Mustard Seed Homeschool Reviews

I read. Do you?

noreply@blogger.com (Pamela Swearingen) — Tue, 28 Jun 2011 17:39:00 +0000

Have you visited my new site?

Please join me at my new blog titled I read. Do you?

We have been discussing homeschooling, books and much more!

See you there!
I read. Do you?

It's moving day. Please come with me.

noreply@blogger.com (Pamela Swearingen) — Sat, 25 Jun 2011 17:14:00 +0000

When I started blogging last year, I knew absolutely nothing. At the time it seemed like a good idea to have two different blogs, Mustard Seed Homeschool Reviews and Mustard Seed Book Reviews.

In the past few months I have really been working diligently at downsizing my life. I have had garage sales to sell my clutter and donated the rest. I will never be a minimalist because I'm so stinking sentimental, but I must admit this new lifestyle of "less" is working for me.

So now it's time to deal with the issue of two blogs. It seems that is one blog too many.

Please join me at my new blog titled I read. Do you?

Subscribe now to I read Do You

You will find all of my old blog postings there. I'm still planing on reading books and homeschooling items for reviews. Nothing really has changed.

Just a new Internet address.
And one less blog in my new downsized life.

Thank you so much! See you at I read. Do you? really soon!

Review: How Huge the Night by Heather Munn and Lydia Munn

noreply@blogger.com (Pamela Swearingen) — Mon, 20 Jun 2011 08:42:00 +0000

Book Summary (from Amazon): Fifteen-year-old Julien Losier just wants to fit in. But after his family moves to a small village in central France in hopes of outrunning the Nazis, he is suddenly faced with bigger challenges than the taunting of local teens.

Nina Krenkel left her country to obey her father's dying command: Take your brother and leave Austria. Burn your papers. Tell no one you are Jews. Alone and on the run, she arrives in Tanieux, France, dangerously ill and in despair. Thrown together by the chaos of war, Julien begins to feel the terrible weight of the looming conflict and Nina fights to survive. As France falls to the Nazis, Julien struggles with doing what is right, even if it is not enough-and wonders whether or not he really can save Nina from almost certain death.

Based on the true story of the town of Le Chambon-the only French town honored by Israel for rescuing Jews from the Holocaust-How Huge the Night is a compelling, coming-of-age drama that will keep teens turning the pages as it teaches them about a fascinating period of history and inspires them to think more deeply about their everyday choices.

Pages: 304

Year originally published: 2011

You might want to know: Don't take my word for it! Visit Kregel Publications for blog tour info and more reviews.

My source: I received this book complimentary from Kregel Publications in exchange for an honest review, but the opinion is all mine.

On Amazon: How Huge the Night by Heather Munn and Lydia Munn

My thoughts: How Huge the Night is an compelling and important book. The main character is a teenager named Julien, but in some ways the main character was the war. The politics and horrors of World War II shape the lives of all who come to live in the small French village of Tanieux. Through the eyes of Julien, readers learn about true events when a tiny group of people worked together to protect numerous Jewish refuges over the course of the war.

Each year school kids study World War II, learning important facts about the Maginot line, the occupation of Paris and the atrocities committed in hate. It's time to put away those boring text books and make the learning real. This book would be a wonderful resource for the study of World War II.

It's not a book that is easy to read, with topics such as Nazi occupation and war. This book is precisely what brings history to life. Teens will relate to characters their own age, hopefully opening up conversations about the horrors of prejudice and violence against others.

Bottom line: If your teen is studying World War II history (maybe a little Sonlight 300?), then you really MUST read this book.

Book excerpt (Chapter 23):

Thursday the power came back on. They sat in the living room, around the radio that crackled with static; they looked at each other, and then away. The room grew quiet as the announcer began to speak.“Since Mussolini’s declaration of war on France two days ago, Italian troops are pushing west—”

Mama was on her feet. “The thief!” she hissed. “The backstabber, the coward!” Her face was red. Everyone was staring. She sat down.

Papa looked at her. “Saw his chance, I guess.”

“He’s a shame to his nation,” Mama snapped. Julien stared. Then they heard the shift in the announcer’s voice and turned sharply to the radio.

“German troops are approaching Paris at a rapid pace. As we speak, the vanguard is reported to be fifteen kilometers from Versailles. This will be our last broadcast for a while.”

They did not look at each other. The silence was total.

“Today Paris has been declared an ‘open city.’ Our military will not defend it. This decision was made to avoid bombardment and the great destruction and loss of life that it entails. . . .”

Julien realized he had not been breathing. It was an amazing thing, breathing. Tears shone in Mama’s eyes.

“They won’t bomb Paris,” said Papa quietly.

“They won’t bomb Paris,” Mama whispered.

Benjamin stood, his face very still. He walked slowly to the door and took the stairs.

Julien waited, breathing, seeing Paris; seeing Vincent and his mother look up out of their second-floor window at a clear blue sky. He waited until the news ended, until they had read a psalm that said The Lord has delivered.

Then he followed Benjamin.

Benjamin’s door was closed. Julien hesitated, biting his lip, and went into his own room.

He looked out the window in the fading light. They wouldn’t defend it. This was it, then. What Pastor Alex said was true. German tanks would roll down the Champs-Elysées for real in just a couple days. Then the boches would come here. And they would stay.

He pulled Vincent’s last letter out from under his nightstand. I can’t believe you almost died, it said. That’s crazy. He got up, and went and knocked on Benjamin’s door.

No answer.

“Benjamin? You all right?”

“Fine.”

Julien opened the door. Benjamin turned quickly, scowling.

“Did I say you could come in?”

“Well sorry,” Julien growled. How am I supposed to help when he’s like this? “Just wanted to say good night.”

“Good night then.”

“Look, it’s not as bad as it could have been, okay? They could have bombed the place to shreds like Ro—” He bit his tongue.

“You’re right,” said Benjamin, looking away. “That’s good for your relatives. I’m glad.”

“And your parents!”

“Nothing’s good for my parents.” His voice was toneless. “Look, Julien, we can talk about this in the morning. I need to go to bed.”

Julien knew when to quit. He turned away. “Sleep well.”

“You too.”

But he couldn’t. He turned and turned in his bed, twisting the sheets.

He got up and looked out at the crescent moon and the stars high over Tanieux, so white, so far, always the same; they would still be there when the Germans were here; they would still be there all his life. They were still there over Rotterdam, too. It didn’t make any difference.

When he finally slept, he dreamed: Paris on the fourteenth of July, the fireworks, bursts of blue, of gold, of red above the city. A whirling rocket going up with a hiss and a bang. Then a louder bang. Then a bang that threw up a great shower of dirt and stones, and people screaming, people running as the shells began to fall—

He woke, and lay shivering. He got up to close the window. The stars shone down like cold eyes.

He heard a faint scratching. Mice maybe. A floorboard creaked. He listened.

And he heard it. Very slow, stealthy footsteps going down the stairs.

He sat up slowly. Magali or Benjamin. Tiptoeing down the stairs to the kitchen, wishing there was something to eat. . . . He got out of bed and leaned out the window, watching for the faint light that would come through from the kitchen. No light came.

But on the ground floor, the heavy front door opened, and a dark shape slipped out into the street. A shadow with a suitcase in its hand.

He ran across the hall and threw open Benjamin’s door. A neatly made bed, a letter on the pillow. He grabbed it, ran back to his room, jerked his pants on over his pajamas, and ran downstairs in his socks. He’d catch him. Benjamin was on foot. He had to catch him. He scrawled on the flip side of the note, I’ve gone after him, pulled on his shoes and jacket, and flew down the stairs and into the dark.

He raced down the shadowed street and stopped at the corner, heart pounding, looking both ways. North, over the hill: the road to St. Etienne. A train to Paris, like he’d said? There were no trains now. Or south—south to where? Oh Lord if I choose wrong I’ll never find him.

Think. What would he do if it were him? He’d go south—north was suicide, but—he didn’t know, he didn’t know Benjamin. Who did? Nothing is good for my parents, he’d said—he didn’t seem to even care that Paris wouldn’t be bombed—

Because his parents weren’t in Paris.

Julien turned, suddenly sure, and ran.

The Kellers had left Germany because of Hitler and his people. Would they stay in Paris and wait for them? “Let’s walk south,” Benjamin had said—and that stupid map—he should have guessed.

He ran, breathing hard, his eyes on the dark road ahead. Oh God. Oh Jesus. Don’t let me miss him please—please—

He broke free of the houses; the Tanne gleamed in front of him under the splintered moon, cut by the dark curve of the bridge. He froze. He ducked into the shadows and breathed.

There on the bridge was a slender figure leaning on the parapet, looking down at the dark water.

Oh God. Oh Jesus. Now what?

Benjamin turned and took a long, last look at Tanieux. Then he adjusted his backpack, picked up his suitcase, and walked away.

Julien slipped out of the shadows and up to the bridge, his heart beating help me Jesus help me, his mind searching for words. Come home. And if he said no? Drag him? Help me Jesus. He was across the bridge, ten paces behind Benjamin; he broke into a silent run on the grassy verge of the road. He caught up to him. Laid a hand on his arm.

“Benjamin.”

Benjamin whirled, eyes wild in the moonlight. They stared at each other. “Why.” said Julien. “Tell me why.” His voice was harder than he meant it to be.

“Let me go.”

“No.” He tightened his grip on Benjamin’s arm.

Benjamin tried to pull away. “Julien, let me go. You have no idea. You have no idea what they’re like.”

“The boches?” This time his voice came out small.

“The Nazis, Julien. Ever heard of them? Yeah, you heard they don’t like Jews—I don’t think any of you people understand.” The sweep of his arm took in the school and the sleeping town. “Your parents are great, Julien—offering shelter and all—they really are. But they don’t know. Yet.”

But they do. They know. “Know what? What’ll they—do?”

“I’m not waiting around to find out.” His face was white and deadly serious. “Trust me on this, Julien. They are coming here and when they do, it’s better for you if I’m long gone.” I believe it is very dangerous to be a Jew in Germany. And soon—

Julien stood silent. The night wind touched his face; the hills were shadows on the horizon where they blotted out the stars. Suddenly he felt how large the world was, how huge the night, how small they stood on the road in the light of the waning moon. Ahead, the road bent into the pine woods, and in his mind, Julien saw Benjamin walking away, a small form carrying a suitcase into the darkness under the trees. His fingers bit into Benjamin’s arm.

“I don’t care,” he said savagely. “Where would you go?”

Benjamin said nothing; the moonlight quivered in his eyes as they filled with tears. He turned his head away. “I don’t know.” His voice shook.

Julien caught him by the shoulders, gripped him hard. “Well I do,” he said fiercely. “You’re coming home.”

Review: Life Prep for Homeschooled Teenagers by Barbara Frank

noreply@blogger.com (Pamela Swearingen) — Sun, 19 Jun 2011 07:26:00 +0000

Book Summary (taken from the back cover): Literature and mathematics are important, but so is getting ready to take on the adult world. Barbara Frank designed this curriculum for her own teenagers so they would be prepared for living on their own. They are now independent young adults. Prepare your homeschooled teenager for life "out of the nest" with Life Prep for Homeschooled Teenagers.

Pages: 125
Year originally published: 2008
You might want to know: Barbara Frank has just released another book for teens titled Thriving in the 21st Century: Preparing Our Children for the New Economic Reality.
My source: I received this book complimentary in exchange for an honest review, but the opinion is all mine.
On Amazon: Life Prep for Homeschooling Teenagers by Barbara Frank

My thoughts: Life Prep for Homeschooling Teenagers is a fabulous starting place for any panicking parent of a teen. I know. I am one of those panicking parents.

As talk around the house turns to driving and plans for the future, as a homeschooling mom I wonder if we have focused too much on the reading and math. As I look at my growing kids, I'm wondering if diagramming sentences is a good lesson for life or should we focus on balancing a checkbook?

Thankfully, Barbara Frank has blazed that trail and written a book to to share her advice. Life Prep for Homeschooling Teenagers is laid out in an easy to read fashion, with information for the work-bound teenager as well as the college-bound teenager.

Personally, I was impressed with the reading list included in this book. The list is just the sort of "out of the box" reading list that I was looking for to fill in some educational gaps. It's easy to focus on books that colleges consider to be "the classics" but Ms. Frank's reading list covers books ranging from Having Our Say: The Delaney Sisters' First 100 Years to the PBS video series Affluenza (which I have seen and enjoyed).

For me, the best part of Life Prep was the projects. Written in a workbook type format, this section allows teens to dream big, then springs a little reality on them. Got a teen looking at a fancy car? Have them explore price comparison, car purchasing and securing insurance using the study prompts found in the book. Got a teen dreaming of a job? Have them look at taxes to see just how big that paycheck might end up being.

If you have a teen you want to prepare them for all aspects of grown-up life. That can be a stressful thought. For me, I'm hoping to relax a little, enjoy my years with my teen and rely on Barbara Frank's Life Prep for Homeschooled Teenagers.

Sales! Freebies! Go to Currclick!

noreply@blogger.com (Pamela Swearingen) — Tue, 14 Jun 2011 15:31:00 +0000

This just in direct from CurrClick:

It's CurrClick's "Back-to-the-Beach Sale and Freebie Event" going on now through June 30th. Readers will have fun searching for 8 hidden beach creatures (each containing a freebie!) plus get 40% OFF hundreds of awesome summer education curriculum choices.

Plus, don't forget to visit CurrClick's Facebook Page where readers can share freebie treasure hunt tips with each other.

Happy Summer, Everybody!

Yes, with sales and freebies at CurrClick, it will be a Happy Summer indeed!

Have you seen the new plate?

noreply@blogger.com (Pamela Swearingen) — Tue, 07 Jun 2011 16:26:00 +0000

Did you blink last week? Too bad. You might have missed it. Last week the U.S. government unveiled dietary guidelines.

The old Food Pyramid, established in 1992, is now about as relevant as those MC Hammer pants you were wearing when you first saw the pyramid. Out with the old and in with the new Food Plate guidelines.

Finally!

I have been asking friends and family if they have seen the new plate guidelines. And you know what? Not a SINGLE person had seen it! So in case you also missed it and you are looking for more info, here you go: Choose My Plate Guidelines

So what do you think of the plate? Personally, I like the new streamlined plate image. The plate is designed to get us thinking. Will every meal I eat have the same food group proportions shown on this plate? Definitely not. Will the plate image make me look at my daily food choices overall? Honestly, I really think it will.

The government also released a 15 page document of recipes that are color coordinated to match the plate. These recipes look pretty good, actually. Maybe I will reach for that second helping of salad after all!

Over the past 20 years, the Food Pyramid has had a few changes. Here is one version:

Holy macaroni! This Food Pyramid really is a messy visual disaster!

Without a doubt, Americans are failing at diet and nutrition. Hopefully we can all do a better job by using the new Food Plate.

Thoughts on the plate? Do your kids like the new plate? I printed off the picture of My Plate and taped it to a cabinet in our kitchen. We have already had several discussions with the kids about food choices and that is a very good thing.

Will you be there?

noreply@blogger.com (Pamela Swearingen) — Sat, 04 Jun 2011 08:44:00 +0000

The Heart of the Matter Online Homeschool Conference is coming up in August!
It's lots of fun and you can attend in your pajamas (and those lovely curlers)!

Don't be intimidated by the online idea. Sign up now, save the date on your calender.

When the date rolls around, I promise, it will be easy to find the links to the conference. Following along is as easy as watching a video or something like that on your computer.

You can do it! Try the online conference! Sign up today at Heart of the Matter Online.

I'll be there. Will you?

Breadclass.com Review and Giveaway

noreply@blogger.com (Pamela Swearingen) — Thu, 02 Jun 2011 18:36:00 +0000

I have REALLY enjoyed my time reading and reviewing all that the website Breadclass.com has to offer!

To learn more about BreadClass.com, click on the picture above of the slice of bread.

My review of this helpful website and book has now been posted on on the Heart of the Matter Online website. Check out my review BreadClass.com Review and Giveaway over at Heart of the Matter Online today.

Why should you click on over? Well, maybe to WIN?!!

Lori Viets of BreadClass.com is offering one free class and e-book copy of No More Bricks for a giveaway!

YES!
You have up FOUR chances to win by doing the following:

Leave a comment (On the Heart of the Matter Online review page, NOT this blog) ***Facebook followers reading this feed MUST post on the original Heart of the Matter Website post and not on the Facebook note.
Follow us on Facebook
Follow us on Twitter
Subscribe to our newsletter

So head on over to my review here and win some great breadmaking genius for yourself! The contest closes at midnight on June 6th, so check it out today. Thanks!

Sassy Pants by Carol Brown

noreply@blogger.com (Pamela Swearingen) — Wed, 25 May 2011 16:19:00 +0000

The book Sassy Pants by Carol Brown is a short easy-reader book that chronicles the misadventures of one aptly named pig, Sassy Pants. Once the pitiful runt of a litter of 19 piglets, Sassy Pants spends infanthood in home of the farmer where life is easy and the food is good. After gaining weight and growing a huge self-serving attitude, Sassy Pants is sent back to the barnyard where she begins to bully all of the other barnyard animals. Although she feels very entitled to live out her whims and desires, in the end Sassy Pants does learn a lesson about where she truly belongs and about what her place is in barnyard society.

For adults reading Sassy Pants, this elementary-aged reader is clearly about much more than a mischievous little pig in the barnyard. By anthropomorphising Sassy Pants, Carol Brown has created a farm world kids can easily understand, but with many complex issues hidden not-so-deeply inside. A few of the many topics touched in this short book include selfishness, bullying, different kinds of "sorry" and respecting boundaries.

To help parents and teachers highlight Sassy Pants' very human lessons, author Carol Brown has created a 3-page study manual which outlines several Talking Points on Sassy Pants' important lessons. The Teaching Manual can be downloaded for free at: Sassy Pants Parent/Teacher Manual.

At the end of the book, Sassy Pants learns her lessons the hard way and the barnyard animals purposefully don't console her. A sensitive child might really feel sorry for Sassy Pants in the end. So for this "tough love" reason, the Teaching Points in the Parent/Teacher Manual really are important. Kids might need to talk about Sassy Pants and the consequences of her naughty actions.

Pages: 78
Year originally published: 2010
You might want to know: This book is the first in a series of four books.
Source: In exchange for an honest review, I received a complimentary copy of this book and the downloadable parent/teacher manual directly from the author but the opinions stated here are all mine.

A sale on those cool Unit Studies by Amanda Bennett

noreply@blogger.com (Pamela Swearingen) — Fri, 20 May 2011 08:52:00 +0000

If you are new to homeschooling, let me introduce you to Amanda Bennett and unit studies.

Amanada Bennett is probably the best known author of creative unit studies out there in the homeschooling world right now. Her unit studies cover an amazing variety of topics that have appeal for a wide range of homeschooling families.

A unit study is a great all-in-one study of a particular topic that allow families to cover many basic school subjects (such as math, history and writing) at the same time.

Click here to visit Unit Studies by Amanda Bennett.

Right now Amanda Bennett is offering some of her best-selling unit studies at discounted prices. To find the AWESOME convention closeout deals, click on the link above, then type "convention closeouts" in the search box. The sale goes until May 31, 2011.

I'll be honest. I haven't had the chance to look at all of the unit studies on Amanda Bennett's website right now. In the past we used the Baseball Unit Study with greatest success. I was impressed with the academic depth of unit study as well as the wide variety of topics studied that all related to baseball.

I'm curious about some of the more "unique" topics available. Have you ever tried some of the fun sounding units like the Birthday Bash one or the Pizza Party one?

Spring Sale on CurrClick.com

noreply@blogger.com (Pamela Swearingen) — Thu, 19 May 2011 18:44:00 +0000

Have you heard about the awesome spring sale at CurrClick.com right now?! It is a customer loyalty event, but then CurrClick sent out an email stating that it was ok to share the URL with anyone. So nice of them!

Check it out at the CurrClick Spring Event Main Page or by clicking on the icon above.

According to the folks at CurrClick, this spring event features "100's of resources marked down by 50%, tons of classes discounted by 10% and lots of great freebies too."

Sounds great to me!

As a reviewer for Heart of the Matter Online, I have had the chance to review A LOT of CurrClick items. This is one website that is truly a great resource for homeschooling parents. Look for some (very) honest feedback on the CurrClick website. To find all customer reviews, look for the "product reviews" link in the bottom left-hand blue box on any CurrClick page.

And as a mom who is trying to cut back on the homeschool clutter, I find myself relying more and more on downloads like the ones from CurrClick. I like being able to print out only what we need and being able to store future reference materials all on my computer. I'm not a homeschool minimalist by any stretch of the imagination, but sites like CurrClick really help me feel a little closer to my goal.

So have you visited CurrClick.com before? What's your favorite download?

Be sure to jump on these savings quickly. This spring event won't be around for long and the prices are really great right now.

"Stop Bugging Me" - a Guest Post by Sharen Pearson

noreply@blogger.com (Pamela Swearingen) — Tue, 17 May 2011 20:10:00 +0000

For those with young kids who love bugs, here is an exciting Guest Post from Sharen Pearson that should keep your little ones entertained for hours. Sorry, but this Guest Post didn't come with pictures of the finished crafts. Maybe you can create these fun things and take some great pictures of your own?

Child expert, Sharen Pearson, is helping moms gear up for the summer months. Sharen’s passion for early childhood education over the past 25+ years has earned her the title “The Martha Stewart of Baby Crafts” and “The Baby Whisperer” by other professionals.

Much to the dismay of their mothers, toddlers hold a relentless fascination for bugs. They follow, squish, catch and even eat them! Perhaps the novelty lies in the never-ending variety of creepy crawlers or simply because bugs are smaller than these little ones. Sharen’s buggy activities will enchant your children this summer.

STOP BUGGING ME

Buggy Fun for Summer

By Sharen Pearson

Much to the dismay of their mothers, toddlers hold a relentless fascination for bugs. They follow, squish, catch and even eat them! Perhaps the novelty lies in the never-ending variety of creepy crawlers or that bugs are smaller than these little ones.

Here are some simple buggy activities that will enchant your children this summer.

Bug Catcher:

Save the net from your fresh produce. Lace a chenille wire around the top to support the sides. The net makes a tiny bug catcher for your child. Always help identify any bugs that might be dangerous. Catch, observe and release.

Butterfly or Dragonfly Craft:

Attach colored tissue paper wings to a toilet tissue or paper towel tube for wings. Slip a hair band over the tube and place on toddler’s wrist to flap and fly. For more advanced work, drop food color onto a wet coffee filter. Allow to dry and use for wings. Two filters for dragonfly and one for butterfly.

Big Bug Craft:

Fashion antennae with chenille wire and attach to your child’s head with clips. Gather a sheet of tissue paper at the center. Duct tape to the back of the shirt for butterfly wings.

Fly away little butterfly! Tot Cocoon:

Give your toddler the end piece of a roll of toilet tissue. Have him gently spin to wrap the paper around and around forming a cocoon. If the paper breaks, just tuck the loose end in and begin again. Continue as your child is comfortable (most won’t let you cover the face). Count 1, 2, 3 and have your butterfly “hatch out” and fly away.

Lady Bug Craft and Counting Game:

Make a tiny ladybug from the cup of an egg carton. Cut the section. Paint red and add black dots. Tape twisted bits of paper on for antennae. For a counting activity: make five bugs and draw 1 spot, 2 spots etc. on the five bugs. Count the spots and the bugs.

Caterpillar Craft:

Cut a six-‐section length from an egg carton. Your toddler can glue cotton balls on each section for “fuzz.” Draw a face on one end of the section and add chenille or paper antennae. Punch a hole in the front and tie a string on to “walk your bug.” For more advanced work, paint each section of the caterpillar yellow or even a rainbow.

Bug Collage:

Draw (or print from a website) several bugs on paper. Make a simple paste of flour and water. Your tot can glue on dry rice, macaroni, bits of colored paper and/or cake sprinkles to decorate the bugs.

Bugs in a tub:

Pour 6 cups of dry rice into a large flat container. Add toy plastic bugs (or your ladybugs), measuring cups, recycled plastic containers, paper tubes and play as in a sand box.To protect the floor and give your activity a boundary, place the tub in the center of a sheet or shower curtain. Your child will play for hours.

Sharen Pearson’s Goof and Giggle classes and materials continue to provide a quality Mom/Tot interaction. Widely popular, Goof and Giggle’s child-focused play plans are offered in various Arizona communities. She’s also created a variety of Goof Juice DVDs and filmed episodes of Baby D.I.Y. and written workbooks for BabyFirstTV. Arizona Midday (NBC) tapes monthly segments with Sharen to provide their audience with a variety of original and creative “easy to do” activities for babies and preschoolers. Sharen’s creativity reaches a combined audience over 200 million viewers worldwide. Goof and Giggle classes and products encourage green living, repurposing materials from around the house into affordable objects for play and learning. Learn more at: http://sharenpearson.com/

This article content is provided free of charge by the author through Kathy Carlton Willis Communications.

You are welcome to place this article on your site or in your publication as long as 1) it’s used in its entirety, 2) the full bio is used, 3) you previously request permission through KCWC at russ@kathycarltonwillis.com. All other standard copyrights apply.

Winner of the Pearl Girls Necklace

noreply@blogger.com (Pamela Swearingen) — Tue, 17 May 2011 19:20:00 +0000

Thank you all so much for following along with the Pearl Girls™ Mother of Pearl Mother's Day blog series. I pray you laughed, cried and were touched by the translucent stories of real life written by new moms, stepmoms, grandmoms, adoptive moms, and moms without moms. Iridescent reality. And how poignant that the translucent nacre which coats the sand stuck inside an oyster’s shell is called Mother of Pearl. Mothers surround children with their love and with God’s love so they can grow in grace. I hope you'll join us this December for the third annual 12 Pearls of Christmas series.

AND ... thanks too, to all of you who entered to win the beautiful hand crafted pearl necklace. I'm thrilled to announce that the winner is ...

Jennifer (heavensent1)!

Jennifer, please email amy@pearlgirls.info; with your mailing address.

If you are unfamiliar with Pearl Girls™, please visit http://www.pearlgirls.info/; and see what we're all about. The purpose of Pearl Girls is to connect women so that together, we can make a difference in the world. All proceeds of the Pearl Girls book go in full to two charities: Wings; (women in need growing stronger) to help fund a safe house in the Chicago suburbs and to Hands of Hope to help build wells for schoolchildren in Uganda. Consider purchasing a copy of Pearl Girls: Encountering Grit, Experiencing Grace or one of the Pearl Girls™ products to help support Pearl Girls.

Please stop by the Pearl Girls blog and connect with us there.

Guest Post by Holley Gerth (and a chance to win a pearl necklace)

noreply@blogger.com (Pamela Swearingen) — Fri, 06 May 2011 07:24:00 +0000

When Mother's Day is Difficult by Holley Gerth

I have a confession (anyone surprised?). I have mixed feelings about Mother’s Day.

On one hand, I love celebrating all the women who have made a difference in my life (thanks, Mom!).

On the other hand, a long journey of infertility has left my heart with some tender places.

On May 8th, we’ll celebrate Mother’s Day once again. For many, it’s a time of appreciation and joy. For others, it can be one of the most difficult days of the year. This is often true for women facing infertility, families who have recently experienced the loss of a mother, and many other painful situations.

At one point in my life it seemed as if I couldn’t take another step. In addition to infertility, I was facing several other losses. I felt as if I were in a dark cave. But then I sensed the Lord gently and lovingly speak to my heart, “You may be in a cave, but you still have a choice. You can sit in despair or you can diamond-mine your difficulties.” I decided I was not leaving that time in my life empty-handed. I was taking every hidden blessing I could find. Of course, I still had difficult days. But choosing hope made a difference.

As a reminder, I now wear two rings. The one on the fourth finger of my left hand represents my commitment to my husband. The one on the fourth finger of my right hand is a simple silver band inscribed with the word “hope” and it represents the commitment I have made to God and myself to hold onto hope no matter what happens.

The story of an inspiring woman named Terrie also reminds me to hold onto hope. She endured the loss of four pregnancies and waited seventeen years before adopting a little girl. She told me, “I think one of the most important parts of this journey is learning to trust God. I don’t mean the flippant kind of trust. It’s easy for people to say, ‘You just need to trust God.’ It’s much harder when you’re in the middle of all this pain. But he is trustworthy. Through it all, God has given us an amazing story. I wouldn’t have chosen this road, but he has been with us. I can look back and truly say every step was worth it.”

I don’t know how my journey will end and you probably don’t know how yours will either. I also don’t know how many of you will be silently grieving your losses as we sit in church together on May 8th. But I do know that God sees each one of us. He knows how many hairs are on our heads and how many cares our in our hearts. Whatever you’re going through this Mother’s Day, you’re not facing it alone. As King David, a man who experienced many losses in his life, expressed in Psalm 34:18 NIV, “The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.” May God surround you with love, fill you with hope, and give you strength for each moment—especially this Mother’s Day.

Excerpted from When Mother’s Day is Difficult.

Holley Gerth is an award-winning writer for DaySpring, a cofounder of the popular web site (in)courage, and licensed counselor. Holley loves chocolate, coffee, Jesus and connecting with the hearts of women through words. Her next book, a devotional titled God's Heart for You: Embracing Your True Worth as a Woman (Harvest House) will release this July. You can find Holley online through her blog Heart to Heart with Holley.

Homeschooling and teenagers

noreply@blogger.com (Pamela Swearingen) — Tue, 03 May 2011 08:31:00 +0000

We are approaching the end of an era here in our homeschool. When we wrap up this school year, this house will officially no longer have any elementary kids. Next year we will be deep in the heart of high school for the older child and middle school for the younger one.

When we first began our homeschooling journey years ago, people had many questions. Yes, we got the infamous "socialization" questions, but over the years we have shown our friends and family that sometimes we are in fact sometimes too social and busy. Looking back though, I think the biggest question was "What about high school?"

And now, here we are!

Truthfully, high school subjects have already slipped into our days. While technically in 8th grade this year, my oldest has been studying high school biology, algebra, French, Italian and Latin. He has read classics like A Tale of Two Cities and takes hours of music lessons every week. The younger child is not far behind with art lessons, Spanish and weekly band practices.

But now it is official. Homeschooling high school. Now what?

I recently Googled "homeschool and teenagers" and found this article written by Diane Flynn Keith. By debunking some of the urban legends surrounding homeschooled high schoolers, it seems that Ms. Keith is just trying to keep it real. I appreciate that perspective and I hope I can keep all of this in mind in the years to come.

I've been researching books that can help parents homeschool through the high school years and this is what I have found so far:

For help with transcripts and lessons, I'm planning on relying on Lee Binz over at http://www.thehomescholar.com/. Ms. Binz provides helpful "been there, done that" advice that I will be needing. Her book Setting the Records Straight: How to Craft Homeschool Transcripts and Course Descriptions for College Admission and Scholarships is definitely on my book wish list!

One of the cornerstones of Lee Binz's approach is a thorough high school reading list. For that I'm going to rely on a book we have used for years already, All Through the Ages by Christine Marie Miller.

Shortly I will be posting my review of two books by Barbara Frank. Again, I'm treasuring that "been there, done that" advice from seasoned homeschool moms who have been through those high school years.

Like all things in life, things will change. Sadly my kids are outgrowing many of the great homeschool websites that we have used with wild enthusiasm over the years. I find that we are relying on the library less and the internet more as picture books are replaced with research projects. My kids are not needing me as a hands-on teacher so much anymore. I'm finding my new role to be more of a guidance counselor or study coach. And with each passing year, my children have had to forge new friendships as many of their homeschool friends return to the public school system for middle school or high school.

Actually, I am pretty excited. Chemistry is the subject I have dreaded the most, so next year we will join a co-op Chemistry class. I love history and books and I'm looking forward to having some honest discussion about classic books that don't revolve around rhyming cats in hats or fairly annoying kids named Junie B. Jones. My kids are becoming move involved in youth group at church and hopefully soon my house will be consumed with a Boy Scout Eagle project.

So, onwards to middle and high school in our homeschool!

The two books written by Barbara Frank have been provided to me in exchange for an honest review to be posted shortly, but the opinions are all heartfelt and are all mine. The rest of the books mentioned are either books I own, books from the library or wish list books that I hope to one day own. Hope these books help.

3 DIY Mother's Day Gifts and a Pearl Necklace Giveaway!

noreply@blogger.com (Pamela Swearingen) — Mon, 02 May 2011 19:16:00 +0000

Welcome to Pearl Girls™ Mother of Pearl Mother's Day blog series. The series is week long celebration of moms and mothering. Each day will feature a new post by some of today's best writer's (Tricia Goyer, Megan Alexander, Suzanne Woods Fisher, Beth Engelman, Holley Gerth, Shellie Rushing Tomlinson, and more). I hope you'll join us each day for another unique perspective on Mother's Day.

AND ... do enter the contest for a chance to win a beautiful hand crafted pearl necklace. To enter, just {CLICK THIS LINK} and fill out the short form. Contest runs 5/1-5/8 and the winner will on 5/11. Contest is only open to US and Canadian residents.

If you are unfamiliar with Pearl Girls™, please visit http://www.pearlgirls.info/ and see what we're all about. In short, we exist to support the work of charities that help women and children in the US and around the globe. Consider purchasing a copy of Pearl Girls: Encountering Grit, Experiencing Grace or one of the Pearl Girls™ products (all GREAT Mother's Day gifts!) to help support Pearl Girls.

And to all you MOMS out there! Happy Mother's Day!

3 DIY Mother’s Day Gifts that Celebrate Family By Beth Engelman

This Mother’s Day, celebrate family with this crafty games the whole family can enjoy.

Block Photo Puzzle
Not only does this 6-sided photo puzzle provide hours of family fun, but it’s also a great way to reuse favorite family photos.

Materials:
•   9 - Wooden Blocks (Use old alphabet blocks)
•   6 - 8 x 10 Photograph Prints or Colored Copies
•   Ruler
•   Scissors
•   Mod Podge and Paintbrush

Directions:
1. Arrange blocks in a square and measure the length and width of the square.
2. Measure and cut print to the exact same size as the 9-block square.
3. Place blocks in a square on top of print. Position blocks so they’re lined up neatly and as close together as possible.
4. Trace and cut the outline of each block.
5. Glue print pieces to blocks using Mod Podge. Set aside to dry and then seal with 1-2 top layers of Mod Podge.
6. Repeat process until all 6 sides of the blocks are covered with different photographs.
Thank you to the creative folks at www.photojojo.com for sharing this idea!

“Go Fish with the Family” Card Game
This gift is perfect for Moms who like card games. Another bonus? There’s always room to “grow” the deck.

Materials:
•   Camera
•   Double stick tape, or a glue stick
•   Several pieces of cardstock (one color)
•   Scissors

Directions:
1.   Take pictures of each family member and develop the pictures in duplicates (3x5 or 4x6 is fine, just make sure all the pictures are the same size).
2.   Turn the pictures into playing cards by gluing or taping a piece of card-stock to the backside of each picture.
3.   Game ideas include “Go Fishing with the Family” which is similar to “Go Fish” but, instead of matching numbers, the object is to collect matching pairs of photos. “Memory” is another fun game to play. Place the cards face down in a grid and try to find matching pairs of photos.

Family Bingo
In my house, Bingo is always a big hit because regardless of age or skill level, everyone has the same chance to win. However this version is extra special because the playing boards are populated with pictures of family members.

Materials:
•   Color Coordinated Game Boards (download here)
•   Images of Family Members (use photographs, drawings or clip art)
•   Bingo Markers (pennies, pebbles or buttons)
•   Glue and Scissors

Directions:
1.   Create the game boards: Download and print desired number of game-boards. Remember each player gets a different game board.
2.   Color-copy and paste images of family members onto each game board. Remember to paste one person per square and make each board slightly different.
3.   Make “call-out cards” by writing the name of each family member in yellow, green, blue, purple and pink (which coordinates with the colors on the board)
4.   To Play: Game play is similar to traditional Bingo except the caller will randomly select a call-out card and then read the color and person. For example, “Blue, Grandma Mary” means there is a picture of Grandma Mary in a blue square. Just like Bingo, the first person to get 5 in a row (horizontally, vertically or diagonally) wins!

Beth Engelman is a columnist for the Sun Times News Group’s Pioneer Press. Her column “Mommy on a Shoestring,” appears in over 30 local papers around Chicago area as well as on the Sun-times website where you can also view her Mommy on a Shoestring video series. She is also a regular on “You and Me this Morning” on WCIU and is frequent contributor for WGN America’s Midday News at Noon. Recently, Beth was chosen by a celebrity panel from NBC Universal and iVillage to become one of 15 national “mom” correspondents for NBC’s popular website, http://www.ivillage.com/ (over 3 million visitors a day) where she reports on issues that affect moms, families and communities such as bullying, divorce and weight loss. For more information visit Beth at http://www.mommyonashoestring.com/

Got up mighty early to watch that wedding!

noreply@blogger.com (Pamela Swearingen) — Fri, 29 Apr 2011 19:20:00 +0000

We did it! We got up VEERRRRYYY early to watch the royal wedding! It was so lovely...

So we aren't really doing school today because of the whole getting up early schedule. So of course, the homeschool mom in me has to make everything some sort of lesson. So this is what we learned:

* During the singing of "God Save the Queen" apparently the Queen does not sing. Did not know that!

Our favorites from the wedding:

* The dress (of course)! - Kate Middleton's dress was so 1950s and I loved it! I'm pretty sure the top of the dress is EXACTLY like the dress my mom wore to her wedding...in the 1950s!

* During the vows - The absolute best moment to me was during the vows. Kate Middleton was reciting her portion of the vows when she arrived at "for richer and for poorer." It was subtle, but when she said "for poorer" she grinned slightly. How perfect! She's marrying a future king, for goodness sakes. For poorer...I'm so sure.

* Loved the sermon (is it called that?) when the bishop said "All marriages are royal." I also liked it when he spoke, "As the reality of God has faded from so many lives in the West, there has been a corresponding inflation of expectations that personal relations alone will supply meaning and happiness in life. This is to load our partner with too great a burden." Wise, wise words.

What we didn't like:

Really? These outfits, especially those hats? Is this for real? All the money in the world and this is what royals wear to the wedding? More more info on this picture and what others are saying about these outfits visit the Daily Mail Online website.

So back to reality now. Tea cups are washed and put away. WAY to many english muffins have been consumed. Now only Kate Middleton leads a real fairy-tale life.

So did you watch it live?
Don't you wish you were there?
Would you have worn those ridiculous hats that those two princesses wore?

Are you watching the Royal Wedding?

noreply@blogger.com (Pamela Swearingen) — Thu, 28 Apr 2011 16:17:00 +0000

So, are you watching the Royal Wedding live tomorrow?

Or, if you live in the Pacific Time Zone like I do,

are you watching the Royal Wedding live in the middle of the night?!

As a teen I was obsessed with England, especially London. Who didn't love all that great 80s British music? Back in the day, I memorized the subway connections from a map of London's famous underground subway system...and I had never been to London! Even years later, I still have never set foot in England.

But back to my point.

Yes, my youngest is a bit of an Anglophile. I have trained her well.

A few weeks ago, my daughter wrote a letter to the Queen of England to ask her about her dogs. Amazingly, she got a response!! Now true the letter was written by one of the Queen's Ladies in Waiting, but nevertheless, it was a response. And it wasn't a form letter sent out generically! The letter was written to my daughter and answered her question about the Queen's pets. Also with the letter we received two informative fliers, one about the pets and one about Buckingham Palace.

So, to answer my own question...yes, we will be up in the middle of the night to watch the wedding. We are going to drink tea from fancy tea cups, eat crumpets (aka english muffins) and we will act silly.

No one else in the house is interested in this whole lavish affair, so while they sleep, it will be just me and my daughter. Watching a fairy tale wedding at a horrible time of night. And I'm sure we will be loving every minute of it!

Teens and Summertime: A Guest Blog Article from Carol Topp

noreply@blogger.com (Pamela Swearingen) — Mon, 25 Apr 2011 18:09:00 +0000

The lovely folks at Kathy Carlton Willis Communications have gathered some great articles from the brightest authors. As a homeschooling mom of a teen, this article from Carol Topp seemed like a perfect topic for this blog:

Is Your Teenager Wasting His Summer?

By Carol Topp, CPA

Summer is a great time for a teenager to earn some money working a temporary job, but most jobs are a waste of time. Summer jobs are usually low-skill jobs with tedious tasks like running a cash register or cleaning up bits of paper at an amusement park. These jobs pay poorly and do not usually offer any paths to advance or grow. They do nothing to help a teenager develop his gifts or prepare him for a future career. The best that can be said about a summer job is that it keeps a teenager busy and pays him a bit of money.

What if there was a way for your teenager to make some money, learn a lot and test a future career this summer? It would be a much better use of his time. What if your teenager learned time management, practiced math and writing skills, and grew in confidence and responsibility? That would be a very rewarding summer.

Instead of telling your teenager to get a job, encourage him to start a micro business. A micro business is a one-person business that can be started easily, usually without any up-front cash, using what a teenager already owns. Micro businesses are usually home-based and very flexible so a busy student can keep up with other interests, sports and a social life.

Teenagers can use their skills to develop businesses such as teaching guitar lessons, doing web design or caring for children. Some teenagers have started micro businesses by offering services such as house cleaning, pet care, and lawn mowing. One easy-to-start micro business is tutoring. Students can tutor math, Spanish, computer programs or any subject that they are good at.

The quickest way to get your teenager started is to look for a need he can fill such as teaching a subject he knows well. Edgar is bi-lingual, since his family speaks Spanish in their home. He is tutoring another student in Spanish as a micro business.

Other teenagers can turn their interests into a micro business. Kristin combined her love of reading and childcare. She assembled a small group of children one morning a week and in a two hour block of time read them a story, planned a craft, and fed them a snack. She charged $5 per child per week and conducted a six-week mini-camp one summer. It was so popular, she offered an afternoon reading camp as well.

One benefit of running a micro business during the summer over working a job is that a teenager can try out an idea and see if they want to pursue it as a career. Joel has a talent for computer web design. He is teaching himself software like InDesign and makes money by creating buttons and banners for websites. His web design micro business will help Joel determine if her wants to be a full time graphic designer. Meanwhile he is learning time management and customer service skills while getting paid.

So don't saddle your teenager with another summer of working a boring, tedious job that offers no challenges or opportunities for growth. Instead, encourage him to have his best summer yet by starting a micro business.

Author Bio of Carol Topp (provided by the website http://www.microbusinessforteens.com/): I live in Cincinnati, Ohio with my husband and two daughters. Both of my daughters started micro businesses as teenagers. Emily taught piano lessons and tutored younger students in math and writing. Sarah designed web sites and blogs and did some photography. They both made a lot of money babysitting. Through my daughters, accounting clients and homeschooling groups, I have met dozens of teenagers that started their own micro businesses. I was asked to write my book series, Micro Business for Teens to help these teenagers.

I’m also a work-at-home-mom (WAHM) with a micro business, my accounting practice. I started my business, Carol Topp, CPA, LLC in 2000 with 16 tax clients, a home office and no debt. I used the computer and printer we already owned. My only expenses were for software, paper and my CPA license. In 2006, I launched HomeschoolCPA.com a website to help homeschool leaders and organizations.

This article content is provided free of charge by the author through Kathy Carlton Willis Communications. You are welcome to place this article on your site or in your publication as long as 1) it’s used in its entirety, 2) the full bio is also used, and 3) you previously request permission through KCWC at russ@kathycarltonwillis.com. All other standard copyrights apply.

Guest post by Kathi Lipp

noreply@blogger.com (Pamela Swearingen) — Wed, 20 Apr 2011 16:50:00 +0000

Spring is a time of renewal. Now that I'm of a "certain" age, I feel like it's a time of my life that could use a little renewal. Heck, after years of this recession, probably everyone feels like it's time for renewal.

I write on this blog, Mustard Seed Homeschool Reviews, when it comes to homeschooling ideas and I write on my other blog, Mustard Seed Book Reviews, when I have something to say about books. It's complicated but although homeschoolers read, readers don't always homeschool. Every once in a while, though, I find a book that homeschoolers would love too! Such is the case with Kathi Lipp's book The Me Project:21 Days to Living the Life You've Always Wanted.

Throughout my days I meet many homeschooling moms who are greatly sacrificing EVERYTHING to be homeschool moms. While I applaud the effort and enthusiasm, frankly I worry about those EVERYTHING moms. Hopefully books like The Me Project can inject a bit of balance into life. Being a mom is consuming and being a homeschooling mom is a challenge, but a little "me" goal setting is not a bad thing. Balance and focus is the key.

So here is my review (5 out of 5 stars!) that was posted a few weeks ago on Mustard Seed Book Reviews: Review of The Me Project by Kathi Lipp (Sorry, the giveaway info is outdated and expired!)

To get the ball rolling, I'm posting two of Kathi Lipp's motivational articles here, if you would like to (re)read them:

http://www.kathilipp.com/

Kick Start Living Your Dreams

By Kathi Lipp

Three Super-Simple Kick Start Living Your Dreams – in the next 15 minutes

Is there a dream that God has given you, but you are waiting until the kids are grown and you have money in the bank before you get started? You may not be able to enroll in a month long pastry making class or take a week off of work to get started on your novel, but today you can take three little baby steps to making your dream a day-to-day reality.

1. Go Public with It - It’s a little scary to tell the world what you want to do when you grow up—but this is one little step could get you closer to living your dream than almost any other. Plus—it takes very little time and you don’t have to raid your kid’s college fund to make it happen. When you gather up all your courage and tell your best friend, “I want to learn how to paint,” suddenly she remembers an old art book she has laying around she would love to give you, or her friend from church who teaches art classes. The people you know and love want to be a resource. Give them the privilege of being a part of making your dream happen.

2. Join an Online Group - This is one of the simplest—and cheapest—ways to start exploring your passion. Find out who else is talking about restoring antiques and listen to their conversation. Start by Googling your interest along with the term “online groups.” You will be amazed with the number of people who want to talk about the proper way to care for 1950’s lunchboxes as much as you do.

3. Don’t be Afraid to Pray - I remember the first time I put an offer in on a house—I wanted it more than I had wanted almost anything else in my life. While I knew that I had dozens of other people praying on my behalf, I was too scared to pray. I didn’t want God to tell me no. I was afraid to pray until my co-worker Kim asked me (in a loving, kind way), why I didn’t believe that God wanted His best for me. Don’t be afraid to pray—as with anything amazing in my life, the path is never what I expected, but it has always been obvious that God’s hand has been on it the whole way.

Starting a 50/50 Journal

By Kathi Lipp

I am a serial journaler. In my years walking on this planet, I have left an impressive number of three page-filled journals in the wake of my path. I am a sucker for a cute journal—something romantic about a private place to keep my thoughts and dreams. Each time I’m at a bookstore I can’t help but peruse the journal section, dreaming about the beautiful things I’d write in that gorgeous black leather bound book—or maybe the bright orange and green floral journal with the matching pen. Oh—the possibilities.

That is how it went on the day that I met my new journal. With its dark red cover and Irish proverb on the front, it not only matched my mood, it matched my hair color and heritage at the same time. Love at first sight.

After purchasing the journal and a hazelnut latte, I curled up in one of the bookstore chairs to…what I didn’t know. I didn’t want this to just be another started and abandoned journal. I wanted this journal to be different. I spent almost half an hour staring at a blank page.

If I knew I was going to live another 50 years, what would I want those fifty years to look like—what would I like to say I had done with that time?

So, I started to write everything down. I figured that if I was healthy and stayed out of the way of people talking on cell phones while driving, it was conceivable that I could have another fifty years on this planet. I wrote down fifty things I wanted to accomplish in the next fifty years. Somehow, this new journal seemed different than the ones I’d started before. This was not a daily recitation of deep thoughts that I had while walking on the beach. This felt big, important, and all for me.

I felt silly writing some of those goals down—getting my nails done once a week—that seemed less like a goal and more like self-indulgence. “Take a gourmet cooking class” seemed a little frivolous as well. But one of the things I promised myself was that I was going to be very free in what I wrote down—I would not censor myself because it seemed silly or trivial. I trusted that these goals were between me and God, and asked Him to bless me in the goals that were within His will, and to take away the desire for the ones that may not be from Him.

It has been fascinating to see God working in my 50/50 journal. About once a month, I update any progress made towards the goal. It can be as simple as buying a book on cross-country travel; I make a note of it on the page that has “Travel around the United States for a month without a schedule” as the goal. Any progress is noted and celebrated.

In my 50/50 journal, every small step is recorded and celebrated—my own personal record of how deeply interested God is in delighting me by first putting desires in my heart, and then blessing me by giving me the desires of my heart.

We all have these nebulous goals in our lives that we want to accomplish, someday. If you have never taken the time to commit them to paper, do it today. There is power in writing your goals down. They become concrete and tangible. The goals are easier to break down into smaller steps—giving you a real chance at seeing those dreams become a reality.

Author Info

Kathi Lipp is a busy conference and retreat speaker, currently speaking each year to thousands of women throughout the United States. She is the author of The Husband Project and The Marriage Project, serves as food writer for Nickelodeon, and has had articles published in several magazines, including Today’s Christian Woman and Discipleship Journal. Kathi and her husband, Roger, live in California and are the parents of four teenagers and young adults. For more information visit her website: http://www.kathilipp.com/

Pages: 209
Year Originally Published: 2011
You might want to know: This book could change your life
Source: Received complimentary from KCWC in exchange for an honest review, but the opinion is all mine.

Articles adapted from a chapter in The Me Project by Kathi Lipp. It is provided free of charge by the author through Kathy Carlton Willis Communications. You are welcome to place this article on your site or in your publication as long as 1) it’s used in its entirety, 2) the full bio is also used, and 3) you previously request permission through KCWC at russ@kathycarltonwillis.com. All other standard copyrights apply.

In My Homeschool Mailbox April 1-16, 2011

noreply@blogger.com (Pamela Swearingen) — Sun, 17 Apr 2011 08:28:00 +0000

This is the time of year when homeschooling parents take stock of the past and think about how to structure next year. My mailbox has been filled with catalogs from all of the major curriculum suppliers. After all these years of homeschooling, we are pretty much in the groove and don't really order too much from catalogs anymore. However, a girl can dream so I've been pouring over all of the catalogs one-by-one, even if I won't be ordering anything else this school year.

These two books arrived in my mailbox this week courtesy of the author, Barbara Frank. As my kids hit the all important high school years, these books should be invaluable. Stay tuned for my review of these titles.

Has your mailbox been filling up with curriculum catalogs lately? Do you have a favorite company?

American Science and Supplies website

noreply@blogger.com (Pamela Swearingen) — Fri, 15 Apr 2011 18:08:00 +0000

Are you looking for that one little science item that has been impossible to find? Searching for an online resource that is helpful AND hilarious? Check out:

American Science and Surplus has been a great clearinghouse of unwanted items since "about 1937" according to the website.

What sets this website apart, though, is the outrageous humor hidden in the descriptions of the products.

Such as this:

Bulgarian Lap Loom

"It's made in Bulgaria, this cleverly named Bulgarian Lap Loom, but it will weave just fine in laps of any nationality. In beech wood, it measures 16" x 12" and has (19) pairs of opposing pegs, a pair of 13-3/4" x 1" shed sticks and a 6-1/4" shuttle. Comes with an instruction booklet along with enough white cotton thread and short skeins of yarn in red, blue, green, gold, orange and purple to make a small garish handbag, placemat or wall-hanging before you move on to your own yarn and that inspired design that's looming in your mind. A little light assembly required. For ages 7 and up."

Or this one:

Pens by the Pound

"Just like buying salami, except you can't take notes with lunch meat, and these pens cost less than sausage. We bought them in bulk, and we're selling them in bulk. Our each is (2) lbs of extremely assorted, but very nice, ballpoint pens with a gallimaufry of logos and names. For future reference, pens weigh in at approx (50) per pound, give or take."

Really, I could go on and on, but you should check it out for yourself. I have purchased from American Science and Supplies before and the transaction was a smooth one. That's not why I'm posting this info, though. This is just a great website that is laugh out loud funny.

Put American Science and Supplies in your favorite places. It's worth a visit just to see some very clever spins on some very (un)necessary junk!

World Schooling story on MSNBC.com

noreply@blogger.com (Pamela Swearingen) — Tue, 05 Apr 2011 14:46:00 +0000

It's no secret that I have big dreams of taking our homeschool on the road. What could be a better history lesson than seeing Civil War sites in person? My fantasy trip would probably take about a year to drive all the way around the United States. In the meantime, we keep plugging along with our dreams and occasional small one-week vacations to major spots of interest.

That's why I love to read about people who are out there seeing the world and homeschooling at the same time! They are living my dream, man.

Meet the Zapp family from Argentina: http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/42381709

Photo from MSNBC.com (courtesy of the Zapp family)

They have been on the road for 11 YEARS? They travel around the world with four kids in a car built in 1928?

Wow. Just plain wow.
For all my travel dreams, I'm not sure if their existence is one I would want, but wow.
My hat's off to them!

Studying Shakespeare

noreply@blogger.com (Pamela Swearingen) — Mon, 04 Apr 2011 14:44:00 +0000

Taking a relaxed Charlotte Mason approach here in our homeschool, I am determined to make Shakespeare accessible and fun. I'm sure Ms. Mason had lovely Victorian visions of children happily reciting sonnets and soliloquies as they romped through nature. My modern day kids were having none of that. Over the years of homeschooling we have tried many approaches to Shakespeare and quite frankly we have floundered many times. I think we are finally getting our Shakespeare Groove going now, though.

First off, we vote on which play to study. Invariably one camp chooses the comedies and one chooses the tragedies, but for the most part we have been able to agree on which play to tackle next.

Second, we get familiar with the storyline. This step is a crucial part that we have missed in the past and is quite frankly making all the difference for us now. For some of the major plays, we have loved reading the abridged versions in Beautiful Stories from Shakespeare for Children edited by Edith Nesbit. Since not all of Shakespeare's play are found in this book, we have also relied on the internet, including SparkNotes.com No Fear Shakespeare webpages.

Next, we go over the storyline again, focusing on key points and key players. We familiarize ourselves with names and places and important quotes from our chosen play. Sometimes we just reread the summary we were already studying. However if the play is available, I like to use the Shakespeare Can Be Fun series. Like Beautiful Stories from Shakespeare for Children, the Shakespeare Can Be Fun Series does not encompass all of Shakespeare's plays. Most notably, many of the historical plays are not represented. However, if the play is available in the series, I highly recommend this series as an excellent resource. Throughout the entire book, the Shakespeare play is summarized in rhyming couplet form. Previously I reviewed Master Writer's Shakespearean Quote Copywork, which is another option for familiarizing yourself with a particular play.

After a thorough review of the play, we move on to Netflix. Most Shakespeare plays are available on Netflix and many of them are available through the instant option. By hearing professional actors recite famous lines, kids become even more familiar with the style and cadence that is uniquely Shakespearean. Many of the renditions found on Netflix are quite good, but one must always be careful. We did stumble upon a version of Midsummer Night's Dream with Judi Dench that was very 1960s groovy and showed way too many bare bosoms for my taste! Also, keep in mind that some of the movie version are LLLOOONNNGGG. We don't watch the entire thing, but skip around to view famous scenes and to hear famous quotes. My goal is to make Shakespeare fun for the kids and forcing them to watch every minute of a 6 hour movie is not a good thing.

And lastly we actually attack the Shakespeare play itself. Yes, we sit down with the play as the very last step of our study. I have an anthology from college days that contains the complete works of Shakespeare, but honestly I recommend the No Fear Shakespeare series. These books contain the full Shakespeare play on one side of the page and the translation on the other side of the page. This side-by-side comparison is invaluable.

My steps for Shakespeare might sound backwards since we don't even read the actual play until the end, but I have found that approach to work the best. By the time the complex words are put in front of the kids, they are comfortable with all of the other aspects of plot, characters and famous quotes. And with luck, kids will become Shakespeare fans!

noreply@blogger.com (Pamela Swearingen) — Fri, 01 Apr 2011 15:50:00 +0000

I'm excited to join this Ultimate Blog Party because this month is also my 1st Blogaversary!

Virtual parties for everyone!

I have two blogs: Mustard Seed Homeschool Reviews and Mustard Seed Book Reviews because all homeschoolers read, but not all readers homeschool!

My name is Pamela. Currently I'm a homeschooling mom and the Director of Reviews for Heart of the Matter Online. My life is all about books, unit studies and notebooks. However when the school day is over and it's time to relax, you will still find me with my nose stuck in a book! I love reading. Always have.

I like to say I earned a college degree in books! While in college I was an exchange student blessed with the opportunity to travel extensively in Australia, Ireland and parts of Asia. When I returned home to America, I earned a degree in History with a minor in English Literature.
I love to travel. Geography is actually my favorite subject. Since books are cheaper than airfare (most of the time), you will often find me reading and planning for another trip. When I do get to go on adventures, I generally try to combine my love of travel and love of books. I like to visit bookstores when I travel and generally bring home WAY more books than I should.

My kids are getting older which is really exciting. Books the kids have read this homeschool year include Secret Garden, Tale of Two Cities, Black Beauty and Count of Monte Cristo.

So welcome to my tiny site on the web, Mustard Seed Homeschool Reviews!