Hearty Works

Scissors practice

noreply@blogger.com (Paula) — Fri, 16 Sep 2011 20:35:00 +0000

Why are all practice pages lines - be them straight, zig-zag or wavy, most everything I found to help JJ with cutting was LINES.

I was thankful to find this site which had shapes. Not only does it have SHAPES, but it also allowed you to print out large, medium or small shapes! So I can give him different sizes different days and he thinks they are all new and different. At least for now. :D

ugh ugh ugh

noreply@blogger.com (Paula) — Sun, 31 Jul 2011 16:18:00 +0000

So I have decided that I might try to keep up this blog again. I miss being able to search for the great sites that I find to recall them back again. I just hated how much time blogging took away from my family. But I am realizing how blogging helped my family. It helped me organize my ideas and thoughts. It encouraged me to follow through with things I shared on here about what I wanted to do. And it was a great collection to look back on of how my family was growing and changing.

So we will try it. I felt pressured before to post every day, and I am not going to do that this time. This time, I am going to post as I feel the need. That could be several times a day, or it could be once a month.

And again, as always, prayerfully what I share will be of use to someone.

Blessings, Paula

WOWZERS!

noreply@blogger.com (Paula) — Sat, 22 Jan 2011 02:48:00 +0000

Part of me REALLY REALLY wants to keep up with a blog. I love being able to find things that were important to me, or that I really want to do with the kids, but not at this time.

The other part of me just doesn't have the time. Now that the kids are older, I just spend most of my time with them going from one homeschool activity to another (be it just everyday school we do here, or outside the house activities).

I do search my blog often when I want to find something. I am thankful at those times that I did take the time not only to put it on here but to share it with others.

And I love reading blogs. But the rabbit hole I fall through each time takes so much of my time away from my family.

I have been learning a lot lately about A Thomas Jefferson Education style of teaching. I love the idea of using classics and books to teach. A lot like Charlotte Mason, but not just learning on living books. CLASSICS.

I had never thought about CLASSICS before. But knowing that there is a reason they are still around after all these years and that reason is one of the best examples of life and speech and writing to me and my kids has been eye opening. We have found a local store that sells a lot of classics ($4 hardbacks and $2 for paperbacks). Collecting and reading these classics to the kids has been wonderful.

On top of that, we have been buying Lamplighter books. These are expensive, but so worth it. (I must mention here that I always wait for sales on these books and get them 50-75% off, and even then, they are more expensive than I would pay but so totally worth it). These books have been great in encouraging my children in moral and Christian behavior. Knowing that just because you are a Christian, life will not always be easy and smell like roses. But when the trials do come (and sometimes that means death), that God is always there and with Him we can do all things.

I am pretty sure that I have no followers anymore. Most every one has given up hope of me ever posting on my blog again. And for the most part, they are right. I still share on my FB page (if you do want to be FB friends, leave a comment which will NOT be posted and share your FB name - please be advised that if you do not leave a REAL name, but something like "Homeschooling8", I will need more data to know who you are because I am NOT giving out my real name to just anyone, as I am sure most of you know, understand and respect) quite a few links. Like the following one about Mommy School - a TJEd term. This is a GREAT example and I love it! I prolly could only do this once or twice a month with the amount of detail they go into. :D But WOW!! :D What a great thing they got going there! :D

Anyways, with that, I say that the future posts on here will be few and far between. Only when I come across a gem (like the Mommy School above) that I want to be able to remember and access that I will be posting on this blog.

I thank any of those of you who have followed me. You have made me feel loved and special. And to those of you who are new, prayerfully you will find lots of great links and info here that will bless you as you be a mommy to your littles.

A must see video

noreply@blogger.com (Paula) — Wed, 01 Dec 2010 21:37:00 +0000

Handmade Gift Carnival

noreply@blogger.com (Paula) — Wed, 01 Dec 2010 11:16:00 +0000

Handmade Gift Carnival has some fun and HEALTHY ideas for making gift giving personal and handmade!

bits & pieces: october 11, 2010

noreply@blogger.com (Paula) — Mon, 11 Oct 2010 11:58:00 +0000

Playful Pumpkins
These are too cute!!! Use your left over fabric to sew up some cute little pumpkins to decorate for autumn/fall.

Dress Shirt To Apron Tutorial
While these are mostly for little kids, check out the link and BEAUTIFUL apron at the END of the post for a most cute one for Mommy! :D

Games!
A list of great games for you and hubby!

Hell's Best Kept Secret
I had never thought about evangelizing this way before. I did not read the article, but just watched the movie. It is about half way down.

bits & pieces: october 4, 2010

noreply@blogger.com (Paula) — Mon, 04 Oct 2010 10:48:00 +0000

Apron from Tablecloth Tutorial
This is the MOST ADORABLE thing I have seen. And now a use for those round tablecloths with all these square tables we have in our house! :D

Obsessively Stitching
Isn't that a cute name for a blog?? Check out all the free tutorials on this site! :D

Progress
Check out how she organized her sewing room! SO CUTE! And so practical! I need to do this! Maybe THEN I would start sewing more! :D I really need to sew more!

Old Days Old Ways
Oh I just LOVE the name of this blog!

Tent Week
Different tents you can make for SO CHEAP! I think my favs are the ones made from twin sheets! SO GLAD I saved some of those now! I was going to use them for making night dresses out of for the girls, but these look so much more FUN!! :D

bits & pieces: october 4, 2010

noreply@blogger.com (Paula) — Mon, 04 Oct 2010 10:48:00 +0000

bits & pieces: september 13, 2010

noreply@blogger.com (Paula) — Mon, 13 Sep 2010 10:59:00 +0000

Dill PIckles
I have always wanted to try my hand at these and the picture on this post made me choose THIS recipe first! :D

Caramel Sauce
I don't think this would harden enough on an apple (although who knows) BUT why not make this into a fondue?!?! Dip into the caramel and then dip into a topping of choice (chocolate chips, sprinkles, etc.). Of course the toppings would defeat the fact that the recipe is actually a HEALTHY version of Caramel Sauce! :D

Creamsicles
Oh this looks so good!!! :D :D :D What a fun breakfast! :D

Anti-Flammartory Seasonings
Seasonings to use when cooking to help reduce inflammation! :D

Poultry Dry Brine
We have never done a dry brine before (we always do it the Alton Brown way!) but this looks like a good alternative if you don't have days ahead to brine. I know Thanksgiving is a ways off, but I am sticking this in my REMEMBER ME folder! :D

bits & pieces: august 23, 2010

noreply@blogger.com (Paula) — Mon, 23 Aug 2010 19:38:00 +0000

20 Things to do This Summer
GREAT list of fun activities. One which we just picked up - geocaching!! :D

Be Out There
I learned about this site via Simple Modern Mom and had to share it. Some GREAT ideas!

A Challenge That Will Make You...
LAUGH! And I did when I read this. Why? Because I was JUST talking to a Created book study group I am a part of about the importance of laughing with your spouse. :D My favorite times are in bed with my husband after the lights are out and the kids are sleeping and we are both delirious from lack of sleep and EVERY THING seems so funny. We laugh and laugh literally for hours. It is GREAT! Like super glue that bonds us together. :D

Gardens at Dusk Tank Tutorial
This is so beautiful and elegant!

odds & ends: geocaching

noreply@blogger.com (Paula) — Wed, 11 Aug 2010 17:19:00 +0000

We have discovered the WONDERFUL world of geocaching!

This is a GREAT way to get out of the house and hike without the kids (or even yourself) thinking of it as exercise.

Instead, it is a treasure hunt!

It has been a GREAT way to get out and enjoy this BEAUTIFUL creation God has entrusted us to.

In fact, through geocaching, I have come across sites I never would have known was there or seen before - I was missing out. Truly BEAUTIFUL and scenic views!

And it is a great time to get to spend time with the kids. Yes, we spend time together all the time because of homeschooling, but the kids get to show a bit more of their personality when geocaching: what they decide to take and leave, how they help each other during slippery rocks on the trail, etc.

And as you can see by the picture above, no one is too young! JJ is 4yr old in that picture. He took the spaceship (you can see it in the picture with the cache - there was a jumprope and lots of other fun little toys/trinkets for kids) and left some gold doubloons (it was a pirate themed cache).

Here is a great little link I came across talking about great and inexpensive "swag" ideas - ideas to trade in the caches.

bits & pieces: august 2, 2010

noreply@blogger.com (Paula) — Mon, 02 Aug 2010 10:42:00 +0000

Why Filters Are Our Friend
A wonderful read about the importance of "filters"

Things to Make Instead of Dinner
A pretty blog. I mostly just LOVE the name of this blog! :D

Geocaching with an iPhone
without having to buy an app! :D

Newest review of the Geocaching App

How to use your iPhone as a GPS

bits & pieces: july 26, 2010

noreply@blogger.com (Paula) — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 10:35:00 +0000

Lavander Lemonade
This picture is SO beautiful, it is worth visiting the blog alone. :D

Inflation
OK, so this is a bit depressing, but inflation is coming and we do need to be prepared.

A Practical Guide to Owning Fewer Clothes HT: The One in Pink

The One in Pink
I came across this blog through her husband's blog after discovering his videos - which my kids LOVE - watch the earlier videos, the later videos have a dark side (guns and suicide and shootings and just are not kid friendly), but his earlier stuff is hilarious and had my kids laughing for hours ... sorry for the rabbit trail. ANYWAYS, this blog is so pretty and feel good! She is on the same food/health journey I am, we have some of the same taste in clothes, and the pictures on her blog are so pretty!! :D :D :D

"You don't have a soul. You are a soul. You have a body."— C.S. Lewis

odds & ends: Taming the Laundry Monster

noreply@blogger.com (Paula) — Fri, 23 Jul 2010 18:26:00 +0000

Most homeschooling moms have one - a mountain of laundry that never gets done. Or once it finally DOES get done, you have another mountain of clean clothes waiting to be put away. It is overwhelming, and so it continue to be put off and put off until mom (or dad) can't stand it any longer.

I have tried SO MANY things (too numerous to share here, but if you really want to waste your time, you can search my blog in the upper left hand corner there is a search box that searches only this blog).

But each time it was the same thing. MOM would do the laundry when she found the time ... which was hardly ever. And then once done, it would sit in baskets waiting for someone to sort out whose clothes were which child's, and then it would sit in piles on the floor or on their bed until they got the notion to do finally put away their clothes.

But no longer! I finally have a system that works. Now I know I have said stuff like that in the past, and I have shared and posted and those things worked GREAT ... for like a week.

But THIS TIME ... this time I tested it for a full two weeks before sharing to make sure that this was a keeper.

I recently heard Sheeley Noonan speak at our homeschool conference. She shared about how she (only having one daughter, not three like I do) would give her daughter one day to do her laundry (that meant wash, dry, fold, hang, etc.). I thought it couldn't hurt to try it.

So I ran through the house and dug out all those individual laundry baskets I had bought for each child a long time ago when we were trying another laundry system (which failed). I assigned each child a day to do their laundry. And you know what, it is getting done!!

I showed each child how to measure out the soap and what settings to use and off they went! :D And because laundry is getting done more frequently, they have less clothes at a time to put away, so they do not become overwhelmed with three months of laundry, just one weeks worth! :D

And as for the four year old, yeah, he does his own laundry too. Big sister helps him with the soap, but he sorts and puts in the clothes and switches them when it is time. She helps him put away his clothes too, but he does most of it.

This is so great!! I am so thankful I took a chance on this! Let me know if you try it out, and what works for you! :D

I'M BAAAAACK....

noreply@blogger.com (Paula) — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 05:31:00 +0000

I have been too addicted to Facebook and have neglected my blog. This has made it difficult for me to remember what thins I have seen and want to remember (the main reason I started this blog was to keep track of what I liked and wanted to remember to do with the kids, and share in case anyone else was interested). Anyways, I am trying to wean myself off FB and post more on my blog.

So we will see how it goes. :D I think I just need to get over the fact that no one is interested and remember that this is mostly for me and the wondering searcher who might come across my blog searching for something ... whatever that might be.

bits & pieces: june 21, 2010

noreply@blogger.com (Paula) — Mon, 21 Jun 2010 10:21:00 +0000

Free Christian ebooks for Kindle or online

Go to the At Lesson Plan

Current Web Readings

noreply@blogger.com (Paula) — Mon, 14 Jun 2010 14:59:00 +0000

Which Probiotic Drink is Right For You?

The Great American Road Trip
Wanna know what my dream is?? Yep, RVing across country with the family! :D But the only problem with that is - where to put all my books?!?! And how would I garden and have my chickens? :D

Simon Cowell Gives 5 Year old Girl Last Wish Just Days Before She Dies

Lego Birthday Party

noreply@blogger.com (Paula) — Tue, 08 Jun 2010 14:29:00 +0000

THIS is so cool! :D

Take Them A Meal

noreply@blogger.com (Paula) — Tue, 01 Jun 2010 13:59:00 +0000

On Facebook someone shared a most AWESOME resource for those of us who know someone who needs meals and would like to coordinate getting meals to them. It is free and it is called Take Them A Meal. CHeck it out! :D

Current Web Readings

noreply@blogger.com (Paula) — Mon, 31 May 2010 11:11:00 +0000

Free historical paper dolls
These are hand drawn and not "professional" for lack of a better word, but my girls LOVED them. In fact, they even have King Arthur and his knights! :D

A MUST see video

noreply@blogger.com (Paula) — Sat, 22 May 2010 03:35:00 +0000

Sorry I have not been on here lately. My son is sick again, and the new diet he is on takes a LOT of time as EVERY THING has to be made from scratch. And my husband has had minor surgery and is in a LOT of pain, so that is time consuming as well. Not to mention now that the kids are older, EE is in ice skating lessons and all three of the girls are in speech and debate. Homeschooling has changed too from a more playful time for all the kids, to playful for some, and more studious for others - as should happen with age. And on top of that, still trying to stay on top of laundry as well as keeping the house clean.

But when I saw this video, I HAD to share it. It is a most honoring video, one that every American should watch with pride.

Current Web Readings

noreply@blogger.com (Paula) — Mon, 10 May 2010 10:25:00 +0000

Make Your Own Weather Station

Free Web Online games
These are GREAT! For EVERY subject - even chemistry, and all ages. Though most of the games are for younger students.

Gluten Free Sourdough Recipe Book - this looks GOOD, just wish it weren't so expensive. :(

Giving Children Consequences That Work

Searching the web for my kids

noreply@blogger.com (Paula) — Mon, 03 May 2010 18:29:00 +0000

If you are a homeschool mom like me, you are constantly searching the web - trying to find free activities for the kids, trying to answer questions they have, wanting to find videos about some interest they have, etc. Instead of using Google or another search engine, just use Swagbucks instead! And watch the Swagbucks come rolling in!

This week Swagbucks will be doubling the amount of winning opportunities through searching!

If you’re thinking of joining Swagbucks, there’s a special bonus offer through Friday at 1 PM – sign up for Swagbucks with code SWAGNATION5 and you’ll get 50 points just for signing up!

It takes me about 2-3 weeks to earn 450 Swagbucks. That equals one $5 amazon.com gift card. Imagine all the BOOKS you could buy with that! It can be used on ANYTHING Amazon.com sells - even the USED books! :D Get that curriculum you have been wanting and you don't have to pay for it! :D

I have been a member of Swagbucks for a little over 3 months now and I have earned $45! :D This is SO much faster (and easier) than My Points (no emails to check, and you earn doing simply what you do every day - searching the web).

Thanks to Carrie for letting me know about the double points as well as the code for signing up!

There has never been a better time to sign up than right now. Just don't forget to search using Swagbucks instead of google (I find it easiest to install the toolbar and search through that - not to mention that installing the toolbar allows you to get 1-3 FREE swagbucks EACH DAY simply by using/refreshing you toolbar).

And yes, when you sign up through the links on this page, I do earn when you earn! And then you get people to sign up under you and YOU earn when they earn. This is a win win situation (and you are helping me to get a Wii for my kids for Christmas when you sign up). So THANK YOU! From me and my kids! :D

Current Web Readings

noreply@blogger.com (Paula) — Sun, 02 May 2010 00:12:00 +0000

Free Printable Activities

and because this one is SOOOO cool that it might take you weeks to go through, just this one more link:

Book Angles
Being a more relaxed homeschool family (we are a combination of A Thomas Jefferson Education, Charlotte Mason, library only, unschooling, Raymond Moore) we read A - LOT - OF - BOOKS! It is wonderful! This site (Book Angles) is like a movie review site, but for books. It gives you a break down of each book letting you know the level of romance, violence, the Biblical worldview, etc. It is TOTALLY worth your time to check it out.

Current Web Readings

noreply@blogger.com (Paula) — Mon, 26 Apr 2010 10:48:00 +0000

Biblical Worldview - What it is and what it is not
This is a good read!

Worldview in A Nutshell

Chores for children
Good Read!

What Moves Us
A good read about the importance of speech and debate.