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Showing posts from July, 2013

Random 5 on Friday {July 26th Edition}

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I feel like all I am posting are reviews and Random 5 Posts. Guess I better finish up the Little Steps posts I have been developing. 1.  This was another week cut short by furlough days. Since Honeybear was needed all 5 days last week, he got two furlough days this week plus he took a “use or lose” leave day. So he was home Wednesday, Thursday, and Today.  His furlough day for next week is Monday. 2.  Since Honeybear was home and available, he canned green beans for us! He planted the beans, he cared for them, he picked them, and then he processed them.  I am so proud of him! 3.  We had some berries left from the farmer’s market.  Oh and some strawberries from the store.  I made a berry syrup.  Because the fruit was not “just picked” fresh, we’ve opted to use it right away rather than can it.  I should have taken a picture of the evidence that my husband had “got in the syrup”.  He sampled it and it spilled on his white shirt! He said it was good! 4.  Honeybear had his first car

{Crew Review} Homeschool Programming: Teen Coder C# Series

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I first heard about Homeschool Programming several years ago but didn’t think my girls would be interested and I wasn’t sure I wanted to invest the money.  Lately, though Turtlegirl has developed a strong interest in computer science especially computer programming. I’ve also noticed that more and more colleges want to see computer science on an applicant’s transcript. How perfect that just when I need it, the Schoolhouse Review Crew has the opportunity to review several different products from Homeschool Programming .   I listed the TeenCoder C# Series as our first choice. This product is for high school (grades 9-12) and there are two semester long courses in this series.  We were blessed to receive both Windows Programming (1st Semester) and Game Programming (2nd Semester). What will I Get?: On the website, Homeschool Programming offers a printed textbook kit that includes the physical Student Textbook and a CD. The CD contains both Student Files and Solution Files. Accord

{Crew Review}Christi the Coupon Coach

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Nearly 4 years ago a dear friend of mine introduced me to couponing.  I tried it for awhile and gradually let it slip away. Sometimes it could be quite addictive (and fun!) and it is wonderful to look at a receipt and see how much money you saved. Recently, the Molly Crew, a branch of the Schoolhouse Review Crew, had the opportunity to review Couponing Made Simple from Christi the Coupon Coach.   As a member of the crew, I received a PDF copy but you can purchase the physical book ($18) or Kindle version ($4.99) if you prefer an e-book version. Because I did not receive a version of the book that is available for sale, there may be some differences between my PDF version and the Kindle or Paperback versions. My PDF has 64 pages.  It looks (according to the “see inside this book”) like the paperback version has 129 pages including lined pages in the back of book for notes or listing your rock bottom prices for the items you buy. Christi the Coupon Couch aka Christi Bassford, is

Random 5 on Friday {July 19th Version}

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My motto, for many years, has been “the days may be long but the years are short.”  The weeks and months are even shorter! Where did June go?  Are we really over 1/2 way finished with July?  How can I get August to slow down.  I want to ENJOY the gorgeous, not too hot, SUNNY days that we sometimes have here in the Pacific Northwest! I love PNW Summers (well most of the time and this year I have really appreciated the “typical” mild summer). 1. Today is gorgeous.  GORGEOUS.  Yesterday started out cloudy but turned into a beautiful sunny day.  Our temps this week have been on the cool side (lower to mid 70’s). I think we’ll see some 80 degree temps over the weekend.  I am so spoiled. I love lots of sunshine without the sticky humidity and over 90 degree temps. I do NOT miss Minnesota summers at all. (Though I miss my family very much!) 2. I should do a separate garden update post. We have um 9 tomatoes growing (4-5 on each plant) and there is one zucchini starting to grow! Peas are sta

{Crew Review} Science for High School: Chemistry

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I was not a science person when I was in high school. I avoided science and math. I was planning on marrying a rock star or something and wasn’t going to go to college so I took classes like French, German, Psychology, and Choir. As a home schooling parent, I’ve been concerned about my ability (or lack thereof) to teach high school level science. Products like Science for High School help alleviate my fears about teaching. Turtlegirl and I have been blessed to use the High School Chemistry in Your Home program for the last several weeks.     Describing High School Chemistry in your Home : This program is research based. What does that mean? It means the student uses the student manual as a guide to research the topics to learn chemistry. The manual is divided into semesters and broken down into weeks. Each week the student should answer the questions from the student manual using the library, internet, or textbooks. Teacher/parent should meet with the student weekly to discuss

{Crew Review} Dig-It! Games: Mayan Mysteries

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I first learned of Dig-It! Games about 2 1/2 years ago when the Schoolhouse Review Crew had the opportunity to review the Roman Town game.  Because we loved that game so much my girls were super excited to get try out the new game Mayan Mysteries .   This game is available in two formats: Online Subscription or iPad app. We reviewed the online subscription.   What is Mayan Mysteries:  (Description provided by Turtlegirl age 15): Mayan Mysteries is an educational game that is also incredibly fun. The basic storyline is that someone is raiding the Mayan sites. The police chief calls his friend, “Q”, to come and help him solve the mystery. Q brings his niece, nephew, and their friend (you!) along. You are introduced to the story of Ichaak, a hidden Maya city. As you try to solve the mystery of the Raider and Ichaak, you are introduced to the geography, culture, and history of the Maya. (End Turtlegirl Description) When you first log in to the game, you are greeted with a comic b

Random 5 on Friday {July 12th Edition}

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I can’t believe it’s Friday already!  [ editor’s Tess Note: Ok so I started this on Friday and I finished it on Saturday.] This week has flown by but that’s because: 1. This week we had 3 doctor appointments, 1 dentist appointment, 1 final piano lesson and that was all just Monday-Wednesday.  One of the doctor appointments was a follow up for Turtlegirl because of her dislocated jaw, another was to get immunizations updated and certified for the college bound kid.  (It’s really real, isn’t it?  She really is starting college in the fall!), the third doctor appointment was really a spur of the moment since Honeybear was already there he talked to the doctor about some concerns with his bp and pulse.  He doesn’t see the cardiologist for a couple more weeks.  So our family doc squeezed him in right there on the spot and did some medicine adjustments. 2. We’ve harvested peas twice this week.  I used the first picking in hamburger gravy last night. I don’t usually put peas in my hamburger

Little Steps: Butter, Why it’s better and Better Butter Recipe!

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*Note* I start off with lots of background information but I do share a recipe for “better butter” that is a blend of real butter and a good oil. Scroll down to find the recipe if you want to skip the *why* part. Because of my husband’s cholesterol levels and his newly diagnosed heart disease oh and that pesky heart attack, we’re taking little steps to better health or baby steps to healthier eating. This post gives some background about where we’re starting from. One of things the doctor recommends is a low-fat diet (not a NON-fat diet but a low fat diet). But not all fats are the same and not all fats are bad . Just because it is saturated, doesn’t mean it’s all bad either. Eating a diet where 30-50% of your daily calories come from fat is not necessarily a bad thing, in fact, if it is the right fats with the right ratios, it can be very healthy and beneficial for you. (I urge you to do your own research! Do not take my word for it and go to several different sources. There is l

{Crew Review} PreScripts Cursive Passages and Illuminations

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Recently, the Schoolhouse Review Crew had the opportunity to use and review the PreScripts books from Classical Conversations . Each selected crew member received one book. Turtlegirl (age 15, just finished up 10th grade) wanted to improve her handwriting so we choose the PreScripts Cursive Passages and Illuminations American Documents level. I admit that I did not know much about Classical Conversations but I had the opportunity to stop at the vendor booth at my local home school convention a few weeks ago. Classical Conversations, at the heart, is a community of home schoolers who come together to use a classical based curriculum. It reminds me of a co-op. If you visit the Classical Conversations bookstore , you’ll find resources for implementing the classical method in your home school as well as curriculum for teaching at home. Some of their products are only available through teaching communities.  PreScipts however are available for you to use in your own home. What is

{Crew Review} Institute for Excellence in Writing ~ TWSS & SWI-B

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We began investigating homeschooling when my now 18 year old was a mere 14 months old. We started doing some preschool things when she was 3 and at age 4 began looking at more formal curriculum. The kindergarten  language arts program we started with listed creative writing assignments such as “write 8 sentences about dirt.” No they did not expect students that young to do the actual physical writing. Mom (or dad) would be the scribe. I struggled because I just couldn’t seem to teach Boobear to orally “write” 8 sentences! Teaching writing quickly became my number one nemesis. I could recognize great writing. Occasionally, I might even produce some decent writing of my own, but teaching my daughters to write overwhelmed and intimidated me. That is until I discovered Institute for Excellence in Writing and Andrew Pudewa’s Teaching Writing Structure and Style along with the Student Writing Intensive program. We received the Teaching Writing/Student Writing Value Package Level B .