Are you feeling it too? The calendar is clearing up. There’s white space on the page, flip flops by the back door and blue skies outside! Choir, church activities, drama troupe have all ended for the year for us. Some subjects are wrapped up and tucked away. The girls are still practicing for piano recital next week but…

The days… and the grass grow longer. When we drive by the neighborhood pool it looks cool and inviting. All these things spell the freedom of summer. And while our family vacation isn’t until everyone else is back in school, we do have plans for summer fun right around home.

~This post contains an affiliate link to our awesome May sponsor. Please see our disclosure policy.

Summer refreshingly changes up our routine. We’ll get exercise scootering and going to the pool. Our anchor of the day, afternoon quiet time, remains. We’ll still be finishing up a few things, like some math and (with the older ones) our new Triple 1070 Biblical Personal Finance Curriculum.

1. Oh boy – tiny rolls of duct tape at Five Below! | 2. “Mama, can I paint?” | 3. Hydrangeas ready to bring on the color! | 4. electronics and LEGO® Education projects with Hodgepodgedad and Eldest Boy

But basically the way to let summer learning happen is to have a framework of fun. My idea for this summer is one of themes. Themes to continue the learning – summer style. I’ve been talking to the children. And we think we just might go with weeks of learning with one subject. Multiple ages together. Maybe even just a day of it. What do you think? Which ones sound fun to you?

• Duct tape craft day
• cooking fun
• Great Backyard Camp Out
• gardening – a friend gave us strawberry plants and starters for cucumber, okra (and more to come – pumpkin, watermelon)
• nature study
• Load up at the library for weeks of reading
• LEGO® Education Learning
• Computer based learning with Lynda.com
• All Things Art
• Water Play Day
• Christmas in July
• Summer Camp at Home (10 Ideas for Summer Fun)
• Pinterest based project learning – resources on several boards: This one I pin to for Eldest Girl, Craftiness, Cooking Fun with Children, In the Good Ol Summertime
• card games (especially our favorite Kings’ Corners), chess, Blokus and other board games (that’s living math, y’all!)

See, we can keep on enjoying art, have some friends over, take a nature walk. Just a little structure, a theme to keep us learning. In between summer camps, Vacation Bible School and more. That’s my start on ideas for summer fun!

Our homeschool drama troupe’s production of The Wizard of Oz last week was the best one yet! 1. Eldest Girl as Glinda, the Good Witch of the North | 2. Middle Girl as the Cowardly Lion | 3. We’re off to see the wizard! | 4. Those big shoes were hilarious!

The costumes, the talent, the energy – it was definitely a Wonderful Wizard of Oz: 1. Dancing to Ding Dong the Wicked Witch is dead | 2. Aunt Em (a.k.a. Glinda/Eldest Girl) and me! | 3. The Cowardly Lion | 4. Celebrating after Thursday night’s performance with frozen yogurt and lots of toppings at Yogli Mogli

While we’re still doing our daily math, we’re starting off our themed learning with Amanda Bennett’s Passport France. This week-long download and go study we’ll be spreading out over two weeks. I’ll be sharing more about that later this month. For now – we got a wonderful pile of books from the library to complement it!

What a great couple of weeks it’s been! Many thanks to our Friday hostesses!

• Collage Friday hostess Mary at Home Grown Learners
• Homeschool Mother’s Journal at iHomeschool Network
• Weekly Wrap-Up hostess Kris at Weird, Unsocialized Homeschoolers
• No Fear Homeschool High School hostess Connie at The Daisy Head
• Family Friday Link Up with Jamerrill at Holy Sprit-Led Homeschooling

And I hope you’ll stop back by for more summer fun next week. I’ll be sharing Summer Staycation ideas – frugal and fun – especially for Atlanta. Plus there will be giveaways for local venues! I’m excited to share!  Click to comment…

Download the Volcano pastel tutorial today! Download the Baseball and Bat pastel tutorial today!

This Wednesday (today!) I have the great privilege of co-hosting a #homeschool Twitter chat with Toni, The Happy Housewife.

We’ll be talking about all things art. Here are the details below:

Art Twitter Chat

Topic: Art with Kids

• Co-Hostesses: Toni, Happy Housewife and Tricia @Hodgepodgemom
• Date: May 15, 2013
• Time: 3:00-3:30 pm Eastern
• Hashtag: #homeschool
• Follow @HappyHousewife and @Hodgepodgemom on Twitter

I sure hope you will join us and bring all your artistic questions!

Other artsy things of note:

Giveaway and Discount Code

Sharla, at The Chaos and the Clutter hosted me for a guest post earlier this week. In addition, she’s giving away a copy of A Simple Start in Chalk Pastels! Be sure to visit How to Build a Love of Art with Multiple Ages.

In honor of all the love of art this week, we are offering a $5 discount code. Just use ARTFUN when purchasing A Simple Start in Chalk Pastels!

Summer break is a perfect time to simply pull out the art supplies and enjoy. With A Simple Start in Chalk Pastels, now you can have a Master Artist teach your family. Just add chalk pastels and paper to enjoy with all ages.

I hope you’ll join in the art fun!

Download the Volcano pastel tutorial today! Download the Baseball and Bat pastel tutorial today!

I hope my children look back on today, And see a mom who had time to play, There will be years for cleaning and cooking, For children grow up while we’re not looking. ~ author unknown

Those toys that have been around since our teenagers were toddlers. Loved and passed down to be enjoyed again…

~this post contains affiliate links that help support Hodgepodge. Please see our disclosure policy.

The red flyer wagon was a birthday gift from Nana to Eldest Boy when he turned one (he turns 14 in a few weeks)! Many a turn around both neighborhoods we’ve lived in.

…A 4th of July parade. Backyard races. A slow stroll when a sick one just needed to get out of the house for a bit. A treasure with it’s just-right little seats. I couldn’t find one exactly like ours but the this red Radio Flyer wagon is similar and has comfort seats. Oh my goodness they even have cupholders these days.

Scooters x five – the youngest children are now using the ones we bought for the oldest. (Pssst… Lil’ Buddy has moved on past the Dora scooter now).

well, big piles of leaves count as classic toys too, right?

Little Tikes Cozy Coupe Cars – a gift for the eldest two from Grandma and Grandpa. Oh the little feet that have pedaled these like Fred Flintstone. One of the cars is with a cousin Lil’ Buddy’s age now. But one remains.

Fisher Price Dollhouse – with even some of the original little dollhouse people and furniture. It’s even traveled on family beach vacations with us. And lately it’s housed My Little Ponies – much to the dismay of the Fisher Price family.

Blocks – historical settings, Barbie castles, car ramps and roads. And, of course, the giant city of Katy and the Big Snow just about every winter we read it. I can’t recommend blocks enough. This set will remain for grandchildren for sure!

LEGO toys – from Bob the Builder to Bionicle pieces and parts, we’ve got buckets! From Lil’ Buddy’s homemade cranes to Eldest Boys Bobot Robotics.

Saxon Math manipulatives – yes it’s part of the kindergarten math set but they are often part of an elaborate side story as well. The same set we started homeschooling with over a dozen years ago.

The playhouse – when we moved to our current home over a decade ago, my brother build this playhouse for us. Since then the bushes have grown up quite a bit. But the playhouse remains a constant. It’s been a nature hideout for bird watching, an artist’s retreat, a drive thru restaurant (with the little cars) and of course, a plain ol’ play house for imagination.

Trains and train table – great-grandmother got the display train table from Sam’s Club when Eldest Boy was just a little over a year old. All have enjoyed it and many a train has traveled the tracks.

Bitty Baby – the first baby doll Eldest Girl received that Christmas she was two years old. Bitty’s had a few marker decorations and one arm is a bit loose. But she’s still beloved many times over.

…Bless the toys whose shapes I know… ~ from Prayer for a Child by Rachel Field

It’s ten weeks of top ten lists with iHomeschool Network and Top Ten Tuesday with Angie at Many Little Blessings! Click over to see the 10 week schedule and visit all the other homeschool participants.

Ok. So now I’m off on a nostalgic road. This parenting time sure is fleeting, wouldn’t you say?

Download the Volcano pastel tutorial today! Download the Baseball and Bat pastel tutorial today!

“Your homeschool looks so peaceful.”

“Wow, I wish I was as organized as you.”

“Well, you have experience with teaching an age-range of children, I could never accomplish as much as you do.”

Every now and then when I share our weekly homeschool wrap ups or an art tutorial, I will get a comment like those above. I always think to myself… if only they knew the drama and trauma that goes on here daily. Also, remember that with a photo, you don’t get all the sensory overload that is happening at the time. The noise!

So, let me present you with the same photo and a little more explanation. The Truth Behind the Photo – The Noise.

Drama and Trauma All The Time

Friends, homeschooling is refinement by fire. Daily, sometimes hourly, we have character issues we have to address. And with five children, there is just always something going on. An adjustment to make. And when that challenge is tackled, then there’s something new to concentrate our prayers on.

If you can remain calm, you just don’t have all the facts…

Littlest Girl peeking at her big sister practicing as Glinda in the Wonderful Wizard of Oz this week!

Drama – we have three girls. Need I say more? Trauma – someone needing a band-aid, help finding a pair of socks – or my favorite homeschool daily – finding a pencil with an eraser. We’ve also had our share of trips to the ER over anaphylaxis and injury. Drama and trauma all the time with five children.

Hmmmm. There are four…

More Imperfections

• I am a morning person. Some of my children are not. So, we’ve adjusted our Before 8:45 schedule for those young adults that need more rest. And I can at least get the basics done with three children. That’s accomplishment!
• Homeschooling amplifies and showcases my stacks. I was a stacker of papers even before I got married. And with all these children and homeschool papers, stacks abound. Thankfully, there’s IKEA and chalkboard paint to help.
• I escape now and then. A long soak in the tub at the end of the day. Just stepping outside when the noise is just too much. That’s not really an imperfection as it is a need. So I can change my perspective and get a hold of the gratitude.

1. Math manipulatives as part of an elaborate story | 2. We’re still working on getting our garden ready. Pulling weeds in between plentiful rain showers | 3. Construction scene | 4. I’ve decided to make duct tape creations part of the decor.

Why So Positive Most of the Time?

• A few points. I do not write about my children’s failings or speak poorly about them. Not because that doesn’t ever happen but because I fail and make poor choices as well. We are human. A family all piled up together most of the time is bound to lose patience and struggle in one area or another.
• I also consider that, one day, when they are each much older, what might they find if they were to Google search their own name? Would words I write now somehow wound them in the future? That would never be my intention. I aim to show my love for them through my posts and to encourage other families.
• I count gifts. I turn to the three steps for savoring parenting. He’s blesses us every day if only we will stop and take notice. So, yes, I do tend to share the highlights, the good, the accomplishments. But I do hope that you will see that we are an imperfect homeschool, a “we’re working on it” sort of family. We struggle. And thank God He’s not finished with us yet.

Maybe in the future I’ll be more intentional about sharing those ‘keeping it real’ sort of laundry piles. Maybe that would balance out the glow of the sunshine on a blonde head as she reads a history book by the window.

Blessed are those who can laugh at themselves, for they shall never cease to be amused…

• Most importantly, I can only do this through Him. Without Him I would be nothing. Without Him I’d surely fail…
• And at the end of the homeschool week, date nights are an absolute gift. There are weeks that I am leaning and reaching for those couple of hours alone with my husband.
• You might also be interested in A Day in the Life at Hodgepodge.

The glow of Glinda the Good heading up the stairs to herd Munchkins and chuckle at the Wicked Witch…

But I’ll end with this and I think you’ll agree…

This bright, new day, complete with twenty-four hours of opportunities, choices, and attitudes comes with a perfectly matched set of 1,440 minutes. This unique gift, this one day, cannot be exchanged, replaced, or refunded. Handle with care. Make the most of it. There is only one to a customer!  ~ from my Ellie Claire journal

Be sure to visit all the other Imperfect Homeschools represented by the bloggers of iHomeschool Network.

Plus, Rebecca at Mom’s Mustard Seeds hosts a weekly Resources for Moms. Stop by and be encouraged!

There’s always something good in all the imperfections, wouldn’t you say? Click to comment…

Download the Volcano pastel tutorial today! Download the Baseball and Bat pastel tutorial today!

One of those wonderful benefits of homeschooling is continuing to learn right alongside your children. History, a love of art, composers, nature study. I just love continuing education. For many years now, Tapestry of Grace has truly woven together all the learning in our home. All ages learning the same topics, on their age, grade and skill level.

We’ve used Tapestry since our eldest was in upper grammar level. Now we have a child in each level: lower grammar, upper grammar, dialectic and rhetoric. It just keeps getting better because now we are cycling back through history!

Today, I offer you a Tapestry tour. A top ten list of Tapestry of Grace resources, frequently asked questions and tips for the teacher. And if you don’t use Tapestry of Grace, I hope you just might find some of the advice for teaching multiple ages and homeschool planning helpful in general.

How Tapestry of Grace Can Flow  A Hodgepodge reader asked: I can’t grasp how it all flows? You schedule one subject per day so what exactly do they DO on those days within those subjects?…read and answer questions, do projects, have meetings…I guess I don’t follow how you can just cover one thing per day…

How to Plan Tapestry of Grace for Multiple Ages and Levels (when you are teaching lower grammar, upper grammar, dialectic and rhetoric) I think the biggest learning curve with Tapestry of Grace is finding what works best for your family. Opening up that year plan full of a wonderful amount of information and a long list of resources can be overwhelming. Give yourself a grace period of settling into a Tapestry of Grace plan that works best for you – and in learning how to use that plan. Be easy on yourself. But, you, as the teacher should always continue discovering how to best use Tapestry for your family.

Tapestry of Grace for Kindergarten Of course I absolutely love Tapestry of Grace for many, many reasons. But if your oldest is Kindergarten, I honestly would wait another year or two to make a big purchase. Concentrate on the three Rs and reading wonderful books together.

Tapestry of Grace for the Teacher  Answering a reader question: “But I feel overwhelmed by Tapestry of Grace. How do I make it work? Never have we ever done all of the subjects each week. Tapestry is truly a smorgasbord. When I open that week plan, I zone in on the learning levels for my children and ignore the rest. Even then, depending on the week, we may choose to only tackle the core history assignment. Other weeks, as we are wrapping up a unit, we may concentrate more on the arts and activities, doing assignments and larger projects together as a family.

Books for Tapestry of Grace Question: How do you choose the books you need for Tapestry of Grace? Answer: Basically, Tapestry of Grace has done the work for you! However, in this post, I will share examples of how I tailor the Tapestry book list to our needs. I will also walk you through the simple steps of planning – pointing you to Tapestry of Grace plans, the Tapestry website and their Bookshelf Central.

Hands On Art and Activities (Salt Dough Maps, Display Boards & More) Hands on geography is a super fun way to learn. Earlier in the school year we created an imaginary land, each child contributing to the map as we reviewed mountain ranges, peninsulas, tributaries and more.

You might also like Hands on Geography for Multiple Ages.

Unit Celebrations A unit celebration brings closure to our studies and boosts us on to further learning in the next unit. In the past, we plan for our unit celebration to happen on Thanksgiving Day while the side dishes are warming in the oven. I shared more about this at Heart of the Matter: A Thanksgiving Homeschool Celebration.

Tapestry inspires our own art projects like a Medieval castle (pictured above)

Unit Review with Lapbook  What we’ve discovered is the lapbook is a wonderful tool for review. Each child can pick several favorite or interesting topics. Then, using our Tapestry of Grace books from the library, on-hand resources or the online Tapestry of Grace links, the children put it all together.

Homeschool Makeover: History Shelf The Problem: Spending time searching for what we needed to start our history studies. History books scattered throughout the house. Supplemental material getting lost in my stacks. Answer: IKEA Expedit shelf! With two baskets for all those Tapestry of Grace extras (e.g., Map Aids and Writing Aids discs, Pop Quiz and more).

Interested in more Tapestry of Grace? Just in the past couple of months, after years of sharing about Tapestry and hosting teas in my home, I became a Tapestry of Grace affiliate. So, this link to the Tapestry of Grace website is my affiliate link because I love this curriculum and believe in it. If you’d like to bless our homeschool, and purchase sometime in the future through the following link, any money we make will go to buy more Tapestry books and lapbooks for our homeschool. Visit: Tapestry of Grace to learn even more!

• Our Hodgepodge Tapestry of Grace index, including a link to my full review of this favorite curriculum.
• I have even more resources collected on my Tapestry of Grace Pinterest board.
• All my teaching multiple ages posts.
• It’s the last day of the iBlog giveaway – be sure to enter to win your copy!

• Last year’s Help I’m Homeschooling! 10 Pieces of Advice I Wish I’d Known

It’s ten weeks of top ten lists with iHomeschool Network and Top Ten Tuesday with Angie at Many Little Blessings! Click over to see the 10 week schedule and visit all the other homeschool participants.

Are you a fellow TOGer? What years have you worked through? Do you have any Tapestry of Grace questions?

Download the Volcano pastel tutorial today! Download the Baseball and Bat pastel tutorial today!

Last week I shared about iBlog: Everything You Need to Know About Blogging from 30 Top Bloggers. Today, I have the pleasure of giving away this fabulous resource to three blessed winners! (And pssst – there are five copies of A Simple Start in Chalk Pastels up for grabs over at The Curriculum Choice).

“I honestly don’t know how you do it. Homeschool, write, maintain sites…” Back in 2008, I started blogging for fun. Mostly to share photos of the children with far-flung family, to document our homeschool and for a writing outlet. Like my friend, Maureen, I’d been a scrapbooker, a photographer. My parents gave me a camera when I was 15, I was a yearbook photographer in high school and college then a wedding photographer for a short time right out of college. Being a graduate of journalism school, blogging was a natural extension, a creative outlet for skills.

A Simple Start in Chalk Pastels

Well, then about three years ago we started sharing our art times with Nana in tutorial form with you readers. At the same time there were things I needed to learn about WordPress, social media. Later I learned about how to put together an ebook because, you dear reader, asked for it. This blogging venture changed to a hodgepodge of a ministry.

Now You Can Have the How To Manual

You, dear friends, you can skip the trial and error and get the how to manual! If you’ve considered starting a blog or need that extra encouragement in your blogging, iBlog just might meet that need.

All the technical how tos are covered – so you can share your heart, your passion!

Plus, it’s written by 30 top bloggers, each sharing about their area of expertise. The best advice! Explore More at iBlogTheBook.com

What Does iBlog Include?

1. Building a Vision for Your Blog
2. Finding Your Niche
3. Blog Design 101
4. Designing and Starting Your Blog on WordPress
5. Designing and Starting Your Blog on Blogger
6. Disclosure and Privacy Policies
7. Writing and Using an Elevator Pitch
8. Blog Planning and Organization
9. Basic SEO
10. Stock Image Tips
11. Blog Photography 101
12. Streamlining Your Research
13. Getting Your Blog Off the Ground
14. Building Your Brand
15. Building Community through Your Blog
16. How to Get Traffic to Your Blog
17. How to Get Subscribers
18. Guest Posting
19. Link-Ups, Hops and Other Events
20. Using Facebook to Grow Your Blog
21. Facebook Parties
22. Facebook Hops
23. Using Twitter to Grow Your Blog
24. Using Pinterest to Grow Your Blog
25. Using Freebies to Grow Your Blog
26. How To Create Your Own Printables
27. Selling Your Own Products
28. Using Affiliate Marketing
29. How to Write a Media Kit
30. How to Write a Product Review
31. Working as a Virtual Assistant
32. Running a Group Blog
33. Marriage and Blogging
34. Balancing Motherhood and Blogging
35. Balancing Homeschooling and Blogging
36. Using Your Blog as a Ministry
37. Time Saving Blog Tips
38. The Power of Attending a Blogging Conference

Most of all, I think blogging can be fun!! This book is for anyone considering starting a blog or blogging already.

“What if building a platform was like hosting a dinner party?” ~ Michael Hyatt

Now for the Giveaway – Three Copies of iBlog!

If you’d like to buy iBlog now, and you win one of the copies, your money will be refunded. Advice from 30 top bloggers for just $7.99? What a bargain! Because I wrote two chapters, I will get a portion of any sales when you purchase through my link.
Click here to view more details

Just follow the instructions in the rafflecopter widget below:
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Which chapter will you read first? (And don’t forget to enter to win one of five copies of A Simple Start in Chalk Pastels!)

Download the Volcano pastel tutorial today! Download the Baseball and Bat pastel tutorial today!

Ribbons awarded to our children at our Homeschool Expo for science fair and art projects.

While our You Can Be An Artist series was here on the blog, behind the scenes our family was swept up into all sorts of celebrations. It’s been a month since I shared a weekly wrap up, Collage Friday type of post! Bear with me, because it’s a hodgepodge of an update!

If you get out the year’s artwork to pick out selections for the Homeschool Expo, it might remind him of the pastels. Chalk pastels make him want to paint. So you give him a paint brush…

Our Homeschool Expo with our homeschool group was a few weeks ago. This year-end, celebratory time includes a science fair, art show and talent show! Grandparents and friends come and it’s always a fun time.

Love our homeschool group! What a fun Saturday we had at the park with fellow families, sack races, water balloon tosses and more. It’s a family affair.

In our homeschool…we have finished these subjects:

• Rod and Staff English: 5th, 8th and 9th grade
• Science: Answers in Genesis Inventions and Technology unit study

Azaleas, irises, roses. Spring! What’s blooming in your yard?

We are still working on and enjoying these subjects:

• History and more: Tying up the threads of our Tapestry of Grace Year 2 Unit 4 studies
• Harmony Fine Arts studies
• Math: Saxon 1st Grade, Teaching Textbooks 5th and 8th – we’re getting close!
• Apologia Biology with the older two

1. Someone got her instructional permit (what we used to call a learner’s license) | 2. Littlest Girl sang a solo in big church with the Treehouse Children’s Choir | 3. Then she and her sister performed with puppets – the story of Daniel. She was an angel in the lion’s den and Middle Girl was the king | 4. Middle Girl also sang a solo the same morning!

New homeschool resources we have started:

• 2nd and 6th grade English (those girls wanted to!)
• Triple 1070 – a high school level finance course and our Southern Hodgepodge sponsor for May! I’ll be sharing a full review later this month at The Curriculum Choice.

Spring Sing was this week! We are so blessed to be a part of a church that invests in children. Our three youngest participated in a choir program. Each earned trophies for learning hymns.

We are still looking forward to:

• Drama Troupe production – Next week is our homeschool Drama Troupe’s production of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz! Middle Girl is playing the Cowardly Lion and Eldest Girl is Glinda the Good Witch. Glinda had her fitting last weekend.
• Piano recital – both older girls have weekly lessons and are working on recital songs.

We also have a couple of new members of the family. Middle Girl came home with a goldfish from an Awanas program. And Eldest Girl has a beautiful, loaner guitar! She also has a DVD ‘learn to play guitar’ she’s going to be working on.

• Looking forward to easy going days of summer. I’m building a reading list already! We’ll likely be doing daily math for a while because of our unusual year of sickness and needing to catch up.
• This wrap up post doesn’t cover it all! I have even more photos I shared via hodgepodgemom on instagram. Are you on instagram?

All our 2012-2013 curriculum choices can be found here.

Don’t miss these!

• Patriotic resource from Curriculum Choice authors
• Christian Parenting Handbook mega giveaway + $400 package of parenting resources when you buy this week!
• Groovebook – with a coupon code Amy is sharing at Habits for a Happy Home. Would make a wonderful Mother’s Day gift!
• iBlog – it’s the how to manual I wish I’d had. I have the privilege of sharing my best time-saving tips and chapter on running a group blog.

Littlest Girl’s medal for memorizing Bible verses and hymns. She earned two medals and gave one to her little brother.

It’s definitely been a few weeks of celebrations with more to come! Many thanks to our Friday hostesses!

• Collage Friday hostess Mary at Home Grown Learners
• Homeschool Mother’s Journal at iHomeschool Network
• Weekly Wrap-Up hostess Kris at Weird, Unsocialized Homeschoolers
• No Fear Homeschool High School hostess Connie at The Daisy Head
• Family Friday Link Up with Jamerrill at Holy Sprit-Led Homeschooling

What year-end celebrations have you already enjoyed? Are you finished for the year or will you be catching up on math too?

Download the Volcano pastel tutorial today! Download the Baseball and Bat pastel tutorial today!

Oh how I wish I had a how-to manual when I started blogging! Guess what friends? YOU can!! It’s available now…

iBlog is like having access to a mastermind group any time you need advice. From basic instruction on social media and planning to time-saving tips – what a powerful resource from ladies I trust and admire!

Explore More at iBlogTheBook.com

Two Chapters by Tricia Hodges: Time Saving Blog Tips and Running A Group Blog

• I’m so very often asked the question, “How do you blog AND homeschool?” How do you balance it all? Well, first of all, without Him I would be nothing. In one chapter I share my very best time management tip – how to blog in 15 minutes and keep those priorities in order. Because keeping my priorities in order is definitely a priority.

• Plus, I have learned so much about running a group blog that I wrote a chapter! Both The Curriculum Choice and Habits for a Happy Home are wonderful ministries I enjoy. How blessed I am with those communities, families and the wonderful writers who contribute to both.
• I’ve written about blogging here at Hodgepodge but not anything like the advice and practical tips you’ll glean from this gem.

Who is iBlog for?

• Behind all the roles the Lord has gifted me with: being a child of God, a wife, a mother and a homeschool teacher, blogging is my ministry. I’m passionate about it. Blogging is my mama outlet: writing and photography.
• Although this book mentions homeschooling, iBlog is written for everyone. Are you a writer? A blogger? Thinking of starting a blog? Take a gander at just a few of the chapter titles: Building a vision, blog design 101, WordPress basics, writing an elevator pitch, how to offer freebies, blog photography 101, building a brand, using Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest; selling your own products, balancing motherhood, marriage and blogging and so much more. Thirty-eight chapters in all!

Advice from 30 top bloggers for just $7.99

What a bargain! All that time devoted from 30 bloggers, all their best advice in one spot. Because I wrote two chapters, I will get a portion of any sales when you purchase through my link.
Click here to view more details

I’ll be sharing a giveaway soon – but if you purchase now, then win, the full amount will be refunded to you.

What would you like to learn about this blogging journey?

Download the Volcano pastel tutorial today! Download the Baseball and Bat pastel tutorial today!

“While we’ve found other instructional resources we use well, this one just gets us down and dirty DOING art.”

~ Carey Jane Clark in her review of A Simple Start in Chalk Pastels

Today is the last day to use coupon code HODGEPODGE to get $5 off our ebook.

• Lessons for a whole year of art
• Bluebird and Sky Vista video tutorials
• Art for all ages (includes tips for starting a love of art with little ones)

“What a pleasure it has been to review Tricia Hodges’ new book, A Simple Start in Chalk Pastels! I have been a fan of her art tutorials for quite some time, finding them to be wonderful additions to unit studies and family fun. The broad range of topics makes this a book that you can use throughout the year. There are step-by-step lessons on how to use chalk pastels to draw tornadoes, beach scenes, winter fun, trees, hot chocolate, and much more. The chalk pastels are so simple to use, making art easy for kids of all ages. Inexpensive and wildly successful art adventures are easy with this collection. A Simple Start in Chalk Pastels is one that the kids will keep asking you to use again and again—learning at its best!” ~ A Simply Fun Start in Art review by Amanda Bennett – Unit Studies by Amanda Bennett

• Use it as your art resource for next school year
• Enjoy it this summer, just for fun!

“My children love art.  As a busy homeschooling mom, I appreciate art lessons that are easy to implement AND produce stunning projects. Chalk pastels are the perfect medium to accomplish both goals!  Tricia and Lucia have done a splendid job sharing simple, step-by-step directions for oodles of chalk pastel lessons which will result in amazing artwork – even for those who don’t believe they are artistically talented.  (Believe me.)” ~ Cindy West, Owner, Shining Dawn Books and author of NaturExplorers series

• What others are saying
• A sample lesson

You can find a beginner set of chalk pastels at local arts and crafts stores, like Michaels, for around $6.99. Share the set amongst your family and see if you like this medium.

“As an art teacher and the owner of Harmony Fine Arts, I appreciate the simple beauty of the new chalk pastel book from Nana and Tricia at Southern Hodgepodge.  The clear tutorials make each lesson easy to accomplish with stunning results from even the youngest of artists.  Even for older students, the tutorials teach valuable skills and techniques which can be applied to any chalk pastel project.  I love the sprinkling of recipes and the photos that share the closeness this family has achieved by simply pulling out art supplies at the kitchen table, learning together side by side with their beloved Nana.  Thank you for the wonderful gift of an ebook that can inspire and nurture a love of art in all of us.”  ~ Barb McCoy – Owner, Harmony Fine Arts

Be sure to let me know if you have a post or photos to share of your chalk pastels – I’d love to feature you on our Art Tutorials Showcase!

A Simple Start in Chalk Pastels: Art for All Ages. Just add chalk pastels and paper! Use code HODGEPODGE

What questions do you have about chalk pastels?

Download the Volcano pastel tutorial today! Download the Baseball and Bat pastel tutorial today!

So we’ve shared a You Can Be An Artist series for the past 10 days. And today we are sharing another passion. It’s a Hodgepodge, right? We are switching gears because I needed you to know about a fabulous parenting resource. Be sure to read through everything below because there is not only a mega giveaway that includes an iPad mini but there’s also a parenting package worth $400. See why I needed you to know?

There are a couple more things in the mix this week. And I’ll be sure to update you on all that’s been going on in our homeschool at the end of the week. For now, let me introduce you to The Christian Parenting Handbook. Yes, a parenting handbook.
Have you ever wished there was a handbook for parenting? Many a time I have. Today I share with you a wonderful resource from Christian parenting experts! The Christian Parenting Handbook is available for purchase this week. Not only that but when you purchase it you also are provided with $400 worth of additional parenting resources.

I received a digital preview copy of The Christian Parenting Handbook to help spread the word about this great resource. This post contains affiliate links, please see my disclosure policy.

I’ve been looking forward to The Christian Parenting Handbook since I first heard about it. Remember our sister site, Passionate Purposeful Parenting? Melanie Robbins, owner of Passionate Purposeful Parenting, has a team of authors there. Included are my husband and me. But also – the co-authors of this parenting books – Dr. Scott Turansky and Joanne Miller, R.N. are fellow writers.

This book is:

• Practical
• Biblical
• Strategic
• for the age-range of children
• 50 chapters!

Take a few minutes to watch this introductory video about the handbook, then don’t miss entering the mega giveaway below:

Christian Parenting Handbook Video Trailer from Scott Turansky on Vimeo.

Bonuses for You:

Buy The Christian Parenting Handbook between April 29 and May 5 and get a package of free resources valued at more than $400.00. You can learn more on our website about the 8 items contained in the Bonus Parenting Package. In addition, you can get The Christian Parenting Handbook Companion Guide (This is a workbook with audio clips that will help you apply the material in The Christian Parenting Handbook.) for free if you purchase 5 copies or more of the book. Simply make your purchase from Amazon, Barnes and Noble, BAM (Books A Million), CBD or Parable.

To  claim your premium, simply forward your purchase confirmation to Gift@biblicalparenting.org and we will email you your special product code for the $400.00 package. If you purchased 5 or more copies of the book, we’ll send you the PDF version of the Companion Guide as well as the audio package.

Now for the Mega Giveaway!

The giveaway includes the following prizes:

• iPad mini
• $200.00 Amazon gift card
• $100.00 Amazon gift card
• Wii with Sports game included ($199.99)
• # 9 Kodak EasyShare Digital Frame with Music ($89.99)

Enter the rafflebox widget below:

 Don’t miss out on your package of $400 in resources, get your Christian Parenting Handbook this week!

Biblical. Practical. 50 chapters worth. What do you think?

Download the Volcano pastel tutorial today! Download the Baseball and Bat pastel tutorial today!