Owner: CommonSenseMom URL:http://home.comcast.net/~commonsensemom/blog/ Join Date: Tue, 14 Oct 2008 15:39:32 -0500 Rating:0 Site Description: Read reviews and original articles about Babies and Toddlers, Parenting, Homeschooling, Kids Books, Breadmaking, Cooking and Recipes, Craft Projects, Conservative Politics, Biblical Christianity, Weather, Technology, and Fitness.
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Calendar Trivia 2008-09-19 14:27:00 I can't believe I've gone through so many years of life without knowing this. The following bit of calendar trivia has recently come to my attention.In any calendar year, certain months are "partners" and begin on the same day of the week. Hence, all the days in those two months fall on the same days of the week. Pull out a calendar and take a look at the following:April & JulySeptember & Read more:Calendar
, Trivia
Tips for Introducing Structure to Your Family 2008-09-17 13:23:00 Structure and discipline are two essential ingredients to successful homeschooling. With that in mind, I offer some tips for introducing structure to you homeschooling household:1. Start school at the same time each morning.2. Establish for firm bedtime for the children.3. Limit computer/video game/TV time. Try one hour per day for starters.When these three habits are well-ingrained into your fami Read more:Family
, Introducing
, Structure
Banned Words and Phrases Poster for Writing 2008-09-16 07:07:00 Banned Words
and PhrasesPoster
- Upload a Document to Scribd Read this document on Scribd: Banned Words and Phrases Poster I use materials from Andrew Pudewa's Institute for Excellence in Writing in our homeschool. I've been thrilled with the results. To encourage stronger writing, Pudewa introduces the idea that certain words or phrases are "banned" from writing to be replaced by more descript Read more:Banned
How to Cut-In While Painting a High Stairwell 2008-09-15 05:00:00 From BlogPhotosFrom BlogPhotosHere's my super-genius husband's solution to the problem. He put a paintbrush in the end of a PVC pipe and stuffed some bits of pool noodle foam in there to hold it in place. Worked like a charm. Read more:Painting
English Parts of Speech Poster 2008-09-14 15:46:00 Parts
of SpeechPoster
- Upload a Document to ScribdRead this document on Scribd: Parts of Speech Poster If you'd like to see the English
parts of speech poster that I alluded to in my earlier post, you can see it and print it above.
Help Them Learn with Colorful Posters in Your Homeschool Room 2008-09-12 07:47:00 From Andrew Pudewa, I learned that keeping visuals on the walls helps kids to learn. Not just any visuals, but small posters with the information they need to know and use. The information is in front of them day after day, and they absorb it.For instance, I have posted a list of vowels for the little ones. I also have posted lists of odd numbers and even numbers (0-10). For the older ones, I have Read more:Colorful
, Homeschool
, Posters
Sarah Palin 2008-09-07 18:52:00 So, I have mixed feelings about Sarah
Palin.On the one hand, I can understand Voddie Baucham's concerns that her candidacy is actually anti-family. On the other hand, I respect Albert Mohler's view that she is a truly pro-family candidate (in spite of his misgivings about the impact on her own family). But, I must admit that outside of family considerations, she is a fabulous candidate. After sh
A Cabin in the Woods 2008-08-28 13:24:00 I never really considered the possibility of renting a cabin in the northwoods of Wisconsin to vacation. When I was growing up, we camped everywhere we went. Now my husband and I camp with our kids. If I want to be in the woods, camping seems like the natural way to do it. A couple of years ago, we had a chance to spend some time with family at a cabin on a lake near St. Germain, WI. We had a Read more:Cabin
, Woods
Product Review: Cascade 2-in-1 Action Pacs With Bleach Dishwasher Detergent 2008-08-20 13:36:00 Several years ago I learned from Consumer Reports that powdered dishwasher detergent cleans better than liquid because it contains enzymes. After testing it by switching to powder detergent, I was pleased to find their claim true.For quite some time I used Electrasol dishwashing tablets because they ranked high on Consumer Reports ratings and because they were inexpensive. For a while, I also used Read more:Action
, Detergent
Recommended Reading: Shepherding a Child's Heart by Tripp 2008-08-20 13:19:00 I read this book when my oldest children were toddlers. At that time, we were still in the obedience training phase of parenthood. I knew at the time that it was a fabulous book. Now that we are well into the heart-training phase of parenthood, this book is back on my reading stack. Read more:Heart
, Reading
, Recommended Reading
Circus Magic Act 2008-08-15 22:15:00 My kids have made a (silent) home video. I'm in the process of figuring out YouTube so they can share it with their friends on their blog. So, to help me understand how it all works, I'm sharing it with you as well. Read more:Circus
, Magic
A Plug for the Materials From the Institute for Excellence in Writing by Pudewa 2008-08-14 09:53:00 I hope to write a full review later on, but here is a quick plug for the writing program available from the Institute
for Excellence
in Writing. Andrew Pudewa is the author and teacher of most of the materials. If you are on the fence about using the program, you have my full recommendation. My reluctant writer actually likes it. I have been extremely pleased, and it has been worth every penny Read more:Materials
For Homeschoolers, a Copier is Definitely Worth the Investment 2008-08-14 07:04:00 Our HP Printer/Scanner/Copier
definitely gets a workout. We've had it for several years, so it is older than the one pictured at right. It has held up well, and I've been pleased with its performance. You can get these machines for a very reasonable price, but the ink is where it gets expensive. You can help save yourself some ink by always copying/printing in draft mode and grayscale. Even consid Read more:Homeschoolers
, Worth
Farkle is a Fun (and Very Cheap) Dice Game 2008-08-13 14:18:00 All you need to play Farkle are 6 dice and a piece of paper and pencil to keep score. You just can't get much cheaper than that. You can see the rules and everything else you want to know about the game on Wikipedia.If you play with kids, you can use it to help with mental addition and probability. Or, you can just play it for fun! Read more:Cheap
Recipe for Taco Seasoning Mix Like Ortega 2008-08-06 09:10:00 2 t. onion powder1 t. garlic powder1 t. chili powder1 t. cornstarch1/2 t. ground cumin1/8 t. ground red pepper1/4 t. oregano1 t. saltCombine and use just like Ortega
's taco seasoning packets.
Wuthering Heights: Yuck! 2008-08-04 19:22:00 Since I so thoroughly enjoyed Jane Eyre, both in video and book form, I thought I'd try out the work of the other Bronte sister. Wuthering Heights
was a huge disappointment. Just plain creepy. Skip it and re-watch Jane Eyre instead.
The CommonSenseMom's Best Banana Muffin Recipe 2008-08-01 06:30:00 The CommonSenseMom's Best Banana Muffin
Recipe2 overripe bananas (the browner, the better)2 eggs1/3 c. buttermilk, or substitute1/4 c. canola oil1/4 c. olive oil1 c. sugar1 t. vanilla1/2 t. salt2 t. baking powder1 c. white whole wheat flour3/4 c. all purpose flourWith mixer, beat bananas until completely mashed. Add eggs, beat. Add buttermilk and oils, mix. Add sugar and vanilla. Beat well. Add d
Great Resource for Finding Lists of Titles in Kids Book Series 2008-07-31 16:26:00 Juvenile Series and Sequels DatabaseWould you like to be able to get a list of all the books in the Amelia Bedelia series? Maybe you'd even like to see the list in order. This is a great database that allows you to find series and sequels by searching on Series Title, Series Subject, Book Title, or Book Author. Check the database to find out if a favorite book has a sequel. Mary Poppins, Pippi Lon Read more:Great
, Lists
, Resource
, Titles
If You Love Books, You'll Love PaperBackSwap 2008-07-31 16:19:00 I've been a member for a couple of years, and I've been so pleased! As with most things I like, it is free to join and use.Trade free books in the mail for just the price of postage. The site has over two million books already available for swapping. If you sign up and list at least 10 books of your own books for swapping, you can start ordering right away.Click this button to go there now and jo Read more:Books
Recommended Reading: Paul Revere and the World He Lived In 2008-07-29 14:06:00 A very thorough and engaging biography of Paul Revere
and his times.The author also wrote America's Paul Revere (a children's biography) and Johnny Tremain. In fact, I happened upon this book when I was searching the library card catalog for America's Paul Revere.As a family, we listened to the unabridged audio version of Johnny Tremain while on a driving vacation a couple of years ago. I highly r Read more:Reading
, Recommended Reading
, World
Recommended Reading: Desert Queen 2008-07-27 20:09:00 Gertrude Bell was a woman before her time. She represented the British government in the Middle East in the aftermath of World War I. This biography is a fascinating tale of her travels through the area and dealings with the local powerbrokers. She eventually settled in Baghdad, and this book gives an interesting background to the present state of affairs in Iraq. Read more:Desert
, Queen
, Reading
, Recommended Reading
Recommended Reading: Strong Women Stay Young 2008-07-27 20:07:00 Several years ago, I was looking to add a strength training aspect to my exercise routine. I've never been particularly strong, and I wanted to improve. This book has a sensible plan for strength training at home using hand and leg weights. The routine is simple and can be used even by someone with no exercise experience. Read more:Reading
, Recommended Reading
, Strong
, Women
Walk to Canada: The International Bridge Walk in Sault Ste. Marie 2008-07-25 13:42:00 It was a Saturday morning, and I awoke in our pop-up camper. It was early but the sun had already risen. Thunder rumbled in the not-so-distance. Uh oh.The day of the annual (free!) International
Bridge Walk in Sault Ste. Marie
, Michigan/Ontario was at hand. The thunder rumbled closer, but I got up and headed for the shower. When I returned, the storm was nearly upon us. I helped the kids get dress Read more:Canada
Buying and Selling Used Homeschool Curriculum 2008-07-22 13:32:00 My favorite place to buy and sell used curriculum is vegsource. Vegsource is a vegetarian website. I'm far from being a vegetarian, and I don't even remember how I learned about vegsource. Aside from their vegetarian content, they have very active homeschool swap boards. I've had great success both buying and selling on vegsource. There are some rules that you'll want to be sure to follow, and Read more:Buying
, Curriculum
, Homeschool
Announcement/Menu Board in the Kitchen 2008-07-21 15:37:00 I've mentioned the advantages of having a huge whiteboard in our homeschool room. Before we had the large board, I used a small one on a tripod easel. After the new, large marker board was installed, I hung the smaller one up in the kitchen and sold the tripod easel on ebay.Each day, the kitchen marker board lists the supper menu as well as which kid is the day's kitchen helper. I also list our Read more:Announcement
, Board
, Kitchen
Improving CommonSenseMom.net 2008-12-20 08:20:00 I've been learning all about DNS on the internet, and I've made some improvements to CommonSenseMom.net.To see the main website, go to see this blog, go to blog.commonsensemom.net.To see my items available on ebay, go to auctions.commonsensemom.net.To see items (mostly books) recommended by the CommonSenseMom, visit my amazon.com store at, amzstore.commonsensemom.net.To see the CommonSenseMom's S
My Ebay Auctions 2008-12-07 16:14:00 My current items for sale on ebay are now viewable at:auctions.commonsensemom.net Read more:Ebay Auctions
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