How Do You Celebrate New Years Eve?

First I would like to say 2008 was a good year for us. What was the best thing that happened to you in 2008? What was the worst thing that happened to you, in 2008? For me the best thing was my sister coming, and spending Christmas with us. That meant a lot to me, and I am grateful for it. The worst thing, hmm I guess the fact that the economy has taken such a turn for the worse. It has effected my jewelry business, as well as our finances. Fortunately for us, we have been able to cover all our bills, and not got behind. It just makes money much tighter, and harder to save. I hope it turns around soon. What about you?

New Years Eve is not something we really make a big deal about. My children are still young, so we record the ball drop every year for them to watch on New Years Day. We will be watching Speed Racer, and ordering Pizza this evening. Then after my children are in bed, my husband and I will watch a movie of his choosing. It is his turn, so wish me luck. The last time I let him choose I had to watch The Jerk, possibly the dumbest movie ever made. We do not really drink, but I may have a glass of wine. Then tomorrow is of course Football games on, and the Christmas tree comes down. I hate to do it, I love my tree. But it really has to be done, to get the house back to normal. It always makes me kind of sad.

That is about it, so what about all of you? Oh yeah I almost forgot this blog is now a PR of 2 yay. So I met one of my goals for 2009, even before it was 2009.

Top New Years Resolutions

I have a poll going, asking if you make a New Years Resolution. I personally do not make a resolution. To me a resolution is aimed at a complete make over of ones self. I do not care for that. I do make short term goals, however. That seems much more manageable than a complete make over. So what do you think are the top resolutions people make every year? This is what I think the top 5 are:

1- to lose weight This is such a general statement. How much weight do you want to lose, how will you do it, and when do you want to do it by. For instance I wish to lose 10 pounds, by eating less and exercising, by St Patricks Day. Now doesn't that sound more attainable?

2- make more money- Again this is such a general statement. How do you plan to do it, and when do you wish to do it by. For instance I would like to get a raise of 2 dollars per hour, by June. I will request my raise, in May when my evaluation is due. That is much better I think.

3- Exercise more- very ambiguous What does exercise more mean. Do you already exercise, or do not at all. Wouldn't it make more sense to set a goal such as I will walk at least 1 mile every day. I certainly would not say I will join a gym, lift weights, and do aerobics 7 days a week, if I have never exercised in my life.

4- get out of debt- easier said than done. How will you accomplish this, when do you want to accomplish it by. It is highly unreasonable to think you will get out of debt in one year, unless you have already been working on it in previous years. It would be more reasonable to say I will pay an extra 10, or 20 dollars, every month on my credit cards, and other loans to reduce my debt by the end of 2009.

5- eat healthier- this one always surprises me. It really takes a lot of commitment, and goal setting to achieve a complete resolution of ones eating habits. You can not just say I will not eat chips, or drink soda anymore. That really does not work, at least not for most people. It would probably be more effective to say I will only eat a handful of chips, rather than the whole bag. Or I will limit myself to one or two sodas, per day. Starting by cutting whatever the unhealthy food item is, by quarters is more attainable, and easier to stick with. That leads me to my last one, and probably the most difficult

6- Quit smoking- how many try that every year, and it doesnt last? I know my husband has tried several times, only to start smoking again. For him it is because he tries to quit cold turkey, which does not work for most people. It would make more sense to say I will only smoke 6 cigarettes a day, or whatever is a reduction for you, for the first month, then 5 cigarettes a day, for the next month etc until you no longer need to smoke. Also, I think for a lot of people smoking is a form of stress management, so learning a new way to cope with stress would be optimal to quitting. That could be writing your feelings in a journal, meditating, or even taking a time out for 5 minutes to clear your head.

So what do you think? Do you make a resolution every year? Do you stick to it? Would it not make more sense to make a short term goal, rather than try for a complete resolution of ones self? Tell me what you think.

New Years Goals For This Blog

2009 is just around the corner. I have some goals I am setting, for this blog, for 2009. I have a current page rank of 1, and would like to get that increased to at least a 2. Higher would be great, but I try to set goals that are achievable. I would like to increase the revenue from adspace. Project Wonderful, has paid me once already, so that is great. Adsense is not too bad, I hope to make payout in 2009. I wish they would lower their payout limit from 100 dollars to something, just a little bit less. I get paid posts through Social Spark, and that has earned me over 100 dollars. Of course I would like to see that increase, with more paid opportunities. I have been with Adgitize since the end of November, and have made 1.44 there. Your earnings depend a lot on what other members do, as well as what you yourself do on the site. I want to add a link box with all my favorite educational, and information sites. That one will take a while, as there are so many that I use. It will be more user friendly, however for anyone that visits this blog looking for information. I am thinking of having some guest bloggers, other homeschoolers or educators. I think that would be interesting, and fun. I am always reading, and searching for new, and interesting topics that would be great to read. It doesn't necessarily have to be about homeschooling, education or learning in general is great. Here is to a wonderful, and happy new year to everyone.

Fun At Dudley Farms

Yesterday we all went to Dudley Farms Historic State Park. It is a working farm from over 100 years ago. It was given to the State of Florida, from the Dudley family and is run from their will. Unfortunately as I blogged before, it is one of the 19 state parks nominated to be closed down. I am not sure if this is why there were only two staff people working, or because of the holiday, but we were not able to enter all the buildings or see the usual goings on. Yet it was still interesting, and educational. There was a nature trail, which is the picture of my children standing next to a beautiful old tree. The majestic turkey was amazing, and no he is not smiling. Seems he does not like his picture taken. He was ruffling his feathers, in anger at me for sticking my camera over the fence. Isn't he a beauty though? See that old stove, isn't that cool. I think I would like one of those. As you can see the weahter was splendid, and thank goodness I did not see any snakes. Some really big spiders that DJ had fun taking picture of with his new camera. Caitlin gathered acorns, for the squirrels. All in all it was a wonderful day, and we can count it as a field trip, for school. I hope everyone had a wonderful Friday, too.

Getting Back To A Routine

Well it is the day after Christmas, and it is time to get back into some routine. I love Christmas, but I am always glad when it is over. We had an awesome Christmas, as I hope you all did as well. My kids loved everything they got. It was wonderful having my sister here. She will be leaving on Sunday, to go back to North Carolina. It was almost 85 yesterday, and we sat outside in the evening, while the dog, and the kids ran, and played. It was so cold in November, that this was a nice break from the freezing temps we had been experiencing. My mom, of course, was here and she loved the necklace I made for her. Because we are from NY, most of our families are back there. My one sister still lives there, and we text a lot. My husband's whole family is there, as well. We gave his Dad a webcam, for Christmas, and the whole family got on so everyone could see, and say hello. I think this gift was as important to Craig's dad, as it was for Craig. You can not touch your loved ones, but at least you can see, and hear them. And for 25 dollars each, it is not costly at all. So all in all it was a splendid day, but I am definitely glad to get back to some normal routines around here. How was your Chrismtas? Please feel free to share.

May the beauty of the Season be with you today, and always. From my family, to yours, I would like to wish you all a very Merry Christmas. Be safe, and jolly and may all your Chrismtas wishes come true. I will be back on the 26th.





Free Comments and Graphics

Are You Having A Baby?

Are you having a baby, soon? Are you planning on having a baby? Do you know someone that is having a baby? Need a unique, and wonderful gift idea? Give the gift of cord preservation with Cryo-Cell Stem Cell Cord Preservation. Cord Blood Preservation is not a totally new concept. It has been around for a few years. However, now you can give gift certificates, available in 50 dollar increments, to yourself or loved ones, having a baby. Cord Preservation, is simple. They save your babies cord blood, which is rich with stem cells. It is stored, and can be used later for prevention, and treatment of deadly diseases. Over 70 diseases, can be treated using Cord Stem Cells. Cord Stem Cells can also be used in the case of the need of a transplant, such as Bone Marrow transplants.

When I had my two children, this technology was fairly new. I opted not to do it, because of the expense involved. They did not offer gift certificates, back then. Now you can request your loved ones to each get you a 50 dollar gift certificate, so you can save your babies Cord Blood. Or if you have a loved one, or close friend, that is expecting a baby. I can't think of a more wonderful gift than knowing their baby could be protected from over 70 diseases, by saving their Cord Blood.

I know that some religions may be against Stem Cell Research. However, this is saving Cord Blood, from your babies umbilical cord. It is completely natural, and should not go wasted, in my opinion. If it is being used for only your baby, or maybe even possibly your babies siblings, I don't see how that could be a bad, or negative thing.

A Huge Thank You

I would like to extend a huge thank you to our friends Dave, and Lyn. I have blogged about them before. They homeschooled their son from 5th grade, until graduation. They have given us a ton of school supplies in the past. Most of which we could not use yet, so I stored them for later use. Yesterday, my husband went to see Dave, and he gave him a huge bag full of stuff. They gave us a whole kids dictionary set, the complete Harry Potter book series, a Chemistry set, Legos, and a whole raft of other educational books. Starting usually in February I start to do the curriculum for the next year. These books will save me a lot of money. They will take me more time, because I will have to make my own lesson plans, but I won't have to buy a Hisory, Science or Health book for the upcoming year. I can not thank them enough, for everything they have given us.

I hope everyone is having a great Monday. It is freezing again here, after having tank top weather. It is really crazy. My sister will be here soon, yeah.

If you would like to help educate youth, you can for free, and with one click. Go to http://www.theliteracysite.com just click on the logo and they will donate a portion of their advertising earnings, to help donate books and other learning supplies. The logo is also posted at the bottom of this blog. You can click every day, once a day.

I Have The Greatest Idea!

Okay maybe it is not the greatest idea, but it is pretty cool. Yesterday my 4 yr old came to me, and gave me a present. She had taken a piece of printing paper, and drew a picture and wrapped up a couple of her toys. She said Merry Christmas, and handed it to me. I opened her neat little gift, and inside was Build a Bear pink poodle a McDonalds toy, and a My Little Pony, from her Ponyville collection. Anyone who knows these two types of toys knows, they are miniature versions of the full versions. So I thanked her enourmously, and set them up on my stand where I sit and watch TV. As I sat there last night looking at them, I thought these would look really cute on the Xmas tree. So I set them both on a branch, and they indeed looked very cute. So then I went and asked my son for a couple of his Superfriend people, and they fit nicely too. So what was my great idea? After they outgrow these lovely mementos of their childhood, I am going to adorn my Xmas tree with them every year. Rather than buying expensive ornaments, I will use their treasured toys. I have some of my sons favorite Thomas the Trains left, and I can use crafting wire to make a loop to put a hook on them. If you have small children you could do this too. Neat, huh?

4 more days until Xmas, can you believe it. I hope everyone is having a wonderful, Sunday.

5 Days Until Christmas

Well it is 5 days until Christmas. I was going through some old pictures, one of my favorite things to do at the holidays. This is the only picture of Caitlin with Santa Claus. He is a puff a lump Santa, and she is about 5 months old. We have tried several times to get her to sit on Santas lap, and she just will not do it. So we get to treasure this one forever, lol. She is a shy, and kind of stubborn child, she will not do anything she doesn't want to do.

Have you finished all your shopping? I am done, and it is all wrapped. I have some great gift items in my store, you should check them out. I offer great prices. My sister will be coming in on Monday, and we are excited. We have not spent Christmas with her, in 4 years. It should be great.

I hope everyone that is getting snow dumped on them, is safe and warm. I remember those days. Matter of fact the year my son was 2, it snowed enough snow to reach the top of my Tracker. All I did was shovel, and no one could get out. My mom was in Florida, and thank goodness we had a web cam. What a Christmas that was.

All Roads Lead Home, Family Movie Night

We have movie night, at least every other week. My children are young, 8, and 4 so we have to find movies that are appropriate for those ages. I just saw a preview for a movie, that really touched my heart. It is called All Roads Lead Home, see the trailer here It is rated PG, so it is appropriate for a variety of ages.

The movie itself, is about a young girl, and her mom passes away. She goes to live with her Grandfather, for an attitude adjustment. It is touching, and lovely with a perfect message to young people. You can not deny, or run away from your past. You must deal with it, and then go on. I will be watching for this movie to come out on DVD, it may already have. I would love for my family, to see this whole movie.

What do you do on family movie night, besides obviously watch a movie? We have what we call snack dinner, or snack lunch. You get to eat whatever you want. Usually this consists of popcorn, chips, cookies, juice, pretzels, even yogurt or ice cream, crackers and cheese, whatever each person decides they would like to have for their movie night meal.

Don't forget to check out the trailer for All Roads Lead Home All Roads Lead Home The Movie and see if you would like this movie to be your next family night movie.

Finally John Walsh, and His Family Get Peace

If you do not know who John Walsh is, he is the founder of Americas Most Wanted, and a father whos son was murdered. In 1981 his son, Adam Walsh 6 yrs old, was kidnapped from a Sears Department Store. His severed head was later found, no body was ever found. John Walsh, and his wife then became victim advocates for children, and parents of crime. Americas Most Wanted has been on almost 20 years, and they have been credited for capturing hundreds of fugitives. John Walsh, says he can now end this chapter of his life. Knowing has finally brought him peace. Ottis Toole, a convicted felon who died in prison, is the man that has been named as the killer for little Adam Walsh. He was long suspected, even admitted it twice, then recanted. He finally told a relative on his death bed, that he was in fact the killer of little Adam Walsh. My thoughts, and prayers go out to John, and his family. I personally could not imagine, going through this.
http://www.foxnews.com/video/index.html?playerId=videolandingpage&streamingFormat=FLASH&referralObject=3327931&referralPlaylistId=playlist

Florida Announces It Will Close Some State Parks

Florida has announced that it will be closing some of its State Parks, due to budget cuts, and under usage. Here is a list of the Parks that will be effected:

Yellow River Marsh Preserve State Park- Santa Rosa County

· St. Marks River State Park- Leon County

· Lake June-In-Winter Scrub State Park - Highlands County

· Pumpkin Hill Creek Preserve State Park - Nassau County

· Constitution Convention Museum State Park - Gulf County

· John Gorrie Museum State Park - Franklin County

· Deer Lake State Park - Walton County

· Allen David Broussard Catfish Creek State Park - Polk County

· Tarkiln Bayou Preserve State Park - Escambia County

· Terra Ceia Preserve State Park - Manatee County

· Letchworth-Love Mounds Archaeological State Park - Jefferson County

· Dunns Creek - Putnam County

· San Marcos de Apalache Historic State Park - Wakulla County

· Windley Key Fossil Reef Geological State Park - Monroe County

· Dagny Johnson Key Largo Hammock Botanical State Park - Monroe County

· Dudley Farm Historic State Park - Alachua County

· Kissimmee Prairie Preserve State Park - Okeechobee County

· Nature and Heritage Tourism Center - Hamilton County

· Cedar Key Museum State Park- Levy County

The only one that is close to us, is the one in Cedar Key. It is very rarely used by anyone, and we have never visited it. Also the Dudley Farm Historic Site, is slated to be closed. This one surprises me, as most schools in the area visit this site every year, as a field trip. We are planning to visit it on 12/26, I hope it will last that long.

Lesson Plan for 12/18/08:

DJ is not feeling well today, so todays assignments will be on Thursday, and Thursdays will be on Friday.

Even The Dog Is A Steelers Fan, Free Rice

The Pittsburgh Steelers, clinched a playoff spot, and a first round bye on Sunday. Who cares you ask? Only every single member of my family, even the dog. All but me. I am a lowly Bills fan, who of course crash and burned yet again this season. My husband has kindly offered to purchase me a Steelers jersey, so I would fit in, and I told him it would burn my skin lol. Congrats to the Steelers, and to the Bills please, please get rid of Losman.

In my Family Circle magazine, I just purchased they had some cool websites you can visit for charitable causes. Want to give, but do not have extra money? Then visit http://www.freerice.com I tried it this morning, and you can test your knowledge of grammar, math, geography, and others. Every time you get a correct answer, they donate a specified amount of rice to countries in need. I will be having my son give it a try, later today. It is a great way for them to learn, as well as give. The questions you miss, are repeated thereby reinforcing learning. I love it!

Lesson Plan for 12/17/08:

Writing: Book report for Sunset of the Sabertooth
Social Studies: Kentucky, St Nicholas http://www.stnicholascenter.org/Brix?pageID=23
Spelling: Lesson 13- Write each spelling word and circle the consonants
Vocabulary: Lesson 13- Write a synonym for each vocabulary word
Language Arts: Adverbs, capitalization
Math: Place value, multiplication, division
Spanish: Food and utensils part 2

President Bush Attacked By A Pair Of Shoes LOL

Not that I think it is funny, for anyone to assault the President, this was pretty humorous. President made a surprise visit, to Iraq, and while having a press conference, with the Prime Minister, a Iraqi reporter threw his size 10 shoes at the President. Luckily he missed, but Dana Perino the White House press Secretary, received a bruised eye, from the deflected size 10 shoe. Watch the video, and see for yourself.



I have so many things to get done, before Christmas. I am actually glad Christmas break is coming, because I need to do report cards, and I want to add all my stored educational links to this blog. This will not be an easy task, as I have so many to share. I think one spot, where my readers can find them, rather than searching through my archives looking for sites, would be more effective. It will just take a while.

I started my wrapping, but am no where near done. Maybe tonight, I will finish. Caitlin and I are going to bake sugar cookies, this afternoon while DJ is at his after school program. Then after dinner, we will all decorate them. My sister will be arriving next Monday, and we are all excited to be able to spend Christmas with her. It has been 4 years since, we spent a Holiday with her.


Lesson Plans for 12/16/08:

Reading: Read chapter 10 of Sunset of the Sabertooth
Writing: Write a Christmas poem
PE: 30 minutes
Science: Nutrition
Spelling: Lesson 13- write each spelling word, and circle the vowels
Vocabulary: Lesson 13- use each vocabulary word in a sentence
Language Arts: Adjectives, capitalization
Math: Estimating, multiplication, division
Spanish: Food and utensils, part 2

Batman The Dark Knight, Movie Night

Last night was movie night, for my husband and I. We get to do this about once a month, and he picked the new Batman movie. First of all let me say it was rated PG13 and that rating is fitting. My 8 yr old, wanted to watch it. I knew from previews, it was darker than previous Batman movies, so I told him I would let him know after I watched it. I decided no, it had a very complicated story line, and was a little more violent than others. He was disappointed, but I think it was the correct choice. Now back to the movie. Batman Begins was, and still is my favorite movie of the series. The Dark Knight, was extremely long, one thing that is a negative for me. It could have ended at least 45 min earlier, if they just ended it with Harvey in the hospital, to be Two Face in the next movie. However they chose not to do that, and Harvey was instead saved by Batman, and Commissioner Gordon. They chose to make him the Hero, and make Batman out to be the Villian. While I really liked this ending, it was well written, and very touching, I still think it could have been a little shorter. The length is my only complaint. Heath Ledger was amazing, as the Joker, and I can see why he was nominated for an Oscar. Matter of fact, the whole cast was very good. Have you seen this movie, yet. If yes, what did you think of it? If no, what are you waiting for?

Lesson Plans for 12/15/08:

Reading: Chapter 9 of Sunset of the Sabertooth
Writing: What are some ways you can earn money for Chrismtas gifts
Arts and crafts: undecided yet
Spelling: Lesson 13 write each spelling word 2x each, once in print, and once in cursive
Vocabulary: Lesson 13- look up the definition for each vocabulary word
Language Arts: Adjectives, capitalization
Math: Rounding numbers, multiplication, division
Spanish: Food and utensils part 2

Has Little Caylee Anthony Been Found?

All Floridians, and probably most of the country, have heard the story of little Caylee Anthony. She is the 3 yr old, missing child from Orlando, Florida. She has been officially missing since June, but only reported in July. If you have been following this story, you know it is a heart wrenching one. Yesterday, about 1/4 of a mile from the Anthony home, a utility worker found a garbage bag. He kicked the bag, and a skull rolled out. He called 911, and the body of a small child was in the bag. It is said to be a female, and there was something else in the bag, that police will not release. It did prompt a new search warrant to be issued, for the Anthony home. It is believed that the body found, is of the missing toddler. This is a sad end, to a very sad story. I do not think it is a surprise however, as all the evidence the police already have pointed to the fact that the child was deceased. You can view the story here.

New Years Resolutions, Christmas Dinner, Candy Cane Video

Yesterday I posted about a virtual candy cane tour. We did that, and it was cool, but it is nice to see it in a video. I found one on youtube, and you can view it below, if you like. It is really neat.

Christmas is two weeks from today. Have you finished your shopping? I did, bought the last gift card yesterday. Have you started wrapping yet? No, but I am going to tonight. My husband is going to take the kids to a Christmas party, at his job. Normally, I would attend, but this gives me a perfect oppurtunity to get a lot of the wrapping done, with them gone. Because we homeschool, time is limited in this department. Have you decided what you will have for Christmas Dinner? Yes, I am having a vegetable platter, with dip, cheese, veggies, crackers etc. My mom is making Sausage bread, and we will have an Omelet breakfast. Christmas starts so early, that a huge dinner, with tons of dishes, is not pleasurable.

Now for the big question. Do you make a New Years Resolution. If no, why not? If yes, what is it for the year 2009? I personally have never made New Years resolutions. I find it depressing if you do not meet your resolution, and that is not a fun thing to do. The New Year, is more of a new start, every year, and I look forward to fresh look every year.

Tomorrow is test day, so there is no Lesson Plan to post. Have a great Thursday, everyone.

OH Christmas Tree, OH Christmas Tree

I thought I would share some pictures of our Christmas tree. The two with the kids, is from Christmas last year. The other is this year. This years tree, is smaller, but fits in that little corner nicely. Don't mind the toilet paper in the pic, we all had colds, and the tissues were all gone.

We have some crazy weather here lately. It is freezing one day, and then 80 the next. We are in for some severe weather, later today, and tomorrow.

Lesson Plan for 12/11/08:

Reading: Read Chapter 8 of Sunset of the Sabertooth
Writing: Draw a map for Santa, to get to your house
Health: Germs and body defense
Spelling: Lesson 12- put your spelling words in alphabetical order
Vocabulary: Lesson 12- write each vocabulary word, and defition 2x each
Language Arts: Adjectives, capitalization
Math: Addition and subtraction problem solving, multiplication
Spanish: Food and utensils part 2
PE: 30 minutes

Kid Powered Energy At Montessori School

I saw this story last night on the Fox Report, and thought I would share it with all of you. There is a Montessori School in North Greenbush, NY that uses kid powered energy to help run the water, and lights. How you ask? The merry go round, and other playground equipment is hooked up to generators and as the kids play, it generates power. They use Solar power technology as well. It is very cool. You can watch the video here


Lesson Plans for 12/10/08:

Reading: Read chapter 7 Sunset of the Sabertooth
Writing: Design a tree ornament, and describe how to make it
Social Studies: Kansas, and virtual tour of Candy Cane Factory http://www.spanglercandy.com/spangler/products/canemaking2.php
Spelling: Lesson 12- write each spelling word, and circle the consonants
Vocabulary: Lesson 12- Write a synonym for each vocabulary word
Language Arts: Adjectives, capitalization
Math: Addition, subtraction, multiplication
Spanish: Food and utensils part 2

Florida Governor Charlie Crist To Wed

I would like to take a moment, and congratulate Charlie Crist, and his girlfriend on their upcoming nuptials. The wedding is planned for Friday, at 7PM at the First United Methodist Church, in South Florida. This is the second marriage for both of them. Charlie Crist, is the very popular Republican Governor, for the Sunshine State. Many congratulations, and tons of Happiness, to Governor Crist, and his wife to be.

Lesson Plan for 12/09/08:

Reading: Read Chapter 6 of Sunset of Sabertooth
Writing: Tell a story about a trip to the North Pole
Science: Nutrition
Spelling: Lesson 12- write each spelling word, and circle the vowels
Vocabulary: Lesson 12- use each vocabulary word in a sentence
Language Arts: Adjectives, capitalization
Math: Addition, subtraction, multiplication
Spanish: Food and utensils part 2
PE: 30 minutes

Have an awesome Monday, everyone.

Congratulations To The Florida Gators

Yes as soon as we moved to North Florida, from upstate NY, we became instant Gator fans. My husband, and son, watch them every week. Yesterday, they defeated #1 Alabama, to win the SCC Championship. This should set them up to go to the Championship. It will be announced tomorrow. College football does a strange method of figuring out their rankings, and standings. I probably would need to go back to college, to figure it out myself. Anyway, a big Congratulations to the Florida Gators.


Lesson Plan for Monday December 8th:

Reading: Read chapter 5 Sunset of Sabertooth
Writing: Hannukah has 8 days, what would you ask for
Art- Draw a Christmas tree
Spelling: Lesson 12- write each spelling word 2 x each
Vocabulary: Lesson 12- look up the definition for each word
Language Arts: Adjectives, capitalization
Math: Subtraction, multiplication, division
Spanish: Food and utensils part 2
Gadgets and gizmos word find
Music: Sing along christmas songs

Thank You To My Top Entrecard Droppers

I know I usually do this on the first, of every month. I am late in posting it, but never late in saying thank you, to everyone that visits my blog. Here are my top 10 droppers for the month of November:

Dropper	# of drops
Small Town Mommy	31
Renaescraftycorner	30
The Good Life	30
Is 8 Enough?	30
Black holes and Astrostuff	30
A Solitairy Love	29
Curiously Awesome	29
Chronic Chick Talk	28
Spices of Life & Everything Nice	28
California	28

These blogs down here, are blogs I put my Entrecard on, and the number of hits I got from their blogs:

Widget shown on	# of clicks
Lover Mushroom	50
California	46
Foreign Language Fun	29
Memoirs of a Chaotic Mommy	27
The Road I'm Traveling	26
THE MOM WITH BROWNIES	25
Thanksgiving Every Day	24
my little love bugs	19
This Side of Eternity	16
flitting	15

If you have a couple of minutes, visit each of these wonderful blogs. Thank you again, and have a great weekend, everyone.

Energy For Kids

My third grade books, that I purchased for my son, did not cover Gravity and Electricity. Gravity and Electricity, were a part of our curriculum, so I have been scouring the internet to find free programs on Gravity and Electricity. About.com had several, and then I also found this website, http://www.scribd.com/doc/1115/Energy-for-Kids/

It covers electricity, gravity, atoms, heat and sound. It is nothing fancy, easy to read and use, with questions for your child to answer. The answers are provided in the reading, and then you can make a post test after.

Tomorrow is test day, so there are no lesson plans to post.

Friday December 5th, is the first tree lighting ceremony here in Gilchrist County. They will be having cookies with santa, horse carriage rides, christmas caroling, and other great family activities. It goes from 6pm-8pm with downtown businesses staying open late. It is hopefully going to draw the community together, and promote the downtown businesses. If anyone from the Gilchrist County area, reads my blog, please be sure and try to attend.

Have a great Thursday, everyone.

Take A Virtual Tour Of A Christmas Tree Farm, and Call Santa

I have two awesome websites, to share that I have found. For Social Studies, all this month, we are studying various Christmas activities. Today we will be going on a virtual field trip to a Christmas tree farm http://www.christmastrees.on.ca/

There are many different activities, on this website, including the virtual tour. It is a great way for your child to learn how the Christmas tree is grown. There is real tree facts, and holiday helpers, just to name a few. Check it out, your kids will love it.

My husband found this cool website, http://www.callsanta.org/index.php
We tried it last night, with my son, and it works great. He was so excited to think he actually talked to Santa. It is free, and your kids will love it too.

Lesson Plan for 12/3/08:

Our reading book was changed to Sunset of Sabertooth, as DJ could not find the other one.

Reading: Read chapter 3 of Sunset of Sabertooth
Writing: Write a want ad, for a reindeer
Social Studies: Virtual Tour of a Christmas tree farm
Spelling: Lesson 11 write each spelling word and circle the consonants
Vocabulary: Lesson 11 Write a synonym for each vocabulary word
Language Arts: Contractions, phonics review
Math: Addition, multiplication, division
Spanish: Food and utensils, part two

Lesson Plan for 12/4/08:

Writing: Write a letter to Santa, online, at www.northpole.com
Reading: Read chapter 4 of Sunset of Sabertooth
Health: The dairy group
Spelling: Lesson 11 put your spelling words in alphabetical order
Vocabulary: Lesson 11 write each vocabulary word, and meaning 2x each
Langauge Arts: Verbs, phonics review
Math: Addition, multiplication, division
PE: 30 minutes
Spanish: Food and utensils part two

Have a great Wednesday, everyone.

Why Not Bundle Up This Winter

You see advertisements all the time, to bundle up your phone, internet, and cable. Well now you can bundle them all at a great price, get a free 250 dollar gift card, and enter a sweepstakes to win a Xbox 360. Wow, black friday Charter is offering this great deal, for a limited time only.

You can buy one of Charter's services separately, or you can take advantage of the Ultimate Service Bundle. The Ultimate Service Bundle includes: High speed internet service, TV including Showtime, Starz, and HBO; phone with unlimited calling. You would get all this for $165.97, plus be entered into the sweepstakes for the Xbox, and get a free 250 dollar gift card. The gift card, and Xbox entry, are valid only with the Ultimate Service Bundle. Go to http://connect.charter.com/landing/cpg/learnmore_PPC.asp?ID=197&OriginatingID=420136
to see all their options available at this time. For complete Xbox rules, go to https://connect.charter.com/XBox/rules.html

Charter is definitely offering the best deal on bundled service, right now. Be sure to check it out, and see if their services can help you save some money, and bundle up this winter.

The Decorating Is Done, The Christmas Cards Are Sent

It has been a busy, and hectic weekend. I can almost say I am glad it is Monday. My husband had 4 days off, wow that does not happen very often. My job canceled me for both of my scheduled nights, so I got a ton of work done here at home. The Christmas decorations are all up, the cards are ready to go out in the mail today. I made out our lesson plans, for the whole month of December. I would love to share this website with you http://www.northpole.com/
Your kids can send Santa a letter, right online, and they get a letter back online. No stamps needed. Plus there are all kinds of activities, and even lessons for teachers, and homeschoolers. Be sure to check it out, your kids will love it. I found two prospects for online work, and am hoping they work out. I have two lesson plans to post, because I did not post one yesterday. I hope everyone has a great Monday.

Lesson Plan for 12/1/08:

Writing: Write how to clean your room
Reading: Read chapter 1 of Afternoon in the Amazon
Art: Draw a Christmas tree, and Santa advent calenders
Spelling: Lesson 11- write each 2 times each, once in print, and once in cursive
Vocabulary: Lesson 11- look up the definition for each vocabulary word
Math: Addition, Fact families, multiplication
Spanish: Food and utensils part 2
Language Arts: Verbs, phonics review
Word find: Music

Lesson Plan for 12/2/08:

Science: Simple machines
Writing: Write about your least favorite food
Reading: Read chapter 2 of Afternoon on the Amazon
Spelling: Lesson 11 write each spelling word, and circle the vowels
Vocabulary: Use each vocabulary word in a sentence
Language Arts: Verbs, phonics review
Math: Fact families, multiplication, division
Spanish: Food and utensils part 2
PE: 30 minutes
ITP: Music class

Help Grant A Wish This Holiday Season

I know this time of year, people are always looking for donations. It is hard to decide whom, you should give to. Which organizations, are really helping those in need. Well now you can help Military families, and Veterans of wars, through the Sears Heroes at Home Wish Registry,
to see how you can help.

The Sears Heroes at Home Program, was developed to assist military personelle, their families, and veterans through joint efforts with non profit organizations. Now you can be a part of it too. I know so many people who are currently serving, or who have served this great nation. They give their time, sacrifice their lives, and time with their loved ones, so we can all be safe, and have all the freedoms we enjoy every single day. Often, they are injured, or miss births of their children, birthdays, and other holidays, all for each and every one of us. Now you can say Thank You, and help them have a wonderful holiday season too. Maybe you are thinking you can not afford to give money, but just the smallest amount of money can help.

Help grant a wish this year, and give to a worthy cause at Sears Heroes at Home program. They have expanded their program, this year, so they can help to assist more military personelle, their families, and veterans. If you want to have that warm, and fuzzy feeling this year, then you surely must check their program out.

Why Do They Call It Black Friday?

Silly me, I always thought it was called Black Friday, because of the way people acted on that day. Rude, obnoxcious, out of control, all negative things so I just assumed that is why it was given such a name. Of course, now that I am older, and much wiser, I know Black Friday really refers to the amount of sales done on that day. To bring them out of the red, and into the black in other words to make a profit. They offer huge discounts, and specials which people will start lining up for sometimes at 3 AM. I participated once, as a young woman, and vowed to never do it again. I could not believe the fashion in which people behave, to just save a few bucks. The pushing, shoving, cursing, running, trampling, screaming, grabbing, just plain rude behavior. I am assuming if you watch the news, you know where this story is going. A Wal-Mart on Long Island had a major incident on Black Friday. A store worker, was trampled to death by shoppers. The shoppers were so intent on getting in the store, they pushed the doors right off the hinges, in the mad rush. While the worker lie on the floor gasping for air, not one shopper stopped to help, or see if he was ok, they just kept trampling over him to get to the all mighty deals. A pregnant woman, was also injured in the stampede. Thankfully though she was injured, her baby is okay. Of course they are somehow trying to blame Wal-Mart for this. How is Wal-Mart to blame for the way these people acted. They had no regard for life, to get a toy, or TV or some other object. I can not even begin to say how disgusted I am with this whole Black Friday shopping day. Not to mention with society, and the values that have been ignored.

Great Gift Ideas Under 25 Dollars

I hope everyone had an awesome Thanksgiving. I know we did. Now it is time to get down to Christmas shopping. Do you have a ton of people to buy for? Then you need Kmart, and their awesome products. They have a whole bunch, for 25 dollars or less.



A few of the items I am interested in are.
1- This cool webcam, for 19.99. We have relatives that live out of state, and have not seen our kids in person for some time. With this nifty little web cam, they can see us, and we can see, and talk to them. I would need two, one for us, and one for them.

2- My daughter, who is 4 is really into dolls, and all the accessories. They have a wooden doll high chair for 19.99 She would really love getting this for her baby dolls. She already has the bed, so the chair would be great to go with it.

Kmart has a whole slew of items under 25 dollars, for your gift giving needs. Did you know for over 100 years, Kmart, has been offering exceptional prices on quality items like Kraftsmen, Martha Stewart, Leapfrog just to name a few.

To view all of Kmarts great gift items, under 25 dollars go to Kmart and see what you can find for your gift giving needs.

They are also offering Free shipping, on certain items go to Kmart.com to see the details of this great offer. They offer an awesome layaway service, so you can make weekly payments, and still have all your gifts in time for Christmas. So hurry over to Kmart, before they run out of all these great items.

Did You Get Everything Done In Time?

Like many of you, I ran around yesterday cleaning, cooking, baking, preparing, and finishing last minute shopping. I even managed to get my stocking stuffers purchased. I still have to vacuum this morning, and clean the bathroom, not a big deal, as they are kept clean already. I wanted to wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving, and to remind you to be thankful today for all that you have. I know sometimes we get preoccupied with all the things we want, or want to do. But remember to be thankful for all that you already have, and have done. You could always not have them, and you never said Thank You.

I have another interesting Turkey sandwich idea, for all those Turkey leftovers. Put roast turkey, cranberry cream cheese, lettuce, and chopped pecans all in a pita, and have a sandwich delight. You can make the cranberry cream cheese, by just using that leftover cranberry sauce no one actually eats, and mixing it with some cream cheese. Sounds yummy.




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Maple Butter Recipe For Your Turkey

Well it is the day before Thanksgiving, and both my kids have managed to catch a cold. They are both 100% better with forced fluids, lots of rest, steam baths, vitamin supplements, and absolutely no milk products.

A while ago, when I posted my Thanksgiving menu, I posted about Maple Butter, to put on your turkey. I forgot all about posting the recipe, until last night when my husband was making it. It really is pretty easy. You should make it tonight, to be sure it is solid by tomorrow, to put on your turkey. You will need Pure Maple Syrup, the whole bottle. Put it in a pan, and let it cook down on medium heat, for approximately 25 minutes. Then add 2 sticks of real butter to the pan, and let it melt. Put it in a container over night, and you have Maple Butter. You can add Rosemary, but we do not, because I dont like it. This glaze makes the best drippings, for homemade gravy. If you do not know how to make homemade gravy, it is the easiest thing. Use equal parts flour, and butter, to make a Rue. I have no idea if that is spelled correctly, but that is what it is called. So if you use 3 tbsp of butter, add 3 tbsp of flour, once the butter has melted. Whisk them together, and let them cook, on low heat for approximately one minute. Then add your turkey drippings, right from your roasting pan. Whisk and watch it, until it is nice and thick. It does take a few minutes so be patient. If it is too thick add more drippings.

I hope everyone has a wonderful day tomorrow. We decorate our Christmas Tree, after dinner and dessert. It is a family tradition, carried on for many years.

Turkey Leftover Ideas

I will be sharing some interesting, and favorite recipes over the next weeks. Not just for Turkey Day, but for Christmas as well. This is my favorite time of the year, and I love to share tips, tricks, ideas etc.

My first recipe, I found in a Womans Day magazine, I had recently purchased. It is a great way to use up leftovers from Thanksgiving Dinner. It is a super sandwich, and here are the details. You will need Turkey, stuffing, cranberry sauce, lettuce, reduced fat mayo and thick toasted bread. I personally would leave off the cranberry sauce, as I dont like it, and would use regular mayo. Then you just put all the ingredients on the bread, and enjoy the tastiest leftover turkey sandwich ever.

Today we are doing a Themed Unit Study on Thanksgiving, then no school until next Monday. Happy Tuesday, everyone.

Geared Up For A Busy Week, Food Drive, Christmas Drive

First of all I would like to say to anyone that is travelling this week, to be safe, and have a good time.

My dog is feeling better. He is still not quite himself, but at least he is not glaring at the refrigerator anymore.

My sister had her Gallbladder removed this morning, and she is home, and doing fine. Some pain, and nausea but nothing unusual. So that all went well, and her husband is home with her.

As soon as I am done with this post, I am off to watch Food Network. This is my absolute favorite time of the year, to watch the cooking shows. While I watch, and listen I will be making a Christmas card list, and tweeking my last minute grocery shopping list for Turkey Day.

Last Friday, I sent all the food we saved for the needy, over to the food drive. They will be distributed to people who can not afford to buy a Thanksgiving dinner. Then Friday night, I went off to Walmart, to buy toys for the Christmas drive. I usally give one new toy, to Toys For Tots, every year. This year I will be giving to the local Christmas drive, with specific sponsored children that are experiencing difficult times. I bought a whole bunch of stuff, and my husband took it in today, on his way to work. If you are experiencing a rough time this year, there are places you can sign up to have toys donated to your children. Most churches, sheriffs, and community services would be able to tell you where and how to sign up.

Then today I finished up my own Christmas shopping online. I would like to get two of the ladies I work with a gift too, I hope I will be able to. They both love to read, and are having difficult financial times. I have two books in mind, and I hope to be able to get them. I would love to buy for every single person in our family, but it just is not possible, or feasible. Of course I do have to get stocking stuffers but that isnt really too big of a deal. My son is a reading master, and I just bought him a whole bunch of advanced readers off Ebay for Christmas.

Happy Monday, everyone.

More Ignorance Towards Homeschoolers

Before I go into my big speech, please view the clip for yourself. It is from 11/17/08. and the ladies on The View, are discussing education options for the Obama children. It starts with a commercial before it actually goes to the clip. Go here to view it http://abcnews.go.com/video/playerIndex?id=6271001

Did you see it? Did you see where the host Joy, called homeschool children demented, and they are afraid of other children. Now let me first say I know she was trying to be humorous, however I still find it insulting, and even slanderous. For someone on national TV, to say that all homeschool children are demented, and isolated is absurd. Why is it assumed that all homeschoolers are sticking their kids in the closet, and shutting them off from the outside world? People choose to homeschool for a lot of reasons, and maybe some of them are isolated, but the majority I know of are very well rounded, sociable children. I find it even more insulting, considering she is an actress, and a lot of young actors are homeschooled, due to their crazy work schedules.

I for one intend to construct a letter, and send it off to ABC, insisting on an apology. If you are offended, or just think it is unfair for a group to be stereotyped against, you too can make your voice heard. Go here http://abc.go.com/daytime/theview/ask

Tomorrows lesson plans are as follows:

Santa Claus advent calender craft
Writing: Make a Thanksgiving menu
Vocabulary: Thanksgiving words
A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving I will be adding these videos tomorrow for everyone to enjoy
Mars: 60 min video

A New Refrigerator, Crazy Dog, and Wow It Is Freezing, Thanksgiving For The Needy

We finally had to break down and buy a new refrigerator. The other one was not completely dead, but it was not cooling effectively. The nice new, shiny refrigerator was delivered last night, and it is so nice. It is black, so of course it does not match my stove, but that will be on the budget list for next year. This refrigerator, lasted 20 years, so it isnt like it did not get its money worth.

With the new refrigerator, my dog is acting crazy. He is still young, and does not like change, or new things. He is just pacing back and forth, and watching it like it is going to get him or something. It is kind of funny, but I am afraid he is going to never get used to it.

It is freezing here in North Florida. It does get occasionally cold, but it is extremely early, and lasted quite a long time. It is not even technically winter yet. Anyway, about 2 months ago, I blogged about how Propane was 4.48 a gallon, and we got 50 gallons. I figured with gas prices coming down, that Propane too would have come down. So I called our company, the other day, and they told me it went up to 4.88 a gallon. I could not believe it, so I told them I was going to call around and get comparisons. We found a company, that was half of our company, so we called them back to make discussions. They said they could come down to as low as 3.85 per gallon, and that if we left them, they would charge all these discontinuation fees. So my husband and I discussed it, and for now we will stay with them, as it would cost us more not to. Since we only need about 45 gallons to have a full tank, it is the better option right now. I will be looking for others though next year. I do not like being bullied, and I do not like feeling forced to do something.

It seems like everything in this state, is a battle. Nothing ever seems fair, or even. I have not even got into what happened with my job yet. That was a battle and a half. I have decided, that after the new year, I will be seeking new employment. I got my requested days off, but I also got screamed at, disrespected, threatened and bullied. I made it very clear, that I would not be treated in such a manner. I can not continue to work for a company, that is going to treat their staff in such a way. Unfortunately in this area, that behavior is very common.

A Little Behind

I have not posted any of my lesson plans for the past two days. I have been trying to get in some paid posts, through Social Spark, well it seems you can not do two posts next to each other in another words two in a row. So I spent all that time doing them, to not have them approved, and can not be edited, just poof nothing for your efforts. So just a note, if you do paid posts through Social Spark, you can not do two posts in a row. Tomorrow is test day, so I have no lesson plan for tomorrow. We will be having movie afternoon, after school, and watching Kung Fu Panda.

Lesson Plans for 11/19/08:

Reading: Read Chapter 10 of Pirates Past Noon
Writing: Write what you are thankful for
Social Studies: Government and Citizenship this will be a multi week lesson, with some cool virtual field trips
Spelling: Lesson 10 write each spelling word, and circle the consonants
Vocabulary: Lesson 10 think of an Antonym for each vocabulary word
Language Arts: Phonics review, action verbs
Math: Multiplication, addition, subtraction, ordinal numbers. Division will start again after Thanksgiving
Spanish: food and utensils

Lesson Plans for 11/20/08:

Reading: Write a book report, on Pirates Past Noon
Writing: Write 5 questions you would like to ask a Pilgrim
Health: Health and Safety Drugs
Spelling: Lesson 10 put spelling words in alphabetical order
Vocabulary: Lesson 10 write each vocabulary word and the definition 2x each
Math: Multiplication, addition, subtraction, ordinal numbers
Language Arts: Phonics review, verbs
Spanish: Food and utensils

Hunger for American Children Rose 50% In 2007

Did you see what I wrote? 50% in 2007, not 2008. I can't even imagine what it will be this year, with the economy in a crisis, people losing their jobs, this is just not right. Our tax payers go to bailout some bigwig slob, making millions in bonuses, taking luxury vacations, and worrying about whether he will get his Christmas bonus or not, and 50% of American children went hungry last year. We give to our local food pantry every year. This year we are beefing it up. We will be giving to the local food pantry, the Sheriff Dept, and local churches that need it. I will also be asking my children to go through their toys, and clothes to see if we have excellent condition to donate. For the past two years I was unable to give to Toys for Tots, something I always did in previous years. We just financially could not do it, but this year we will whether we can afford it or not. My children have so much to be thankful for, as well as my husband and I. We need to help our fellow Americans who are not as fortunate, and maybe think they dont have anything to be thankful for. Please help your neighbors, friends, and family this Holiday season. So many will be going without.

Lesson Plans for 11/19/08:

Reading: Read Chapter 10 of Pirates Past Noon
Writing: Write what you are thankful for
Social Studies: Government and citizenship, Iowa
Spelling: Lesson 10- write each spelling word and circle the consonants
Vocabulary: Lesson 10- Think of an Antonym for each vocabulary word
Language Arts: Phonics review, action verbs
Math: Multiplication, addition, subtraction, ordinal numbers
Spanish: Food and utensils
If time permits, watch 60 min video on Mars

Take A Virtual Field Trip On The Mayflower

With the holidays coming, I have had some crazy weeks. I am glad I saved all these cool field trips, to my computer for easy access. My sister is coming to stay with us for Christmas. We only get to see her about once a year, maybe even every other year. So we are preparing for that. She has to have her gallbladder removed right before Thanksgiving, so her finances are getting tight. She has already bought her bus tickets, but is worried about extra money, for gifts. We have been very fortunate this year, after several years of financial toughness. I will be informing her, that she doesnt have to worry about cash, we will help her with gifts for the kids. Which really, her just being here should be the gift, but I know she will not be satisfied with that. My lovely job, is refusing to grant me my requested days off, so I can be here when she is here. Technically they can not do that, because my status is prn, and they can not tell me I have to work, I work when I want. They can however, make things difficult for me, so I am geared up for a fight.

As part of todays lesson plan, we are taking a virtual field trip on the Mayflower http://www.scholastic.com/scholastic_thanksgiving/voyage/journey.htm
This particular virtual field trip is cool, and they have other activities, such as the first Thanksgiving feast, and daily life of the colonists. This will cover our curriculum need, for settlers, and colonists. Check it out, it is pretty neat.

Lesson Plans for 11/18/08:

Science: Simple Machines
Spelling: Lesson 11 write each spelling word, and circle the vowels
Vocabulary: Lesson 11 use each vocabulary word in a sentence
Writing: Describe how your family celebrates Thanksgiving
Reading: Read chapter 9 of Pirates Past Noon
Language Arts: Phonics review, using a thesarus
Math: Multiplication, addition, subtraction, number names
Spanish: Food and utensils
Art: Draw a turkey

I Have Some Football To Watch

Just a quick post today, as I am going to actually relax and watch some football. If you saw my post last Monday, I told you School Express, would have a free activity set to go with the Free themed unit, on Thanksgiving. Be sure to go to their website, and sign up for their free newsletter, to get a new free unit study every week.

Lesson Plans for 11/17/08:

Spelling: Lesson 11- write each spelling word 2 times each
Vocabulary: Lesson 11- look up the definition to each vocabulary word
Reading: Read chapter 8 of Pirates Past Noon
Writing: Write a poem about Thanksgiving
Math: Multiplication, addition, subtraction, and number names
Language Arts: Phonics review, use glossary
Virtual Tour Field Trip on the Mayflower
Arts and crafts- Pilgrim paper dolls
Spanish: Food and utensils
Music: 30 minutes If time permits

Have a great Sunday, everyone.

The First People Parts 3, 4, and 5, Free Printable Fun, Technorati

I have added a whole bunch of people to my Technorati favorites. Every day I try to add more. If you have Technorati I would love to be on your favorites.

I found the cutest printables for Thanksgiving. Yesterday we did the Turkeys and they are sweet. Next week we will be doing the Pilgrim paper dolls. I can not tell you how cute they are. To get your free printables go to http://www.freeprintablefun.org and check out all her great stuff.

Today is more like a half day, because we really dont have a lot to do. We will be watching parts 3, 4 and 5 of the First People, about Native Americans. DJ will write a short review after. We were supposed to watch a Mars video, but my Tivo is not working. So it is a short day today. I hope everyone has a great weekend.

Would You Sit On A Plane For 10 Hours?

Some of you may have heard about this, back in the Spring. People on a plane were forced to sit on the tarmac for 10 hours, while waiting for take off. 10 hours, are you kidding me. They couldn't figure out after two hours, that they probably were not going to take off, the pilots I mean. These people were offered no water, no food, nor are they allowed to leave the plain, and return to the airport. Some of these people had small children, and it is reported that the bathrooms were not working. I am sorry how does this not qualify as kidnapping, ten hours that is outrageous. So a group of people, mostly from the Airlines and Airports, got together in a task force to see if they could come up with a fliers bill of rights. Yeah ok, we know very well how good a task force can work. All they did was come up with recommendations, that the airlines do not have to follow, and probably will not follow. They could not even come up with a time frame for a lengthy delay. The could not even agree on that. Please are you kidding me, I would think 10 hours would definately qualify, but should start at 2. For goodness sakes, we would not want them to have to give out free food and water, to their loyal passengers. That would be a travesty. I for one am outraged by this, and I hope they get their heads out of their you know whats, and get this done. Talk about abuse, I think this qualifies.

Lesson Plans for 11/14/08:

Today will be kind of an easy day. We did no new spelling or vocabulary lessons, so it will not be a test day.

We will be watching videos 3 and 4 of the Native Americans, arts and crafts, music, and a one hour show on Mars which we tivoed some time ago. That is about it, for tomorrow, other than our visit to the public library. My son is a reading machine, and has just started Moby Dick, which was supposed to be for next years reading lessons.

The Right To Live!

Okay so why am I blogging about something so serious? Because I think it is an important issue. We have all heard about the right to die, and the controversy that surrounds it. I will not go into my feelings about that, as that is another whole topic. However, what about a persons right to live, even when their seems to be no hope. I am sure you have heard, or even experienced stories about people being told, there is no more treatment that can be done, the case is hopeless, or because of age treatment is not sought. But what about their right, to say wait a minute, I am not ready to die. I want everything that can be done to be done, regardless of the outcome. There was a story, in my local newspaper, about a young boy, about 13 who had terminal cancer. He had come to the end of his disease, and at some point had obviously become unconscious, because he was placed on a Ventilator, and IV medications to make his heart keep beating. At some point the Doctors came to the conclusion, that he was brain dead, and was only being kept alive by artificial means. They requested the parents, to discontinue treatment, which they refused to do. The Hospital has take the family to court, asking the courts to allow the hospital to end the treatments being provided. There has been no ruling yet, but this is how I feel. The hospital initiated the treatment, now they have to keep it going whether they like it or not. I am sure it is expensive, and causing great cost, however it is not their place to say when someone dies. This boy could live, whether you agree with the interpretation of alive, for some time with the treatment. Eventually his heart will give up, even with the medication, and so will his lungs, despite the breathing machine and he will die naturally. This is his parents wishes, and I think that should be respected. I do not think medical professionals should be able to tell someone when they have to die, if they are willing to continue treatment. It is as much a right to live, as it is a right to die, in my opinion. So what do you think, about this topic?

Lesson plans for 11/13/08:

Reading: Read chapter 7 of Pirates Past Noon
Writing: Write a story about giving a dog a bath
Health: Home safety hazards
Language Arts: Phonics review, glossary use
Math: Multiplication, addition, subtraction, number order
Spanish: Food and utensils
Music: 30 minutes

If we did not get to art class on 11/12/08 it will be done on 11/13/08

Freebie of the day, Veterans Day, Native Americans

First of all I would like to say Happy Veterans Day, to all vets. Without them, this great country, would not be. So be sure to thank your Vets today, and everyday. Tomorrows lesson plan will include this story about Veterans Day, with printable available http://homeschooling.about.com/cs/unitssubjhol/a/veteransday.htm

Todays Homeschool freebie, is an ebook about Pilgrims. It is part 2, to the one I listed yesterday. As I stated previously we will probably save these for next year, and incorporate them into the curriculum. Here is an exerpt of the ebook: Pilgrim Stories II - The Wild Land & Thanksgiving (PDF ebook) In Part Two, the Pilgrims at long last arrive in the "New World", only to find it a truly "wild land" filled with incredible danger and hardship. Providentially, they are befriended just when they need it most, and the very first Thanksgiving is celebrated. You can get this great ebook by contacting me, or going to www.HomeschoolFreebieOfTheDay.com and signing up for their free newsletter. Each offer is only available for that day, so dont delay.

Tomorrows Lesson Plans will include video #2 of The First People Parts 3 and 4 will be posted for Friday.

Here is the rest of the Lesson Plan for 11/12/08:

Reading: Read chapter 6 of Pirates Past Noon
Writing: Write a letter to your favorite TV, or movie star
Social Studies: Part 2 of the First People, Indiana, Veterans Day
Language Arts: Phonics review, using an index
Math: Multiplication, addition, subtraction, greater than and less than
Spanish: Food and utensils
Art: Draw Pichu, turkey craft

I hope everyone is enjoying their day off, on this Veterans Day.

Give The Gift Of Cooking This Year

Do you love to cook? Do you know someone who loves to cook? Then give the best gift, of cookware this year Cookware and Bakeware Sale

Sears is having a huge sale, on their small appliances. From Blenders, ice cream makers, coffee makers, toasters, food processors, and everything you could imagine in between. My personal favorite, is the George Foreman Grills. We have a small one, and we love it. If you love to cook, and eat meat, but could do without all the fat, then the George Foreman Grill is for you. I would like a bigger one, actually. Maybe I will put it on my Christmas wish list.

Sears is offering discounted prices, rebates, and specials on shipping fees. They offer brand name appliances such as Kenmore, Cuisinart, Braun, and Oster. I know my husband would love a Cuisinart coffee maker for Christmas.

Do you have a theme for your kitchen? I personally do not, whatever I like I buy. My mom, however has her kitchen all in red. Sears offers a set of red, small appliances, that would look awesome in her kitchen. I am seriously thinking of getting them for her, as she will not buy them for herself. They have the coffee pot, toaster, pots and pans, blender and everything. They are only 49.99 in the Cuisinart brand name. Oh how I hope I can get these for her. She would be so surprised, and excited.

What small appliances would you buy, from Sears for the cook on your Christmas list. Don't forget to visit their website, and check out all their awesome specials, and great items. Be sure to ask about this specific deal: Get the 8 pc. Roster Set for $4.99, after mail in rebate. Be sure to hurry, it is a limited time offer. Give the gift of cooking this year, that is what I say.