Don't forget my Alpha Omega One-Day Sale today at Discount Home School Supplies (www.dhss.com). You can get 20% off the retail price today, plus FREE SHIPPING!!!!! This will end at midnight tonight!

Please email me at orders@dhss.com for the discount code.

And, I only have ONE entrant in my microscope giveaway on my other blog. You can read the article HERE. Now, of course, my one entrant would rather you not enter, but I would like to have a little fun in drawing the name!!!!

Have a blessed day! Tami

In celebration of my 3rd year anniversary with Discount Home School Supplies, I am holding an Anniversary Sale and giving away a microscope! Isn't that exciting????

You can find my anniversary sale by clicking on the link. I have worked most of the day on the sale page, and I have things all nice and tidy, I think. (smile) The best incentive I thought of to give you is free shipping on any order over $25.00 for one week only! This is a pretty big deal for me to offer, since I just had to increase my shipping rates. So take advantage of my generosity this week!!!

Also, I will be holding a one-day only sale on Alpha Omega Products. Read through the sale page for information. You will need to contact me for the discount code for that day.

There are also some free digital products that will be available to anyone who makes a purchase during the sale. I will email you a link to the download page within 24 hours of your order being processed.You can see the SALE PAGE HERE.

How can you enter the contest to win a microscope? Well, it's pretty easy! You just copy the following paragraph with active links and paste it on your blog or send it to your email groups or friends. Then come back here and leave a comment. You can link to your blog, or if you sent emails, you can just ask me to enter you in the contest. Be sure to fill in the block that asks for your email address. I will need a way to contact you!

*** Discount Home School Supplies is holding a contest to give away a microscope. You can choose between one of the three following miscroscopes from my website, an MSK-01 Microscope, an MFL-06 microscope, or a SMD-04 Microscope. Just blog about the contest and link back to Tami's Blog. ***

One winner will be chosen at random sometime on July 23, 2008. This will give me time to complete order processing from my sale. I will announce the winner here on my blog sometime on July 23, 2008, Lord willing!

Does the thought of homeschooling your child/ren through high school strike fear into your heart? Do you have a child that does not fit the "high achiever" profile, or one who would rather do anything but school work?

Karen Davis will address these issues at the Second Annual Love to Learn Conference* in August, with the topic "A Relaxed Approach to High School at Home." Join us to hear Karen speak and explore a way to approach high school that puts you and your teen/s on the same team, on August 16, 2008, at Catawba Valley Community College, in Hickory.

Karen Davis has one homeschooled graduate, and three more children at home, ages 17, 11
and 7. If you would like to hear Karen and other wonderful speakers, visithttp://www.LoveToLearnConference.com* for information on how to register for the second annual Love to Learn Conference*!

*The Love to Learn Conference was created to fill the need for up to date, accurate, unbiased, information concerning issues that affect the climate of homeschooling in North Carolina. We want to provide a variety of speakers and sessions on a wide array of homeschooling topics. There will be something for everyone from the beginning homeschool family to those more experienced. We are pleased to create an inviting environment for the sharing of homeschool information. We are inclusive, and open to all homeschoolers. We hope you come to enjoy and share this homeschool journey.

Please join our grass roots effort to get the word out by sharing this post with other homeschool lists!

Subway has responded to the homeschool community, and they have a revamped summer contest. You can read more about it by click through Homeschooling Today's website. Or you can go to the Subway site HERE. Have a great day!

I was recently asked about organizing homeschool stuff. I don't have pictures right now, but I can tell you a bit about how I organize our homeschool supplies.

In the kitchen, I have an armoir. It holds everyone's current books in the top. And I am able to store craft supplies, paper, coloring books, stickers, etc. in the drawers below. It is so handy to have our books right beside the table, and it looks nice, too. You can see it in the background in the picture above.

I have a bookshelf in my living room that holds our Five in a Row books, KONOS manuals, dictionaries, and other reference books. It's handy to have the unit study books in the living room. I have a separate bookshelf with the encyclopedias and Bible dictionaries and commentaries.

Upstairs, I have three bookshelves in the hallway. I keep one bookshelf full of classic fiction books, such as the Boxcar children and Little House books. The other two bookshelves hold books I have collected for various unit studies that we have completed and completed curriculum books that I am not ready to get rid of.

In my bedroom, I have a craft closet that I keep all of our messy craft items put far, far away from the little ones. I also keep some science supplies in there that are hazardous to the little ones.

That pretty much covers how I organize. Please ask and questions or post comments. We are in the midst of redoing flooring in two rooms this week, and I can't take good pictures right now.

Labels: homeschooling, organizing; homeschool;

Biltmore House and Gardens presents.....

In Conjunction with
Biltmore's Field to Table Festival
Culinary Arts
Biltmore's 6th Annual Fall Homeschool Festival
Celebrate harvest, Autumn and all the traditions of the season.
Learn about Biltmore's culinary heritage and explore the connection
between the farmer and the kitchen.
This Year's Festival will include a self-guided visit in the House,
Conservatory and Winery.
Homeschool Activities will take place at River Bend Farm and include:

• Touring the Kitchen Garden
• Pizza Garden
• Herbs
• Set a table
  About Bees
• Napkin Folding
• Cooking Demonstrations
  and more!

Date: September 24, 25 & 26, 2008
Cost: $20.00 per person 5 years old and up
Dining Options: Picnic, Box Lunches, 3 Restaurants

Accommodation Packages Include:

• Room
• Tickets
• Breakfast
  Some starting as low as $168 for family of 4
  Payment: Due at time of reservation

Labels: field trips, homeschooling

Unless you live with a 6 month supply of food on hand, I am sure you have noticed that food and staple items have been increasing in price on an almost weekly basis. What are you doing to cope with it? I have implemented several strategies.

I use The Grocery Game to help me track sales and coupons for my favorite grocery store, Walgreens, and CVS.

My husband and I decided to split a cow with a friend. So we have about 6 months' worth of grain-fed, hormone-free beef in our deep freezer.

My husband and children planted a garden this year.

I have stopped buying certain items that we really did not need.

We have a flock of chickens who are just starting to lay about 4 egss per day. That should increase as the younger chickens mature. We have 13 chickens right now, but my husband wants a few more. I can easily use half a dozen eggs at breakfast time.

I also try to make a monthly trip to Sam's Club and Aldi's. Both of these stores are close in proximity to one another, but they are about 30 mins away from my house. I try to plan several errands in that area. And I take a cooler and ice. Our Aldi's has been the best place for eggs, milk, and baking ingredients. At Sam's, I buy large bags of rice and flour and a few other items. Most of my Sam's purchases are office supplies for my business.

I also read Money Saving Mom's blog daily. She has the best resources listed, and I always find links to other bloggers who are saving money on various items.

How are you keeping your grocery costs down?

In March, I had the opportunity to meet Louise Barrett Derr. She wrote an activity book for children called, Experiencing Bible Science. Since I have 5 active boys who love science, I was excited to see how her book incorporated simple science experiments with the Bible. Each experiment uses items you would commonly find around the home, and each one is made for the student to do on his or her own, except for the last experiment. Of course, you would make the decision yourself whether to let your student complete the experiments autonomously or not. We have enjoyed the experiments that we tried out of this book. I sell her book on my website and in my store for $13.99. The regular retail price is $16.95. This book would be a great addition to your science program for elementary-aged children or as a summer resource. Labels: homeschooling, science

The ladies at 5minutesformom.com are giving away 5 copies of Rachael Ray's cookbook of Yum-O: The Family Cookbook to help your family get in some fun and extra nutrition in the kitchen.

If you are looking for JenIg, she has a new blog home. You can find her at www.jeneralities.com. And I am so sad to see her go from HSB. She has been one of my blogging friends here since HSB started in 2005. You can find her sister, Jess, at http://we2r1preston.blogspot.com/ .

Have a blessed day! Tami

 

ChristineMM presents Some Information about PaperBackSwap posted at The Thinking Mother.

In Getting An Education in Driver's Ed, Barbara Frank says, "There's nothing like taking Driver's Ed with local public school students to make a teen appreciate homeschooling!"

No fighting, no biting! gives info for any Catholic homeschoolers near the DC area about the big conference June 13-14. I listed the talks I will be attending, but the link gives information about all the speakers and vendors in the article IMH confernce in DC.

Elisheva Levin presents Summer Plans and Projects posted at Ragamuffin Studies.

Dana presents Homeschooling without credentials leads to educational anarchy posted at Principled Discovery.

 

:: Suzanne :: presents writing & gardening posted at :: adventures in daily living ::.

Janice Campbell presents SAT* Workshop and Teenage Proofreaders posted at Janice Campbell: Taking Time For Things That Matter.

 Kim Kautzer of In Our Write Minds asks us, "Your Child’s Writing: Garden or Weed Patch?" Like neglected weed patches or thriving gardens, our kids’ compositions can be dry and bare or blooming and blossoming. Discover how very like a gardener your child really is!

One Language presents A Basic Introduction to Adverbs posted at English Learning.

 

Katie Byrd presents WWII Remembrance Day at Atlanta History Center posted at SharpMom.com.

Jennifer presents True Life! posted at Home Grown Hearts Academy Homeschool Blog.

Epi Kardia (literature-based, unit study curriculum) Blog asks, "What should we do when a student exhibits a poor attitude about completing school work?  Beginning with an examination of mom’s attitude and expectations, this article offers several practical suggestions for determining the cause of a bad attitude as well as some simple ideas to turn the situation around, in the article what about bad attitudes.

NerdMom presents Nerd Family Things: Frugal Homeschooler: History posted at Nerd Family Things.

Henry of Why Homeschool points out that one of the wonderful things about homeschooling is we can teach our children the difference between needs and wants.

Shez presents Tricks to doing lightening fast mental math. posted at Homeschooled twins.

HomeschoolCPA frequently gets asked what happens when a homeschool groups (support group, co-op, etc...) makes a profit.  The fear is that the group owes taxes, has to file paperwork with the IRS and may even have to hire an accountant to help them. She gives us some insight in her article, Tax concerns when your homeschool group makes money.

Christie presents Are We Done Yet? posted at Boys+ Academy.

Kim presents Addition with Carrying in Our Homeschool posted at Kim's Play Place.

Susan Gaissert presents Life Lessons in a Poem « The Expanding Life posted at The Expanding Life.

 

Mark Montgomery presents School?s Out! Top 10 Summertime Tips for College Admission posted at Great College Advice.

Katrina Cain presents What is the Smallest Planet in the Solar System? posted at What is the Smallest.

christinemoers presents Do I double-dog-dare talk about Subway? posted at welcome to my brain.

Dawn Adams presents Day by Day Discoveries: An Inspiring Science Read posted at Day by Day Discoveries.

The Not Quite Crunchy Parent explores bugs after school - with fun as well as somewhat sad consequences in the article, "Afterschooling Bugs."

 

Miss Amanda presents Spectacularly Vintage posted at The Daily Planet.

OverwhelmedMom presents The Manual on Child-Rearing posted at A Bundle of Contradictions.

Rose Godfrey presents Looks fun to me posted at Learning at Home.

Hayes Happenings reminds us in school stuff that in the midst of the xenophobic attacks against African immigrants in South Africa , where we live, and the enormous heart burden our family has been feeling for them, life still goes on.  And with it, so does homeschool life – warts and all.  Graciously, the Lord blessed us with a pleasant morning this week and I learnt that I make alliterative milkshakes!

 Elena LaVictoire presents Calvin's homeschool high school graduation posted at My Domestic Church.

 

Hannah presents All in a Homeschool Afternoon posted at The Purloined Letter.

Summer presents End Of Year Celebrations posted at Mom Is Teaching.

Neelakantha presents 100 Free Library 2.0 Webinars and Tutorials posted at College@Home.

Thank you for visiting this week's Carnival of Homeschooling! Thank you to the Cate's of Why Homeschool for starting this carnival. Next week please visit the Carnival of Homeschooling at The Common Room.

Graphics from www.teacherfiles.com

In January of this year, I did a review of an ebook entitled A Child's Geography: Explore His Earth by Ann Voskamp. Since that time, Knowledge Quest Maps has printed it in a perfect-bound book format. And it is even more enjoyable to me now that it is printed on nice paper with sharp illustrations. I printed the original ebook on my laser printer, and it is just amazing the difference between the printing jobs.

I also love the way she uses the Bible to explore the scientific side of geography. I love to use books that utilize what God has taught us in the Bible.

A Child's Geography: Explore His Earth is also a living book. It is made to read aloud with the whole family.

I am commemorating the release of the new print format of A Child's Geography: Explore His Earth by offering a one-week special on the book. It normally retails for $32.95, and this week only, you can order it from me for $26.95. That is a $6.00 savings!!!! The introductory special will end at midnight on Tuesday, June 10, 2008. Follow the links above to get your special savings this week only!

Have a blessed day! Tami

Sterling Point Books has repreinted many favorite, classic books. I wanted to read The Stout-Hearted Seven Orphaned on the Oregon Trail, because I remembered an old movie from my childhood called Seven Alone. This book beats what I remembered about the movie. It is also based on the actual writings of primary sources. The facts are presented from writings by two of the Sager children, as well as from letters from Marcus and Narcissa Whitman.

This story captured me so quickly that I ended up reading the entire book in one evening. I enjoyed it so much. I have not read it aloud to my children as yet, because I am not sure if I can read it without crying during some parts of the book.

I also want to point out what a fine job the publisher has done with this book. The paper that it is printed on is of the best quality. It is not newsprint paper. The font the publisher chose is also easy to read for size and clarity. I could have not been more pleased with the quality of this book, especially for the price.

Currently, there are 25 titles available from this pubsliher. Expect more! They are doing a wonderful job bring back some classic books and classic Landmark books.

You can purchase this book from my website or from many online retailers.

 

As a mother of five sons, I am always looking for good fiction books for my boys to read. When I was offered the opportunity to read Sentinel: City of Discovery, I was excited to read it myself. This book is an allegory, and it shows what happens to two young men who are twins. One twin makes good decisions in his an dinto adulthood, and one twin does not make good decisions in his youth and into his adulthood. And the book ends with an epilogue that tells where each man ends up as an adult. There are few books that are good, quality literature for young men, and this is one that I would highly recommend. It has plenty of action to capture their attention, and it causes the reader to use his or her imagination in seeing this story untold in his or her mind. I hope Mr. Bilbrey has some more stories to tell. I am sure that my boys would enjoy them as much as this one.

You can purchase this book through Amazon.com or BarnesandNoble.com.

I have had the privilege of reading Dr. Ruth Beechick's newest book, A Biblical Home Education, and as a seasoned homeschool mom, I learned so much from her years of wisdom. She does not recommend a big, fancy curriculum to teach your children. She starts out by recommending that you use the Bible as your main curriculum. And later in the book she gives a few specific book suggestions. But her first goal is to let you know that it is okay to not depend on a curriculum to prepare your children for his or her future. She suggests that you allow your child to grow in the Lord, and your first responsibility is to train your child in the ways of the Lord.

I wish I would have had this book several years ago. It is so easy to hear what great things your friends are doing with their children, and then beat yourself up for not doing "the perfect" curriculum like your friend. All familes are different, and all children within a family are different. I have six children, and I see this in action every single day.

This book has practical ideas and suggestions for you to utilize as they suit your family. One of my favorite resources is found at the back of the book. She has included an Appendix with information on Cross-Dominance. If you have a child that easily confuses "b's" and "d's", you know that I am talking about. She has included some exercises to help your child with cross-dominance issues. I also enjoyed her chapter on nutrition for children with behavioral issues.

If you are looking for a good book to rechagre your homeschool this summer, I highly recommend A Biblical Home Education.

You can purchase it from my website for only $12.99 or from other sources of homeschool materials. If you like my blog and reviews, I would appreciate your support of my business, too. God has enabled me to minister to many homeschool families through my business, and I would like to continue blessing others as God has blessed me.

Jeannie Fulbright has once again written a book that my children love. She uses a conversational method to teach science in a fun and engaging way. I also love the pronunciation guides for the scientific terminology in this book. And the pictures throughout the book are top-quality pictures. I am thankful to have creation-based science books to use with my children. Thank you!

You can purchase Exploring Creation with Zoology 3: Land Animals of the Sixth Day by Jeannie Fulbright HERE.

Are you thinking about starting a homeschool co-op? Are you involved a homeschool co-op that needs some re-structuring? Carol Topp, who is also a CPA, has written a how-to guide on how to start, run, and not burn out. As a homeschool group leader for many years, I would have benefitted from this book when our group went through a major reorganization. Growing pains are never fun, but our growing pains would have been easier with this resource. This books contains space for you to answer questions, and it gives you outlines of questions to ask when structuring your co-op. This book contains 11 chapters, and one chapter that ALL homeschool co-ops should read is the one about 501(c)(3) Tax-exempt Organizations. There is a handy checklist and list of resources. I highly recommend Homeschool Co-ops for any homeschool leader or member.

You can get this book at http://www.homeschoolco-ops.com/.

Have a blessed day! Tami

 

Once upon a time, I was a mom to two children, and I thought I led a fairly organized life. Then God called my husband and me to homeschool our children, and He blessed us with four more children. I also have a business that I run in my "spare" time. So, it is safe to say that some of my organization flew out the window. I have had Marilyn Rockett's book on my shelf for a while, and after picking it up tonight, I am renewed and invigorated to make some organizational changes in my life. Her book also contains a hand CD-ROM to help make my organizing projects more manageable. This is a book that I bought. It is not just a book that was sent to me for review, and I would recommend it to any homeschool mom who needed a little help in organizing all the stuff that comes along with homeschooling. Marilyn is a Titus 2 woman, and I am so glad she wrote this book to help us get organized.

You can purchase this book HERE.