heating the sugar and water in a small saucepan until the sugar is dissolved completely.

While the sugar is dissolving, use a juicer (I did this by hand-no juicer in house!) to extract the juice from 4 to 6 lemons, enough for one cup of juice.

Add the juice and the sugar water to a pitcher. Add 3 to 4 cups of cold water, more or less to the desired strength (I added more). Refrigerate 30 to 40 minutes. If the lemonade is a little sweet for your taste, add a little more straight lemon juice to it.

Serve with ice, sliced lemons.

Serves 6.

Bible Memory

We have been working for quite some time on memorizing John 14:1-6 with the girls. They have had it memorized for about 3 weeks now it has just taken me that long to record them reciting it!! The videos are not the greatest quality - maybe Mr. Mac can help me work on that when he gets home?! Here they are!!

A picture is worth a thousand words

Big Sis came back from her class at church last night with this picture and I just LOVED it! I asked her what she had drawn and this is what she told me, "This is Joshua (in the middle) that other guy is just a man carrying the ark of the covenant and that is me, blowing the trumpet." It's a scene from the march around the wall of Jericho - with herself included.
So cute!!! She did such a great job I thought I'd share it with you!

You know I often worry because when it comes to expressing or explaining things verbally my kiddos struggle...quite a bit. We've started to really work on that with narration (the Charlotte Mason way) but they are very strong communicators when it comes to drawing what they're thinking about! Maybe this is a gift that the Lord can and will use in their future?!

At any rate I'm proud of their efforts and have bundles of pictures saved up for me to look over in my later years!!

Homeschool Freebie of the Day

GOLDEN DEEDS: Picture Stories of Heroes from History for Little Readers (PDF ebook) - Today's resource is this great little collection of one page retellings of heroic and unusual stories from throughout history, well illustrated for younger readers. Included are the stories of Horatius at the Bridge, Catherine Douglas, William Tell, Damon & Pythias, Casabianca, and several more.

I read through a couple of these stories and they seem to be pretty well done! They are quite short so they would be perfect for little ones. I think my four year old son would enjoy some of them! I hope that you all can use this!

Homeschool Freebie of the Day

By Pike and Dyke by G. A. Henty (mp3 Audiobook) - It is the 1570's, and the people of the Netherlands live in terror under the cruel dominion of Spain. Though many long to be free of Spanish tyranny, efforts at rebellion are failing, and allies are nowhere to be found. Edward “Ned” Martin, son of an English captain and a Dutch lady, is thrust into the conflict when he resolves to help his mother’s people and avenge his murdered relatives. Entering the service of the revolutionary leader William the Silent, Prince of Orange, Ned is called upon to carry out dangerous secret missions deep within occupied territory. Through hairbreadth escapes, fierce sea fights, terrifying sieges, and daring rescues, Ned becomes a witness to the inspiring and heartbreaking events of the rise of the Dutch republic.

Courtesy of Librivox.org, you can download and enjoy this complete, unabridged audio reading of one of Henty's best historical adventure novels – over 10 hours in length! VERY well read by David Leeson, and highly recommended!

Received this from a yahoo group that I am a part of. Looks kind of interesting. And it's FREE!! I'm thinking that homeschools must be registered through the state.

Thought I'd pass this info along...

America The Story of US — premiering on HISTORY™ April 25 at 9pm/8c — is a six week event that provides a fascinating look at the stories of the people, events, and innovations that forged our nation. It will provide you with an unprecedented opportunity to bring our nation’s history to life for your students. This 12-hour series will be supported by educational materials tied to curriculum standards and is copyright cleared for Fair Use in the classroom by instructors or pupils in the course of face-to-face teaching activities.

* HISTORY is offering America The Story of US on DVD to every school in the United States. School must be an accredited public, private or home school, grades K-12 and college. In order to receive your school's DVD, your school principal (grades K-12) or Dean of Students (college) should fill out the request form below. HISTORY strictly limits each school to one request. DVD requests must be made prior to July 1, 2010. DVDs will be mailed around August 2010, and free shipping is included in this offer.

Homeschool Freebie of the Day

This looks like something great!

THE MERCHANT MAIDEN: Earning an Income Without Compromising Convictions by Crystal Paine with Esther Clark (PDF ebook)- Drawing upon personal experience, in this ebook Crystal Paine encourages young women and their families with Scripture, advice, suggestions, personal testimonies, wisdom, and practical ideas. Not just for unmarried women, this booklet is a treasure trove of information for any woman who desires to earn an income while still being a "keeper at home." Crystal presents a scriptural profile of a "Keeper at Home", and shares her own testimony of God's leading in her early training and (then) current business. She then presents a selection of over two dozen very practical and ingenious business & service ideas (with several "hands on" quotes from mothers and daughters who are involved in these enterprises), along with a 10-step plan of action for getting your business off the ground. A concise, compelling, and inspirational idea starter that will be helpful to ladies young and old alike.

If this interests you click on the title and download it! Not much time left!!

Changing the course of history

YOU ARE CHANGING THE COURSE OF HISTORY


When the sink is full of dirty dishes only minutes after you cleaned the kitchen,
realize this--You are changing the course of history.

When you emulate the Proverbs 31 woman and your lamp truly did not go out the night before because of a sick child,
know this--You are changing the course of history.

When that new outfit that you spent three weeks sewing for your dear child is stained and ruined three days later,
remember this--You are changing the course of history.

When the house is falling apart, company is on the way and Dear Husband doesn't see your need for a helping hand,
take hold of this--You are changing the course of history.

When you discover that the perfect curriculum you spent too much money on is NOT so perfect and your child is crying over her lessons,
be encouraged with this--You are changing the course of history.

When your children scored low on the CAT or SAT, ABC, or the XYZ and the relatives and neighbors are convinced that you are ruining your children's lives,
believe this--You are changing the course of history.

When you're tempted to send them off to the new little private school down the road that is offering a wonderful discount,
understand this--You are changing the course of history.

When the 'high school' years loom over you like a specter and you realize you are inadequate for the job,
don't forget this--You are changing the course of history.

When you feel you have searched the city and still can't find a kindred heart who shares your passion,
listen to this-- You are changing the course of history.

When your quiver is full but at 4O plus years of age you realize another arrow is headed your way,
be thankful in this--You are changing the course of history!


...and through it all, The One who sees all, quietly whispers in a loving voice, "I know, my Daughter. I know."

Listen and you will hear.

First day of Spring

It is finally here!!! FINALLY!!!! It is SPRING!!! We have been anticipating this day for soooooooooooooo long! We have had an unusually cold and snowy winter here in NC so the change in weather is more than welcome!!!

We are also excited because we have decided to FINALLY start the garden that we have been talking about for years!! We couldn't have started it on a more beautiful day either! Check out that beautiful Carolina blue sky!!!

Mr. Mac took Brother Mac this morning to go and rent the tiller and pick up a load of soil and compost. This part of NC is ridden with that hard clay soil!! NOT the best gardening soil I'm learning so we had to pick up some fillers for our ground. Here's the pictures.

Our clay dirt!

What the store calls "Gardener's Choice" soil!

This was their "Father/Son Outing" for the weekend. No, they don't do something together like that every weekend but Brother Mac has been in need of some alone time with Daddy lately so this was a perfect opportunity!!

Helping Daddy put the soil on the garden.

Mr. Mac has worked so hard today! Look at the progress of his labor!!

All of the kids had a great time playing in the truck bed with all of that "black gold!!" Check them out!

We are still trying to figure out what exactly we are going to plant. We are novices at best so this going to take some thought and a little more planning! We've a busy week ahead of us!!

As for my work for the first day of spring; no, I didn't just walk around snapping pictures today! The girls and I have been busy cooking up our St. Patty's/First day of Spring/Thank you Daddy for all your hard work meal!! What's on the menu?! Nothing special...

Corned Beef Brisket
Irish Soda Bread
Chocolate cupcakes with surprise candy centers and green frosting
Lime jello jiggler eggs

Flowers from the girls!

"Irish surprise cupcakes"

Irish Soda Bread...Yum!!

It took a while to get this all done but it was DELICIOUS!!! (Although I wasn't sure if the brisket was suppose to be pinkish or not so we have actually eaten the meal without the meat so that it could cook longer. Upon finding out that it is suppose to be a little pink we packed it up and put it in the fridge for Sunday lunch!)

It has been a busy but lovely day! Biggest Mac said at one point, "This is the best day ever!!" I've noticed that she says that whenever she is very excited and happy!!!

So, what have you done with your First day of Spring?




Thanks for stopping by!!
Mama Mac

First day of Spring

It is finally here!!! FINALLY!!!! It is SPRING!!! We have been anticipating this day for soooooooooooooo long! We have had an unusually cold and snowy winter here in NC so the change in weather is more than welcome!!!

We are also excited because we have decided to FINALLY start the garden that we have been talking about for years!! We couldn't have started it on a more beautiful day either! Check out that beautiful Carolina blue sky!!!

Mr. Mac took Brother Mac this morning to go and rent the tiller and pick up a load of soil and compost. This part of NC is ridden with that hard clay soil!! NOT the best gardening soil I'm learning so we had to pick up some fillers for our ground. Here's the pictures.

Our clay dirt!

What the store calls "Gardener's Choice" soil!

This was their "Father/Son Outing" for the weekend. No, they don't do something together like that every weekend but Brother Mac has been in need of some alone time with Daddy lately so this was a perfect opportunity!!

Helping Daddy put the soil on the garden.

Mr. Mac has worked so hard today! Look at the progress of his labor!!

All of the kids had a great time playing in the truck bed with all of that "black gold!!" Check them out!

We are still trying to figure out what exactly we are going to plant. We are novices at best so this going to take some thought and a little more planning! We've a busy week ahead of us!!

As for my work for the first day of spring; no, I didn't just walk around snapping pictures today! The girls and I have been busy cooking up our St. Patty's/First day of Spring/Thank you Daddy for all your hard work meal!! What's on the menu?! Nothing special...

Corned Beef Brisket
Irish Soda Bread
Chocolate cupcakes with surprise candy centers and green frosting
Lime jello jiggler eggs

Flowers from the girls!

"Irish surprise cupcakes"

Irish Soda Bread...Yum!!

It took a while to get this all done but it was DELICIOUS!!! (Although I wasn't sure if the brisket was suppose to be pinkish or not so we have actually eaten the meal without the meat so that it could cook longer. Upon finding out that it is suppose to be a little pink we packed it up and put it in the fridge for Sunday lunch!)

It has been a busy but lovely day! Biggest Mac said at one point, "This is the best day ever!!" I've noticed that she says that whenever she is very excited and happy!!!

So, what have you done with your First day of Spring?




Thanks for stopping by!!
Mama Mac

Doing it yourself

For quite sometime I have been cutting Brother's hair on my own but never really feeling like I have been doing a great job. I recently did a search for "cutting little boy's hair" on the web and ran across this website. I followed her great suggestions and feel that this hair cut is the best yet! Check out my handsome little man!

Before...

After...

Not perfect but a good start!!

Egypt unit study

I know that it has been a LOOOOONG time since I've posted-no real excuses just been very busy! But in a nutshell here is what we've been up to in our homeschool:We took a break from our lovely Heart of Dakota material for two weeks and worked on a unit study from Galloping the Globe. GtG is a book full of unit study ideas for countries around the globe. It is a great book and I had planned to work through this book last summer but as things go around here we never were able to get around to it! I was very excited to finally be able to work through some of the activities from it!I asked the girls which country they would like to learn about and they decided on Egypt. I was excited about this because I knew it would be easy to tie it in with the Bible. I decided to go with the 2 week plans so that we could take our time with this study. I am glad we did because, for us, 1 week would have not been enough time to really do this country justice.There are so many activities that we were able to do in this study!! Of course we learned some geography; where the country is, what rivers and oceans are near it, and some basic mapping exercises. We learned some science; the climate of Egypt, animals that are native to the country, and how to construct pyramids. We learned about the religion of the Ancient Egyptians, modern-day Egyptians and how that compares with our own faith. (That was one of my favorite days!!) We also learned how the ancient Egyptians lived, how important the Nile River was to them and their process of mummyfying their Pharaohs. And what study would be complete without costumes?! We did all of that!! It was great, the kids had a blast and learned a lot about this country!! The girls complete a notebook along with this study so that they would have a place to keep all of their work and of course be able to review it over and over each time they take their notebooks out!This was a great study and I highly encourage anyone wanting to incorporate unit studies into their homeschool to take a look at GtG. I am glad that we did!!


Here is a slide show of some of our activities.

Personalize a free photo slideshow