MADE IN THE USA? It's like " Where's Waldo?"

There is so much more to the way I homeschool then finding the latest spelling test online, geography games for the boys to play or even the newest games for learning.

I was recently looking for a microscope for the boys science labs this year and found myself ...welll LOST. I reached out to Bob from The Homeschool Science site, to find out what kind of microscope he would suggest. ( I plan on using his program for the boys biology lessons this year, he has some FABULOUS SCIENCE KITS!) He immediately got back to me, which is always helpful for this ADD mom, who can get side-tracked easily and....look something SHINY!! OK I am back:) He gave me an amazing list of brands, options to look for and that almost all the affordable ones were made in... you will never guess....China. He also commented on making sure that you buy on that is QC (quality control) BEFORE it is shipped out. WHO would have thought that was something that you had to make sure about!? A couple emails later, I was pleased to hear that he too, tries to include made in the USA items in his kits. He even said that if it didn't cost double for the items that he could find that were made in the USA, he would use only those.

We ,as a family, are always looking at trying to find things made in the USA. It just seems important, with so many of our friends and family out of work at the present time. I found several places that make gardening gloves, Shane (aka hubby) buys oil paints made in the USA. Just wondering what you all buy that is still made in the USA, I think that is very important to try and find things that are made here OR in what ever country you live in. Supporting local farmers markets, mom and pop stores, artists and others is the only way to show our government that we do STILL care about supporting local jobs!

Well that's my two cents anyways... what is yours?

Taking some time off....but not really!

Well we are "on break" for a month, I have been busy with helping hubby out, catching up on household projects(which I create ALL the time!), swim team practices, working, and planning for the next year.  Why is it so hard to relax? Am I the only one who finds things to do instead of chilling out? I can't be!!! I find myself doubting some decisions and wondering what stays and what goes for next school year. (BTW I now have a 10th and 5th grader in the house! YIKES) Anytime that I take a break from "teaching" the boys feelings like this creep up, and I guess that is why I can't relax. Do any of you feel the same way? When I am doubting or in need of some motivation I turn to my personal favorite site, and start reading the posts by the amazing homeschool secular bloggers. OMG those bloggers are so amazing and just wishing that I had half the creative juices!! I have gleamed several great ideas from going to their blogs! So if you have a minute or hundred maybe you can tell me what you think of these amazing secular bloggers!!!!

Neat Swifter Replacement

 

I found this blog where the blogger had made these cool swifter replacements. (http://justpeachyindixie.blogspot.com/) Jennifer made these up for me in a matter of a week or so, now I have washable swifter pads!! I am so excited about this they work awesome and now for the price of one extra large box of swifter pads; I have something that will not go into the landfill. They work so great at picking up our Tuffy and Dino dust bunnies;) I especially like the ruffled one it works great for the corner molding. So if you are looking for green way to use your swifter than contact Jennifer and see if she can make them for you! Now off to share my find with my friends at Secular Homeschool, they are always sharing great ideas with me now its my turn:) Happy Swiftering!

My Fav Sites/Links for Homeschooling!

Well there is no way I can name them all BUT I wanted to give you all a run down on just a few that we use ALL the time in our homeschooling lessons! I find that it is hard to remember all the sites that you have used for homeschooling or even other areas of your life. While I am still sorting thru the bazillion sites that I bookmarked that first year of homeschooling here are a few that I LOVE. Most are free, the ones that are not are ones that I couldn't do without!!

Informational Sites on How to Homeschool or great forums with tons of info!
Homeschool Portfolios (its for my favorite online educational program BUT it has free links with pics that let you see what they need to look like if your state/country requires it)
Secular Homeschool (yes I am an admin on this site BUT just look at all the resources that on there. Another plus is the members! They are always chiming in with what worked for them and what didn't. A great money saving site, wish I had found it sooner,LOL)
State by State Info on homeschooling (there are tons of these out there, I like T4L because it gave me great links without being overwhelmed. A plus for those first few months)
The 8 Strictest States for Homeschoolers (this one was emailed to me from the site's admin., it is great read if you are looking into college in the near future)



General Fun Educational Sites
Dr. Seuss site  (OK we LOVE this site but of course we are a bit of junkies when it comes to Dr. Suess)
Learning Games For Kids ( site with typing, math, english and more!)
BBC Kids (site like LGFK)


Educational Sites that we use

Spelling City (great website for helping your kiddos with their spelling)
Time4Learning (we have used this site since we began homeschooling, it has a monthly fee but it has been well worth it)
Khan Academy (very helpful site with free videos)
iTunes U ( again another great free site for educational videos)
Spanish Town (free site for those learning Spanish)
Supercharged Science (I sign up for their free newsletter and tele-classes! The boys love them!)

Now while there are hundreds if not thousands more sites, like YouTube( you would be surprised the amount of educational videos on there!), homeschool moms and dads that have made up their own curriculum for sale and for free to download, and all of them are just a Google search away!

Please feel free to list the sites you love with links to them in the comments below!