Forestiere Underground Gardens

Life is busy and expensive! We all want to do fun and exciting things with our kids but between time and money it can be challenging. Challenging to find something exciting to do beyond the Boomers or water parks! At least for many people I talk to. So here are some great 1/2 to 3/4 day activities to do with the whole family. None of them are more than an hour away from Fresno and quite a few are right in town. I haven’t been to all these places but I am hoping to this summer!

(Continue reading at NerdFamily Things)

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Picture belongs to Sprouts and used with permission.

Note from NerdMom: This is a guest post by Shauna Fleuridor who was a lucky Sprouts Spree winner!!! I appreciate her guest post!!! I will write my thoughts on Sprouts soon!

(Continue reading at NerdFamily Food)

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Hi everyone and welcome to the Carnival of Homeschooling. For those of you who aren’t familiar with CoH I am sure you are asking what this is;). A carnival is a collection of articles in a post on 1 subject. This one is homeschooling and we have some great posts!

May is a great time to discuss homeschooling. As a current homeschooler, I am using this time to reflect on the past year and plan out next year. I am also talking to a lot of non-homeschoolers who are contemplating what they are going to be doing next year for their children’s education. But enough of me jabbering, lets get to fabulous submissions we have for this week!

Lets look at homeschooling in the news! Corn and Oil look at the Romeike Court Hearing Media Review. They are the German family that are living in Tennessee seeking asylum because they want to homeschool and the German government doesn’t allow it.

There is always a lot of talk about actually how to homeschool. When talking about the logistics of homeschooling the first question is about the validity of the choice! Alasandra’s Homeschool Blog says that Homeschooling is a valid educational choice! At Home and School asks if homeschoolers should use grades at all? Time for Learning talks nuts and bolts of Homeschool Record Keeping. There are so many ways to homeschool! Mommy the Teacher takes a look at online homeschool programs.

Science at the Fair

Everyone wants to know what homeschool life is like. But while life may not look same in any two homeschool families, there are some commonalities between some. Well, homeschool can allow the chasing of fancy. Laura Grace Weldon talks about Where Fascination Leads. Life is learning and learning everywhere! Why Homeschool’s middle daughter talks about Homeschooling in Action: The Bus Ride. On Planting Seeds talks about Homeschool Outings and 10 things you can do this week.

I love that Kosher on a Budget just got straight to it with The Homeschool FAQ on why and how they are homeschooling! Milehimama tells us that You CAN Homeschool.

Falling Like Rain is reading a fictional book all about a homeschooler’s life called The Homeschool Experiement.

Hodgepodge reminds us all that the calmness you may see in a blog post or in the grocery store may not be real with Imperfect Homeschool: Drama and Trauma.

Aah, then there is actual academics! Lifelong Learning looks at Boys & Writing: Our Journey. Trivium Pursuit asks, “How Logical Are you?” They discuss red herring arguments with examples. Letters from Nebby talks about the books they let their children read. Den School has a great Memorial Day Clip (Creative Learning in a Pinch) that is a great mini unit!

Joyous Lessons talk about their trip to the museum and the art of nature. It looks like so much fun! Tea Time with Annie Kate tells us all about Homeschool Gardening. We just planted our garden too!

And that brings our fabulous carnival to a close! Make sure you read all the wonderful pieces and comment to let the writers how much you appreciate them!!! And then participate in next week’s carnival that will be hosted over at Forever, For Always, No Matter What. You can get all the details on how to what to do over at Why Homeschool!

Have a great week and enjoy homeschooling!

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It is always something that is challenging about making dinner every night. Life is busy and chaotic, and now it is getting hot. Which means you can’t just make a bunch of casseroles to throw in the oven because it is just too hot! But I have a way to have dinner solutions that are quick and easy! It is cooking by formula! What else do you expect from someone called NerdMom;)?

(Keep reading at NerdFamily Food)

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The Momma Mary Show did a great spoof of the Pussycat Doll’s When I Grow Up. It is hilarious and they did a fabulous job!

Happy Mother’s Day!

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Stuff, stuff, stuff. We have too much of it. We love it and hate it all at the same time! Maybe I am just projecting but I don’t think that I am alone in this. So how do we deal will all that stuff so we can both enjoy the things we have AND also enjoy the space we live in? One word, and I swear it isn’t a dirty one, ORGANIZING. It doesn’t have to be complicated or hard. Use these 5 simple steps to have a more organized, decluttered space!

(Continue Reading on NerdFamily Things)

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(I have been compensated to run this giveaway by Teleflora)

Flowers and Mother’s Day, those go together like peanut butter and jelly. For years people have chosen to shop Teleflora bouquets for Mother’s Day. In order to help out NerdFamily Things’ readers they are providing us with a 25% off coupon and a giveaway!!!

(Continue reading for the coupon code and giveaway over on NerdFamily Things!)

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I get a lot of questions about Mystery Shopping. Is it real? Is it something you can make a living from? Well I decided to answer a few of these questions!

1) It is real!!! Companies hire mystery shoppers (often through a mystery shopping company) to come in and evaluate specific products and services unknown to the employees. The companies may dictate when you go and what you buy.
2) You won’t get rich off of mystery shopping. Usually mystery shopping will reimburse you for a purchase and there might be a small payment. If it is someplace you are going already it will be worth it though! Mystery shopping funded out eating out in the first few years of my marriage because that was the only way we could afford it!
3) You can make very little in comparison to the time investment and that must be considered before you take any assignments. Usually in addition to the actual in establishment there is a report to fill out that can take some time.
4) You never pay for a mystery shopping job, ever!!!
5) But you will make your purchase for the assignment and then get reimbursed. That can take 30-60 days so you need to have room in your budget to wait!

Still interested? Here are a few companies whom you can mystery shop through! You will have to fill out an application and possibly give a writing sample.

-Shopper’s Critique
-Coast to Coast Scheduling Service
-IntelliShop
-Beyond Hello
-Satisfaction Services

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This week’s prompt comes from Julie Meyers Pron — It’s Earth Week! Share an earth friendly pointer or tip or activity.

So of course I went super practical! Passing around clothes!!!! Kids go through so many clothes and it costs a fortune! We save a lot of money and waste by passing down clothes and getting clothes passed down to us! And I don’t just mean among siblings;).

You can do something good for the environment and your pocket book!

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Last week I talked about having a good yard sale but this week I look at how to do some great yard sale shopping! A little prep and planning can go a long way in helping you to enjoy yard sale shopping while getting some great deals!

I love to get decor and kids clothes at yard sales. What are your favorite things to get at yard sales?

(Continue reading at NerdFamily Things)

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