Thrift Schooling

   Whether your child is heading off to public school, private school or even if they are homeschooled, getting ready to become a high school student can be a huge adjustment for a teen. Parents can do a lot to ensure their teenagers feel comfortable with the academic and social challenges that come with this new phase of education. As your teen gets ready to make the big step into high school, there are several things you can do to help him make the transition. Being successful in high school requires preparation from an academic standpoint. The confidence that comes from academic success can also help your teen to excel mentally and socially. High school can be a very fun time, and your teen is likely to make friends that will last a lifetime. Here are Seven Ways you can assist your child in getting ready for high school.                      ...

I determined early on in my parenting years not to compare my children to each other. Everyone grows and develops at different rates and it's not fair to one child to compare them to another.  Honestly, it can stress a parent out. One child may have begun to walk before they reach their first birthday while the second one takes their grand old time! Maybe your daughter had no problem being potty trained by the age of two but your son still wets the bed into his school-aged years.  These comparisons are normal and quite common but once we begin to look for the milestones in educationally-based skills, the stress levels tend to skyrocket! Many parents are so eager to have their child reading immediately (like I was with my first!) that we might begin to push a little too hard too young. Then, when number two or three come along it's so easy to compare and expect the same developmental milestones to happen at the same time for each child! Again, every child is diff...

The Berenstain Bears: God Bless Our Country by Mike Berenstain is another wonderful faith-based Berenstain Bears book to add to our collection. I appreciate this series because the reading level is higher than a basic Easy Reader but the content is simple enough for even my preschooler. My eight year old could read this book easily but was still able to learn greatly from it. For the younger grades in our homeschool, half of my curriculum is Abeka based. If you know anything about the Abeka history program for the young ones, then you know that it is strongly patriotic. It focuses primarily on placing a love, understanding and appreciation for our country.  This book could easily be used as a supplemental resource for American history. My oldest son was was excited to review the Redcoats and my first grader recognized the Statue of Liberty. I enjoyed how the focus of the book was about the celebration of the Independence Day both historically and presently. In our area of the...

The following is a guest review from my husband. This is one impressive book. I highly recommend The River Cottage Curing & Smoking Handbook for anyone even remotely interested in curing and smoking. This is a small book but it is packed with a wealth of knowledge.  This book would be all you need to get started in smoking and curing meats and would be a valuable resource for the pro. They break down the process into all of its steps, ingredients and equipment and explain in detail why things are done a certain way.  There is a write up on the different types of salt that can be used explaining the benefits and drawbacks of each. There are tables giving quick reference on subjects like smoke favors imparted by different woods, cured products and where they come from, rub flavoring, marinade flavoring and brine concentrations. There are plenty of recipes and descriptive photos that make the process clear and easy to follow.  This boo...

 70 years ago today, my Great-Aunt, Clarin Smeenk was liberated from the Holocaust camp, Ravensbruck by the Swedish Red Cross. She was there for over seven months before her rescue. My Aunt was not a Jew, but helped hide Jews on her farm during the war. No person should ever be forced to endure the terror, hunger and torture that occurred in these camps. I was fortunate enough to meet my Aunt when I was eleven years old while visiting her home in Holland. At that age I wasn't ready to hear of the events of times past and she wasn't ready to share. But, years later she did open up to others so that the younger generations would not be ignorant of what happened. Ravensbruck Concentration Camp     Parents. Let us not be ignorant of Europe's recent past. Soon, those who experienced this tragedy will no longer be with us. It is up to us, the next generation to be vigilant, alert and aware.  Kent Hovind has been trying to warn us about some the warning signs of...

Have you seen the Hallmark Channel's Original Series, When Calls the Heart? Well, if you missed Season One, be sure to tune in THIS SATURDAY April 25th at 8/7c to check out the 2 Hour Season Premiere! I was fortunate to get a sneak peek of this premiere and it's not one you want to miss! Even though I have not yet seen Season One, I didn't feel like I was lost or confused watching the premiere of Season Two. They gave a great recap and it was easy to jump right in and fall in love with the characters.  HIGHLIGHTS FROM INTERVIEW W/ ERIN KRAKOW As a blogger with Flyby Promotions, I was able to be a part of a LIVE phone interview with actress Erin Krakow who plays Elizabeth in When Calls the Heart . It was a tremendous blessing to be a part of this interview with Erin and other bloggers!  She certainly sounded as sweet and kind as the character that she plays on the show. She certainly is quite likable. When asked if she thought there were are similarities betwe...

Have you ever heard of a Maker Faire? I hadn't, until this weekend when Martinsville held it's 2nd Annual Mini Maker Faire at The Artisan Center .  If you or your kids like science, then you need to go to the Maker Faire website and see if and when a faire will be in your area! We went this past weekend and let me tell you, none of us were bored.  The faire is certainly great for kids but it's not just for kids, adults are encouraged to experience the hands-on activities as well. From soldering your own light-up robot pin to making your own tee-shirt, adults were involved as much as the kids were! The 3D printer certainly caught my eye. Ever since I heard about this revolutionary technology it had intrigued me but I had never seen one in action before! It was pretty amazing. Although, it does concern me that the good old-fashioned artist may be put out of business now that a computer can do all the work, it still was interesting to see how far we h...