Handwriting Font.

If you'd like to make your own handwriting or copywork pages for cursive writing, you can download this free LEARNING CURVE FONT.

There's a tracing version and a solid version. It's a very nice font, or, as the site advertises, "The handwriting we wished we had!"

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Grammar Lessons.

Just found this site: GUIDE TO GRAMMAR AND WRITING

It looks like it has some good, basic lessons.

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Cleaning Supplies.

I don't spend a fortune on cleaning supplies. For one, I can't. For another, I don't need to! At some point we allowed corporate America convince us that we need a different cleanser for every job in the house.

The truth is, for just about every situation, a cheaper, home-made alternative works with equal effectiveness, and is better for the environment, to boot.

For some simple "recipes", check out: ORGANIZED HOME.

Also, a personal fave of mine (as we're a family with cats and dogs):

HOMEMADE CARPET DEODORIZER
(from Cheaper and Better, by Nancy Birnes)

2 cups baking powder
1/2 cup cornstarch
4 - 5 bay leaves, crumbled
1 tablespoon ground cloves

Mix together and store in a container with a tight-fitting lid. To use, sprinkle on carpet. Let sit for at least 20 minutes, then vacuum.

I keep mine in an old juice carafe that has a lid. In order to be able to "sprinkle" it, I covered the top with plastic wrap and used a rubber band around the neck of the bottle to hold it firmly in place. I poked holes in the plastic with a fork. The lid still fits easily on top for storage.

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Notebooking.

We use the notebooking concept in out homeschool, especially with our history and Bible lessons. If you're new to the idea, HERE IS A SITE that explains how to get started. There are also many free forms posted for your use.

I've found notebooking to be probably the single most effective tool in teaching history that we've ever tried in our years of homeschooling. Instead of relying only on dry, dusty textbooks, the children read stories and create projects and have a much greater retention and understanding of what they've learned. I really encourage you to explore it further.

(And to see more about how we incorporate it, check out our AMERICAN HISTORY LESSON PLAN.)

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7th Grade LA.

Have uploaded the Sources and Week 1 lesson plan for 7th grade Language Arts.

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Making Mixes.

Convenience foods are... convenient. They can save you time. But not money. And often, if you stop and read the ingredient list carefully, you'll find that box of scalloped potatoes is pretty much a heart attack waiting to happen.

Make no mistake, homeschooling is a full time job and time-savers in the kitchen are a real blessing. But rather than over-spend on some packaged convenience food, you can buy the less expensive raw ingredients and make your own.

There are several sources of recipes for making your own mixes. While I normally advocate finding everything possible for free, I will say that this book: MAKE A MIX has many recipes I use on a regular basis. Perhaps you can find a copy at your local library. It's apparently just been reprinted, so if you're fortunate enough to live in an area with a good library system, even if they don't currently have a copy, you might be able to request they obtain one.

In any case, if you happen to stumble across it at a garage sale or used store, consider picking it up.

** Note - one thing I've found with this book is that the recipes for the sweet quick breads all seem to need about 1/2 cup water added. Doing this has produced much better results for me.

Meanwhile, here are some free resources for make-a-mix recipes.
RECIPE GOLDMINE
BUDGET 101 CONVENIENCE MIXES

When I first started using mixes, I only kept a biscuit mix, a white sauce mix, and a "Shake and Bake" type mix on hand. Now I have everything from cookie mixes to flavored rice. I found some "vintage" Tupperware containers (read - several in dark orange and the rest in mustard yellow - gotta love those 70s colors!) on auction and paid $7 for the lot. Now they crowd my pantry shelves and freezer. I have found the genuine item here - Tupperware - does seem to keep my ingredients fresher, longer, but you might be able to find another brand/maker that works equally well.

For an example of how I use my mixes, on Sunday afternoons, I get out my biscuit mix, sweet bread mix, and whole wheat mix, and get to work. I make a batch of waffles and some pancakes. These I freeze. I will make 2 dozen muffins of some sort - depending on what I find on sale at the store, like zucchini, apples, bananas, or carrots. Finally, I'll make some dinner rolls. I do not make sandwich bread - I buy that at the local thrift store, once a month on the "everything is .65 cents" day. This may sound like a lot of work, and certainly it takes time, but now that my routine is established and my kids are able to help - they actually *like* cooking pancakes - we get it done within a few hours and I have all the baked goods we need for the week.

Except cookies, that is. There's just something about fresh-baked cookies! Whenever we want a treat, I get out my freezer cookie dough and make a dozen. They're so great right out of the oven (with just a bit of cooling time) with a glass of milk. And they make the house smell yummy. :)

During the week, my kids can choose muffins, waffles, or pancakes for breakfast. They take them directly from the freezer and either microwave toast them. They eat these with some kind of fruit - either fresh, or something prepared like our homemade applesauce - milk, and sometimes we'll scramble some eggs. In colder weather, which, here in Central Florida is only about 2 months out of the year, we'll also make oatmeal on some mornings.

Our breakfasts, even with fruit and milk, typically cost only around .40 cents per serving. Keep in mind, one serving of milk is only eight ounces. If you have kids who tend to pour enough liquid to fill the glass, no matter how big the glass actually is, make sure they're only using smaller "juice" glasses, or take over the drink serving yourself.

Another advantage? Our breakfasts are no more difficult to prepare each morning than a bowl of sugar-coated, expensive cereal. We have breakfast on the table in 5 minutes or less, and clean-up is a snap, so we can dive right in to school work, leave for our weekly shopping on Saturday mornings, or church on Sundays.

If you've never been a mix person, and you're wondering where to start, I recommend the same place I did. The biscuit mix is very versatile and can be used for more than just breads/rolls. (Check out the Bisquick website for other ideas.) Having a white sauce means you'll have a quick base for a cheese sauce you can serve over veggies or pasta, Alfredo sauce, and it can be used, mixed with some milk, in place of canned Cream of Whatever when it's called for in a recipe. A "fake" Shake-n-Bake recipe is nice to keep on hand to quickly season chicken, pork or fish pieces for an easy entree. Once you start using one kind of mix, you'll quickly start exploring the many others out there.

One final note - some mixes call for bouillon granules. I recommend you purchase the no-sodium version, even if it costs a little more, if you can find it. Regular bouillon granules have an incredibly high salt content - something like 35% of the RDA for a teaspoon amount! Eek!

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More Lesson Plans.

I've uploaded Science, Geography, and Language Arts (5th Grade) Week 1 lesson plans.

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Christmas. In June.

I mentioned yesterday that I'd found patterns (free) to use to make a couple of Christmas gifts. If you read my ABOUT ME page, you'll know the kind of gifts I usually give. They're typically "themed." This year will have a theme, though I am deviating from it in the case of my mother and MIL. (Who, hopefully won't stumble across this blog and spoil the surprise!) Both complimented some of the filet crochet items I've made for my own home, so I thought I'd make them something for theirs.

For all other adults/couples, this year's theme was decided back in January, when a local dollar store had plastic colanders 2 for $1. This year's theme will be...

An Italian Meal.

Before you give up on me completely, let me explain further. A few days ago, I was in Wal-Mart and found a bolt of red-checked fabric on the $1 a yard table. I bought 2 yards. I'll cut this down to make napkin sets - monogramming them with white thread. For my kids' contribution, I'll be having them make napkin rings. Not sure what kind yet, but I'll research it to find some cute ideas. I'm sorta picturing something made with fake grape-vines at the moment.

The napkins and rings will go into the colanders. We'll also include a box of dry pasta and a bag of HOMEMADE SPAGHETTI SEASONING MIX - minus the freeze-dried green pepper, which? I've never seen in any supermarket I've been in and I imagine it would cost way too much anyway. I'll include a can of diced tomatoes and a can of tomato sauce, to mix with the seasoning. I will also include a batch of CRANBERRY-ORANGE BISCOTTI. I'll be adding some Italian recipes printed from on-line, too, and finally, I'll be adding inexpensive plastic pasta scoops (less than $1 at Walmart) and crocheted hotpads - made from green yarn I actually have left-over from last year's scarf gifts!

Final cost - depending on ingredients prices, should be around $30 - $35 for everything.

So what's with the Christmas talk in the middle of the year? My point is, in order to not go crazy or broke sometime mid-December, you should already be planning your gifts now. For one, it will give you plenty of time to make things, if you need. And two - you should be keeping your eyes open every time you set foot in a store. You never know what you might find that will spark your imagination and can then become a fabulous gift.

The best part about this kind of planning is it really frees you up during the holiday season, to enjoy time with your family. I'll be making the biscotti in late October or early November and freezing it - just as soon as the cranberries go on sale for Thanksgiving. We'll have everything else done by then, so rather than face the angry hordes of frazzled shoppers who hit the stores on "Black Friday", our holiday season will be filled with peaceful nights at home and visits with friends and family.

Also? With this method, you're spreading out your costs by purchasing things over the course of the year - not all at once at the end of it. It's easier to shave $5 out of your budget here and there than it is to try and take one large hit at once.

Over the next few months, I'll post more about gifts I've given in the past, to hopefully give you some ideas you might use. Remember, anyone can go buy some ornate pewter picture frame, or an over-priced kitchen appliance that will never get used, or a $17 scented candle that will most likely give the recipient a wretched headache if she lights it, but you can show your friends and family how much you love them by dedicating your time and creativity to a gift truly from your hands and your heart, not just your pocketbook.

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Money Management.

Do you know exactly how much money you spent last month? And do you know where each penny went? If not, this message is for you!

Did you buy a candy bar at the grocery store? A DVD just because it was on sale for $7? A store-made birthday cake? How much did you spend in gas? (Yeah - I know. ARGH! to gasoline prices!) But how much gas did you waste in "little" trips that could've been combined with other errands?

Believe it or not, this is where you should sweat the small stuff. Little, "extra" purchases add up. While that $.50 candy bar didn't seem like much at the time, when you add it and every other splurge up over the course of an entire year, it can total up to a truly frightening amount. Are you someone who never seems to have enough money at Christmas? Do you even go so far as to purchase gifts with credit cards because you don't have enough cash? (Which? STOP THAT. For now and ALL time.) Make a pledge today to change your habits. We're just starting the 6th month of the year. Now is as good a time as any. You can stop the money drain. You can also start planning for Christmas now. It's not like it doesn't happen every year at the same time. Christmas doesn't just sneak up on you.

Get yourself a spiral notebook and a large envelope. Keep every single receipt for everything you buy and put them in the envelope. Write down all expenses that don't have a receipt - like the $1 you paid for a soda from a drink machine.

Make a section of your spiral dedicated to "Money I Never Should Have Spent" and start with listing that soda. Be honest! You might think you deserved that $6 gourmet cup of coffee, but that's $6 you no longer have, for a drink that wasn't really that good for you anyway.

Make another section for "Money Well Spent" and keep track of triumphs you've had - such as finding a complete set of expensive "professional" Pampered Chef pots at a garage sale for $15. (Retail - $285) Also, make note here of any money you might have donated to a worthy cause, even if it's just a quarter dropped in the Salvation Army bucket. I'll leave it up to you to decide if spending $8 for a single roll of wrapping paper for a neighborhood kid's school fund-raiser is worthy or not. But I encourage you to give when you can, without giving so much you can't meet your own family's needs, and keep a record of it to remind yourself that as fun as it can be to beat corporate America at its own game, life isn't really all about money. No matter how tight things may be for you, someone is suffering more, and any little help you can give can genuinely make a difference.

After a few months of this excruciatingly accurate record keeping, add up all the money on your "Money I Never Should Have Spent" page (hopefully not pages!) and consider where this money could have gone to good use. Keep this up. As each month passes, you'll slowly break any spendthrift habits you may have, if for no other reason than it can be embarrassing to see it all listed out!

Unless you're totally in charge of all the expenditures in your home, you'll need to enlist your spouse in this project. If he's reluctant to join in, don't press. Keep the notebook yourself for several months, writing down every unnecessary purchase you know of, then show him the totals. If he sees your family has blown enough to cover the electric bill for two months, he'll probably be much more inclined to listen!

Stick to this and it will pay off. Pun intended. :)

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Classics Study Guides.

These two links offer free unit study guides (with comprehension questions, vocabulary, activities and the like) for many classic literature books.

PENGUIN CLASSICS
GLENCOE CLASSICS

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Crochet Patterns.

I've finally found patterns I'd like to use to create this year's Christmas gifts for my mother and MIL. Of course, I'll have to start pretty much now to get them done in time!

ROSE PATTERN
IRIS PATTERN

I will need to be on the look-out now for frames for these.

I already have the thread I can use, which cost me about $4. If I spend no more than $2 per frame, I should have both gifts completed for under $10.

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Yay, homeschoolers!

I would just like to take a moment to point out that this year's winners of the National Geographic Geography Bee, the National Power Word Challenge, and the Scripps National Spelling Bee are all homeschool kids. Way to go!

GEOGRAPHY BEE WINNER
VOCABULARY BEE WINNER
SPELLING BEE WINNER

Woo!

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Cheap Beans & Rice.

Cajun Beans and Rice
This recipe works well for kidney, red, or black beans.

1 lb. dried beans
1 medium onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, pressed
1 bay leaf
1/2 lb. sausage, (kielbasa or other flavor of choice) cut into bite-size pieces
Cajun seasoning, such as Chachere's, or hot sauce to taste
Hot cooked rice

Wash the beans and put in a bowl. Cover with water and cover bowl. Leave to soak over night. In the morning, drain the beans and wash again.

Put the beans in a sturdy dutch-oven pot, add remaining ingredients, and add enough water to cover all. Bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer. The beans will need to cook for several hours. Stir occasionally, and add more water, a cup at a time, as needed.

When the beans have cooked down to a very thick gravy-like consistency, they're ready to eat. Serve over the rice.

This is not a "pretty" meal. My kids call it Bean Glop, but they *love* it. We serve it with homemade cornbread for a very filling meal.

Just to note: The original recipe, which was for New Orleans style Red Beans and Rice, also called for "salt and pepper to taste". If you use the Cajun seasoning, as we do, you do not need salt, or pepper. In fact, you want to be careful how much seasoning you add because it has a high salt content. If, however, you use hot sauce, you can add salt and pepper too, if desired.

This recipe feeds my family of four, with enough left over to be lunch for 2 people. At 6 servings, this meal, including the cornbread, costs about .60 cents a serving.

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My lesson plans.

I have begun uploading my lesson plans for subjects where all the source materials are free.

All files and sources in my uploaded plans are free to use. You are more than welcome to share my links with other homeschoolers, but they must *never* be included in any type of collection or reference that is for sale.

I will not be covering math, as we use Saxon. However, if you are in search of a free math program you can find one HERE. This is a comprehensive program, though note that the site is British, so you will encounter some spelling differences and problems/questions that refer to the British pound rather than the US dollar. Also - the years are "off" by our system as Year 1 is our kindergarten, not 1st grade, and then so on.

If you have an upper elementary, middle school, or high school student, you might also be interested in THIS. The courses titled "Mathematics 1, 2, and 3" are for middle school grades. The others are for high school. However, as these books were written originally for "struggling learners," you could use them for younger students who are working on an average pace.

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More AmHist Resources.

More free e-books from Wowio:

Great Colonial America Projects You Can Build Yourself
Great Pioneer Projects You Can Build Yourself
Great Civil War Project You Can Build Yourself
Great WWII Projects You Can Build Yourself

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Religious Freedom.

(Constitutional) Amendment 1 - Religious and Political Freedom:
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or of the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.

Italics added for emphasis.

In other words - the government cannot establish one national religion (ie. The Church of England) nor can it restrict the "free exercise" of religion. And yet, today there are people who have twisted this into, "You can't even mention God in a public place because it offends me." Excuse me? Oh, yes, I can. The moment you try to stop me - for whatever humanist, misguided reasons you might have - you are "prohibiting" my "free exercise thereof". Your right to not be offended is *not* actually protected, (and frankly, you need to grow-up if someone mentioning God upsets you) but my right to freely exercise my religion *is* protected.

Like it or not, this is one of the foundations of our country. If it's been too long since you've looked over the Constitution and Bill of Rights, perhaps it's time you WENT BACK AND GAVE THEM A THOROUGH READING.

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American History Resources.

Websites:

America's Story
The National Archives
Today in American History
Liberty! The American Revolution
Chronological History Lessons and Links
American History Magazine Archives


Free Books:

American History 1 & 2 Textbooks - includes worksheets
American History Stories, Vol. 1
America's Founding Documents
The Americans - first of a trilogy.

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The Cost of Living Index.

Here's a link to the CoL index for the LAST QUARTER OF 2006 - the most updated charts I could find. It's an interesting comparison, but must be taken with a small grain of salt. Because these numbers are state-wide, they are skewed through averaging. For instance, it costs considerably more to purchase/rent a home in Miami, Florida than it does to find one in Ocala, Florida. But for a general idea of how your local costs compare with other states, this is a fairly accurate representation.

The CoL Index is also a good thing to consult if you are considering moving to a new state, especially for a new job. You want to make sure that the "great salary" being offered really is "great" and not something that will actually be harder to live on because your new home costs three times what your last one did!

If you want a more accurate number, try googling "Cost of Living" plus the name of your city/town. Not all cities participate in census surveys, but you may be able to find some more detailed information.

While my state's CoL is 103.6%, my city is actually higher, at 116% for the first quarter of 2007. Ouch. In 2000, my city was only 98%. We are being stretched thin here. I assure you no one I know has received a pay increase to keep up with the rising costs! We just all have to make-do as best we can.

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The Fly Lady.

I have several friends who *swear* by this site, so I figured I'd give it a plug. If you're the type of person who has trouble keeping your household clean and organized, THE FLYLADY can help you.

To be perfectly honest, in perusing the site, I found it a bit too "boot camp" for my tastes, especially the concept of how you MUST put on your shoes every morning and wear them around the house all day. Uh, no. I am not ever going to walk on my carpet in the same shoes that I cross the gas station parking lot in and wear into a Wal-Mart bathroom. Not a chance.

Still, I like the zone concepts the FlyLady promotes. We do something quite similar in our house. And if you are truly living in what she calls CHAOS - "Can't Have Anyone Over Syndrome" - then this site might prove to be a big blessing for you.

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My $3.50 chicken.

Yesterday I bought a whole chicken for $3.50. I also bought a bag of potatoes for $2.88. I had some carrots on hand, as well as two onions, and about 6 oz. left from a chunk of cheddar cheese. And, in the freezer, a little less than half a bag of frozen broccoli.

So... today's lunch was roasted chicken with potatoes, carrots and onion, served with rolls and "sunshine salad" - a jello salad made from lemon jello, crushed pineapple, and grated carrot, and dinner was a mock-quiche (following the general concept behind BISQUICK'S IMPOSSIBLY EASY CHICKEN-N-BROCCOLI PIE, though I use my own, homemade "biscuit mix"), served with home-made applesauce. And then tomorrow morning I will cook down the chicken bones to make a nice broth to make chicken noodle soup for lunch, which I will serve with my son's favorite: cheddar-garlic drop biscuits. The soup always makes enough for two meals, so I'll freeze the rest.

My point? You can get a lot of mileage out of a $3.50 chicken.

Apparently, some of our congressmen have recently TAKEN A FOOD STAMP CHALLENGE wherein they attempted to live on a food budget of $3 per person, per day for One Whole Week (*gasp!*), to highlight the difficulties faced by those surviving on food stamps.

Our family of four lives on about $1.75 per person, per day, and as you can see by my above menu, it's not like we're dining on Hamburger Helper every night. And it's not like we live in a particularly cheap area. According to the CoL Index, our food costs are at about 100% of the national average.

Frankly, it comes down to smart shopping, using up every bit of each item you buy, and learning to make everything from scratch. Is it as easy as calling for a pizza to be delivered? Of course not. But it can be done, and with practice and trial and error, eventually, it can be done without much difficulty.

I do not want to sound as if I'm condemning people on food stamps. Far, far from it. What disturbs me, though, is the general belief that $360 a month for a food budget for a family of four is the equivalent of starving. It is not, by any means.

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All righty, then.

It's taken me so long just to get this to look the way I want, I'm not even sure I'll make a "real" post tonight.

FYI - Blogger was a lot easier to manipulate 5 or so years ago.

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