Time4Learning

I've been invited to try Time4Learning for one month in exchange for a candid review. My opinion will be entirely my own, so be sure to come back and read about my experience. Time4Learning can be used as a homeschool curriculum, for afterschool enrichment and for summer skill sharpening. Find out how to write your own curriculum review for Time4Learning.


I am so excited about this opportunity. Life gets busy and with this program I will not have to worry about meeting our educational needs.

Dear John,

So, we rented the movie Dear John from Netflix. Let me tell you, my "allergies" were acting up throughout the entire movie. If you are not one to let others see you cry, I highly suggest watching this movie alone. I thought this was going to be a simple love story, but it is so much more. Don't get me wrong, it is a love story, but it is also a look into a soldier's life and sacrifices, the dynamics between two sets of fathers and sons, and personal sacrifices.

I will be watching this again before we send it back, and may have to find a way to add it to our DVD library. An inexpensive way of course.

Can You Guess What I Spent

I had a pretty good, no, make that great, little shopping trip today. Look what I got at Winn Dixie today for a total of........drum roll please..................99 cents!! Yes, I know, there is alot of not too healthy items in this pic, like the cookiesl and Pop Tarts, but a Pop Tart now and then for dessert never hurt anyone. And the cookies go in hubby's lunch box for work. Did I mention he is a sugarholic?

Here is a brief breakdown of how I did it:

Winn-Dixie has a special buy 3 select Kellog's cereal and you get a gallon of milk, WD brand O.J., 12 count PopTarts, and ready cooked bacon for free. So I used 3 free coupons that Kelloggs sent me from the recent cereal recall, so everything was free!

I also had the coupon from the Oreo Facebook promotion, buy 1 nabisco cookie and a gallon of milk and get 1 Nabisco cookie for free. So I used that coupon along with a $1.50 Oreo coupon.

I used the self checkout lane and the cashier there was soooo helpful. He even let me do the deal twice in a row. I will so be on the lookout for him next time.

Goodbye paper mountain!!!!

Well, as some of you know, I have been trying to incorporate the Flylady system into our life. I have to admit, the kids are having an easier time accomplishing this than I am. Like the Flylady says, babysteps. Anyhow, there has been one area in the schoolroom that has always bugged me. The 2 year paper trail. I have always kept 2 years worth of work for the 3 kids just in case social worker Florida came knocking on our door wanting to see portfolios, records, schoolwork examples and the such. Now here lies my problem, I never knew which schoolwork, lesson plans, projects, etc. to keep, so I kept EVERYTHING! So 3 kids X 2 years of paperwork X 45 weeks of school X 6 subjects =......... Hey maybe I can have the kids figure this out, print this page and add it to my math portfolio! Ok so you see my problem.

Well, I found a solution. They are called umbrella or 600 schools. Essentially, the kids are taken out of the State of Florida homeschool education program, enrolled in a private school that handles all their records, and I get to throw away all that paperwork. How liberating it is to toss it all in the trash. Of course, I'm holding onto special things such as journals. I think it would be neat to give those back to the kids in future years. Unless you homeschool, you probably won't understand the freedom of not having to look over your shoulder just in case the state decides you needed to be audited. Just imagine the IRS only instead of auditing your bank account, their auditing your parenting.

The less the government is in my home, the better!

Check check

Freezer Cooking

I wanted to try OAMC (once a month cooking) but lack of freezer space and time quickly soured that idea. So I decided to try freezer cooking instead. I finished with about 2 weeks worth of dinners and 6 loaves of banana bread for snacks and breakfasts. Most of this was accomplished on Saturday. Here is a quick break down of what I made:

      1. Black Bean Soup (2 Batches)

      2. King Ranch Casserole (2 Batches)
      3. Chicken Enchiladas
      4. Tamale Corn Casserole
      5. Red Beans and Rice (2 Batches)
      6. Pinto Beans (2 Batches)
      7. Pork Satay (2 Batches)
      8. Shredded BBQ Pork for sandwiches (2 Batches)
      9. Shredded Carne Asada (2 Batches)
I wanted to make a great spaghetti recipe, but halfway through cooking the pasta, I realized it had been invaded by those darn pasta bugs. Any ideas how to get rid of and prevent these little beasts?

My Kitchen!! What a mess!

DISASTER!!

Here is a picture of one of my helpers chopping and sampling:

And this is the look I was getting all day from my kitchen window.

If any of these meals sound yummy, let me know and I will post the recipes .

Happy Freezer Day!!!

     
     

Once a Month Cooking

Does anyone out there have experience with OAMC? I mean real experience. Like, trying to homeschool, no grandparents to the rescue, trying to do your own school kinda experience? I really want to try this cuz I know it will help me out alot. But I have 3 kids to school, plus other responsibilities. Any suggestions?

http://www.shop4freebies.com/category.php?cid=9&page=2

Like Pancakes? On Feb. 23 at IHOP you can enjoy a short stack for FREEEE!!! We love IHOP, especially cuz the kids can eat for free from 4pm to closing. See you there!





http://www.shop4freebies.com/category.php?cid=9&page=2

2010 Catch Up

So, February has been a pretty busy month. I haven't really kept up with this blog as much as I would have like to, but I am now putting my mind to it. Let's do a quick 2010 catch up. New Year's 2010.... HAPYY NEW YEAR!!!!! January was pretty much a blur. Around the 15th we were innocently watching an episode of the Ghost Whisperer, as usual, and what informative commercial does appear? Florida resident's GO WILD with a Disney 4 day dream pass for (get this!) $99! So we decided to book a trip. I had exactly 2 weeks to plan a 5 day disney trip. That is how the rest of January was pretty much spent, planning and booking. The first week of February was our trip, the second week was recovering and the third week has been how and when we can go back.

Free Samples / Freebies / Free

Free Samples / Freebies / Free