Thrift Schooling

* UPDATE: January 2025. This company is no longer in operation but I will keep this content up in case any woodworkers are looking for inspiration.  Woodworks By Brooks is a family company based out of Alabama. With over 25 years of experience, Michael Books and his wife April work hard at providing quality, handcrafted wooden treasures for the entire family! When you order from Woodworks By Brooks, you are ordering a handcrafted piece made by them, no outsourcing! Not only do they provide quality items found on their website and Etsy shop , but you can custom order that wood furniture piece that you've been dreaming about for years! They also provide home remodeling services if you are local. Want to learn some woodworking skills for yourself? They hold 'How-to' workshops to help you gain some of the basic skills needed in woodworking! When you support Woodworks By Brooks , not only are you supporting a small business with products made in the USA, but you are supp...

For those of us who grew up attending public school, we most likely remember receiving a weekly reader to take home to inform us on current events. I remember receiving mine on Fridays to take home and read over the weekend! Sometimes, as homeschool parents we want to be able to recreate things that we remember from our educational past, but if our worldview has changed since then, we want to make sure what we are allowing our kid's to read line up with our beliefs!  God's World News  is a biblically based magazine providing children from Pre-K through High School with current events and fun facts appropriate for their age level. What a perfect substitute for the secular counterpart! As soon as I learned of this company I knew I wanted to try it out in our homeschool! I was excited to receive several copies of the Early Edition geared towards first and second graders and look forward to receiving a full year subscription.        $28 f...

When I hear, Youth With A Mission, I immediately think of their Discipleship Training Schools and different ministry opportunities. I think of missions trips and intense spiritual training. YWAM is well-known for training youth to carry the gospel all over the world. Even when I was halfway across the world, almost a decade ago teaching in a children's home in India, I met Christians who had come in contact with YWAM. The impact they had left in that place was profound, especially in the lives of the leaders of that particular ministry. Recently, I have learned that not only does YWAM provide ministry training, but they also run a publishing company! Perfect for homeschoolers,  YWAM publishing  carries a series called Christian Heroes, some include a Curriculum Guide to use in your home or private school setting. I recently read Jim Elliot: One Great Purpose  by Janet and Geoff Benge and the accompanying Unit Study written by them as well.   Christian H...

A few weeks ago our family visited the National Zoo in Washington DC. It was a blast. We didn't get to see mama or baby panda since they were tucked away so she could do her nursing thing though. But, we did see daddy panda, quite intriguing! I was also fortunate enough to see this chipper little fellow.  For some reason he wouldn't smile for the camera.   Here is another one of my faves, something tells me he couldn't smile if he wanted too.   Now here's a guy who wouldn't stop showing off for the camera. Think I got his best side? And of course, Mr. Lion, I'm sure he's enjoying some peace and quiet right about now! When we were there it seemed like every child that walked by him had to growl at the top of their lungs, mine included!