Thrift Schooling

Here is a book that I can confidently stand behind, Weird and Wonderful Creations.  This is a science book for kids that has the Creator showcased throughout! If you've been following my blog for any amount of time then you know that I am an avid creationist and strive to find quality resources for our homeschool that support this way of thinking!  This can be quite a challenge as a "thrifty" mom because I am often drawn to used book sales. Usually if I am able to find any science goodies at these sales, for the most part they are evolution based. They may not scream evolution, but even the smallest hint of evolution based thinking often causes me to dismiss the book altogether. With that said, I am willing to go out of my way and purchase quality creation based science materials that I can feel confident having my children read! This book is written at a second grade reading level which has been perfect for my first grader! From the moment this book arri...

Stressed out? Unsure if you can homeschool older ones with preschoolers in the house? Kendra Fletcher from the blog  Preschoolers and Peace  has written an e-book called  Preschoolers and Peace: Homeschooling Older Kids with Success While Loving the Little Ones at Your Feet  to encourage homeschooling mothers from all walks of life that they CAN do it!    Don't you just love the picture on the cover of the book? The crying toddler on the right? Yes. That is life my friend, and this book encourages you that even with the demands of preschoolers, you can find structure and stability in your homeschool! Written by a homeschool parent FOR homeschool parents! $2.99 This e-book is a quick read, just under fifty pages. If you need a quick pick-me-up that also provides practical information and suggestions then this book is for you! The author is not a novice but has eight children ages twenty down to five. She encourages by sharing lessons l...

    Sponsored: Groovy Lab in a Box Hosted: The Squishable Baby   Free Blogger Opp! We are giving away a very valuable 1 year subscription to Groovy Lab in a Box. The winner will receive fabulous STEM experiments each month. You can read about our box here . Our month-long study on catapults is so much fun and very rewarding. We are learning a lot about the experimentation and design process. Groovy Lab in a Box promises that no box will ever be repeated. So, its new learning every single month!   The Giveaway will take place from 10/14-11/4 and is open to US residents only.   What's in it for Bloggers Posting the blogger opp, the giveaway HTML, and promoting 3X weeks gives you 2 free links (Twitter, Pinterest or Facebook) into the giveaway. Of course, bloggers can also enter1   Sign-up here.     Get the HTML for the blogger opp here .  

Get To Know Mary   by Nancy I. Sanders is a full-color biography written for children. This book is just about 100 pages filled with colorful photos, a timeline and maps of the land of the Bible. The way in which this book was written presents the information of this well-known historical, Biblical figure in a simple and easy way for children to understand. This is an excellent homeschool resource, especially is you are looking for biographies for your child to study.  This book is full of historical facts from the time that Mary lived and includes pictures even from modern day Israel. Interesting facts are dispersed throughout the book and vocabulary words and their definitions are found throughout the text to help shed some little on the information presented. Bible heroes and eyewitness accounts are found throughout the book as well, keeping it engaging and entertaining for young readers! In addition to the life of Mary, your child will learn about the f...

   What a success! How fun! The first Franklin County Agricultural Fair in close to forty years! We were sure to be a part of this event, and my children were glad we were! My husband was a vendor, and I'll have to say that Saturday was the best day for his business! Even though the rain affected a few of the nights, it certainly didn't last the whole time and by Saturday the crowds had gathered! The first two nights were a bit slow but I'm assuming it was because they were weeknights and for those with kids, school nights. Friday night was my children's favorite, primarily because most of their friends came that night and they were able to enjoy the rides with them!  It was picturesque, really, because once the sun set, the lights lit up the County Recreation Park and transformed it into something special. For many kids in this area, this is the first time they've experienced a fair. It was exciting running into friends and their kids and enjoying ...

When I first received Get to Know Jesus by Nancy I. Sanders I wasn't quite sure which angle the author was going to take with a title like that! Is it talking about your relationship with Jesus, or is it more focused on his humanity and what His life here on earth was like? Well, the answer is the former and the information was presented extremely well. Basically, this book is a children's biography on the life of Jesus. And don't let that scare you! It's not simply a historical account but it clearly defines Jesus as God, man and Savior. It is a history book, and not too long, only 109 pages. The beautiful color illustrations show relevant artwork and images to help bring history to life. This book includes color maps, a timeline and fun facts!  There is a cute key in the front of the book that explains the meanings behind certain symbols used to present certain facts throughout the margins of the book. For example, when you see and oil lamp pictured, there wil...

   Guess what pulled into my driveway last week? You got it. A Schwan's truck! And, no, they didn't have the wrong address, I actually did request a delivery! How could I pass up food delivered right to your door? Let me tell you, this truck was huge. I don't know what I was expecting but there was no missing this delivery! Are you curious as to what I ordered? It wasn't an appetizer, though I was tempted to order their Zesty Jalapeno Bites or Cheddar and Bacon Potato Skins! It wasn't an entree, although the Chicken Alfredo Rigatoni or Prime Rib Shepherd's Pie would be perfect to order when there is a new baby in the house and there isn't any time to prepare a good home cooked meal! So, that leaves the desserts. The pies and cakes looked amazing, but I went ahead and stuck with the simplicity of  good old fashioned ice-cream! Each one of my children got to pick out a flavor of their choice, and I have to say, the frozen goodness is almost g...

The following is a Guest Post from my husband, Noah.  A book review of Asian Pickles This is a well done book with plenty of vivid pictures and interesting recipes. I live in a small town in  the South and it is impossible to get flavors from around the world here like one finds in a large city. If  I want to experience Chinese Preserved Mustard Greens, there is no China Town or Asian grocery. No, I  have to make it myself. Don’t get me wrong I love good old hometown Southern cookin but sometimes  I want to try some things completely different. That is what the book Asian Pickles provided. Flavors,  recipes and ingredients I had no knowledge of.  I have not had much experience with Asian pickles, so I was anxious to try some of my own. I made the Spicy Blackened Sichuan Pickled Pepper recipe but substituted the Fresno Chilies with ghost peppers; they were the closest thing I had on hand. I sold the pickled peppers for $7.00...

If you are curious about the Thrifty Mom behind Thrift Schooling, check out this interview done over at  Our Homeschool Forum. While you're there, take a look around. There are some great resources and encouraging articles that you may enjoy!

Recently, I was introduced to a new protein filled snack that has been a fun treat for the whole family. Crum Creek Soy Bites  are a GMO-FREE snack that is great when you need a little something to munch on throughout the day, without feeling guilty! I received a variety pack which included 20 bags of these breadstick munchies!  My first thought was that I couldn't believe how many breadsticks they could fit in the bag! In this case, looks can be deceiving! It may seem like a small bag but these bags are packed full and I rarely finished a bag in one sitting because of there were just so many! The four breadstick flavors are; Sesame, Everything, Onion and Rosemary/Garlic. The biggest hit in our house was definitely the Everything Breadsticks! They were the first ones gone and my kids enjoyed it's flavor the most! I would have to agree with them that the Everything flavor were the best of all four.  $1.29 (1.5oz) The Onion and Rosemary/Garlic were tas...

Here is something I think your child will really enjoy from the company  My Student Logbook ! My Student Logbook  is directed towards students in second grade and up to help keep them focused and on track during the school day.  At times I feel like I have tried everything to help keep my kids on task and to be honest, it has been hard to stay consistent with any of them! Lets see, once I tried printing out cute little icons for every possible activity that we could possibly complete. A picture for math, spelling, science, computer games, the playground, snack, piano, everything! Then I attached nifty little Velcro on the pictures (after lamenating them of course) and then added the other piece of Velcro to a cabinet so the kids could then take off an activity after it was completed that day.  After all that work I put into it, it last only a little over a month, the cute little pictures would stay up on the cabinet day after day without anyone tou...

 Here's a review for you, mom! Brought to you by  The 7 Minute Life  comes  The 7 Minute Life Daily Planner . And this is not just any old planner. Honest. It's not like the fifty billion you may have purchased or printed out and attempted, only to sulk in disappointment because nothing worked out the way you planned! Because, truthfully, that is what usually happens, with me anyways! I realize how unorganized I am, get a planner with the giddy excitement like a schoolgirl with her new Trapper Keeper and backpack, and am ready to go! I get excited and fill out the planner for several months in advance only to fall short after day four, (or sooner). Then, there sits a filled out yet unused, useless planner. Am I the only one? Sigh. It's frustrating because usually at this point the focus is on all the tasks that were not completed because we try to schedule things way in advance. What we need as moms, who have to change our course of action so frequently ...

This past week has tired me out! Seriously. But, sometimes we just need to keep on going. You'd think I'd start drinking coffee, haha. Not going to happen. So, this coming week I  have some goodies for you! ~ Agricultural Fair Review : It was awesome and I have some more great pics to prove it! ~ A Healthy Snack Option : With Several Flavors to Choose From! ~ A Simple Way For Mom To Stay Organized: It's so simple, you'll say, "Why didn't I think of that?" ~ An Effective Homeschooling Logbook : My oldest son loves it! And don't forget to check out my giveaway in the sidebar for a Dolphin Tale 2 shirt and sunglasses! 

 Franklin County, VA Agricultural Fair Franklin County Rec. Park Visit With Your Family This Weekend: Friday 4 - 11 pm Sat. Noon - 11 pm   Adults and Youth 12 and up – $5 Youth ages 5–11 – $2 Youth age 4 and under – Free Ride wristbands for all  – $10 My son is convinced that if he tries for a goldfish, he is going to win! That is because when we went to watch fairgoers go for the prize, he saw two winners in a matter of minutes, (they made it look so easy!) To me, seeing carnival games, such as the goldfish toss, balloon dart toss or water race were no big deal, but my kids haven't really seen them before! Another new and exciting experience for them at the fair was the BMX stunt show! They have never seen such daring tricks up close and personal and they have been genuinely intrigued! I guess I have taken for granted my fair going experiences as a kid and am excited now to share them with my own family! ...

I first heard about the original movie, Dolphin Tale, from a homeschooling friend of mine. She told me that it was a pro-homeschooling movie and she thought my kids would enjoy it! She was right! We rented it one evening and before long, we owned the movie ourselves! They also were thrilled to find out my mom was able to visit the Clearwater Marine Aquarium and actually see Winter for herself! Of course they also enjoyed the tee shirts and stuffed dolphin (without a tail, of course) that she brought back from her ventures. My kids hope to visit Winter one of these days! But, until then, they are content with viewing Winter (and now Hope!) on the aquarium's LIVE webcam !  Recently, we have been working on a Dolphin Tale Curriculum  found at HomeschoolMovieClub.com ! This is a neat site that provides FREE curriculum in the form of Unit Studies to go along with popular movies! My kids are looking forward to trying out the How To Train Your Dragon Curriculum next! One...

After 40 years, it's finally here! The revival of the Franklin County Agricultural Fair! It surprises me how many parents I talk to who haven't yet heard the news, especially with the massive billboards inviting you as you enter the county on Route 220! So whether you've been looking forward to it or if this is your first time hearing about it, I suggest you head on over to the Franklin County Recreation Park this week and get your tickets! Adults and Youth 12 and up – $5 Youth ages 5–11 – $2 Youth age 4 and under – Free Ride wristbands for all  – $10 I know that my circle of friends are always looking for family friendly activities to enjoy with their kids! Especially on the cheap! So how perfect does a county fair sound? A great way to spend time with the family and visit with friends and neighbors! And, with the fair being open this Wednesday through Saturday (September 10-13th), there is sure to be at least one day most families could fit it into ...