Links!!!

There are soo many blogs, sites, links, and other stuff out there that when I started to look around I was bombarded with information!!! So I figured I would break it down for ya!

I will add to this list a lot for make sure you bookmark this list. I will try to categorize things as best I can and maybe give a synopsis of the site. Not sure but will try ^_^

If you run a blog and want to be included in the list - just comment or send me a message!





Homeschool :

http://simplehomeschool.net/  This is a nice blog that gives plenty of other resources for homeschoolers to help ease their nerves!

http://www.freehomeschooldeals.com/  the idea is in the name! This site has TONS of freebies from ebooks to intructional packets!! This is a good place to start looking if you want to stock up on free stuff!

http://homeschooling.penelopetrunk.com/  This is a MUST FOLLOW blog from Penelope Trunk!

http://www.openculture.com/free_textbooks   160 FREE textbooks. Various fields and a GREAT resource!

http://www.openculture.com/  This is just a great all around resource!

http://www.livebinders.com/play/play?id=9506    Homeschool for free links to everything from curriculum to organization.

http://www.k12reader.com/  Lots of worksheets and printables for everyone!

http://ultron.aps.org/forms/aps.cgi?ID=201007  Free middle school physics kit!

http://www.onlypassionatecuriosity.com/homeschool-language-arts-1-6th-grade-for-free/  Language arts homeschool for free first through sixth grade!


McGraw Hill Science Workbooks!

http://www.mhschool.com/instructional_materials/ca/pdf/sc08_1_se.pdf
grade 1

http://www.mhschool.com/instructional_materials/ca/pdf/sc08_2_se.pdf
grade 2

http://www.mhschool.com/instructional_materials/ca/pdf/sc08_3_se.pdf
grade 3

http://www.mhschool.com/instructional_materials/ca/pdf/sc08_4_se.pdf
grade 4

http://www.mhschool.com/instructional_materials/ca/pdf/sc08_5_se.pdf
grade 5

http://www.mhschool.com/instructional_materials/ca/pdf/sc08_6_se.pdf
grade 6





Online Homeschool Curriculum:

http://allinonehomeschool.com/  Easy Peasy offers a great resource to help you to either have a full online homeschool program or supplement what you are already using!





Organization :

http://danischnakenberg.com/  If you need to simplify your organization, she is the one to help you get there!

http://www.organizinghomelife.com/  This woman gives great printables and shows you how to organize your house!! Great blog to follow!

http://www.tinasdynamichomeschoolplus.com/home/  She has all kinds of stuff from homeschool to basic household organization printables! Great starting point!













Like I said - there are TONS of sites out there. I am just starting this list! There will be MANY updates to come so please bookmark this.

Thanksgiving week!!

This week we will be working on some Thanksgiving themed work. While the majority of schools will be out for this week, we will still be schooling. When I was in school we only got off the weekend.

I have many different lesson plans around the pilgrimage to America, the first Thanksgiving and all kinds of other stuff that is based around that. There will be all kinds of shows on the television that is based around Thanksgiving. This is a great opportunity for us to take this holiday and learn about it as a whole.

I would love to hear from everyone what you do for this holiday as a family and as homeschoolers (if you homeschool that is). For some people it is soo much more than just the food and that is where the values come into place and that is what I hope to start instilling on my boys.



Can not wait to hear from you! I will be posting up this week what we are doing and where you can find some of my resources!!

Pork Chops with Tomato Cream Sauce

I changed up the menu a little today. I made a pan fried pork chop with diced potatoes and the tomato cream sauce. 

The Pork Chops were fried in a little bit of olive oil, vigo bread crumbs and basic seasonings...

The potatoes were diced to almost hash sized pieces.

 I cooked these in a 2 inch deep pan with :

just a little olive oil,

 garlic,

 1/2 cup diced onions,

 and pepper. 

Look at the post for Tomato Cream Sauce for that recipe. 

This is great for the whole family! Even the baby loved it!

Chopping

So we had a lesson ( because he wants to be a cook ) on cooking. Every time I walk into the kitchen I have a little follower. Now as long as he is paying attention and following directions we are able to have our cooking lessons. By age 6 or 7 I was cutting my own foods. By age 10 I was cooking dinner for the family by myself. I want to make sure that no matter what, if something happens that my boys are okay and can take care of themselves.


ANYWAYS!

Here we go. We had a lesson in chopping. He wanted to cut up the onion for me. He LOVED it!

Needless to say he made sure dinner was delicious and helped in finishing up to cooking! I can not wait for our next lesson!

Beta Tester.

I just became a beta tester for a new planner from Dani Shnakenberg!!! I am very much excited and hopefully will be able to bring you some awesome reviews and maybe a even a promo code for you guys to be able to get her stuff as well!!


She has some great organizational printables for everyone so be sure to stop by and take a look!!!





http://danischnakenberg.com/

Tomato Cream Sauce

Tomato Cream Sauce dinner.

This is a unique recipe.

I made boneless por ribs ( just a small amount ) and pan seared them in my skillet. Had onions, garlic, olive oil and a few other seasonings.

Once that was done I took out the pork and added
- 1/2 cup of water
- one can diced tomatoes ( used the basil and oregeno flavored ones)
- one can corn...
- diced onions
-approx 1 cup of milk.

Let this simmer for a feew minutes with lid to cook the corn and tomatoes down a little.
( to thicken add a small amount of butter/flour rue in at the end and let it heat for a coupl minutes )

I served this sauce over bowtie noodles and chopped pork with greenbeans. Soo good!

 

 

 

Changed a little more!

I really feel this is going to be a work in progress to get together everything that we need/want to have done. Here are some of my more recent updates.

This is my master binder. I keep all subjects lesson plans in here. There are 13 tabs here - just to keep all the individual subjects organized. Yes we have tie-ins were our subjects join together so I just copy the page in each subject just to keep up with what is going on. I label each sheet as "Lesson one or Lesson Two"  When we get to it we write the date started and the date ended. I plan a few lessons ahead of schedule to make sure there is plenty there if we start to zoom right through it. When we need to cover something in between lesson plans ( like a holiday topic or world event ) then I put that 'lesson' paper in there between the other ones. Make sense? ^_^

I made this PEMDAS ( order of operation ) sheet. The other ones seemed a little more complicated than I needed for my son at the moment. 

Here I have him put the completed work he does, we grade it and then either it gets returned to review or put away for the end of year folders. I also keep track of all the grades in the final folder and he will get a progress report every other month or so. Then before review time we will see his final standings. 

I LOVE these! Great charts for parts of speech! Got this from Teacherspayteachers.com !!! I have these on the wall now too so we can se them as reference!

This is this weeks worksheets. While I do not expect them all to be completed, some are just busy work and some are oriented to the lesson plans that we have in place. 

The classroom

I have changed my office into our classroom. I have yet to have any funding or resources for anything so I am doing what I can with what I have. Thank goodness I have this weird addiction to office supplies.

This is what our classroom/office looks like currently. It is ever changing so we will see how well this works.

I am working on getting a larger dry erase board or the paper boards that teachers use. I need a better desk for him and better organization. Need to get proper curriculum for him also. Starting to load up on any and everything I can get my hands on. 

I have been finding a number of resources that will send you things for free, whether it is posters, curriculum, videos or what have you... As the stuff comes in I will start to make a list of everything so that you can get your hands on everything also!

Beginning of Homeschooling.

I have embarked on a journey with my family and within this journey I was having problems with the school system. From the lack of communication with the staff and the less than adequate curriculum, I wanted something better for my kiddos. I only have one kid in school right now ( thankfully) so this will be a 'trail' to see if we can do this. We have a crazy schedule trying to plan everything around the school day and the vacation times that they schedule for the kids. I can not stand that it has really come to the schools getting their test scores and then they let the kids move on. I am not bashing the schools or teachers but there has to be a better way. I have been contemplating home school for some time now; this is in NO WAY a pop thought to see if it could happen. I feel that if I can take education for my kiddos in my hands then maybe I can give them more than what they would have gotten in public school. Lord knows that I can not afford private school at all.

I have done some extensive research in trying to find a curriculum for my son and getting ideas and information from around the country. I found that there are so very many different ways to home school and that there is no set way to make it work. So much different than the Common Core teachings. Which I feel is good and bad. We have to have a schedule. We have to have a way of doing things to make sure that we are following the proper teachings and have some way of discipline in the school atmosphere. I will be uploading my way of doing things and hopefully it will help you also if you are in the start-up point also.

Here I have a basic set up with some of the text books that I have found to start with. While my son is a second grader there are great points in the few first grade books that we can always reference. The computer lab stuff is Hooked on Phonics. He has some issues with reading and comprehension so I am hoping that will help him along the way. The Completed/Graded box. I love this. I took two cereal boxes, cut the tops, put on some construction paper and we have paper slots. ^_^ I also have a folder for this weeks worksheets. 

I have made a Donald Box. In this box I have his basic school supplies. A big box of crayons, two sets of markers, a set of colored pencils, his daily journal, and his pencil box. In this pencil box he has: pencils, a couple pens, a highlighter, pencil eraser tops, a big eraser,  glue sticks, index cards, scissors, and a calculator. Of course there is a BIG dictionary to be able to be used. 

This is the front of the door. I have paired a strength with a weakness in his blocks and each day will focus on a different educational block. We will have P.E. during his recess time and we will have Art class once a week, music theory weekly, computer lab every few days and library time at least once a week. Every day we will cover our vocabulary and test information; and reading will be done daily. Even on our off days. Field trips will be taken frequently. ^_^

Here is our 'school day' schedule. Seems a little crazy right? We do the basic fun simple things first thing in the morning. Do the more in depth stuff after we put the little on down for a nap - that way when he wakes up there will be more independent time and self study. 

I have more stuff to share but I will get there as I can. I am very excited about this and I am always learning and finding new things. Thanks so much to everyone who is there to help out! This is going to be a fantastic journey and I really think this will be a great thing!

Small Plate Challenge!

IMPORTANT: To fully understand how this challenge works, it’s important that you read the entire post.

You are invited to take the Small Plate Challenge for the next 30 days and become a member of the Small Plate Club. If you are ready to slim down, get healthier and change your eating habits for good, this challenge is for you. This is one of the first steps toward living a healthier lifestyle and shedding some of those unwanted pounds. Keep in mind this challenge is not a ‘diet’ but a step in the right direction toward making healthier food choices and eating smaller portions…about the size of your palm, fist or a deck of cards. We encourage eating healthy and doing so as a lifestyle choice.

Here are the guidelines:

Small Plates = Salad Plate Size (about 7″)- Whether you are at home, work, or even a picnic. When you can, even in a restaurant… all meals must be served on a plate the size of a salad plate.

Portion Sizes – The portions of your foods must be no larger than the palm of your hand. That means ‘normal’ restaurant portions have to be cut down in size to fit on your plate.

Number of Portions – All Small Plate meals are limited to no more than three portions. For example, if you are having chicken, mashed potatoes, gravy, peas and rolls…BEEP!!! Only three of these foods are allowed and must fit comfortably on your Small Plate.

Foods to Eat – It’s about taking baby steps and this is one of those steps that will help get you into the habit of eating smaller portions and less food with every meal. This challenge encourages eating whole foods, unrefined sweeteners, lean proteins and drinking plenty of water throughout the day. However, the guidelines for this challenge do not require eating particular types of food. The choice of what foods to place on your Small Plate is yours.

Number of Small Plates per day – Eat the same number of meals as you normally would. This challenge is about portion control.

Here are some Q & A’s about this challenge:

Q: What about desserts? A: Desserts count as one of the three foods and must also be no larger than the palm of your hand.

Q: Does my drink count as one of the three foods? A: No, your drink isn’t included in the three foods. If you’re having anything other than water or unsweetened tea, limit the amount to a 12 ounce serving or small size. We do encourage you to

drink more water and a lot fewer sodas, fruit drinks containing sugar, shakes and water with artificial sweeteners and flavors.

Q: What about soup? A: Soup does count as one of your three foods…so choose wisely.

Q: Can I have a salad that fills the plate and count that as all three foods? A: Yes, as long as it isn’t weighed down with a cream dressing. We recommend EVOO (extra-virgin olive oil) & vinegar (red, white, apple cider, balsamic, white balsamic, etc..) or freshly squeezed lemon juice.

Q: Can I have three of the same food items for my Small Plate? A: Yes, but it’s not recommended. Nutritionists recommend a balanced plate with a lean protein, complex carbohydrate and a healthy fat. Examples of complex carbs are: fresh fruits & vegetables, whole grains, dry beans/legumes, low-fat dairy and raw nuts and seeds. Some examples of healthy fats: olive oil, unrefined coconut oil, avocado, salmon, tuna, mackerel, herring, trout, sardines and raw nuts and seeds also fit into this category. Lean proteins are of course meats, fish, eggs and low fat dairy. As you may have noticed some foods fit into more than one category. This list consists of examples and is not complete.

Q: I love good old-fashioned hamburgers…is that considered one item or are the bun and condiments separate items? A: A hamburger will be considered one item with the normal bun and condiments. However, think slider, White Castle or a burger that will be no larger than the palm of your hand. Easy?

Q: Can I have snacks and if so what about the portion size? A: Two snacks a day are permitted. Snacks consist of items like raw nuts, raisins, one piece of fruit, etc

Q: How can I become a member of the Small Plate Club, and is it free? A: Yes, it is free. You become a member after successfully completing the 30 day challenge. This simply means, after the 30 days has ended, you take a pledge to continue to eat smaller portions, as defined above. It’s an honorary membership!

From my Beach Body Coach friend Sarah!

Chicken Salad 'Tacos'

Chicken salad 'tacos'

This is a different type of chicken salad. 

1 minced garlic clove
2 tablespoons diced sweet onion
1 chicken breast
5-7 green grapes cut in fours longways
1/2 of large firm roma (plum) tomato
approx 3 tablespoon light mayo
1 tablespoon sweet relish

add pepper to taste


I served this on romaine lettuce slices. eat like a taco or roll it a little for a 'burrito' and enjoy!!! Served with a side of grapes.

Great stuff!