Thrift Schooling

The Brinkman Adventures  is a Christian audio drama series that is available either on CD or through download. Our family received  The Brinkman Adventures Season 2: Episodes 13-24  on CD. I honestly didn't know what to expect. I mean, I wasn't sure what type of response we would have from our children. My husband and I both grew up to books on tape, (okay, I'll admit even books on record ).  As a child, I enjoyed listening to stories over and over again and they never seemed to get old. My husband and I have talked about instilling the love for books through audio books, the challenge is, content. It's not hard to find audio books for kids but some of them can be outright boring!  Especially when it is simply one person reading the story! So if my kids could choose between watching a movie or listening to an audio book, guess which one they are going to pick?  The Brinkman Adventures aren't books that are being read though, rather, it is a radio d...

1) YOUTUBE PLAYLISTS:  Creating playlists to coincide with the subjects we are learning about helps tremendously. We used to simply sit in front of the computer and search for videos on topics that we are learning about but this can get out of hand... and fast. Condensing each topic to a playlist helps prevent unnecessary screen time and honestly, as a parent it is ideal to be able to screen the videos before allowing little eyes to see them! We currently have a playlist with songs teaching the continents, oceans, states and solar system. My kids love it and the repetition helps them to memorize important facts in a fun and engaging manner! 2) ABCYA.COM: If you are looking for a FREE online educational    resource    this site has quality online games for elementary aged children in K- 5. All three of my children enjoy the games appropriate for their age! The games are fun but educational as well! 3) DLTK : I stumbled across this  resource ...

CTC Math  is a complete online math tutor available for every age and grade K-12. I reviewed the  12 month family plan  ($118.80 homeschool discount price), and was able to use this on some level with my all of my children. I even signed myself up to try some of the upper level math. My goal is to prepare myself for when I may have to teach it when we get to the higher grades in our homeschool!  AUSTRALIAN  My children love the fact that this is an Australian company. It must be the accent of the instructor that they enjoy so much! Even though this company is based out of Australia, we were able to sign up for the United States version.  EASY TO USE This program is simple with ease of use. When you sign up for the family plan, the parent simply signs in with their login information and sets up an account for each student. I signed my children up by grade level, my second grader in the appropriate grade and my preschooler and ki...

I love cooking, but when it comes to Easter, we go out! There is this certain restaurant out by Smith Mountain Lake that has become an annual tradition for us, every Easter. The lunch buffet is like no other. Chinese food, American food, make your own omelets, waffles, and a plethora of dessert items, if you have room that is. We have learned over the years that making a reservation is the way to go.  So we arrive.  Pass through the crowd.  Hear the murmuring of the customers, "I've been waiting here over 40 minutes!"  We give our name and within minutes, are seated.  Of course this caused an uproar by the ones that have been waiting for so long.  This scenario made me think. Making a reservation isn't that hard, it doesn't cost anything, it just takes planning.  How about our salvation?  The way has been made, Jesus was the sacrifice, an offering, the atonement for our sins.  When we die will we stand before th...

Alone Yet Not Alone by Tracy Leininger Craven is a true story about two young girls and their experience as captives during the French and Indian War. Halfway throughout the book, I noticed that the last name of the girls in the story was same as the maiden name of the author! I quickly leafed through to the "about the author" section only to find out that this historical event indeed happened to relatives of hers. I already was engrossed and thoroughly enjoying the book, but at this point, the events started coming to life knowing that this story was shared by someone personally connected.       This book is recommended for children ages eight and is full of adventure and faith in God. I have a passion for historical fiction anyways so finding one that kids can appreciate, and from the perspective of a God fearing family is simply golden. My kids are younger than eight so I haven't shared this book with them yet but hope to use this in our homeschool when they...

3 "After School" Activities For Homeschoolers Well, it's official. My children no longer nap. I remember thinking that this would be the most impossible task to handle since having little ones would be so tiring. I must not have realized that once the time came that naps would be eliminated, that they would be more self sufficient and taking care of them wouldn't be so emotionally and physically taxing. Actually, ever since I've only had one napping, I've been waiting for this day with anticipation! Why? So we can actually GO OUT and do things in the afternoons rather than being tied down to a schedule! I must have become so used to always being home because someone was always napping at some point that I never really planned activities in the afternoons much. Now I can! I'm still a homebody of sorts, but try to get out once in a while other than the typical errands. We get the bulk of our work completed in the mornings so the majority of our afte...

Help! We've been homeschooling on and off all day. The little ones need a bath.  My house needs to be roughly picked up. And... it's almost dinner time, what do I do? Whether you have a meal pre-planned or not, this time a day can be quite stressful when a child pulls on you asking, "Mom, what's for dinner?" So many thoughts are swirling through your head, sometimes you just want to tune them out and focus, think about what needs to be done, in what order and for how long. Finally, I got over myself  and realized I was fighting a never ending battle. I stopped shoving the kids OUT of the kitchen during this stressful time and actually invited them IN. This made a world of difference. Even if I'm tired and worn out and do not feel like preparing another meal, if a child asks to help, I generally let them. Whether it's simply sitting on the counter watching water and waiting to tell me when it's boiling, or if they are chopping up veggies it'...

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On day two of our spring break, my husband calls me on his lunch break. I explain to him about the lapbooks the kids are working on, the books we read and what we had planned for the rest of the day. His response, "Well, I'll let you go enjoy your spring break ..." Haha. It's true. Learning is too much fun that it's too hard to escape it during breaks! This year we did things a little differently for our break. We actually had no clue when we were going to take it.  We were waiting to hear from up north when the maple trees were ready to be tapped, then we were going to surprise the kids with a trip up to visit their grandparents in Wellsboro, PA who have over a hundred taps on their property! Once we received the call I secretly packed bags, did laundry, gathered snow gear and shopped for snacks hoping the kids would be oblivious to all the commotion going on around the house. Before we left I prepped them on the basics of maple syrup making, (teaching myself ...

Media Talk101  presents the  Captivated DVD , a film based on Colossians 2:8, "See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception." Finding freedom in a media captive culture is their theme and this theme is portrayed quite well through interviews, testimonies, stories and statistics that will cause many Christians to stop, think and evaluate their current media consumption. Geared towards adults, this movie provides information to empower the parent by expanding their knowledge and awareness of the effects of media in today's society.  DVD  $16.95   This documentary's aim is not to have the entire Christian population completely unplug and hide in a cave. Rather, they are raising awareness of the need to be media wise in today's society. "We are not saying, 'no media,' just use it in responsible and God glorifying ways." ~ Captivated DVD This DVD is packed with quality interviews from spea...

In this hardcover children's book, One Lost Sheep ,  Rhonda Gowler Greene retells Jesus’ parable of the lost sheep.  This Classic Bible story is presented with colorful artwork and rhyming text to keep your youngster engaged.  “Ninety-eight…ninety-nine…” The faithful shepherd realizes that one of his one hundred sheep is missing and sets out to find it.  Of my children ages 3-7 I would definitely say that this is more geared for my three year old. The older ones could probably read it but the playfulness and rhyming seems as though it's speaking more to younger children. It's certainly a fun and cute book that introduces the parable of the lost sheep to even the littlest member of your family. Would be perfect for a baby shower gift, Christmas present, or resource for a Preschool or Sunday School classroom.  Disclaimer: I received this book as a part of the Book Look blogger program. All opinions are my own.

 I had some extra cash last week and for the first time in what seems to be forever, I went shopping, for myself. The problem was, I came home with super cute clothes for my kids and barely found anything for me! I'm just not used to buying for me I guess. As a homeschool mom, getting out to shop and try on clothes does not happen very often! (It's just easier to pin cute clothes on Pinterest). Sometimes, I want to shop online but I get nervous about order the right size! Well, if you are in the need for a comfortable new bra, I was just introduced to Coobie Seamless Bras that you can order from the comfort of your own home and sizing isn't an issue. Their bras are a one-size fits all bra that  comfortably will fit sizes 32A-36D. The bras are available in over 50 fashion colors and patterns. There is also a full size version that fits up to size 42D.  They are comfortable, stylish and affordable. Great for everyday wear, sleepwear or exercising, t hi...