RECIPE: Cherry Cheese Pie

Today I am over at The Happy Housewife sharing about one of our most favorite desserts, Cherry Cheese Pie. This is a great recipe for a Valentine's Day at home.

I haven't blogged this yet, but if you follow me on Facebook, you may already know ....

I have been reading The Happy Housewife for some time now. She is a Navy wife and homeschooler. You may remember a post I did for her back in June, The Happy Birthday, Month.

RECIPE: Vanilla Sugar

 

 

Vanilla Sugar is something I always have in my kitchen. I don't use it every day, but when we do make a treat, Vanilla Sugar is something I most often use as my sweetener. (In our house, a treat is defined as an occasional yummy that we make occasionally, usually to celebrate a holiday or event. It may contain more processed ingredients than we eat on an everyday basis, in this case, Vanilla Sugar!) 

 

I began making Vanilla Sugar over five years now and my kids even ask for it in recipes. It just a little adds umph to whatever recipe you add it to. And I don't know about you, but I am always looking for a little umph.

 

First, let's talk ingredients. Quality ingredients make a quality recipe. And cheap ingredients just don't belong in anyone's kitchen. ("Frugal" does not equal "cheap." My kitchen is very frugal, but I don't use cheap stuff. And that, my friends, is another post altogether.)

TOS Review: See N Spell

Last year I had the opportunity to review the See-N-Read Reading Tool. It was a fabulous product so I was delighted to hear we were reviewing another product from the company.

See-N-Spell is a reference guide for over 300 commonly misspelled words. It helps writers learn the correct spelling of words such as homophones and the word that spell check often corrects for me, "definite").

Users only have to turn to one of 40 pages and scan down the list to find the correct spelling. Growing up my mom always told me to "look it up" if I didn't know how to spell a word. I never understood that. How could I look it up if I didn't in fact know how to spell it. Well, See-N-Spell makes it much simpler!

My kids aren't of the age to use See-N-Spell yet since it is geared towards grades 4 through adult. However, it is also great for this blogger who still struggles with certain words. :)

What's It Gonna Cost Me?
See-N-Spell
$9.99
Free See-N-Read Reading Tool with every purchase of See-N-Spell!

Other Products 
Last year I had the opportunity to review the See-N-Read Reading Tool.

The eSee-N-Read is available for PCs. I would love to see one for Kindle!

Check It Out
Download a free trial of eSee-N-Read.

Final Word
I think See-N-Spell is a great resource and worth the $9.99 for ease of use. I hated grabbing those monstrous dictionaries growing up for simple misspelled words.

Legal Disclaimer: As a member of the TOS Crew, I received See-N-Spell free of charge from See-N-Read for the purpose of review. No other compensation was received.

TOS Review: Celestial Almanack

I have often said to my family that there is no other place on earth where the stars shine as brightly as they do where we live. Our home is situated way out from the city where it is super dark at night - with no street lights! I was amazed at how beautiful the sky was the very first time I came to visit my husband's family (although then we were just friends!) The winter months are even more beautiful - breathtaking actually!

What to Teach When
Celestial Almanack from Classical Astronomy turns anyone into a star-gazer. Even with the full moon  this week we were able to find constellations easily following the information presented in the Celestial Almanack.

One thing I found extremely helpful was the explanation of Leap Year. I had always heard "it has something to do with the lunar calendar." As a child, I accepted that and never cared about why (until I started homeschooling and was asked by my own kids!) I planned to teach a unit on Leap Year later this month, however, we were satisfied with the information we learned through Celestial Almanack.

What's It Gonna Cost Me?
Each volume of Celestial Almanack is very reasonably priced at $3.00! It may be purchased quickly and easily on Currclick.com.

Other Products 
Classical Astronomy.com also has a full astronomy curriculum for homeschoolers, books, a lunar calendar and other items for those studying on or interested in classical astronomy.

We will be purchasing the Eclipse Shades for the upcoming Solar Eclipse in May. I remember making an eye shield when I was in elementary school to protect our eyes from the solar eclipse that happened in 1984. I cannot wait to share this with my kids since we weren't allowed to view it when I was in school.


Check It Out
Previews of the Celestial Almanack are available on the CurrClick page in both flash and PDF formats.

Final Word

We love Celestial Almanack! I plan to purchase each volume as it comes out. It is invaluable for kids (and adults) who know very little about astronomy and the night sky. Celestial Almanack makes nighttime viewing simple and enjoyable!

Legal Disclaimer: As a member of the TOS Crew, I received Celestial Almanack, Vol. 2 free of charge from Classical Astronomy for the purpose of review. No other compensation was received.

Snowball Balloon Ornament

Martha Stewart's Snowy Balloon Ornament

Can you believe it is February? I certainly cannot. Though the calendar says it is winter, my part of Georgia has not really seen winter weather yet. It is totally bizarre to listen to my boys through an open window while they jump on the trampoline out in the yard without jackets! And I am sitting at my desk in a tee shirt.

This month's ornament is one I have wanted to make for some time. I want them in all colors to match my living room though we will probably end up making them in red, white and green. Wouldn't they be neat in a tri-colored Christmas yarn?

I grew up with what we called The Grown-Up Tree and The Kid Tree. The Grown Up Tree was a live tree, usually cedar. It was in the living room where you entered the house and it matched our living room, white lights, ornaments perfectly spaced. It was basically my mom's tree.

The Kid Tree was in the den. It had colored lights and funky ornaments my sister and I made through the years. That was where Christmas was for us, where we put the presents and where we sat and gazed at our tree.

I have only had one tree in my house since leaving home. I am considering a Grown-Up Tree and a Kid Tree when we get settled again.

Do you have multiple trees in your house? What rooms are they located in? 

Vocabulary Spelling City

In our very eclectic homeschool, we often have opportunities to review various homeschool products. It is a bonus to find something that we can access online whether at home or at grandma's.

 

I've been given a premium membership to VocabularySpellingCity.com for a candid, personal, online review.

 

VocabularySpellingCity.com helps students study word lists using 25 different learning activities such as MatchIt Sentences, HangMan, and Word-O-Rama.  Parents can create their own spelling lists, find published lists already available on the site, or use any of dozens of  free teaching resources on topics such as analogies and compound words.  Be sure to come back in three weeks to read about my experience.

There might be more free memberships available for bloggers.  If you're interested, find out how you can review VocabularySpellingCity.com.

12 Months of Christmas January 2012 Linky Party

Welcome to the end of January and our very first 12 Months of Christmas linky! Have you been sprinkling Christmas throughout the month? 

I'll be honest, I've tried. I've thought about it. I've attempted to make our ornament a few times with my boys but it hasn't happened yet.

We've had a lot of illness in the house and 12 Months of Christmas took a backseat. Well, while we are being honest, a lot of things took a backseat. But that is one of the very reasons I love homeschooling and blogging. We can take a break when we need to.

It is also a bit challenging to think of Christmas when we have just come out of the Christmas season. We missed some things we usually do (like making ornaments!) I have a plan for one so it is on the agenda for tomorrow - with or without my boys!! With the beautiful day we have forecasted, making Christmas ornaments may not be on our minds!  

12 Months of Christmas January 2012 Linky Party!!

If you have been sprinkling Christmas throughout the month and want to share what you are doing, join in the fun!

Smart Sweets

I became familiar with Kitchen Stewardship a couple of years ago while  looking for more wholesome-than-I-was-cooking recipes. Katie Kimball is amazing in the kitchen. Kitchen Stewardship is now one of my go-to places when I feel a need to try a new recipe. She's taught me the ins and outs of soaking flours, dried beans and making yogurt. Kitchen Stewardship also made me realize that even though I was "cooking from scratch," it wasn't necessarily healthy. And because of her I've changed some of my ways of doing things.

I have talked about Healthy Snacks to Go (one of my most favorite ebooks ever!!) and Family Camping (which went with me on several camping trips last summer) and now Kitchen Stewardship has delighted me once again! Smart Sweets: 30 Recipes to Indulge Your Sweet Tooth is a "healthy-er" way to cook treats for your family. It has made me feel better about the times I indulge my kids' sweet tooth with cookies or brownies or even chocolate cake!! 

Dawn's Perfectly Pumpkin Bread

This is my most requested recipe. It comes from the very first cookbook I ever bought. We make it year round for breakfast and snacks but folks especially request it at the holidays.

Homemade Gifts from the Heart 2011

Today I am going to share what we made for last year's Christmas presents (2011.) We made more presents than we have in years past due to finances and a few other things we'll get to as the year goes on.

2011 Handmade Christmas List 

Remote Control Pocket Pillow

Fort Kits


Paper Airplane Folding Kit
I printed several copies of the easier planes along with instructions on how to fold them.

Rag Quilt 
(Made this twin sized for my hubby. Pics coming soon!) This was truly a labor of love. It consumed more time than I intended it to. I re-purposed materials (sheets and curtain panels) from the thrift store and although I knew I was going to make it and had all the materials, got started really late!

Peppermint Sugar Scrubs (Mini Tutorial coming soon!)

Re-purposed Chalkboard Frames (Mini Tutorial coming soon!)

Do you make any homemade gifts?What homemade gifts did you give last Christmas? Have you thought about making any this year?

TOS Review: We Choose Virtues

We Choose Virtues is a character training program that uses adorable cartoons and unforgettable catchphrases to teach children (and teens) the principles of biblical integrity.

With an easy 10-minute-a day-system, families, homeschools, community schools and youth groups can learn the morals our grandparents grew up with.

My boys often wait on pins and needles for our review packages to come from the post office. They also watch over my shoulder on occasion as I open various downloads that have been emailed to me. Farm Boy immediately begged for me to print out some pages from the coloring book when he walked through my office the day I received them. The coloring pages are adorable and full size with the name of the virtue at the top.


The Virtue Clue Cards are glossy, full-color and the size of business cards. They are used to introduce the virtue and provide a reminder of the character trait being developed. 

The Teacher's Handbook explains the program and is included in many of the kits. It is also available separately. This full color 48-page book is filled with helps and teaching aids for helping students learn what it is to be patient, forgiving and gentle (and nine other imperative character traits of integrity.)


What to Teach When
Character training with We Choose Virtues can begin as early as three years of age for families and homeschools. Community Programs can use the younger or older program depending on the age their are working with.


What's It Gonna Cost Me?

FAMILY KIT-faith based
$69.99 

HOME SCHOOL KIT-faith based
$99.99  

YOUTH MENTOR'S KIT
$24.99 

 

There is a CLEARANCE going on right now for a couple of posters and the sticker chart.

Check It Out
Check out the Character Assessment Tool for families. There are also two Scripture Memory downloads for kids and youth.

Check out We Choose Virtues on Facebook.

Final Word
This is a really neat product. I love the concept and how much my kids enjoy it. However, the cost of the program would have prevented me from trying it in my homeschool had I not reviewed it.

Legal Disclaimer: As a member of the TOS Crew, I received a sampling of materials free of charge from We Choose Virtues for the purpose of review. No other compensation was received.

2012 Home Goals

My Kitchen (that seriously needs some color!!)

Today I'm joining up with Nester's 2nd Annual Home Goals Linky.  These are the things I want to get done in my house this year.

Make my bed.

I've had this on my list for three years at least – maybe more. I LOVE this bed. I would love it in antique white as shown here but I have grown to love a pale robin's egg blue too. We will need color as we continue to rent a home with our future nomadic lifestyle. 

Ana White Farmhouse Bed

Put stuff on my walls.

Most of my walls are empty. Most walls I've lived with in the various places we've lived have been blank. I hate it. But Nester is freeing me from the need for things to be perfect. I will hang things. And I will love it. (And if I DO hate it, I'll take them down and re-hang something!)

Remove photos of fake people from the picture frames in my house.

And replace them with people I actually know! I'm not the only one in the world who has fake photos. I actually saw a few fake family pictures hanging on my sister's wall over Christmas. :)

Decorate seasonally.

I realized after decorating for fall, a month of December birthdays and then Christmas, that I love seasonal décor. Why not do that year-round too? I also want to make some sort of interchangeable wreath for the seasons as well as a few special ones for various holidays.

Make a rug for schoolroom from recycled tee shirts.

This is a big project, but we spend a lot of time in our schoolroom. I want something fun to go with our fun, mistreated, twin sheet curtains (which really need to be hung higher!!) 

De-clutter and simplify.
We aren't moving until sometime around the first of the year 2013 or spring 2013 at the latest. But I would really like to enjoy the remainder of the time we have in this house and would like to be de-cluttered by March.

Finish a few projects I started last year and never finished.Like the shower curtain for our bathroom that I made when we were snowed in for an entire week LAST January - this week in fact!! It has been waiting to be hung but doesn't have holes for the shower curtain hooks. Lame, I know. I'm scared of them. But I will be tackling that this month because it doesn't have to be perfect!! I also want to make a Family Sign.

Math, Math and More Math

Math has always been a sore subject in our house. When we began our homeschooling journey three years ago, we attempted Math U See after numerous recommendations from friends and acquaintances. Unfortunately, it didn't work at the time.

We then just worked on foundational basics following What Your Kindergartner Needs to Know. We covered basic calendar, addition math facts, time, intro to money and things like that. We loved the idea behind Math on the Level but weren't able to commit the resources to purchasing the program.

Various curriculum reviews for TOS on math kept us going last year but I still heard, "I HATE math!" every single day. Then we tried a few units from Math Mammoth and thought we liked it but daily worksheets on the same subject became cumbersome. I thought it might be okay if we followed a graded yearly curriculum for Math Mammoth. After it came up in our cue for reviewing I decided to wait to purchase something for this school year. We kept working on math facts, discovered Michele's Math and Life of Fred and went deeper with money and telling time. And even after a positive review period for Math Mammoth, I once again heard the dreaded, "I HATE math!!"

After many more recommendations for Math U See, we tried it again int he fall. We have been blessed by some two different sets of great friends who allowed us to borrow their sets while they took some time off during the holidays. And guess, what? We love it. All of us.

No more pouting.

No more whining about math.

In fact, they BEG me to do math every day.

We still love Life of Fred and will continue to work through his story. But Math U See is our curriculum.

Today (and each Monday in January) I am linking up with the Virtual Curriculum Fair hosted by Homeschooling Hearts and Minds.

The Learning of Language

Math, Math and More Math

January 16th---Exploring Our World: Social Studies and more Science. 

January 23rd---Seeking Beauty: the Arts and Everything that Brings Beauty to Our World.

January 30rd---The Nuts & Bolts: Pulling it all Together!

Be sure to check out the other participants in the Virtual Curriculum Fair!

Our Choices For Math by Melissa @ Grace Christian Homeschool

A Magnificent Math Manipulative by Letha Paulk @ justpitchingmytent

Our Math Choices - Virtual Curriculum Fair by Tristan @ Our Busy Homeschool

Math Literature?!?! by Christine @ Crunchy Country Catholic

Learning Math at My House by Jessica @ Modest Mama

Math Using Hamburger Paper by Debbie @ Debbie's Digest

Math Facts or Fun? Why Not Both! by Beth @ Ozark Ramblings

Heart of Dakota- The Fine Details- Part 2 Science by Lynn @ Ladybug Chronicles

Learning Math Block by Block by Laura O in AK @ Day by Day in Our World

Plugging Along with Math by Cindy Horton @ Fenced in Family

What's Working and What's Not: Math Edition by Leann @ Montessori Tidbits

Math Anyone? by Cindy @ For One Another

Ahh, Math. by Nicole @ Schooling in the Sun

Flying Without a Parachute: Math with no Curriculum by Pam @ Everyday Snapshots

Math in Our Homeschool by Christine T @ Our Homeschool Reviews

Math, Math, and More Math by Dawn Chandler @ tractors & tire swings

Thinking Mathematically- How I Choose Math Curriculum by Kristen @ Sunrise to Sunset

Discovering Patterns: Math, Logic, and Some Science by Christa Darr @ Fairfield Corner Academy

The Learning of Language

 

Reading/Grammar

For the past two years, we have re-vamped our homeschool in January. Last school year it took me until then to find the Language Arts curriculum. We muddled through fall and began in January with Ordinary Parent's Guide to Reading and First Language Lessons. We loved it. And though we were then a bit behind, I pushed through and covered a good bit in the rest of the school term we had. Because we started mid-year we did not complete the curriculum by our summer break. Picking back up in August we are still working our way through some of the lessons. We should finish by the end of February and be ready for First Language Lessons 2 on March 1. I will be pushing them to complete FLL 2 by August so we will be ready for FLL 3 for the new school year. 

Writing

What I didn't realize was that I needed to also begin Writing With Ease. So that is on our schedule to begin this month. We'll be a little behind with that but we will strive to catch up. 

Handwriting

Ugh. Handwriting is the thorn in my flesh of homeschooling. Both hubby and I have terrible handwriting and our boys both struggle with it as well. We've run the gamete on handwriting curriculum but I think we have decided on Getty-Dubay's Italic Handwriting. We are starting that this month too. I decided on it back in November but didn't want to start it before the holidays. 

Today (and each Monday in January) I am linking up with the Virtual Curriculum Fair hosted by Homeschooling Hearts and Minds. This week's theme is Playing with Words: the Language Arts.

Be sure to check out the other participants in the Virtual Curriculum Fair!



Reading on Time by Cindy Horton @ Fenced in Family

Playing with Words: the Language Arts by Christa
Darr @ Fairfield Corner Academy

Reading and Beyond: Language Arts in Our Homeschool by Laura O in AK @ Day by Day in Our World

Language Arts that Work for Us by Melissa @ Grace Christian School

Learning Language at Our House by Jessica @ Modest Mama

Virtual Curriculum Fair: Language Arts by Christine T. @ Our Homeschool
Reviews

The Learning of Language by Dawn @ tractors & tire swings

Reading and Spelling: Modifying the Magic by Pam @ Pam and Everyday
Snapshots

An In Depth Look at All About Spelling by Missouri Mama @ Ozark
Ramblings

Virtual Curriculum Fair: Let's Talk About Words by Debra @ Footprints in the Butter

Why We Love Classical Conversations Essentials (and how I know that is not a complete sentence!) by Nicole @ Schooling in the Sun

Virtual
Curriculum Fair---Playing with Words: the Language Arts by Angie @ Petra School

Whole Language vs. Phonics by Christine @ Crunchy Country Catholic

It's All About the Art of Language by Brenda Emmett @ Garden of Learning

Watching Movies for Language Arts Class by Debbie @ Debbie's Digest

Only 5 Spelling Tests a Year! (Can we do that?) by LP @ justpitchingmytent

Playing
with Words by Chrissy @ Learning is an Adventure

Language Art at Our House by Joelle @ Homeschooling for His Glory

Virtual Curriculum Fair Week One Playing with Words: the Language Arts by
Leah Courtney @ The Courtney Six Homeschool Blog

Playing with Words, the Language Arts by Cindy @ For One Another

Heart of Dakota- The Fine Details part 1- Language Arts by Lynn @
Ladybug Chronicles

TOS Review: REAL Homeschool Spanish

Spanish. We need it in America. (That is a funny sentence, but it is actually very true.)

I took French in high school because I thought it was a prettier language. It was fun, but not very useful. (Although I did use my French just once while I was in Amsterdam on my way to Germany 17 years ago. I attempted to order from a menu and was able to determine a few things I did not want. But other than that, well, not so much.) Spanish, however, is quite a useful language both in America and abroad.

TOS Review: Vintage Remedies

My friends and family think I'm weird. It started five years ago when we began treating Music Man's ADHD with diet instead of medicine. We took artificial flavors and colors out of our diet and began eating differently than most of those around us. It took some getting used to but we soon adjusted and we are so much healthier for it. As my kids got older they began questioning some of the decisions I make related to our eating habits. It was challenging when we would visit family and friends who still ate what we called "bad food." 

Enter Vintage Remedies for Guys.

 

TOS Review: I See Cards Fractazmic

We love games around here. Card games are probably one of our favorite types of games!  And learning, well, yeah, we love that too. (Seriously!) 

Fractazmic is a fractions card game. The game play reminds me of Gin Rummy. Instead of a group of cards in laid out in ascending order, in Fractazmic the object is to add the different fractions up to make a whole, or "1."

There are three colors of cards (or suits) and these adorable cartoon pictures that help kids see the fraction in their head. My boys thrive on seeing how math works. Fractazmic is a great hands-on activity that shows how the part of a whole fits together without the mess of cooking (which is how we usually work with fractions!)

What's It Gonna Cost Me?
$6.95

Other Products 
Pyromath (I reviewed Pyromath in 2010.)
Prime Bomb
I See Cards (A car game that also teaches Spanish!) 

Check It Out
The online versions of Fractazmic and Pyromath are available on the I See Cards website. Play for your chance to win your own deck!

Final Word
This is a great game for learning, but don't expect your kids to want to play this on game night.  It is a nice change from our regular math routine and definitely teaches.

Legal Disclaimer: As a member of the TOS Crew, I received Fractazmic free of charge from I See Cards for the purpose of review. No other compensation was received.

FFH One Silent Night Winner!

Congratulations, Karen D! Be watching your email for a download link for 'One Silent Night!'

I love Christmas music!

Karen D

November 16, 2011 4:38 PM 

TOS Review: Artistic Pursuits Book 1

I first heard of Artistic Pursuits last year but since we were so young in our homeschool did not look into it very much. When given the opportunity to review it this year, I jumped at the chance. I chose Book 1 since my kids are early elementary. 


Book 1 is a great place to start. With 32 lessons, it is very do-able to get through in a school year. It is designed to introduce art history as well as a hands-on art project that relates to the particular era and medium being studied.  

A Few of My Favorite Things

Nester had a guest poster a few days ago, her friend Haley from The Tiny Twig. She talked about a really cool girl party for the holidays themed around "favorite things" (a la Oprah.) She also invited us to share a few of our favorite things ($30 and under.) So here are mine!

Epson Salts
Yep, this is seriously one of my favorite things. If I every have a Favorite Things party, everyone will be getting this. A $3 bag of epson salts from Wally World. There is always at least one bag in my house (usually several!) I soak my feet every night after my kids go to bed. Yes, I said EVERY night. My hubby even knows I function better after my foot soak and gets it ready for me most nights! It is my super-cheap absolutely necessary indulgence after homeschooling, taxi-driving and attempting to keep my house in decent order. Try it. Twenty minutes of heaven.

Good Earth Lemongrass Green Tea
It was the first hot tea I ever loved so much I would drink even last drop!! I love teas but would often only drink about half a cup before I would set it down and forget about it. Maybe it was my ADD-having-to-do-several-things-at-once self. But I think they call it multi-tasking now. Anyway, not with this tea. I savor each sip. I get misty-eyed when I run out. (OK, not really, but it is that good!) (And it goes great with an epson salt foot soak!)

Lemon Vinegar
If you spend any amount of time with me, you will soon discover that I have Multiple Chemical Sensitivity or MCS. That basically means that I react like I have allergies to any artificial fragrances (like perfume, candles, air fresheners) or harsh chemicals (anything that most people clean with.) I used to clean with plain ol' white vinegar. It isn't fancy and doesn't smell great, but I didn't react to it. AND it did the job. However, after discovering The Grocery Shrink last year, I have been making lemon vinegar and on occasion, orange vinegar! You just toss the lemon (or orange or lime) peels into a jar and cover with plain ol' cheap white vinegar. In a few days (or weeks if you forget it) you will have this pretty colored vinegar with a nicer smell to it. (The peels will be looking pretty yucky by then. Sometimes I remove them and sometimes I don't!) If you add a little lemon essential oils to it, the smell is even better!

So there are three of my favorite things. I love the idea of hosting a Favorite THiiiiiinnnnnnngs!  party with girlfriends. Do you have something special to celebrate the holidays with your girlfriends? What "favorite thing" would you share with them?