Loom Knitting Fun: Beach Bag Project

Over the last year I have discovered the joys of loom knitting. I had tried knitting with needles several times before but could never get the hang of it. Then I discovered "knitting lite" with a loom! I found a loom set on sale at the craft store and was immediately hooked (har har). 

My first few projects were mostly for Christmas presents, including my favorite so far--the cupcake hat I made for my oldest daughter. It turned out well and I'm proud of it. 

I hadn't picked it up in a while due to lack of time with the school year and I did end up learning how to knit with needles when a fellow mom taught a knitting class this past year at co-op. I haven't made any good projects with those yet but I'll post more when I do. 

Anyway, back to loom knitting. I found a bag tutorial at All Free Knitting and decided to try it. I combined a gold colored yarn with a variegated yarn with fall colors. It looks uglier in this picture with the flash on it lol. 

Working on the base of the bag

Building up the main body of the bag

Working on the i-cord

The finished bag. Ignore the color change. I ran out of the gold yarn and I didn't want to wait to finish the bag so I switched to a  cream colored yarn. It didn't look that different to me in reality but you can definitely tell in the picture. 

The finished bag. It's small but enough to hold a couple towels, toys and  my book. :) Good enough for a first attempt.

Another Independence Day Study for Just $1.99

CurrClick has another unit study for the 4th of July for just $1.99. 

Simple Schooling 4th of July Patriotic Bundle has something to get all your students in the mood for the upcoming holiday. This 98 page bundle includes a lengthy biography of George Washington complete with events sequencing, cursive copy work quotes, and vocabulary words.  Complete parent solutions are included.  In addition, students have 20 notebooking pages to create a keepsake for portfolios or just to display.  

The second part of the bundle includes the popular Why We Celebrate the 4th of July for younger students. The Boston Tea Party and battle of Lexington and Concorde are retold in simple terms so early elementary students will understand why the 4th of July is so important. After reading the text students can make a lap book with the provided templates.

Download it here! 

Independence Day Lapbook for Just $1.00

July 4th is only a few short days away! CurrClick has a short one-day mini unit study for elementary students that you can download for just $1.00! 

This unit contains:

• Helpful lapbooking links
• Example lapbook photos
• Four page mini information booklet
• Lapbook cover page
• A total of 9 additions/foldables to add to your speedy lapbook

20 Free Fun Faith-Based Crafts

Check out Christianity Cove's Facebook page for an awesome freebie! Download a free copy of "20 Creative Faith Craft Projects" (worth $19.95) just for liking them! 

Here's how you do it:

1. Visit their Facebook page and click the "like" button. 
2. Click on the "Free Activity Book" link at the top of the page.
3. Click the green download button and you're done! Your free book should open in a new window and you can save it to your computer. 

Book Review: Angel Eyes Plus Win a Nook Color!

Angel Eyes by Shannon Dittemore

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

About Angel Eyes:

Once you've seen, you can't unsee. Everything changes when you've looked at the world through . . .Angel Eyes.

Brielle went to the city to chase her dreams and found tragedy instead. She's come home to shabby little Stratus, Oregon, to live with her grief and her guilt . . . and the incredible, numbing cold she can't seem to shake.

Jake's the new guy at school. The boy next door with burning hands and an unbelievable gift that targets him for corruption.

Something more than fate has brought them together. An evil bigger than both of them lurks in the shadows nearby, hiding in plain sight. Two angels stand guard, unsure what's going to happen. And a beauty brighter than Jake or Brielle has ever seen is calling them to join the battle in a realm where all human choices start.

A realm that only angels and demons-and Brielle-can perceive.

My Review

I really loved this book more than I expected. I was intrigued by the premise but a little bit hesitant because I usually find angel/demon warfare books somewhat hokey. However, I genuinely enjoyed the way the author addressed spirituality. No, there is no direct mention of Christianity in the book, but I didn't mind that because...

**spoiler alert**

I feel like we are following Brielle's journey along with her. I appreciate the fact that she didn't have some 180 degree turnaround that ended with her being a total Christian convert at the end of the book. She wasn't afraid to ask questions and I think that is a more realistic portrayal of real people trying to seek God. I suspect that we will see more overt Christian references in the remaining books in the trilogy but we'll see.

Still, there is a clear definition of good and evil in the story and the author is very straightforward about the roles of angels and demons in the spiritual realm. I enjoyed the way the Celestial and Terrestrial realms were described and I especially love the way God communicates with Jake from the Throne Room.

The only thing that made me chuckle a little bit was the similarities in the beginning of the book to other popular secular YA literature, particularly one beginning with a "T". Sad emo-girl moves to small town to live with her often-gone father. Girl meets boy, has "I don't know how I feel about you but you're intriguing" encounters, boy saves girl, they fall in love...you know how it goes. However, the teen market is saturated with this type of love story so I would encourage you to look past it and give this book a go. I really loved it and am looking forward to reading the next book in the series.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from Litfuse in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are 100% my own. 

About Shannon: 

Shannon is a wife and mother. A sister. A daughter. A friend. She was raised in Northern California by her parents-pastors of their local church and constant figures of inspiration.

As a youth, Shannon traveled with an award-winning performing arts team, excelling on stage and in the classroom. As a young adult, she attended Portland Bible College, continued acting, and worked with an outreach team targeting inner-city kids in the Portland-Metropolitan area.

It was in Portland that she met her husband, Matt. They were married in 2002. Soon after, they took the reins of the youth ministry at Living Way Community Church in Roseville, California where they continue to serve in that capacity. In October of 2004, their son Justus was born, followed by their daughter Jazlyn, born in 2008. 

Find out more at www.shannondittemore.com.

Celebrate with Shannon by entering her "Angel Eyes" Giveaway and connecting with her during the Author Chat Party on 6/26!

Find out what readers are saying here.

One "angelic" winner will receive:

• A Brand New Nook Color

• A copy of Angel Eyes by Shannon Dittemore

Enter today by clicking one of the icons below. But hurry, the giveaway ends at noon on June 25th. Winner will be announced at the "Angel Eyes" Author Chat Facebook Party on 6/26. Shannon will be hosting a book chat, testing your trivia skills and giving away some great prizes!

So grab your copy of Angel Eyes and join Shannon on the evening of the June 26th for a chance to meet Shannon and make some new friends. (If you haven't read the book - don't let that stop you from coming!)

Don't miss a moment of the RSVP today. Tell your friends via FACEBOOK or TWITTER and increase your chances of winning. Hope to see you on the 26th!

My Family Notebook Freebie

Have your children create a notebook about the most important people in their lives, their family!  Your child could interview individuals from your family to learn more about their heritage, add photos and write biographies of those who have passed on.  There are pages for them to add personal information about themselves to pass down to their future children.  They might choose to create a family tree on poster board or a wall with all the people they have learned about.  Children love to hear stories about their family and this notebook could be a way to collect and keep these stories alive for future generations!

Click here to download this freebie! 

American Girl Unit Studies and Lapbooks

Last year, I posted about our year long American Girl unit studies. I really loved that curriculum and if you've decided to give it a try, here are some more fun resources for you to use.

Knowledge Box Central has a growing collection of American Girl lapbooks with several formats to choose from. So far they have lapbooks on Kit, Kirstan and their newest one, Felicity.

These would make great stand alone lapbooks for any American Girl fan, and also a perfect complement to the Portraits of American Girlhood book.

Summer Olympics Lapbook Half Price Special

The 2012 Olympics are right around the corner. If you want a great opportunity to give your kids a fun lesson on the upcoming games, check out this deal. Get this fun-filled Olympics lapbook from In the Hands of a Child for only $7.99 at CurrClick! 

Teachers and Homeschool parents love our high-interest, hands-on curriculum including Lapbook Project Packs, Notebooking Packs and Thematic Unit Study Packs. With this unit study you will be able to teach your 3rd-10th grade classroom about the 2012 Summer Olympics hosted in London, England. Make your lesson planning easy with 2012 Summer Olympics: London, England Curriculum from In the Hands of a Child. This pack includes a 6-day Planning Guide, Related Reading List, 20 Hands-On Activities PLUS 3 Fun Extension Activities, a20-page Research Guide, and an Answer Key. Students will learn about the Olympic bidding process, key facts about London, England, timeline of Summer Games, Summer Olympic sports, Olympic symbols and traditions, Ancient Olympics, and much more!

Click here to purchase! 

Get 6 Baby Genius DVDs for $25

Another good deal from Living Social! You can get this collection of 6 DVDs from Baby Genius for only $25 (regularly $60). Shipping is included (U.S. only). Click here to check it out! 

Do You Listen to Audiobooks?

My husband is on the road quite a few hours a day for his job and he loves listening to audio books. I know many homeschooling families use them too so I thought this deal at Living Social was a good one. 

For just $10, you'll get a one-month subscription for unlimited audiobooks at AudioBook.com! If you listen to a lot of audio books, this could be a fantastic value. You can also download them on your iPhone, iPad, Android smartphone, or tablet.

TIPsters: Setting Limits on TV

Today's topic is about setting limits on screen time for your kids. In my parenting journey, I have had to reexamine my priorities and as with everything, different people have different convictions. 

When my oldest was first born, I was very vigilant about what she was exposed to. As our family got bigger, I had more to juggle and really had to prioritize which values and rules were important to me. I also had to learn to relax a little bit and not monitor every little thing they watch. 

The kids are pretty good about knowing what is expected of them. They mostly stick to Disney and Nickelodeon shows but there have been times when something has come up that is inappropriate. For example, I monitor them more closely when they're on the computer because there is more potential, in my opinion, for there to be trouble. For example, they like to watch people's homemade videos about Webkinz or Mario on YouTube. That's fine but there have been a couple  instances of foul language and inappropriate situations on an innocently titled video that I had to shut off. Things like that are harder to see coming and require more supervision than what I know they watch on tv.  

As for safety, I do not currently have any type of parental safety program on either the tv or the computer, simply because they are both in the family room where we can see. The girls do have an older computer in their room but they don't use it much and they only go to a select couple of sites on there because the rest are too slow (ha ha).  


One trouble that we have had is the amount of screen time they're allowed to have. We don't have a set time limit but we discourage them from just sitting inside in front of the tv all day. I often push them to go outside and play, read, or draw. 

How do you supervise what  your kids watch? Share your ideas in the comments!  

TIPsters is a collaboration of myself, Kristin and Allyson. You can read their ideas on our topics at their respective blogs, Bits and Pieces from My Life and A Heart for Home. And make sure you visit our special guest poster on this topic, Sheri at Traveling the Narrow Road. 

If you would like to link up and be a guest blogger on any of our upcoming topics, or have a suggestion on what topic you'd like to see, please e-mail me! We'll even give you a linky button to post on your blog. Upcoming topics are:

• July 3: Quick and Easy Summer Meals
• July 17: Taking Family Photos
• August 7:Schooling Kids of Different Ages
• August 21: Teaching Kids to Read

Cultivating an Attitude of Gratitude

Source

Susan Mathis has written a wonderful article on how to help your family have a thrifty and positive mindset. This really hit home with me as this is an issue I struggle with quite often. I am very frugal-minded, however, it's difficult for me to keep a positive attitude. While many of my friends can easily take their kids out for a quick lunch or replace those worn out jeans, I have to save in order to buy a book or stop and think about the upcoming weeks' expenses if I want to buy a sundae. Truthfully, it's hard to have to micro-manage every dollar I spend. 

Often times, that whiny child inside of me will say "it's not fair"! I tell my kids all the time that life isn't fair, and it's true--but it's not easy to accept. Because, really, how do I explain to them that I can't take them for an ice cream cone or go visit Granny for the 3rd year in a row, while their friends are taking vacations or even just going to the local fair? I get so tired of saying "No, we can't do that. It's too expensive" or "It's just not in the budget" and I know they get tired of hearing it. 

My favorite quote from  is this:

Have an attitude of gratitude. Never give your children the impression that you are thrifty because you have to be. If they ask for something you can’t afford, say “we don’t need that” instead of “we can’t afford that.” Let them know that God can be trusted to supply all their needs.

This is a great reminder, not just for kids, but for everyone. Rationally, I know that God does provide, but it's easy to take for granted. Shifting my focus on the things we need will help remind me that all those "wants" are not only unnecessary, but when they do come, they'll be more appreciated and seen for what they are--blessings. 

You can read the rest of Susan's helpful tips here. 

What do you do in your family to be thrifty? How do you help your children have a good attitude towards money? 

Fabulous and Free U.S. Geography Resource

Check out 50States.Com for a wealth of info! This is great for learning U.S. Geography or state by state unit studies! You'll find all sorts of maps for studying capitols, borders, and more, as well as state info like flowers, birds, flags and trivia.

Best of all, it's FREE! Check it out here! 

Summer Learning Freebie

Living Montessori Now is offering a free e-book for summer learning! 

About the We Teach Summertime Learning eBook 2012: 

• over 30 ideas for summer learning from members of We Teach
• craft ideas
• cooking ideas with ready-to-use recipes
• literacy ideas for all ages
• hands-on math ideas
• science ideas and experiments
• focused play ideas, indoors and out
• considerations for taking learning a step further
• bonus pages and resources–including songs
• an additional 25-page downloadable game
• links to all sites, blogs, and activities

Click here to find out how to download your free copy! 

Enjoying the Outdoors

This week we've had a lot of fun in the great outdoors. There's a local place that introduces kids to nature, hunting, fishing etc. and every year they cost a big event for National Get Outdoors Day. They invited families out to fish, roast s'mores, kayak, practice shooting and archery and more. They even provide free lunch and t-shirts! It's really a great thing and the kids had a good time, although we didn't get to do everything we wanted. 

The highlights of the day were kayaking:

and fishing:

and I got a nice picture of this beautiful blue dragonfly:

Then today we went to the first day of Regal's Summer Movie Express followed by a trip to the zoo with some friends. They love being with their friends from co-op because we live in another state so it's a drive to get together most times. 

Just for fun, I love this little tamarin guy:

And this little terrapin. He reminds me of Crush the sea turtle from Finding Nemo:

Teaser Tuesday 6/12

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly meme hosted by Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! All you have to do is:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

My teaser for the week comes from Angel Eyes.

Broken dreams I can handle, but I'd give anything to go back and make things right for her. That isn't possible, of course. Some things you have to do right the first time. If the past three weeks have taught me anything, it's that. ~ p. 8 of Angel Eyes by Shannon Dittemore.

Five Minute Devotions for Kids Free and Cheap

CurrClick has some great devotion titles for kids called Five Minute Devotions. They are on sale right now ranging from FREE to $1.00. 

Five-Minute Devotions are instant devotions that you can print and execute immediately. They can be easily done before school during breakfast. Each lesson includes: Find It, Read It, Study It, & Apply It activities. There are printables included that help to enhance and reinforce the lesson. Five minutes is all that it takes to start the day off right – in God’s Word.

There are 4 in the series:

ROTTEN WORDS FREE!

GENTLENESS ONLY 50 CENTS!

GLASS HALF FULL ONLY $1.00!

And Capturing Thoughts (image not available)--only 50 cents!

Updated: Father's Day Daily Deals Roundup!

Around the holidays there are some awesome deals on those daily deals sites. I've decided to compile some of the best ones I've seen into one list. I'll update it occasionally so if you know of a deal, feel free to comment and share! 

Got a meat lover? Pay $69 to treat Dad to six five-ounce top sirloin steaks, four chicken breasts, 12 four-ounce gourmet burgers, ten bratwurst sausages, and six all-beef hot dogs from MeatHub.com, a producer and distributor of organic, all-natural meats (a $165 value). Shipping is $9.95. 

Sports junkie? Pay $50 for $100 to spend on autographed memorabilia. As one of the leading sources for memorabilia, this online treasure trove features an extensive catalog of more than 400,000 sports and entertainment collectibles from your father's favorite heroes and legends from the NFL, MLB, NBA, NHL, NCAA, and much more.

Is he a big reader? Why not give him a one year subscription to Men's Journal for just $5! 

Does he love to play golf? For $50, you can score the number one man in your life $100 to spend on greens fees and tee times, valid for any course in the area near Dad's home that has a yellow or green flag marked on GolfHub.com. (Please note: offer valid in Arizona (Phoenix/Scottsdale, Tucson), California (Inland Empire, Palm Springs and San Diego), Colorado (Denver), Florida (Daytona Beach, Miami, Orlando and Tampa), Michigan (Detroit), Texas (Dallas, Fort Worth) and Canada (British Columbia, Alberta).


UPDATED!

If you can't afford to send your guy to the green, how about a subscription to Golf Magazine? Get a one year subscription for just $10 PLUS get a free golf bag!

If you have a coffee or tea drinker, you can get two 11oz. mugs personalized with the photo of your choice for $14 (regularly $30); or, get two 15 oz. mugs for $16 (regularly $34). Shipping & handling not included.

If your husband likes to relax with a drink after work, how about a subscription to Beer Connoisseur? Pay $19 for a two-year subscription to The Beer Connoisseur, plus free shipping and access to all the online content (a $38 value).

Get 25% off your entire order at Canvas4Life plus free shipping! Canvas4Life takes your photos and turns them into a work of art on canvas! I've ordered from them before and they were very fast and the quality was wonderful. Use code FATHERSDAY25 at checkout to get 25% off! 

Another Homeschooling E-Book Freebie

Here's another great freebie for homeschoolers!

Homeschooling for FREE & Frugal contains over 60-pages of real-life helps, and creative wisdom, from writing moms within the homeschool community.  You’ll find links, resources, and sincere stories from homeschooling families who have decided that home education is worth the cost.  No matter your budget, you’ll find a host of fresh ideas and practical applications within the pages of this new book. 

Find out how to download your free copy from Free Homeschool Deals here!  

Italian Cookbook Kit Winner Announced!

We finally have a winner for the Savory Summer giveaway! The winner of the Handstand Kids Italian Cookbook Kit is...

CONGRATULATIONS! And thanks to everyone who entered!

13 Years Later...A Love Story

Thirteen years ago today, I was standing outside of a church building smoking a cigarette and hiding behind a bush while I spied on my husband-to-be sitting at a red light in front of me. My nerves were doing the jitterbug as I thought about how much life was going to change in the next few hours.

Two hours later, I became someone's wife and partner forever. I was just shy of 19 years old and my new husband was about to turn 21. Although we didn't feel like it at the time, we were just babies ourselves. 

Wedding day June 5, 1999

I met my husband in high school when I was 14 through a mutual friend. Our first major trial came just 5 months into our relationship when my father died unexpectedly. After that my mother became totally incompetent due to her own personal demons and I clung to Jay and his family. We were inseparable and it felt natural for us to get married a year after I graduated high school. 

Jay and I on our 6 month anniversary in 1995. I was 15 and he was 17.

Since then, we've survived more deaths, growing up and apart, miscarriage, job losses and changes, religious differences and then some. But we have cried and fought our way together through these things as well as welcoming the blessings of our three children. 

Today we are still celebrating our life together. Over the years we have watched most of our friends get married and divorced and wondered what we have that other haven't had. But no matter what, Jay is still my best friend, my confidant, my lover and my protector and I pray that we'll have many more years together.   

November 2010

Parental Rights Amendment

According to ParentalRights.Org, a new amendment was introduced today to Congress. 

A proposed amendment to the U.S. Constitution that would preserve the longstanding traditional right of parents to direct the upbringing and education of their children was introduced today in the U.S. Congress. 

Lead sponsor Trent Franks (R-AZ) was joined by 32 cosponsors in introducing the Amendment in the House. The Senate version, led by Senator Jim DeMint (R-SC), had 9 cosponsors at its introduction. 

“We must protect the liberty of parents to direct the upbringing and education of their children,” Senator DeMint said. “Unfortunately, parental rights are under attack, and a safeguard like this amendment is necessary. Neither the federal government nor international law should micromanage how parents are able to raise their children. Parents are best equipped to decide how their children are raised and educated, not bureaucrats from Washington and the United Nations.” 

Supporters anticipate a congressional hearing on the measure, given lead sponsor Trent Franks’ position as chairman of the Constitution Subcommittee of the House Judiciary Committee, to which the House version will be assigned. 

Read the rest at ParentalRights.Org. 

This could be a great step in the right direction, considering some disturbing recent events in the homeschooling community nationwide. 

You can read more about the specific amendment as well as what you can do to help here. 

Summer Reading Program

I read a great post by my friend Kristin at her blog the other day about designing her own summer reading program. I thought it was inspiring because our local library's program has become a little boring for the kids and we often forgot to record the books or bring the form back in. 

So I was happy to find this on CurrClick to help us in making our own summer reading program a success. CurrClick has a Summer Reading Club downloadable file for just $1.00! 

Your kids will log the books that they read on the sheet provided and turn them into you. There are several logs to choose from suitable for all ages as well as printable bookmarks.

For every book completed (or designated time spent reading), award your child a token (printable version included). Allow your children to turn in their tokens for the cool prizes listed on the Token Redemption Sheet.  They may turn them in whenever or on a designated day, such as every Friday.  This resource includes a token redeption sheet and printable coupons. At the end of the summer or when a certain number of books or hours spent reading has been achieved, reward your children with the Reading Certificate included.

I like that this is similar to the library but I can choose to set it up however I want based on the child's age or interests.

J is for Gingerbread

Okay well not really, but all month in June, CurrClick is offering their thematic pack G is for Gingerbread for FREE! 

Thematic Packs- Lettter of the week: G is for Gingrebread are collections of multi-leveled games focusing on a different letter.They are ready to print, use and learn! "G is for Gingerbread" contains:

• G is for Gingerbread themed puzzle cards for letter G
• G is for Gingerbread  themed clothespin cards for letter G
• G is for Gingerbread  themed  mats for letter G
• G is for Gingerbread  themed  mats for letter G or not letter G
• G is for Gingerbread  themed word wall for letter G
• G is for Gingerbread  themed colouring pages for letter G
• G is for Gingerbread  themed matching cards letter and words for letter G
• G is for Gingerbread  themed matching cards word and pictures for letter G
• G is for Gingerbread  themed pocket for storage for letter G

29 pages of learning a letter a week!

Click here to download! 

Huge Sale at Hearts at Home!

Hearts at Home is having a huge sale! Save up to 30% on over 200 publishers including Apologia, Bright Ideas, Christian Liberty Press, Lamplighter, Melissa and Doug, and many more!

Hearts at Home is a Christian based business that offers same day or next day shipping and you can earn reward points on every purchase.

Click here to check out their huge summer sale!