Our latest video

Here is a short video of our Clean N’ Flip set. You can check them out on our website at this link.

siggy-jennie

August 31, 2009 | Filed Under Uncategorized | Leave a Comment

Mudroom Makeover In Progress

Several years ago we enclosed our back porch and turned it into a mudroom/bathroom/pantry. The bathroom (the priority) and pantry were quickly finished up, but the mudroom remained unfinished all this time. I knew how I wanted it, but it never seemed to be a priority. Plus I detest mudding and sanding drywall and that’s where the project left off.

My mother-in-law took the kids last month so I could work on a project. Darn! That meant I had to actually work on a project! lol I decided to tackle the mudroom once and for all. I did manage to get the room mudded, sanded and primed that weekend. I then had to wait for hubby to put the flooring down.

This weekend we made another Home Depot trip to pick up cabinets. I painted the room at 8pm last night so that we could get the cabinets up today. Sadly, I’m only manager to average about one day a week to work on the project. Still, we’re finally at a point where I can see the end in site.

Here’s the very attractive “before” pictures. It’s kind of funny, because directly to the right of the first view, is a totally adorable bathroom. You just had to walk through this mess to get to it!

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And the “during” shot. (A view of the same area in the picture directly above) Not close to being done, but at least you can get a feel for the desired outcome. I can’t wait!

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All three of us at PJ’s are in the midst of remodeling projects. In fact, we all own older homes, so the projects are ongoing and continuous. If you have something you’re working on we’d love for you to leave a link to share with us. Inspiration is a good thing!

August 31, 2009 | Filed Under Uncategorized | Leave a Comment

My Savings Quest

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I’m planning to work on including personal finance lessons in our school plan for this year. It just so happened that, in this week’s Freebie Friday newsletter, Jamin shared a fun savings game. It’s simple, but interesting and is a good introduction to budgeting and planning for a late elementary or middle schooler. You can check it out at My Savings Quest.

August 29, 2009 | Filed Under Homeschooling | Leave a Comment

A College Professor’s Assessment of Homeschoolers

Or…how to best prepare you homeschooler for college. I found this article to be very interesting. (Article reprinted with permission)

College Professor Critiques Homeschoolers
copyright 2009 by Greg Landry, M.S.

I teach sophomore through senior level college students - most of them are pre-professional” students. They are preparing to go to medical school, dental school, physical therapy school, etc.

As a generalization, I’ve noticed certain characteristics common in my students who were homeschooled. Some of these are desirable, some not.

Desirable characteristics:

1. They are independent learners and do a great job of taking initiative and being responsible for learning. They don’t have to be “spoon fed” as many students do. This gives them an advantage at two specific points in their education; early in college and in graduate education.

2. They handle classroom social situations (interactions with their peers and professors) very well. In general, my homeschooled students are a pleasure to have in class. They greet me when the enter the class, initiate conversations
when appropriate, and they don’t hesitate to ask good questions. Most of my students do none of these.

3. They are serious about their education and that’s very obvious in their attitude, preparedness, and grades.

Areas where homeschooled students can improve:

1. They come to college less prepared in the sciences than their schooled counterparts - sometimes far less prepared. This can be especially troublesome for pre-professional students who need to maintain a high grade point average from the very beginning.

2. They come to college without sufficient test-taking experience, particularly with
timed tests. Many homeschooled students have a high level of anxiety when it comes to taking timed tests.

3. Many homeschooled students have problems meeting deadlines and have to adjust to that in college. That adjustment time in their freshman year can be costly in terms of the way it affects their grades.

My advice to homeschooling parents:

1. If your child is even possibly college bound and interested in the sciences, make
sure that they have a solid foundation of science in the high school years.

2. Begin giving timed tests by 7th or 8th grade. I’m referring to all tests that students take, not just national, standardized tests.

I think it is a disservice to not give students timed tests. They tend to focus better and score higher on timed tests, and, they are far better prepared for college and graduate education if they’ve taken timed tests throughout the high
school years.

In the earlier years the timed tests should allow ample time to complete the test as long as the student is working steadily. The objective is for them to know it’s timed yet not to feel a time pressure. This helps students to be comfortable
taking timed tests and develops confidence in their test-taking abilities.

3. Give your students real deadlines to meet in the high school years. If it’s difficult for students to meet these deadlines because they’re coming from mom or dad, have them take “outside” classes; online, co-op, or community college.
_______________________________

Greg Landry is a 14 year veteran homeschool dad and college professor. He also teaches one and two semester online science classes, and offers free 45 minute online seminars..
http://www.HomeschoolScienceAcademy.com

August 29, 2009 | Filed Under Uncategorized | 2 Comments

WFMW: Explore the Possibilities

Just a reminder to do some checking around before you order online. Just today, I managed to save $230 by spending a few extra minutes doing a bit of searching.

First I needed new Quickbooks business checks and envelopes. After placing the items in my cart I did some Google searches for “intuit coupon code” and “quickbooks checks code”. The first couple of sites I went to had nothing current. I nearly gave up. Thankfully, I clicked on www.retailmenot.com where there were several active codes. Most were 10% off or free shipping but one was for 50% off and it worked! Saved me over $100!

Then, my daughter needed new piano books. I first checked the site recommended by her piano teacher and found they would be right at $30 after shipping. I then checked Amazon.com and CBD. No bargains. Finally, I decided to check ebay. Wouldn’t you know, someone was selling all four books, in excellent condition, for $13.97 with free shipping! Again, less than half what I would have paid before.

So, less than 30 minutes of searching (for both purchases combined) saved me well over $100. Exploring the possibilities works for me! To see more Works for Me tips visit We Are That Family.

August 25, 2009 | Filed Under Home Business, Homemaking, Homeschooling | 1 Comment

Free Software - Teach Kids Accounting

Quickbooks is giving away their Simple Start program for free. This would be a neat to use with a Junior High or High School student as part of their schooling. Either have them start their own small business, or even set up pretend scenarios and let them use the software to track them. A great way to learn accounting and bookkeeping — an extremely important life skill!

August 14, 2009 | Filed Under Home Business, Homeschooling | 1 Comment

WFMW: Toys in Your Spice Cabinets!

Impressed by my organized spice cabinet? Don’t be, it was a REAL mess before I finally tackled it a couple of months ago. However, it has managed to stay organized.

See that neat Tupperware spice organizer? Marillee (my partner and one of the authors on this blog) found that for me at a yard sale quite a few years ago and I love it. But the real trick to this organization is the fact that I stole my kids wooden blocks to make levels in the cabinet. Don’t have wooden blocks? Have hubby saw up some 2X4’s, stack some old paperback or use cardboard boxes. Be creative! It makes a world of difference in making it easy to find what you need.

For more Works for Me Wednesday tips visit We Are That Family.

siggy

August 12, 2009 | Filed Under Homemaking | 2 Comments

The Power of a Smile

I read an article recently about how a group of university students spent their summer break as homeless people. Talk about your hands-on study in sociology! The professor, who led the class, set up the rules for them. As a safety measure, they had to stay in assigned groups of four and were each given a calling card with one phone call on it, in case of emergency. An appointed person, met them each day to give them a daily ”allowance” of $2.10. Other than that, they were on their own!

Even though they were dressed in their shabbiest clothes, had to panhandle for money and slept on the streets, the bums were on to them. They knew they weren’t authentic. However, the “normal” people walking the streets were completely fooled and treated them as such.

In the article the students shared about this eye-opening experience. They recounted how each hour became a challenge for survival of the most basic things, such as where to go to the bathroom, how to get food, and even rest their legs–homeless people can’t sit on the sidewalks in most cities. But most surprising, the worst thing they said about the experience was how they were treated as ”invisible people”. With the exception of their fellow homeless peers, people ignored them–as if they weren’t there. They experienced the feeling of isolation and loneliness in a sea of people.

What really touched me was when one girl told about how a woman looked her right in the eye and gave her a warm smile. She said that smile was more important and appreciated than any smile she’s ever been the recipient of. To her, that connection with another human being, gave her a feeling of value.

This article really brought it home to me that I am guilty of doing the same thing–ignoring people that are out of my comfort zone. Immediatley, the man who goes by my house every day in his electric wheelchair came to mind. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been outside working when he passes by and I have never so much as looked up and said “hi”. Shame on me.

So, I decided to say “hi” and guess what? We talked for almost 45 minutes that day! I found out all about him– he even gave me tips on how to get the weeds out of my lawn. Now, we are friends and he stops frequently to talk.

How many opportunities do we miss to bless another person with the feeling of value and connection, by doing nothing more, than looking them in the eye and giving them a warm smile.

August 10, 2009 | Filed Under Uncategorized | 1 Comment

Friday Night Spend the Night

I guess my sister and I have been doing this for about 2 years now. It began shortly after she and her family bought a house here. One day we were talking and she said, “wouldn’t it be nice to have a one day mommy break every other week.” Of course I agreed it would be and that is how Friday Night Spend the Night began. It basically works this way. Between the two of us we have 8 children, ages ranging from 6 to 15 years old. The mom who is getting the break drops off her four children around 8:30 pm Friday night. They spend the night and stay until the mom who has them drops them off at 8:30 pm Saturday. The goal is a one day mommy break to get projects done, catch up on some sleep, spend time with the husband or just lounge around all day and do nothing. It is also one day without preparing meals! Another benefit to this Friday Night Spend the Night is the mommy that has the 8 children has an opportunity to use the “extra” help she has in getting work done around the house. During Friday Night Spend the Night my sister’s boys have helped put on a new roof, moved a piles of dirt, pull shrubs and paint. It also gives us an opportunity to take all the children on some field trips, like picking cherries at a friends house. You might wonder how our children like it. They love it! Are you kidding, a sleep over once a week with their cousins is something they really look forward to.

siggy-marilee

August 7, 2009 | Filed Under Homemaking, Homeschooling | 2 Comments

Old Desk Make-over

I found this old school desk at a yard sale for $2.00. My youngest soon LOVES to play “office” and thought, with a little paint this old desk would be perfect for him. I used a combination of semi-gloss interior paint and for the smaller design, I used my acrylic paints (used for painting pictures on canvas).