While we were on vacation this month, we spent some time working on Aunt Susan’s patio garden. Some asked me how it came out so I thought I’d share the pictures during my Foto Friday. Aunt Susan lives on a small lake and her living room sliding glass door opens to see a view of the lake. She has two areas to have flowers in, as you see below.

She had chosen this old chest of drawers from a yard sale to use just for displaying flowers in her yard. She liked the vintage look of the dresser and had it sealed to protect from water. She likes that the paint has peeled back giving it that older look. My father-in-law, who my children adoringly call Poppop, drilled holes in the bottom of plastic boxes and placed them into the drawers. These serve as the pots for these tiny gardens.

For the hot dry climate in their city, we had to purchase plants that can resist the heat and withstand not being watered every day. The most ideal choice is cacti. However, Aunt Susan likes a nice cactus, she doesn’t prefer to have ALL cacti, so we found some various flowering succulents as well.

As you can see it was a bright sunny day and no flash was needed while taking these pictures. While these photos aren’t the kind I would submit to a contest, I do enjoy the colors seen in these snapshots. The brilliant blue of the lake is quite stunning. We did have some cloudy mornings while we were there and I noticed that those mornings would not have been good for photographs of the lake. The water reflects what is in the sky. When you are taking pictures with water in the shot, you’ll get a much better photograph is the sky is blue or even during a sunset when the colorful glow of the sun setting casts hues of pinks and oranges on the waters surface.

Although this shot wasn’t taken by me, we can thank sxc.hu for this free image. You can see how the reflection of the sunrise creates a beautiful reflection in the water. Sometimes photographers will rise early in the morning to catch a shot like this. The wise photographer will take hundreds of shots during 5 to 10 minutes of the sun rising or setting.

You’d be amazed at how different and unique each shot is. Even making a water reflection photo into black & white has a special attraction, as you see here. (photo features Lady Jess and Master Timothy) Do you have any photos of reflections from a body of water that you’d like to share? Please leave a link to a post from your own blog so we may enjoy the photos with you. :O)

Do you “shelter” your children?

That’s a bad word in some circles, we’re finding. Something is creeping into the church (and even the homeschooling community) and it isn’t biblical. It is an “anti-sheltering campaign” of sorts, and it’s full of holes. Think about it. What does it mean to shelter? Protect. Defend. Guard. Preserve. Watch over. Shield. Safeguard. Hmmmm, so far so good, right? Sure, until “pop psychology” comes in and tells us that we should allow our children to taste a little of the world in order to understand it or pray for it. That we should not “over-shelter” them. Nonsense.

What’s the opposite of shelter? Expose. Endanger. We parents are called to be like our Father in Heaven. He is the greatest “Shelterer” there ever was, and it is us He shelters – or watches over; protecting us, preserving us, shielding us. Praise Him for this! Glory to God who knows how to parent (shelter) us perfectly. May we as parents follow this model – His model. Let’s continue to shelter (love) our children as He loves us. Dismiss the garbage that crawls in; don’t buy it. We’re promised there will be false teachers, liars in the church. I want to keep my eyes focused on Christ, come what may.

Parents: Keep sheltering them. You are bringing them up in the love and admonition of the Lord, not in the latest speaker/teacher. May you be blessed as you continue to walk in obedience! Lord, thank you for sheltering me. Please never stop. “Over-shelter” if You will (if there is such a thing). Fine with me! Over-protect, Over-defend, Over-guard me; please do! I’ll take it all, Lord. Keep me tight to Your side. I’m safe there. There, I can breathe. It’s where I live.

For thou hast been a shelter for me, and a strong tower from the enemy.
-Psalm 61:3

Gena Suarez
The Old Schoolhouse Magazine

When people hear I am the mom of a large, military, home-schooling family they often assume our house either, 1. runs like boot camp or 2. exists in total chaos. I assume their perception depends on if they focus on the word “large” or on the word “military”.

By nature I am by nature a perfectionist. I created and followed brilliant, color-coded, MOTH-like (Managers of Their Homes) schedules and chore charts before MOTH was published. I am a RECOVERING Perfectionist.

I love my lists, schedules and charts. What caused me to curb my scheduling impulses? One day I heard myself actually say, “If you would all just sit there naked on the couch and not eat anything for a day, I could stay on schedule.” ::blush::

I was making my children neurotic with my need to organize and plan. Everything had to be in its place; everyone had to STICK TO THE SCHEDULE. I would chase around after them, pick up dishes before they were finished, and move newspapers when they got up to get a new glass of milk. When a child was slow to pick up a school concept, my gut would twist with anxiety because we were “off the schedule”. The problem was NOT the chart; the problem was my personality and my “get it all done on schedule” focus.

I desperately needed to add mercy and grace to my schedules and plans. I had to relax my standard. I no longer aim for perfection - excellence will do. In some seasons of our life, I loosely define “excellence”.

While I personally love schedules, I find that with our lifestyle and various personalities (read: busy chaplain’s family where mom is often pregnant or up all night with a little one, homeschooling with toddlers and preschoolers), it is better for us to focus on ROUTINE rather than a strict schedule. With a schedule, I find myself stressed when we are “behind”; with a routine, we are always right where we need to be. With a schedule, I often miss times of interaction, play, and truly teachable moments because I am rushing to reach point X before the timer goes off; with a routine, I am at ease to match our pace to our current needs. Routine allows me to I listen more for His still, small voice.

In our home, we each have well-defined routines. Some of us are structure-lovers, and we begin the routine at the same time every day and progress through it in a very methodical and orderly fashion. Others are more relaxed in the routine.

There are still times when color-coded charts enticingly attempt to seduce me. About two years ago, I actually ordered Managers of Their Homes and breathed in the charts, color-coded…be still my racing heart. I took the matter to prayer and was called to adjust my ROUTINE, rather than implement a new schedule. I lovingly blessed another with MOTH. A great tool, by the way….just not for us.

It’s my strong conviction that each Mom needs to go to God with her responsibilities and frustrations to see what creative solutions He drops into her heart. God has gently showed me that in the past my trust and dependence shifted from Him to MY SCHEDULE. My personality feels secure, purposeful, and productive with lists, charts, and schedules. Instead, God invites me to seek His heart daily and to walk by the revelation and in the strength of His spirit for that day. These really have been the key to our style of schooling. For these reasons, I hesitate to share our exact routine.

I realize that God can use others’ concrete ideas to speak to us, and so, I’ll share a few tips I’ve gleaned on my journey. Please, do not try to imitate ME – seek His heart, and implement His plan for your family. Pray about each item in your routine or on your schedule. I ruthlessly trim outside opportunities and ministries in order to give us TIME and flexibility to change plans as He directs. If you add something to your schedule for next year, force yourself to subtract something of equal time from your current schedule. This can be painful. We look for opportunities with firm begin and end dates. For example, eight weeks of drama or nine weeks of Co-op sports. In this way, if we find something is not right for us, we aren’t committed to a full year.

I was invited to share our family schedule for a handout that was given to new homeschoolers. I share that here if you like nuts and bolts.

If you can implement schedules without being consumed by them, they are probably for you. If, like me, you are a recovering perfectionist, you may be surprised what God will teach you if you live life without a strict schedule. It’s been exhilarating for me. My children rejoice that they are no longer hungry and starving on the couch, in a picture perfect home, with an efficiency expert standing over them with charts and stopwatches. I had a moment of great glee when I heard someone describe me recently as the “queen of hands on homeschooling” and a “spontaneous type”. YES! That’s grace!

In closing, these words of Nichole Nordeman’s song, Legacy, sweetly remind me of the legacy I’m striving to build in this season of my life.

…I want to leave a legacy
How will they remember me?
Did I choose to love?
Did I point to You enough?
To make a mark on things
I want to leave an offering
A child of mercy and grace
Who blessed Your name unapologetically
And leave that kind of legacy…

Summer is right around the corner, and gardening is getting into full swing on many homesteads, backyards and pots on porches. We started gardening a few years back, and have always included anything to do with it as learning. From planting and starting seedlings to observing the fruit of the plants to taking photos of the work and the beauty.

If you have not yet planted a garden it is still not too late. You can purchase plants already started and put them into pots or a garden spot even now. We use organic seeds and plants. I have found too many things out about eating non-organics, and, well, do your own research. Since eating organic has gained popularity, they should be rather easy to find. Organic seeds can be ordered online from reputable companies.

For us, tilling such a large plot is usually the hardest part of gardening. We did buy a nice tiller last year, so it has become less of a job, but it is so important to get the ground ready so that the roots can grow deep. If your garden is small, a rake and a hoe will do the job just fine. We found some pretty nifty tools at Tractor Supply last week that are claws on the front and hoes on the backside. They are also extendable, so any of us can use them.

One thing to keep in mind is that many plants in a garden are direct-seeded, meaning that you don’t have to start them from a plant. You will want to direct-seed lettuce, spinach, corn, squash, beans, lima beans, carrots, cucumbers, and zucchini(I know that’s a squash too, but I love it!).

Vegetables that you will want to purchase as plants are: tomatoes, eggplant, peppers, broccoli, cauliflower, brussel sprouts, and onion sets. We did potatoes last year, and they are so easy.

I was asked last year where to get some Heirloom Seeds from. Here is my experience from the past year or so…. We use organic and Heirloom seeds, so I thought I would give you some links.

We order many of our organic seeds from Seeds of Change out of NM. My Dad ordered ours and his. He ordered from them, because they are solely organic and he wanted to support solely organic growers. He also bought some organic seeds at Lowe’s from Ferry Morse.

Gardens Alive! has organic seeds and chemical-free insecticides, fertilizers and such. We ordered through them last year, and I was happy with them. You could also look at Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds Co. Underwood Gardens has hard-to-find, open’pollinated and heirloom seeds. They also have a safe seed pledge not to knowingly sell chemically-engineered seeds, etc.

Children love to play in the dirt, so planting a garden is an easy one to get them involved in. what aplace to teach your children the beauty and omnipotence of God’s creation. If you are interested in ways to use gardening as a unit study, I posted about it: Gardening 101 - You *Can* Teach Your Children!!

An excellent resource I have found for gardening that is easy to read for adults and children alike is Square-Foot Gardening by Mel Bartholomew.

Contests:

For a May Contest: This month’s contest is geared towards the kids; however, anyone can take part!! The last day to enter is May 31st. To participate, find the very close up pictures on the blog and figure out what they are. On May 31st, email the answers to us at contests@centurytel.net. The prize is Volume 1 of Patch the Pirate’s Story & Song Treasure Box. The winner will be drawn from all correct entries on June 2nd. Complete rules (and a better explanation) can be found at There Is A Season.

Ok, I really don’t *want* to share this, but for all of you mommas who have Littles 4 or 5 and under… here is a contest you do not want to miss: Win the Ergo Baby Carrier of your choice in our Spring 2008 Contest! No purchase necessary to enter & win! Just CLICK HERE to enter by midnight on May 30, 2008. Winner of the free Ergo Baby Carrier will be picked at random from all correct entries.

Don’t forget that my sweet graduating daughter, Miss Amanda Dixon, is hosting a fun giveaway for homeschool Seniors class of 2008! She is giving away some class of 2008 t shirts from The Homeschool Boutique! Be sure to swing over and check it out.

So there…. you still have a few days to enter these contests. Go check them out!

Carnivals for this week:

Carnival Of Homeschooling #126: End of the School Year? Or Is It? at Walking Therein. Come on over and join me!

The Homesteading Carnival is up ap Grandma Rosie’s Texas home. Take a look at the 51st Homesteading Carnival ……..Summers on it’s way.

That is all for this Memo Monday! Have a fabulous week, and get out and get dirty with your children this summer!

On Mother’s Day this year, a dear friend’s father was taken up to be with Jesus. He left behind a loving and Godly wife, 4 beautiful and loving daughters, and a loving son on earth. I heard about the accident the day after it happened, but when I heard about it my heart broke and I wept for them! I have really never had to go through the trauma of losing a loved one, Thank God! But my heart is really breaking for my dear friends.

During this time of grieving, I have been researching sorrow and joy in the Bible. One that really is comforting in this time is:

Psalm 30:5
For his anger endureth but a moment; in his favour is life: weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning.

One of my favorite worship songs is Trading My Sorrows. It is such a comforting thought to know that though we walk through the valley of the shadow of death, we can fear no evil because Jesus is there. It is so great to rely on the fact that though we walk through the valley at night, that joy comes in the morning!

Another verse that reminds me that sorrow does not last forever is:

John 16:22
And ye now therefore have sorrow: but I will see you again, and your heart shall rejoice, and your joy no man taketh from you.

It is so relieving to know that when our joy does come, NO ONE can take it from us! A lot of the time we overlook joy in our lives. I think we worry too much on things that are a burden and we simply take the joy out of our lives. When we do that, it is a sorrowful place, because it is almost as though we have taken Jesus out. Jesus is Joy!

Finally, what joy we can have in knowing that:

Revelation 21:4
God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.

Oh what a day of joy that will be! No more sorrow, no more death! I am anxiously awaiting that day, because sorrow takes a lot out of you! I am so happy for my friends because when that day comes, they will be able to see their “daddy-pops” again!

Remember this week as you go along your life, that though there may be sorrow in your life, that it only lasts for a season, and then the joy comes!

Please remember to pray for my dear friends. They are hurting, I know and would really appreciate your prayers. Nothing will take away the pain they are feeling but Jesus. Let’s cry out to Jesus for them!

Love you, Mrs. L, Sandy, Celeste, Jordan and Sarah! HUGS!

Also, remember the Steven Curtis Chapman family. The family lost their youngest daughter when the oldest brother hit her with their suv. Please please pray for them! What a sad loss this is, especially for the oldest brother.

Prayers and Blessings,

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Hebrews 12:1 “…let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us.”

What does the “sin which so easily ensnares us” look like to you personally? Is it sitting there on the side of the road in the race of life, looking stinky, smelly, and repulsive? I mean sin really is gross. When I think about how completely revolting sin is to our holy God and ought to be in our lives as believers, I picture something from a very disgusting dump with flies buzzing all around it. It most certainly smells and looks terrible.

But if sin appeared as detestable as it truly is, we’d all be able to avoid it completely. Yet sin ensnares us. It captures or entangles us as we’re caught unaware. And it happens easily. It must look a lot better than the aforementioned pile of filth. In fact, it must appear quite enticing.

I believe we need to ask God’s help to give us SUPER-vision, x-ray eyes, if you will, to see through the outer trappings of this ensnaring sin. As we run this race called life, we need the ability to see these obstacles for what they really are. While they may be quite lovely in appearance, as they draw us away from our focus (Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith), they’re deadly as a boa constrictor that wraps around us and squeezes the life out. But if we will diligently seek after the Lord in His word and in prayer, He will provide us with the SUPER-vision needed to see beyond the façade and discern the truth.

Sin is ugly. It’s abhorrent. Our enemy is well aware of this. That’s precisely why he adorns it in a way that would attract and allure us. But Jesus has already defeated Satan. We do not have to live in bondage to his tricks and deception. We need to move beyond the place of feeling that we’ll be trapped in this for the rest of our lives, deeming our flesh weak, and falling into hopelessness.

Yes, God left a thorn in the flesh with the Apostle Paul, though he prayed fervently for it to be removed. But nowhere in Scripture does the Lord say that we have to live with habitual sin. Nowhere does he say that we have to remain in bondage to it. Jesus died on the cross to pay the price for our sin. Throughout the New Testament, we are offered hope and freedom!

Hebrews 12:1 “…let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us…”

Romans 6:18 “And having been set free from sin, you became slaves of righteousness.”

Romans 6:22 “But now having been set free from sin and having become slaves of God, you have fruit to holiness, and the end, everlasting life.”

May you walk in freedom today!

Today I am interviewing Dana Hanley. Dana graduated from college and planned to have no more than one child while she pursued her goal of a career in journalism or political science. She is now a homeschooling mom to four precious children. Dana currently blogs at Principled Discovery. She also writes a column titled, “Homeschool in the News” over at Heart of the Matter Online.

Tell us a little bit about your family.
My husband and I met as exchange students in Germany. He from Australia and I from the US. So it’s a good thing I wanted to go to Germany and he was passed over for the spot to Sweden. Else we never would have met, never would have married, and four lovely children just wouldn’t be.

The one thing that amazes me most is how different each of our children are. Despite sharing in the same gene pool and the same parenting, they are truly unique individuals. Each day I am challenged to encourage them, to challenge them and to educate them.

What does a typical day look like in your home?
The typical day starts later than I planned and is filled with the typical distractions of a curious one year old and a three year old who wants to do everything with us. I have learned to be ready to involve her, but sometimes I still get frustrated that we cannot “just get things done.” I am very goal-oriented, and sitting back and just enjoying the process, regardless of the mess and the extra time involved, is something I am working on.

We do more formal, school-like lessons for math and spelling and I try a more tutorial approach for everything else. This is rather intensive because it involves a great deal of planning to make myself more of a “living text book.” It is worth the effort…but I do not always commit the time to do it well. And then things can be somewhat more chaotic. That isn’t exactly typical, but it happens way more than I would like and is a good preface for the day I share for the next question!

What does a perfect day look like for you?
The nearest thing we experienced to a “perfect” day was our lesson on Jesus as the Bread of Life. We still have those moments, but it is rare that my children are that engaged for that length of time. It was a very rewarding time for all of us and we all learned from the lesson.

Do you have a separate room where you homeschool?
No. We do the formal part of our day in the front room with the baby and the toddler in my lap, the five year old at my feet playing with his train track and my nine year old seated next to me. When she needs quiet to read or write, she will usually retire to her desk in her room.

Would you like to share any advice for a new homeschooler?
I am just finishing my fourth year so I really am still a beginner myself. I still remember the insecurity of beginning something completely new that I had never really considered very deeply, the desire for affirmation and the fear of what would happen to my children should I fail.

If I were to give advice, it would be to take the time to really develop a philosophy of education and to write it down. This is really just a statement of what you believe about education, the role you play as a teacher and what you want your children to accomplish. Use this as your guide in purchasing decisions and the decisions you make regarding your children;s education rather than the “latest and greatest” program everyone is buzzing about.

It is easy to project our ideals on those around us and imagine that all of these “superwomen” we meet in homeschool groups and at conventions greet their eager children every morning with a smile, a prayer and lessons completely planned which are pulled off without a hitch. Real life rarely looks as good as it is portrayed in books and in speeches, however. Don’t set the bar so high it is unattainable or you will likely give up in defeat.

And remember to relax and have try to have fun with your children every day.

Dana, how long have your been blogging?
Three years.

What motivated you to begin blogging?
I posted a summary of my first day of first grade to a forum and several people emailed me and encouraged me to start a blog to record our days, both as an encouragement to others and as a record of our accomplishments. I didn’t know what a blog was, didn’t know why anyone would want to read my ramblings about our school day and figured I’d keep it up for about a week. But I started one anyway, because I’m always game for something new. Especially if it involves writing.

I enjoyed it much more than I would have imagined (kind of like my tentative start into homeschooling, actually) and do not really see myself stopping anytime soon. My blog has moved twice now, and changed focus at least as many times. Or perhaps I should say it has developed a focus beyond whatever I am thinking about for the day.

You blog deals a lot with current events, so I’ll assume these are the issues you most like to blog about. What are some of your favorite sources for staying current?
I mostly get my news from Google Alerts. It is easy to set up an account and news stories relevant to different keywords are delivered to my email account. This allows me to skim several stories without having to actively search for them. I also subscribe to a number of blogs and am active in a few forums. While I actually prefer the stories which develop out of these conversations, this is also the most time consuming way to stay current and find something to blog about.

How much time would you guess you spend on blogging during a typical week?
That is a difficult question to answer because so much of what I blog about has to do with projects I am already working on. My best guess would be ten hours just because it generally takes me an an hour to write a decent post.

What are some good things that blogging has brought into your life?
Mostly it has given me a voice and connections to people as passionate about their beliefs as I am. It has given me an outlet for my writing and an ability to speak with adults about adult things throughout the day rather than being so focused on the children all day. I actually dealt with this quite a bit in a recent entry: How online communication has affected me.

Have there been pitfalls?
The biggest struggle for me has been the tension between the time I spend on my blog and the desire to write for publication. Blogging satisfies most of my “drive” to write, and I enjoy the conversation. But opportunities I used to pursue have remained neglected. On the other hand, however, my blog has been the doorway into all of the writing I have done for other publications. I never pursued blogging for that reason, but perhaps someday it will help with my other goals.

Overall would you say blogging has been a positive experience? What advice do you have for others just starting to blog?
I love blogging. It is a wonderful way to share your ideas and make connections with others with similar world views. It is also a great way to be challenged in your beliefs about the world, and refine what you believe and why you believe it as you will almost inevitably be confronted with people you disagree with. Some people enjoy this part of blogging more than others. (I happen to be one who enjoys that aspect!)

Getting started, however, I would suggest really deciding why it is you want to blog. To connect with family and friends? To converse about a specific topic? To share your knowledge? For traffic and attention? How to go about getting started will depend a lot on the answers to those kinds of questions. As time goes on, it is easy to get distracted by traffic and lose focus because of a desire to get more traffic. On the other hand, it can also seem like a pointless endeavor to continue sharing your thoughts to an audience of three.

I can really only answer that question for those who have similar goals as I do, but I love talking about blogging, so am more than willing to answer any questions!

Can we see a photo of your desk where you blog?

Sure! On it you will notice the night time resting place of Kit Kat, the family gerbil. She stays up there at night for fear of what the dog might do while we are asleep and what curious young ones might do should they awaken before mom. The stack of papers in my cubby is my “to do” stack. And you may notice the calendar. Technically, it is my blogging/writing calendar. At the moment, it looks as if I have no deadlines or things to worry myself over. But that is just because, at over two weeks into May, I haven’t taken the time to transfer things from my email box and scrap sheets of paper.

Are there other spots on the web where our readers can find your writings?
Yes, I also write a monthly column, “Homeschool in the News,” for Heart of the Matter. And my first feature article is still archived over at Crosswalk.com.

Do you have any passions besides blogging that you’d like to share with us?

Reading, writing, teaching my children and becoming more like Christ. Not necessarily in that order.Come July, I will be slipping a new endeavor into that list as I launch Home School Talk, a radio talk show broadcast over the internet.

Thanks for taking the time to give us a glimpse into you, your family, homeschool and blog. I’ll be waiting with anticipation for the roll out of your new radio show. I plan to sign up with Google Alerts before the week is over.

Hello everybody! I haven’t posted much yet, but I’m Sheila, and I’m great! At least, that’s what I’m telling myself as I am sitting here with wet hair at 8:52 a.m. when school is set to begin at 9:00 and I haven’t had breakfast yet and the kids are complaining. But I’m great! Yeah, right.

In my public life, I write. A lot. I’m the author of four books, and you can check them out here. In my private life I homeschool three kids and I surf the internet and I pretend that I am not sneaking chocolate every chance I get.

But while I surf the internet, I come up with things for your benefit! So here is our Tuesday Tour.

First, for a laugh, you have to watch Tim Hawkins’ video on being a Homeschool Family. I think I posted this before, but it’s worth another go.

Now for the serious stuff. Make sure you read my post here and watch the accompanying video if your children have ever learned math in public school. Or if you’re not sure if your math textbook is really teaching your children to do multiplication and long division properly. Sorry for linking to myself, but it’s really the video you have to watch!

 But let’s talk SUMMER! The school year’s winding down, so we parents are wondering if we should throw in the towel now on school or keep slogging away. And next year’s curriculum is on everybody’s mind.

The Thinking Mother has a great post on 10 things to think about when choosing curriculum.

Our own Sprittibee is talking Elementary Grammar curriculum!

Stepping Heavenward is a recovering curriculum junkie, and has a couple of posts up about trying to decide what to do for next year. Start here and then look around.

For those still heading out to conventions, Mingo has a good post on how to handle all the pressure in the curriculum hall!

With a Taste of Chocolate helps you put standardized testing in perspective. And gives her thoughts on the end of the school year. But be sure to read her other posts; she’s got some funny stuff in there.

And here’s something cool: Want to teach your kids Hebrew for free? Heart of Wisdom has a link to how you can get a great Hebrew tutorial by email for no money! It looks promising, and I’ve signed up.

That’s all for now! Have a great one!

And be sure to stop by To Love, Honor and Vacuum! I’ve got a book giveaway contest going on!

Welcome to this week’s Memo Monday. I hope you will spend a few moments and look at the things going on around the blogworld.  As always if you anything you’d like to add to Memo Monday, you’re welcome to email!

ANNOUNCEMENTS:

>>> The Duggar Family is Expecting #18 Have you heard of The Duggar Family of Arkansas? Check out the The Duggar Family Website.

>>> This week The 50th Homesteading Carnival was hosted at Quiverfull Family! Don’t forget to add your THC Icon to your sidebar!

>>> The 125th COH will be held this week at Po Moyemu–In My Opinion! Please make sure to stop by and check it out for great homeschooling ideas and experiences from other homeschoolers.

>>> Homeschool Blog Awards is getting ready to open up the May & June 2008 Swap! This is something fun for older homeschoolers and moms to do. You have a swap sister who you send a $5 gift package to and they’ll do the same. A great way to get to know new people online and makes some friends!

>>> Stop over at Homespun Life to view the Share Your Faith Carnival. Please join us by sending in the following information to me through the Blog Carnival Site at our very own Share Your Faith Carnival page.

>>> Watch out for the contest Amanda @ The Daily Planet is having, where you could win a Senior ‘08 tshirt from the Homeschool Boutique.

>>> Sisterlisa was honored to be able to have an over-the-phone interview with Kirk Cameron’s Leading Lady, Erin Bethea, from Fireproof today! Go on over to Apples of Gold, and read about the conversation she had with her this morning.

CONTESTS & GIVEAWAYS:

HOST: {Me and Mine}

CONTEST LINK: Win $200 and more this August!

PRIZE: 1st prize: $100 in cash through Paypal

2nd prize: $40 in cash through Paypal

3rd prize: $30 in cash through Paypal

4th prize: $20 in cash through Paypal

5th prize: $10 in cash through Paypal

HOW TO ENTER: see contest link (there is 10 hoops to enter, but you don’t have to do all 10)

DEADLINE TO ENTER: .August 31, 2008

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HOST: nofullstop.com

CONTEST LINK: Contest Kickoff: It’s Raining $1600. Are You Participating?

Open for all to participate.

PRIZE: Prizes worth $1600.

HOW TO ENTER: Subscribe to email feeds plus other ways too.

DEADLINE TO ENTER: .30th May.

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HOST: Lipstick, Powder ‘n Paint

CONTEST LINK: Biotherm Giveaway

PRIZE: RIDES REPAIR - wrinkle repair Day cream for Dry Skin

RIDES REPAIR SERUM - Ultra-smoothing serum

RIDES REPAIR EYE - Eye contour smoothing

HOW TO ENTER: fill out the contest form

DEADLINE TO ENTER: .May 31st, 2008
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HOST: Heavenly Hold

CONTEST LINK: Win a Baby Carrier worth up to $100

Open to US residents only

PRIZE: Baby Carrier worth up to $100

HOW TO ENTER: Enter a maximum of twice between May 1-31.

Email amber (at) heavenlyhold (dot) com with CONTEST in the subject line. Include your top three carrier choices from Heavenly Hold. For a second entry, sign up for our newsletter, or blog about the contest and email Amber again with the blog link.

DEADLINE TO ENTER: .May 31st, 2008

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HOST: Boston Mamas

CONTEST LINK: Enter Win!

US and Canada entrants welcome.

PRIZE: a Diplomat Convertible Car Seat in the style of the winner’s choice. This car seat retails at $259.99

HOW TO ENTER: Fill in the form

DEADLINE TO ENTER: .midnight, EST June 6, 2008.
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HOST: My Wooden Spoon

CONTEST LINK: New Giveaway! KitchenAid Stand Mixer

PRIZE: KitchenAid Stand Mixer

HOW TO ENTER: see contest link for entry details

DEADLINE TO ENTER: .JUNE 17TH, 2008 AT ABOUT 10:00PM CST

******************************************DEADLINE TO ENTER: .December 20, 2008HOST: Cackle Hatchery

CONTEST LINK: Cackle Hatchery Poultry Photo- Contest

PRIZE: $100.00 cash prize for (Best of Breed) photo. (Photo that best shows the pure breed)

$100.00 cash prize for (Funniest Chicken) photo. (funny, cute, originality or artistic).

$100.00 cash prize for (Poultry show prize or ribbon) photo, (photo of bird with ribbon or prize in the photo and may or may not include persons). Also name of show, date and what awarded won on the entry form.

HOW TO ENTER: see link

Photos judged by Cackle Hatchery Staff. Prize money awarded January 15^th of 2009.

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HOST: Adamwhiles.com

CONTEST LINK: Contest: Coolest PC - Win $25 Tiger Direct Gift Card!

PRIZE: $25 Tiger Direct Gift Card 0r $25 to your paypal email

HOW TO ENTER: submit photo per requirements

DEADLINE TO ENTER: .June 30th, 2008

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HOST: Classy Mommy

CONTEST LINK: Giveaways

PRIZE: NATIONAL TREASURE 2: BOOK OF SECRETS on DVD - 3 winners

HOW TO ENTER: sign up for the newsletter by entering your email in the box

DEADLINE TO ENTER: .May 20th, 2008

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HOST: Classy Mommy

CONTEST LINK: Giveaways

PRIZE: NATIONAL TREASURE 2: BOOK OF SECRETS on DVD - 3 winners

HOW TO ENTER: sign up for the newsletter by entering your email in the box

DEADLINE TO ENTER: .May 20th, 2008

FOOD FOR THOUGHT:

“When life doesn’t seem like a bed of roses remember who wore the thorns.”
— Unknown

NOAH WEBSTER DICTIONARY 1828

BOOK, n. [Like the Latin liber, book signifies primarily bark and beech, the tree being probably named from its bark.]

A general name of every literary composition which is printed; but appropriately, a printed composition bound; a volume. The name is given also to any number of written sheets when bound or sewed together, and to a volume of blank paper, intended for any species of writing, as for memorandums, for accounts, or receipts.