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Sunday, November 30, 2008

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.

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Saturday, November 29, 2008

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.

Friday, November 28, 2008

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.

Click Here

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.

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Thursday, November 27, 2008

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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Wednesday, November 26, 2008

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.

Tuesday, November 25, 2008

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.

Monday, November 24, 2008

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.

Sunday, November 23, 2008

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

Friday, November 21, 2008

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.

Thursday, November 20, 2008

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

Tuesday, November 18, 2008

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

Monday, November 17, 2008

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

Sunday, November 16, 2008

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.

Friday, November 14, 2008

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.






Thursday, November 13, 2008

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.

Wednesday, November 12, 2008

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

Tuesday, November 11, 2008

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.

Monday, November 10, 2008

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.

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Freebie Of The Day, New Store Promotion, Thanksgiving Themed Unit

I have three things to discuss this morning. Tomorrow there is no school, in celebration of Veterans Day. I will be looking for a lesson on Veterans Day, and hopefully adding it to Wednesdays lessons.

Todays Homeschool Freebie of the day, is an ebook about the Pilgrims. I have downloaded this to my computer, if you are interested in it, I can send it to you. If you want to sign up for the free newsletter go to www.HomeschoolFreebieOfTheDay.com and they will send you the freebies for free, every week. Here is a summary of the ebook Pilgrim Stories I -
From Old Homes to New (PDF ebook)

This week we are featuring this absolutely delightful
three part serialization of the story of the Pilgrims - perfect
for "read aloud" and sharing with the kids over the next
couple of weeks!
In Part One, we meet the Pilgrims and learn why they
were forced to leave their homes in search of a place they could
freely worship... a journey which had many false starts,
and eventually became a hazardous journey across
the ocean in hopes of reaching the "New World".
I probably will not use this for this year, but will be saving it for next years curriculum.

This weeks free themed unit, from www.schoolexpress.com>
is for a themed unit on Thanksgiving, we will be using this the week of Thanksgiving, when there is only two days of school. If you are interested in this themed unit, I can send it to you. If you go to school express website, you can sign up for their free newsletter, and they will send you a new free themed unit, every week.

I am having a sales promotion, for my Etsy store, at both blogs. For this blog, if you purchase 25 dollars of merchandise, before shipping, you will get a free Fisher Price learning computer, for children 9 months to 3 years. There is a picture of it above. The first person to contact me through this blog, verifying their purchase will win the free learning system. Go to my Etsy store, http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=6007466 and check out my inventory. This is a great way to cross two or more people, off of your Christmas list.

Sunday, November 9, 2008

Finances Tight This Year? Kmart Offers An Awesome Layaway Plan



Click Here

Like many Americans, this year, finances are tight, and people are worried about Christmas this year. Lucky for all of us Kmart Lay-Away Kmart offers a awesome Layaway plan.

If you click the link, you can go and see if your local Kmart offers the layaway service. The closest one to me, is in Winter Springs, which is two hours away. I wish my local Gainesville, Kmart offered layaway, because I would use it for sure. Kmart is the only large retail store, that still offers a layaway service. Other stores like Walmart, have done away with it, for reasons I do not understand. If I could use the layaway service, I would put this cute Fur Real Friends Horse, on layaway for my daughter. She would absolutely love this, but I can not afford to fork over 300 dollars for it.

Layaway is simple, you pick the items you want, like the horse above. You take your items back to the Layaway desk. They ask you some basic information, you pay a small start up fee, to hold your items. You agree to make a payment at least every two weeks, and after 8 weeks, you pick your items up, take them home, wrap them, and put them under the tree. Simple, convenient, and a life saver in a touch economy. Of course you could use their Layaway service any time of the year, not just for Christmas. Right now, on their website they are offering 99 cent shipping, on toys, and free shipping on clothing. Maybe next year, I will get lucky, and the Kmart in Gainesville will offer a Layaway service. That would be awesome, especially I start shopping in August. Take advantage of this great oppurtunity, and check to see if your local Kmart offers the layaway service.

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Field Trip To Shired Island on The Gulf Of Mexico, Madagascar 2

Friday November 7th, was our Ocean Field trip, to Shired Island. Shired Island, is on the Gulf of Mexico, and about 1 hr from our home. It is sort of secluded and quiet, and as you can see from the pictures, a beautiful place to visit. It was 80 degrees, with no wind or clouds, absolutely perfect for a field trip. Because we went about an hour after high tide, there were tons of sea shells to pick. They are soaking in bleach water, to use for crafts. We did not get to see any Horseshoe Crabs, which are usually abundant, at this location. We did see some Blue Crabs, that had been caught, in a trappers cage. They were young ones, and can get to the size of dinner plates. We saw lots of birds, a small jelly fish, some fish, and some small crabs. The Pelican was camera shy and would not let me get a picture of it. All in all, it was a great day.

Yesterday, we went to go see Madagascar 2 Escape to Africa. It was cute, and Caitlins first trip to the big movie theater. She was good, until all her snacks were gone, and then she wanted to go home. I still think the first one was better, but this one was good too.

Tomorrow is a Half Day, and here are our lesson plans:

Writing: Write about your field trip to Shired Island
Reading: Read Chapter 5 of Pirates Past Noon
Finish Planets themed unit
Math: Division
Spanish: Food and utensils
Fire Prevention: Write about having an escape route
Science: Life cycles of animals
Arts and crafts: If time permits draw Pichu, and turkey craft
If we do not get to arts and crafts, they will be added to another day.











Thursday, November 6, 2008

The I Want Thats Have Started

I love right after Halloween, and the I want thats start. What is an I want that, you ask? It is every time a commercial with any kind of toy, comes on the TV, and my 4 yr old announces I want that. It doesnt even have to be a toy for a girl, it can be any toy, and she most definitely wants it. I told her she has to pick one toy that she absolutely wants the most. So she says okay I want that, that changes in 30 seconds with the next commercial. I have to just laugh, because my sisters and I used to go through the Christmas Wish Book, every year, and circle every single toy in the book. My son is more conservative, and just makes a list of the favorite things he wants.

I wanted to share with all my homeschooling friends, and anyone really who wants to help their child learn to spell. I read a tip, in the Homeschooling book I am currently reading, of how one mom helps her child with spelling. I never actually thought of it, but she has him type all his papers into a program like Works, or Word Perfect, where there is spell check. Every misspelled word has to be looked up, and spelled correctly. She says it has helped his spelling immensely. I will be remembering that little tip, for sure.

Tomorrow is our Ocean Field Trip, so there is no test day. Just fun and frolicking, and it is supposed to be 80, and sunny.

Today we are watching this Fire Prevention video, with discussion after.

Then we will be watching this video on Nutrition, with dicussion and writing assignment after. I have watched this video, and it is excellent. Yesterdays video on the Native Americans, was also excellent, I will be posting #2 next Wednesday, so watch for it.

Wednesday, November 5, 2008

Congratulations To Obama, Fire Prevention, Native Americans

Congratulations to Barack Obama, on winning the Presidency. He was not my candidate, but I am not a sore loser, and believe in giving him his due. If you did not see John McCains concession speech, it was really well done, respectable, and touching. I am proud to say he was my candidate. I hope Obama can stand up to all the hype.

This is the second video, in the Fire Prevention series. We watch the video, and then write about what we learned.


All this month, on Social Studies days, we will be watching a series of videos on Native Americans. Discussion and writing assignment will follow each video.

Lesson Plan for 11/6/08:

Reading: Read chapter 4 of Pirates Past Noon
Writing: Tell some ways we can help homeless people
Math: Multiplication, division, addition, subtraction
Language Arts: Phonics review, grammar
Fire Prevention: Video and discussion
Health: Nutrition
Music: 30 minutes
Spanish: Utensils and food

Tuesday, November 4, 2008

Election Day, Obamas Grandmother Passes Away

Today is election day. We had early voting here in Florida, so the deed is already done. Of all the blogs, I have read today I have not seen one mention the death of Obama's beloved grandmother. She passed away yesterday, unable to hang on to see if he wins or not. Our thoughts and prayers are with Obama and his family at this very sad time. May the best man, win today. I think McCain has a chance, but it will be very exciting to see who wins. Wow how often can you say that, Politics is exciting.

Todays homeschool freebie is an ebook titled Little Hands Folded in Prayer. It is a Classic collection of short, simple, beautiful prayers especially for children, from the 1800s. If you are interested in this free ebook, you can go to http://www.homeschoolfreebieoftheday.com They offer a new free offer every day, Monday through Friday, and they are really free, no strings attached.

I wanted to share a great book on Homeschooling, that I am currently reading. I borrowed it from our local library, and it is called Homeschooling the Early Years. It is all about tips and skills for teaching early learners, up to age 8. The first two chapters were not really helpful, because they talk about thinking and preparing to Homeschool. The next chapters though, have been very informative and helpful. If you have access to a local library, you might want to check it out.

There is no school today, but here are the lesson plans for 11/5/08:

Reading: Read chapter 3 of Pirates Past Noon
Writing: Imagine you are the President of the US, what would you do for the country
Language Arts: Phonics review, grammar
Art: Draw Pichu
Math: Addition, subtraction, multiplication, division
Social Studies: Election day word find, the first Thanksgiving story with questions
Planets: Themed unit
Fire Prevention: video number two

We have several add ons, if we finish early. They will be posted in our daily homeschool journal, as completed.

Monday, November 3, 2008

Homeschool Freebie, Halloween Tragedy, Fire Safey

Todays freebie of the day is an ebook titled English as she wuz wrote. You can get this free ebook, by going to http://www.HomeschoolFreebieOfTheDay.com

On Saturday, was trick or treating for many communities. In Sumster, SC a 12 year old boy was fatally shot for knocking on someones door. The man that shot the boy, his brother, and father, is an ex convict, wielding an AK-47 gun. He told the police he shot the family, because he had been robbed twice already, and had no intentions of being robbed again. There was another young man, in the home, that the police caught running away with 7,500 dollars cash. Obviously these two, were into some kind of illicit activities probably drugs, and innocent people were harmed. I am in no way in support of taking away people rights to bear arms, but I am tired of hearing of these kinds of stories of some loon with a powerful gun taking out innocent lives.

This week is Fire Safety week, here at Melissas Homeschool. We will be watching, and discussing a different short video, each day. This is the video for today. They are short, and geared at children, making them easy to understand.






Sunday, November 2, 2008

Parental Rights Are They Being Violated?

I received an interesting email today. It was from a member of one of my Homeschool groups. It was about Parental rights, and a petition to pass an Amendment to include parental rights in the US Constitution. Now I have saved this link, and have read the petition. I am considering signing it, but will probably do a little more research. The group http://www.parentalrights.org is the group promoting the Amendment. You can go here, to read the full article that I read, http://www.parentalrights.org/learn/the-attack-on-parental-rights

I guess I never really thought about it, mainly because I have not encountered problems like were stated. It seems most of them them stem from children upset with parents rules, and regulations, then complain to a school Guidance Counselor who in turn directs the child to CPS. I think no child should be abused or neglected. I believe that whole heartedly, and firmly. However, I do not think that rules, guidelines, and restrictions would fall under that category, unless they were way to the extreme putting the child in some kind of danger. I think these rulings, that were stated on this website are way over the bounds of Government rights. I do not understand why we are allowing the Government to have the ultimate say in what is quote in the best interest of the child. The one I found most shocking, was the one about the babysitters getting custody of a child, when the parent was never found to be unfit. They felt they had some kind of rights, as the childs babysitter. I find this absurd, and outrageous. Now they only gave an exerpt of the case, so there may be things that were not told. These rulings are from extremely Liberal judges, and courts, and are taking away the rights of parents to decide how their child should be raised. I find this to be absolutely beyond the rights of the Government. I must note, that there was a case stated about parents making their child attend church. The child complained, and the parents were forced by the courts to pull back on making the child attend church. Now for me Religion is a very personal choice. I believe in God, and feel I have a very close relationship with God. I do not force religion on my children. I expose them to it, and let them choose how much they wish to explore it. I was forced to attend church, and other religious type activities. I despised it, and it affected my relationship with God. I do not intend to do that to my children. I think they should be able to have some say, as to how their life is going, within the rules of the home. I have to say I agreed with the courts on that decision, to allow the child to pull back from such a rigorous religious regime. That is just me, and I am sure others will disagree with me, and that is of course your right. I will be researching this group more, and studying the Amendment. The general language, is a little vague for me, as I do feel children do deserve some basic rights, and responsibilities. Check it out, and see how you feel about it. I always say, be knowledgeable, know the information, and then make an educated decision.

My Lesson Plans for these next couple of months, are going to be a little different, due to the Holidays, and days off from school.

Lesson Plan for November 3rd:

Reading: Read chapter 2 Pirates Past Noon
Writing: Imagine you are an animal, what would it be and where would you go?
Math: Add, subtract, multiplication, division
Fire Prevention Week:
Language Arts: Phonics review, nouns and verbs
Music: 30 minutes
Spanish: Untensils and food
Themed Unit Study: Feelings

If time permits, we will do an Art class, and a virtual field trip.

Saturday, November 1, 2008

My Top 10 Entrecard Droppers, Daylight Savings Time

We went trick or treating last night, and I was surprised, there was maybe 1/4 of the homes passing out candy, compared to last year. Not that I mind, my children never eat all their candy anyway. I am curious though, if it was because people just could not spare all that extra money, to give candy to about 300 children. It can be very expensive.

It is the 1st and of course that means, it is time to say thank you to my top 10 Entrecard droppers. Please stop by and visit all these wonderful blogs.

http://www.smalltownmommy.com
http://california.today.com/
http://parentinglife.today.com
http://grow-your-own-vegetables.blogspot.com
http://registryeditor.blogspot.com
http://wood-gas.blogspot.com
http://www.moneysavingpro.com
http://www.slamblogger.com
http://new-orleans-food.com/
http://newsvids.blogspot.com

We have had a crazy busy week, and next week will be too. With the holidays approaching, Caitlins last day of preschool at the Library, was yesterday. It will resume in January. As I previously stated, Friday the 7th we are going on a field trip to the Ocean, hopefully to find seashells. I was wondering what would we do with them, after we found them. Yesterday, while Caitlin was in her class, I found my answer. I was looking at a craft book, and they had the coolest Christmas tree topper, you could make out of sea shells. Hopefully we will find enough to do it.

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