Month: March 2015

Homeschool Curriculum Review: The Critical Thinking Co.

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Critical thinking

Seahawk is really strong in math. He always has been. So sometimes it’s hard to find things that keep him interested and challenged; the basic grade level math program doesn’t normally do it. So when I heard about The Critical Thinking Co. through the Schoolhouse Review Crew, I started looking at some of their books. When I found out that Pattern Explorer was one of the offerings, I knew that would be just right for Seahawk. He’s always loved searching for patterns, but I’ve never had an easy time finding challenging pattern activities for him (red, green, yellow, red, green, yellow just isn’t difficult for a 5th grader). Pattern Explorer turned out to be just the thing. [Read more…]

Crock Pot Spaghetti ~ Recipe

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 easy crock pot spaghetti sauce | Ladybug Daydreams

On last week’s menu plan post, I was asked about my crock pot spaghetti, so I decided to do a post about it. It’s really very simple, and I hope the recipe isn’t disappointing to you guys. I only cook the sauce in the crock pot, not everything, but I gotta tell you: it sure makes our house smell wonderful to come into on Sunday afternoons after church. We love this tradition!

 I hope you like this recipe as much as we do. [Read more…]

Tales on Tuesday: Check Yes or No {volume 1}

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Tales on Tuesday banner

You might or might not know that I’ve written fiction stories in the past. I’ve done two longer stories (essentially novels, but they’ve never been published outside of the web) and several short stories. I recently shared a couple of these with a friend of mine, and she suggested I share them here on the blog, so I’ve decided to do just that – give new life to old stories, so to speak.

The first story I want to share with you is called Check Yes or No, and it was written for a contest (I won 2nd place). The theme of the contest was “Musical Cues.” Contestants were instructed to choose any song they wanted and use it as inspiration to write a story. I chose George Strait’s Check Yes or No. (I’m not so clever at coming up with titles, clearly.) I’ll share part of the story each week for a few weeks, and when it’s all posted, I’ll make a page with the story in its entirety. I have several stories that I’m excited to share with you here, so when this one is over, I’ll dive right in to the next one – a military story called More Than My Own Life. [Read more…]

Homeschool Curriculum Review: Visual Learning Systems

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I have a super great science program to share with you guys today. It’s called Visual Learning Systems and I received a full year of access to their Digital Science Online: Elementary Edition (Grades K-5) and Digital Science Online: Secondary Edition (Grades 6-12). Obviously, I’m only reviewing the Elementary Edition since my kids are elementary age.

Science is a tough subject for me. I just don’t care that much about it. I took a little more than was required for me to graduate high school, and despite being in the advanced classes and getting good grades there, I just didn’t resonate with science. I was more a math and language arts student. So when it comes to teaching science in the homeschool, I’m afraid my kids aren’t getting that much. For that reason, I’m always excited to review science programs. I know my kids love science, but I just don’t like teaching it, so if I can access a program to teach it for me (at least do the heavy hitting in the subject), I’m all for that. [Read more…]

Weekly Meal Plan: March 8

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march 8 menu

I have a lot of posts planned for this week already, so I’m posting our meal plan today (Sunday) instead of Monday like normal this week.

We did pretty good at eating at home last week.We ended up grabbing pizza one day for lunch; ironically, it was the day I’d scheduled French bread pizza. But Will wanted to go to the pizzeria, so we did that instead. The kids and I had the French bread pizza (in lieu of grilled cheese sandwiches) the next day for lunch while Will was gone.

Here’s what’s on the menu this week: [Read more…]

What We’re Reading in March

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I almost forgot to post about what we’re reading this month. It’s not too late in the month, so we’re still good, though :). Here’s our list.

Read-aloud: Everyone

We’re still working through Leonardo da Vinci Gets a Do-Over. It got put where it doesn’t belong at one point, and I forgot about it for a few days. We’re about halfway through, so hopefully we’ll finish before the month is out. I haven’t decided yet what we’ll read when we finish it. [Read more…]

The Joy of a Slower Project

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The Joy of a Slower Project | Ladybug Daydreams

I love to crochet. Really, really love it. I love the feel of the yarn between my fingers (assuming I’ve made a good choice in my yarn purchase), I love pulling the yarn into stitches using my crochet hook, and I love having a finished product within just a few hours. I’ve always been happiest with “instant gratification” projects. This is why I hated crochet when I first learned. I was terrible at it, and it took me an entire pregnancy – twice – to make a baby blanket. But something clicked in my brain during a 5-year break from the craft, and now I’m fairly quick at it. [Read more…]

Weekly Meal Plan: Week of March 1

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Another Monday, another meal plan. I don’t have a picture this week (I’m sure you guys are tired of looking at the same meal every time!), but I’ll try to have a good one for next week from one of this week’s meals.

Before I get to the menu, here’s how we did last week. [Read more…]